Page 43 - Spruce Pine News Today

May 1, 1868: The Union Flag published a unique advertisement. “Mr. Wm. S. Barkley has our thanks for a delicious bottle of pure grape wine. This proves to us conclusively that good wine can be made in this country. It also proves another fact, and that is, Mr. B. knows how to make it. Send and get a few bottles and try it and be convinced.” The Union Flag was a newspaper published in Jonesborough, which was spelled that way on the masthead. May 1, 1905: With a dateline from Johnson Ci...

She dont try to hide it Diamonds on the soles of her shoes . . . Well thats one way to lose these Walking blues ..." — Whereas Paul Simon’s rich lady friend had “diamonds on the soles of her shoes,” you and I will probably have to make-do with mica. We could do worse. There are sunny days when millions of mica flakes sparkle in the stones we walk upon to help us lose “those walking blues.” The word “mica” is derived from the Latin “micare” for “to shine or glitter.” Two ...

ASHEVILLE — Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) announced last week that it has signed a letter of intent to accept the donation of approximately 7,500 acres of land in the Roan Highlands landscape from a conservation philanthropist. The tract lies within the southern end of the planning boundary of the Yellow Mountain State Natural Area, a special conservation area designated by the NC General Assembly in 2008 to protect the exceptional natural features found there. Epic Gam...

HIGH COUNTRY — To say that summertime in the High Country is one the most important times of the year for the local economy would be an understatement. However, as the summer season looms, many businesses are experiencing an alarming shortage in the available workforce. Melissa Appleby, who owns and operates Absolute Comfort Hot Tub and Pool Repair alongside her husband, Dave, is one of the numerous High Country business owners who is looking for individuals willing and able to work. Apple...

IT isn’t difficult to see why the teachers of the BA Musical Theatre course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) selected the award-winning 1997 off-Broadway show Violet for performance by the class of 2021. The musical by Jeanine Tesori (score) and Brian Crawley (libretto) is set in a southern US in the early 1960s that connects time and time again with the problems of America, and indeed the world, today. Covid-19 may, by-and-large, present less of a physical threat to the you...

From staff reports Local radio station WTZQ 95.3 FM and AM 1600 has been purchased by Mark Warwick and Paige Posey and their company, Flat Rock Multimedia LLC.  “It’s a dream come true,” Warwick, long-time general manager, said in a news release. “This has been part of the strategic plan for many years and this February the purchase of the station was finalized.”  Business partners and former owners J. Ardell and Remelle Sink have built their radio stations, WKYK in Burnsville and...

March 15, 1867: The East Tennessee Union Flag gave a meeting notice: “The Holston Presbytery will hold its next stated meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, on Friday, the

The following information is courtesy of Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Rebecca Ann Stewart, 33, of 50 Emerald Lane in Spruce Pine, was charged by Lieutenant Detective C. Hobson with two counts of felony identity theft and two counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense. Stewart was issued a $20,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court on March 24, 2021. Beverly Rhodes Morrison, 38, of 50 Emerald Lane...

SPRUCE PINE — Amber Westall Briggs was delighted when The AMY regional library system was selected by the North Carolina Humanities Council last year as one of six sites in North Carolina to host “Water/Ways,” a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. “The idea behind the exhibition was not only to explore water’s environmental and cultural impact, but also inspire residents to visit our own waterways and think about what it means to become better stewards of them...

COVID-19: What you need to know Feb. 24 in Asheville, WNC Derek Lacey, Asheville Citizen Times © Courtesy of Andre Daugherty Gladys Knight and her husband, Billy McDowell, a native of Haywood County, received their COVID-19 vaccines at Haywood Regional Medical Center. They then encouraged people to get vaccines at a free clinic Feb. 13 in Canton. North Carolina added 1,514 new COVID-19 cases Feb. 23, the fewest in more than 100 days, since 1,336 were added on Nov. 2. New da...