The day before Halloween and just a shadow away from a full moon, nearly a dozen community members and government officials were arrested and detained at Franklin's Town Hall. With crimes ranging from impersonating an officer, to drunk and disruptive behavior and resisting arrest, Chief David Adams with the Franklin Police Department had his hands full Tuesday morning with a room full of guilty culprits.

Early Tuesday morning the crime raid began with the arrest of Franklin High School Principal Dr. Chris Baldwin. After being taken out in handcuffs by Officer Dwayne Cabe, Baldwin was escorted to Town Hall to appear before the volunteer judge, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Welch.

Read more...

Technology may be the next best defense for the Macon County Sheriff's Office. According to a report giving by Sheriff Robert Holland to the Board of Commissioners last week, a national program called LeadsOnline could be an essential crime-fighting tool for the area.

Holland informed the board that after a 30-day trial of LeadsOnline, the Sheriff's Office was able to tap into the database, which is the largest online investigative system in the country, and solve a string of church break-ins which occurred in Macon County. The database lead officers to Bonita Springs, Fla., where the suspect had driven and pawned the items at a pawn shop. “We were able to go down to Bonita Springs and retrieve those materials because of LeadsOnline, and bring them back to Macon County,” said Holland. “We were also able to successfully prosecute that individual, and also solve some other break-ins in the area.”

The Macon County News traditionally provides our readers with profiles of candidates running for office in the weeks prior to the election. This week the focus is on the candidates for the 11th Congressional District; the candidates for the 50th District seat in the N.C. Senate; and the candidates for the District III seat on the Macon County Board of Education.

11th Congressional District Seat

Mark Meadows

Mark Meadows, 53, is the Jackson County Republican candidate vying for the 11th Congressional District Seat, currently occupied by Congressman Heath Shuler.

Read more...

The following is a statement from the Jacobs family on the closing of People’s.

It has been said that the only constant in life is change. After 55 years of service to the people of Macon County and beyond, offering quality clothing and goods for the family, People’s Department Store on Main Street in Franklin has come to a time for one final change. At the end of this year, People’s will close its doors for good.

Some of you may grieve with our family in the loss of something precious. When J.C. Jacobs opened People’s 55 years ago, the world depended upon its local merchants to provide for their basic needs. With energy and enthusiasm J.C. Jacobs opened his stores and sought to meet the needs of the people while feeding and clothing, raising and educating his family.

U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins has announced a federal grant totaling $900,000 to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the Western District of North Carolina. The grant program is designed to enhance law enforcement practices and prevention of violence against women.

In announcing the grant U.S. Attorney Tompkins stated, “We are excited about this grant because it specifically targets violence against women within the reservation. Building and sustaining a safe and secure environment in our tribal region is a priority for my office and this grant will help put an end to the unacceptable rate of violence against women in Indian Country.”

A motor home fire occurred on Cowee Mountain Tuesday, October 16. It is owned by Curtis Winkler of Anniston, Alabama.

A passerby alerted Winkler of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Franklin Fire Department responded to the call.

Dates to remember:

— General Election is Tuesday, November 6
— Absentee ballots begin Friday, September 7
— Voter Registration (by-mail) deadline is Friday, October 12
— One-stop absentee voting and same day registration runs from Thursday, October 18 to Saturday, November 3
— Tuesday, October 30 is the last day to request an absentee ballot.

All Absentee ballots must be received by Board of Election by Monday, November 5.

The Macon County News traditionally provides our readers with profiles of candidates running for office in the weeks prior to the election. This week the focus is on the candidates for the District III seat on the Board of Commissioners.

Bobby Kuppers – District III

Bobby Kuppers is the Democratic incumbent candidate for the District III seat on the Board of Commissioners. Kuppers has been a resident of Macon County since 1960, when he moved here with his family at the age of six years old.

Read more...

After 40 years going virtually untouched, the Macon County recreation pool complex will officially get an upgrade this fall. During their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, commissioners unanimously voted to award two bids totaling $546,000 to give a complete upgrade to Macon County's pool and pool-house.

Commissioners voted to award Augusta Aquatics the $338,500 contract for the pool portion of the project. Seth Adams, director of Macon County Recreation Department, said that the company originally submitted the lowest bid at $360,142, but he was able to negotiate the price down to save the county nearly $22,000. “Augusta Aquatics came highly recommended by Aquatics H2O, the firm that drafted the plans for the pool,” said Adams. “They are a larger company and said that this project will be the smallest project they do all year, which made me feel better about it.”

More than 159 pounds of prescription drugs collected.

In an effort to make Macon County streets safer, Macon County's Sheriff's Office worked with the Franklin Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation and Highlands Police Department to take part in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day last Saturday.

Lead by the Drug Enforcement Administration, law enforcement agencies in Western North Carolina posted locations last Saturday that gave the public the opportunity to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft by safely disposing of the medications.

Read more...