The United States Constitution mandates for citizens to be at least 25 years old before serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. A citizen must be at least 30 to serve in the United States Senate and 35 to be the nation’s Commander in Chief. On Jan. 30, Ethan Wingfield, a 26 yearold native of Buncombe County, announced his candidacy to be the next Congressional Representative of the 11th district of North Carolina. He formally filed to run on Dec. 22, 2011. Clearly, the new candidate believes his youth will be an asset rather than a liability.

The house seat is occupied by Democratic incumbent Heath Shuler, who has served WNC in Congress since defeating Republican Charles Taylor in the 2006 midterm elections.

Cecil Bothwell, candidate for the U.S. Congress in North Carolina’s 11th District in WNC, will be coming to Franklin to host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, to meet with voters about his run to unseat Congressman Health Shuler. Bothwell is currently an Asheville City Councilman, a seat he was elected to on Nov.3, 2009.

“Town Hall type meetings are the best way for citizens to gain a personal impression of a candidate, and to get straight answers on the issues that matter to them,” Bothwell said of his upcoming meeting in Franklin. “Our current Congressman doesn’t hold regular constituent meetings, and that’s something that will change when I am elected.”

Macon Board of Education under fire for ‘vague’ rules.

After a lengthy debate during Monday night's meeting, the Board of Education voted to approve the Professional Standards of Conduct and Performance for Macon County School System Employees after the 2nd reading of the policy.

The policy, which was approved only after Chairman Tommy Cabe made a tie-breaking vote with board members Stephaine McCall and Tommy Baldwin in favor of adopting the policy, and members Jim Breedlove and Gary Shields against it, is not an entirely new policy. Instead, it is a consolidation of two former Professional Standards of Conduct policies.

Law may revoke license for serious moving violations.

Teenagers will have to be more responsible on North Carolina highways from now on, according to a new state law that may hold serious implications for many young drivers.

The new driving laws are more strict on Tar Heel teenagers, and aim to curtail dangerous driving habits by imposing severe punishments on new drivers who commit misdemeanor, or worse, criminal moving violations.