Last Updated on January 12, 2026 3:36 pm The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is continuing to implement its Examiner Staffing Plan, announced in November 2025, by expanding operating hours at four more part-time driver license offices in rural and underserved areas. These changes, effective today, aim to reduce wait times and bring essential services …

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Last Updated on January 12, 2026 11:47 am BOONE, NC – The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce its winners of the 2025 Watauga County Business of the Year Awards. Large Business of the Year: Appalachian State University Small Business of the Year: High Country Radio Startup Business of the Year: King Street …

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Last Updated on January 12, 2026 11:47 am BOONE – Keron Poteat, Director of Watauga County Parks and Recreation, is retiring after 32 years with the department. Her last day will be January 30, 2026. Poteat first joined Watauga County Parks and Recreation as a part-time field supervisor. What started as a small step into …

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Last Updated on January 11, 2026 7:47 pm ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 7, 2026)— You are invited to gather firewood for personal use in the Pisgah National Forest- from now through December 2026.  Hurricane Helene left a significant amount of woody debris across much of Western North Carolina, leaving higher-than-usual levels of fuels on the ground. This …

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Last Updated on January 10, 2026 5:59 pm Friday, January 9, 2026 Happy New Year! A special welcome to our newest Mountaineers joining the App State Community for the first time, and welcome back to our returning students, faculty and staff. With many preparations underway, Mountaineers who support our students, faculty and staff took a …

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Last Updated on January 9, 2026 12:33 pm AVERY COUNTY – Avery County has been awarded $5 million through the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) program. The funds will be used to support the construction of a new Avery County Senior Center. The statewide funding round totals …

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Last Updated on January 9, 2026 10:57 am Legendary country-rock band Sawyer Brown will take the stage for a high-energy pre-race concert presented by Raymer Oil before the Window World 450 NASCAR Cup Series points race on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free for all Window World 450 ticket holders; …

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Last Updated on January 9, 2026 7:37 am Hazardous Weather OutlookNational Weather Service Blacksburg VA335 AM EST Fri Jan 9 2026NCZ001-002-018-019-100845-Ashe-Alleghany NC-Watauga-Wilkes-335 AM EST Fri Jan 9 2026This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest North Carolina..DAY ONE...Today and tonight.There is a low probability for widespread hazardous weather..DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.During Saturday, there is …

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