We Are Mitchell

February Town Hall Part 2

The February 20, 2025 Town Hall meeting was cancelled due to weather, but information that was to presented at the session is available on this podcast. This is Part 2 of the meeting information, and it focuses on debris removal and stream debris cleanup. Allen Cook, County Manager, shares information on these topics and introduces private property debris removal which is becoming available to county residents.

February Town Hall Part 1

The February Town Hall meeting was cancelled due to weather on February 20. This is the first of two podcasts featuring information that was going to be presented at that meeting. Gabriel Johnson with the North Carolina Department of Transportation discusses road closures and other DOT projects underway in the county; Stephanie Pittman of the Volunteer Resources Center gives an overview of the Center and the services available to citizens at it; and Allen Cook, Mitchell County Manager, concludes the first podcast with a discussion of long-term housing in Mitchell County, including information on reconstruction or mitigation of properties damaged by Helene, including a detailed discussion of applying for FEMA funds.

Rhododendron Festival Returns - Misti Silver

More good news! The North Carolina Rhododendron Festival will make its 78th appearance in Bakersville this June. Misti Silver with the committee organizing the event joins us to share what’s happening and the new locations of some of the events due to damage from Helene.

Blacksmith Festival Returns - Spencer Bost

The 19th Annual Blacksmith Festival is returning to Lower Street in Spruce Pine April 26th. Spencer Bost with Downtown Spruce Pine joins us to discuss why the festival is coming back even with the damage to the buildings on Lower Street.

Bakersville’s Future - Andy Palmer

Many are wondering what the future may hold for areas of Mitchell County. A group of interested citizens in Bakersville are meeting Thursday and Friday, February 20 and 21, to talk with the Design Assistance Team, a group of experts who are working with the community in rebuilding and the recovery process. Andy Palmer, co-owner of In Tandem Gallery and a Bakersville Town Councilman, joins us to talk about the meeting and what DAT is and will be doing to help the town recover from Helene.

Hospitality House - Sean Morris & William Holley

Homelessness has been a big problem in our region for quite some time, and Helene has only made it worse. Today, we talk with Sean Morris and William Holley of the Hospitality House, a Boone, North Carolina-based agency that works with the homeless in Mitchell, Avery, and Yancey Counties. They share what their organization does, how to get help, and talk about a recent survey they conducted in our area of the homeless. It's an important topic and we hope we can shed light on it and how Hospitality House can help.

NC DOT Road Update - Gabriel Johnson & David Uchiyama

One of the most impressive feats pulled off during the recovery from Helene has been how rapidly the North Carolina Department of Transportation got roads opened and functioning again. On this program, we get an update on the roads in Mitchell County with DOT representatives Gabriel Johnson & David Uchiyama. In addition to the update, they note upcoming closures of roads in the county to complete repairs.

Thoughts on Helene - Mark Sudduth

Helene’s wrath was surprising to many people, and Mark Sudduth who is a professional researcher of hurricanes and other weather, along with a serving as a reporter on Fox Weather, joins the podcast to share his thoughts on the storm. Mark’s parents, Doug and Billie Ruth Sudduth, lived in the Ledger area for 30 years, so he has been to our region quite a bit and has interest in what happened and in our recovery. The program is a bit long (37 minutes) but it is chock full of information on the storm through the eyes of a professional.

Mark has several social media accounts where he publishes videos and other comments on weather. His handle on social media is @HurrianeTrack and you can find his work here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hurricanetrack

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HurricaneTrack

 

X / Twitter: https://x.com/hurricanetrack

 

Fox Weather: https://www.foxweather.com/