Suspect charged with larceny and secret peeping

Officers with the Franklin Police Department arrested an alleged “Peeping Tom” in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 24.

At 1:56 a.m., officers Eli Kirkland and Timothy Lynn responded to a call advising that a male subject wearing a ski mask was peeping through the window of a residence on Bobwhite Lane, near Heritage Hollow in Franklin. According to reports, the home was occupied by 46-year-old woman, along with her two teenage daughters and grandchild.

After almost two years of work, a committee of local stakeholders and officials have completed a preliminary draft of a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) for Macon County. The plan looks at transportation needs for the county as it grows over the next 25 years and includes a number of specific recommendations for future road projects and other transportation infrastructure investments.

The committee is now asking for public input on the preliminary CTP. On Thursday, March 24, a public workshop for the plan was held in the boardroom of the Franklin Town Hall.

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Cousins Stephen Drake and Stephen Wright are spearheading an effort next month to send a group of abused and neglected children to summer camp through the Royal Family Kids Camp program.

During the entire month of April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the two Stephens will hold a fundraiser with the help of some local businesses. Proceeds will fund a camp trip for children from across the state between the ages of 7 and 11, who are currently in the custody of Social Services. Drake and Wright both began volunteering as counselors for the program two years ago, making this year their third.

The Macon County Sheriff’s Office will participate in Operation Medicine Drop on Saturday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Franklin Police Department and the Highlands Police Department.

This is a prescription drug take-back event where you can safely and legally dispose of your expired or unused prescription medications. Local law enforcement agencies will coordinate this operation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, NC State Bureau of Investigation, NC Department of Insurance, Child Fatality Task Force and Poison Help.

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The Town of Franklin will hold its first festival of the year on Saturday, April 2, celebrating its appreciation of Appalachian Trail hikers. Despite the event’s title, April Fools’ Trail Days promises to be no joke, taking place all day in historic Downtown Franklin.

Event organizers are seeking to bring together trail hikers, visitors and locals at the third annual event, to raise awareness and celebrate the AT’s significance as a national hallmark.

The largest association of educators in the state is calling for a boycott of all businesses owned by Art Pope, a North Carolina business man and political insider who has contributed millions of dollars to conservative groups pressing for the elimination of caps on charter school funding. The decision to call for the boycott was made last week at the annual convention of the North Carolina Association of Educators.

Art Pope is the president of Variety Wholesalers, Inc., and a director of the conservative political advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity.

Franklin advertises to hikers and outside markets

The Tourism Development Authority of Franklin recently approved grants that would advertise Franklin in markets outside county limits.

Franklin a hiker’s haven

The Town of Franklin is fast becoming a sanctuary for Appalachian Trail hiker’s passing through it, as tourism development officials have taken steps to cater to their wayward dollars.

NCAE Releases New 'Fund Schools First' Report Showing Negative Trends in Education

Teachers and education advocates from across North Carolina rallied last weekend in the state capitol, protesting the severe cuts to education funding proposed by the Republican majority in the General Assembly.

Delegates from the Macon County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators joined over 1,200 NCAE members from every district in the state to rally in downtown Raleigh to raise public awareness about the pending threat major budget cuts to education pose for the future of North Carolina. The NCAE is calling for the General Assembly to make a major philosophical shift and make education a higher priority in the upcoming budget. The March 18 rally was planned as part of the annual meeting of NCAE delegates.

A non-profit organization employing 63 individuals from Swain, Jackson and Macon counties is seeking to aggressively expand its operations and the number of people with disabilities it serves in the region.

Webster Enterprises is a private 501- C3 community rehabilitation program that provides training, evaluation and job placement services to people with disabilities in the tri-county area. Last year, Webster celebrated 35 years of serving these communities by committing to a revitalization of its facilities and programs which had in recent years seen a decrease in capacity and participation due partly to economic factors.

If you are looking for a job, or if you are an employer who needs to hire someone, plan to attend Southwestern Community College’s Job Fair Thursday, March 31, on the Jackson Campus. The free event will be held from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Balsam Building and is open to the community.

Local employers will be on hand to provide information about their organization.

“Job hunting isn’t easy in these tough economic times,” said organizer Patty Kirkley, SCC Career Planning and Placement Coordinator. “At Southwestern, one of the ways we can help people in the community is to bring all these employers together in one location.”