We Are Mitchell

Mitchell County Long-Term Resiliency Group - Stephanie Pitman and Starli McDowell

The Mitchell County Long-Term Resiliency Group has been formed to assist county residents with their recovery from Helene, providing a marshaling of resources to help rebuild and re-establish that which was destroyed by the hurricane. Stephanie Pitman and Starli McDowell join us to discuss what the Group is and how it can help.

Carolina Hurricanes Grant to Mitchell County - Brock Duncan and Shane Willis

Mitchell County has received a $150,000 grant from the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team to help rebuild baseball fields in Mitchell County that was damaged by Helene. We talk with county recreation director Brock Duncan and Shane Willis with the Hurricanes about the grant, how it happened, and what will be done with the money.

A Look at Helene and This Year‘s Weather - Jason Boyer

WLOS Television meteorologist Jason Boyer shares his thoughts about the Helene report from the weather service along with his thoughts on the upcoming hurricane season and a discussion of the wildfire season in 2025.

Mitchell Senior Center - Kathy Garland

The Mitchell Senior Center became a major lifeline for the county during the days following Helene‘s visit. Its central location and accessible entrances made it an ideal place for disaster recovery. But now as we are moving into the rebuilding phase, the Center has returned to its main mission of serving the seniors of our county with food service, wellness checks, and the ability to gather and socialize. Director Kathy Garland joins us to talk about the firs few months after Helene and the good things that are now returning to the Center for residents.

Agriculture Disaster Crop Loss Program - Brandon Pitman

The North Carolina General Assembly recently appropriated $300 million to aid in recovery from natural disasters in 2024 for farmers and agriculture producers in the state. Brandon Pitman, Mitchell County‘s Extension Director Brandon Pitman joins us to discuss the program and how to apply for it, plus he shares updates on challenges agriculture is facing in Mitchell County following Helene along with information on programs that Cooperative Extension is bringing back in 2025.

The Report on Hurricane Helene - Mark Sudduth

The National Hurricane Center released their report on Hurricane Helene a few days ago, and Mark Sudduth joins our program today to talk about its findings, including some surprises about the storm. He also shares his thoughts on the 2025 Hurricane Season, which begins officially on June 1st.

You can read the report on Helene here and keep up with Mark on his YouTube channel.

Town Hall Meeting #4 - March 28, 2025

On the 6 month anniversary of Helene striking our area, Mitchell County Government held its fourth Town Hall Meeting to discuss where we are at in several areas of recovery. This podcast is the audio from the first segment of the meeting before it broke into individual discussions.

Oliver Anthony Concert - Spencer Bost

Downtown Spruce Pine is starting to see signs of life return as businesses are repairing the damage from Helene and are making plans to reopen. In the midst of all this activity, singer Oliver Anthony has started the Rural Revival Project, and he is coming to Spruce Pine to do his first concert of 2025 on Lower Street on April 5th. Spencer Bost with Downtown Spruce Pine is our guest and he talks about all the good things happening in Spruce Pine, plus he has complete details on the concert and how to get tickets.