NorthCarolina

As the tobacco industry continues to brainstorm new ways to sell products, vaping has emerged as one of the more-popular alternative to cigarettes. Photo by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

As the tobacco industry continues to brainstorm new ways to sell products, vaping has emerged as one of the more-popular alternative to cigarettes. Photo by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

Throngs of addiction

News Staff
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
By Matthew Miller Special to The Graham Star In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic to the Americas.  Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Native Americans with food, shelter and tobacco.
Graham County is a hotbed of Hepatitis C Transmission, as indicated by this 2017 map showing how areas around the state are affected. Map courtesy of N.C. Electronic Disease Surveilliance System.

Graham County is a hotbed of Hepatitis C Transmission, as indicated by this 2017 map showing how areas around the state are affected. Map courtesy of N.C. Electronic Disease Surveilliance System.

Twin plagues

Robbi Pounds
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Over 3.5 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C. Of those affected, more than half of those are unaware of their infection. From 2011 to 2016, Graham County’s Hepatitis C infection rate tripled.

Judges uphold new congressional maps, in time for primary filing

News Staff
Monday, December 2, 2019
By Brooke Conrad Carolina Journal News Service   Raleigh — A three-judge panel unanimously upheld North Carolina’s new congressional districts, just in time for 2020 candidates to start filing. The judges’ ruling Monday, Dec. 2, in Harper v. Lewis still left several conflicts unresolved.

State congressional candidate filing put on hold

News Staff
Saturday, November 23, 2019
By Kirk Ross Carolina Public Press Less than a week after legislators approved new districts in a party line vote, the three-judge panel overseeing the latest redistricting lawsuit put candidate filing in elections for North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts on hold.

Governor vetoes teacher pay raises

News Staff
Saturday, November 9, 2019
By Rick Henderson Carolina Journal News Service Raleigh — North Carolina public school teachers and higher education employees hoping to get a pay raise will have to wait. Perhaps until January. Gov.

Gillespie to run for N.C. House

News Staff
Thursday, November 7, 2019
By Jake Browning The Franklin Press Franklin – Macon County commissioner Karl Gillespie will officially announce his bid for the N.C. House of Representatives District 120 seat at Macon County GOP headquarters on Saturday. Gillespie, a Republican, will seek to fill the seat being vacated by Rep.
The most current drought map shows more than 70 percent of N.C. residents living with drought or abnormally dry conditions.

The most current drought map shows more than 70 percent of N.C. residents living with drought or abnormally dry conditions.

Drought increases fire danger

Robbi Pounds
Thursday, October 17, 2019
As every farmer and gardener is well aware, western North Carolina has been in drought or near-drought conditions for some time.  Severe heat coupled with a lack of rain has thrown much of the region into dangerously dry conditions, the likes of which have not been seen in two years.