We Are Mitchell

Mitchell County has released a proposed 2025-2026 budget. County Manager Allen Cook joins us on the podcast to go over the budget message and talk about the changes Helene has made to the budget. The public hearing on the budget is June 2nd and the County Commission will vote on it later in June.

Like everyone else in our region, Sibelco, one of the main producers of High Purity Quartz in the world, had to scramble to recover business operations and help the area get back on its feet. Jac Fourie, Executive Vice-President Operations High Purity Quartz and South America, is our guest on this episode. He discusses how Sibelco responded to emergency situations in the community following the st...

Over 800,000 acres of timberland in Western North Carolina have been destroyed or adversely affected by Helene. Now comes the cleanup. Mitchell County Cooperative Extension is offering a special program to anyone with timber on their property to learn about programs to help clean up and manage these resources. Brandon Pitman, County Extension Director, joins us to talk about the Forest Recovery Wo...

The Orchard at Altapass not only survived Helene, it is preparing to open for the 2025 season. On this episode, Beth Hilton, Executive Director and Sam McKinney, the Mission and Sustainability Manager join us today to talk about the damage the storm brought to the farm, how they worked over the winter to recover, and the 2025 season of “The Good Stuff” they will be sharing with visitors this summe...

Mitchell County has announced a location for county residents to haul to and dispose of vegetative debris from their property. County Manager Allen Cook joins us to talk about the new disposal site, which is the Wade Tipton Field on Cane Creek Road in Bakersville. It is open seven days a week, 8 AM to 6 PM. If you need more information or have questions, please contact the Post-Helene Communicatio...

Mitchell High visual and performing arts students are holding two events April 26 to raise money for projects. A barbecue dinner is taking place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., providing a way for students to raise money for their trip to New York City later this year. At 7:00, the Duane Melton Band with John Stallings as Johnny Cash takes the stage for a benefit concert to raise money to provide heating...

Mitchell County now has a one-stop location for help with Helene Recovery. The new Multi-Agency Resources Center (MARC) is the name for the old Bowman Middle School in Bakersville, and it has services to help most any recovery issue from Helene. Lisy Thomas, a member of the Long-Term Resiliency Group, joins us to talk about the MARC and how it brings options and opportunities for residents to get...

May 3, 2025 has been declared Firefighter Appreciation Day in Mitchell County. Stephanie Pitman of the Volunteer Resources Center and Brian Brewer, Mitchell County Assistant Fire Marshal and member of the Bakersville Volunteer Fire Department join us to discuss the upcoming recognition and what life has been like for firefighters since September 27, 2024 and Helene‘s visit.

The 4th Spruce Pine Alien Festival is returning this June. Sherry Sautner, festival organizer, joins us to talk about it and the decision to return after the devastation of Helene.

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.

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.

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.

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 s...

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 w...

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 .

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.

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 a...

North Carolina has a burn ban in place as of 8 AM Friday, March 21 due to dry, windy conditions. County Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer joins us to discuss the burn ban along with providing information about a new county ordinance that strengthens Mitchell County's burn ban capabilities in extreme conditions.

Mitchell County Government will hold its fourth Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the former Bowman Middle School in Bakersville. Kelly Jones joins the podcast to discuss the meeting and some of the topics that will be covered. You can submit questions to be answered at the Town Hall here .

The Volunteer Resources Center is on the move from its location at the Mitchell Senior Center in Ledger to the campus of the former Bowman Middle School at 410 Mitchell Avenue in Bakersville. Stephanie Pittman, Director of the VRC, joins us to talk about the move plus she goes over the services available to county residents through the VRC.

We are squarely in the middle of one of the times each year that wildfires stand the greatest possibility of happening, and in 2025 that danger is multiplied tremendously with the downed trees and vegetation from Helene. Andrew Brewer, Mitchell County Fire Marshal, is our guest and he talks about the fire in Loafer‘s Glory that burned 133 acres last week, and discusses why this year is so dangerou...

David Goodfred, a biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, joins us to discuss what happened to the aquatic life in our rivers and streams after Helene hit, the health of these systems at this time, and what the Commission plans in the way of stocking streams in the area for recreational fishing in 2025.

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 cou...

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 Cen...

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.