Free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low- and moderate income of all ages, with special attention to those age 60 and older, is available from AARP Tax-Aide from Feb. 4 through April 9, 2013. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.

AARP Tax-Aide volunteers, trained in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service, will offer help with personal income tax returns at the Macon County Library in Franklin.

Last year in North Carolina, 1,061 AARP Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 71,623 people file their federal, state and local tax returns. The program is offered at approximately 111 sites in North Carolina including senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations. This year AARP Tax-Aide will be located at Macon County Library, 149 Siler Road, Franklin. Call the library for appointment time at (828)524-3600. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays & Tuesdays each week from Feb. 4 through April 9.

Lisa Leatherman has been named the new Duke Energy Nantahala Area district manager for government and community relations on Jan. 1. This area includes more than 75,000 customers in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

Leatherman was the lake services representative for the 10 hydroelectric projects in the legacy Duke and Progress areas in Western North Carolina.

With a biology degree from Elon College, she has a varied 25-year utility career beginning as a meter reader in 1987. She was a hydroelectric plant operator, both with Nantahala Power & Light and Duke centralized hydro operations in Charlotte. She also worked in power delivery engineering, vegetation management, and hydro relicensing.

As we begin 2013, our country and state face many challenges. Creating jobs and reducing our national debt are two of my top priorities, and tackling them in a meaningful way will require political courage and cooperation from Democrats and Republicans. This year, I will keep working to find bipartisan solutions to our most pressing issues.

In 2013, I also remain committed to providing first-rate constituent services to all North Carolinians. If you run into bureaucratic red tape, please know that the doors of my office are always open.

Over the last four years, I’ve traveled to every corner of our state, meeting with North Carolinians one-on-one. In all 100 counties, I’ve held face-to-face meetings—known as “Conversations with Kay”—that allow me to hear your questions and concerns firsthand. I’ve gone to work helping North Carolinians solve problems on the ground, from ensuring veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned to helping homeowners stay in their homes.

Newly-elected Congressman Mark Meadows joined politicians across the state last Thursday when he took the Oath of Office as the new representative of North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.

After defeating Democrat Hayden Rogers with more than 57 percent of the vote, Meadows replaced former Congressman Heath Shuler, who served for six years before announcing his retirement from politics.

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