3 THINGS TO KNOW — Tue, Oct 6:
🍂 Blue Ridge Parkway sections reopen for fall travel; Julian Price loops B and D open
🏛️ Watauga Commissioners meet tonight 5:30pm: reappraisal timeline, library plans
🕊️ Televangelist Jim Bakker, PTL Club co-founder, dies at 86
wataugaonline.com
#Boone #HighCountryNC

3 THINGS TO KNOW — Tue, Sept 29:
🚨 Fatal head-on crash Monday on US 421 at Mabel School Rd, Zionville; driver charged
🐕 Ashe Co. motorcycle pursuit ends in meth arrest, K9 Alpha finds discarded drugs
🗺️ NCDOT launches interactive "Projects Near Me" map tool
wataugaonline.com
#Boone #HighCountryNC

🏈 Watauga falls 41-26 to Asheville Friday night, dropping its fourth straight and falling to 1-4. Pioneers open Northwestern 6A/7A play Oct. 2 vs. Freedom (Military Appreciation Night). wataugaonline.com/watauga-drop... #WataugaPioneers #HighCountryNC

Boone Police investigating a hit-and-run that injured two pedestrians late Wednesday near W. King St. — potentially life-threatening injuries. Vehicle fled the scene; police recovered debris and are working to identify the driver. wataugaonline.com/boone-police... #Boone #HighCountryNC

🔥 NC Forest Service urges caution as fall wildfire season begins (Oct-Dec peak). "Human activity is responsible for more than 99% of wildfires in NC," says Ag Commissioner Troxler. Helene-damaged forests add extra fuel risk. wataugaonline.com/n-c-forest-s... #HighCountryNC

⚡🌈 Lightning and a rainbow in the same shot, same moment — caught by Dalton Mitchell in Boone Saturday during the storm that delayed the App State game. One in a million. 📷 Dalton Mitchell #WataugaCounty #HighCountryNC

Foster-Tyson Park in Jefferson awarded $235,175 from NC's Parks and Recreation Trust Fund — will become the Jefferson trailhead for the Northern Peaks State Trail, bringing the park's first restrooms plus new pavilions and parking. wataugaonline.com/jeffersons-f... #AsheCounty #HighCountryNC

Boone gas jumps 29¢ in one week to $4.18/gal — biggest weekly surge yet. Crude oil back above $100/barrel on Iran/Hormuz disruptions. NC avg $4.16 (up 20¢), national $4.475 (AAA). Diesel $6.09–$6.39 locally, near record highs. wataugaonline.com/high-country... #Boone #HighCountryNC #GasPrices #Iran

🏛️ Boone Council meets Wed., Sept. 23 — final vote expected on the Walk at Boone rezoning (179 units, revised since July). Planning Commission recommended denial 6-0. Also: town manager search update, water/sewer code change. wataugaonline.com/boone-town-c... #Boone #HighCountryNC

⚡ Blue Ridge Energy approves a 5% rate increase (~$7.25/month for a typical member), effective November, citing rising wholesale power and materials costs. Budget Billing/FlexPay options available to help manage bills. wataugaonline.com/rising-whole... #HighCountryNC

🏈 Erwin scores with 20 seconds left to beat Watauga 31-27 on Homecoming — 2nd straight week the Pioneers have lost on a late score. Watauga drops to 1-3. Back home Sept. 25 vs. Asheville. wataugaonline.com/erwin-spoils... #GoWatauga #HighCountryNC

🍂 Blue Ridge Parkway open from Deep Gap to Linville (MP 276.5-317.5) — no full closures near Blowing Rock, detour signs removed. Sporadic single-lane closures still possible as final paving phase continues. #BlueRidgeParkway #HighCountryNC

🏜️ NC drought worsened this week, reversing months of improvement. Avery Co. slipped back to D0; Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes remain D1. 88 counties now in some drought category, up from 83. wataugaonline.com/drought-moni... #NCDrought #HighCountryNC

Rescue crews responded Monday to Rock Jock Trail in Linville Gorge after a juvenile hiker had an anaphylactic reaction to yellow jacket stings. Quick EpiPen use + 911 call helped; patient stabilized and hiked out with help. wataugaonline.com/rescue-crews... #LinvilleGorge #HighCountryNC

App State and nonprofit E2D distributed 200 refurbished laptops to first-year, first-gen students Aug. 27. Since 2022, App State has donated nearly 3,000 devices to E2D, 1,100 refurbished and distributed in Watauga County. wataugaonline.com/app-state-e2... #AppState #HighCountryNC

NC public schools hit a record 88.8% graduation rate in 2025-26, highest test proficiency in 3 years (59.2%), and an 11-point jump in biology scores. Only 10 districts statewide labeled low-performing — fewest since 2018-19. wataugaonline.com/nc-public-sc... #NCSchools #HighCountryNC

⛽ National gas average jumps 16¢ in a week to $4.313/gal as US-Iran conflict pushes oil higher. County's cheapest regular: $3.79 (76, Blowing Rock). Diesel county low now $5.99, up 20¢. wataugaonline.com/high-country... #GasPrices #HighCountryNC

🌉 NCDOT contractor begins removing the 70-year-old NC 105 bridge tonight, Sept. 14, nightly until complete. Expect activity ~7pm; flaggers at NC 105/Broadstone Rd. New bridge's final portion follows. wataugaonline.com/crews-to-beg... #WataugaCounty #HighCountryNC

Roger David Harris, 58, previously reported missing Sept. 4 in Wilkes County, was found dead Friday after a single-vehicle crash on Mountain Valley Church Road in North Wilkesboro. Cause remains under investigation. wataugaonline.com/58-year-old-... #WilkesCounty #HighCountryNC

First Lady Melania Trump will visit Ashe County Tuesday, Sept. 15, speaking to elementary students about technology in education and visiting classrooms — her first western NC stop since touring Helene damage in Jan. 2025. wataugaonline.com/first-lady-m... #AsheCounty #HighCountryNC