We Are Mitchell

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.

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 ta...

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...

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 compl...

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...

McDowell County dealt with three wildfires on Wednesday, January 29th which rapidly intensified due to both windy conditions and the fact that there is so much tree and vegetative debris on the ground due to Helene. County Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer joins us to talk about why we will see more fires like this and how you can help prevent their spread.

Businesses and local leaders will gather on Thursday, February 13 at 8 a.m. at Cross Street in Spruce Pine for updates on recovery efforts from Helene focused on tourism and the businesses and locations that depend on it. Kelly Jones, Mitchell County Tourism Development Authority Director, joins us on the program to talk about the meeting and what will be discussed. The meeting is open to anyone w...

As extremely cold weather arrives in Mitchell County later this weekend, now is the time to make preparations to protect you, your family, pets, and to be prepared if you lose power. County Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer joins us to discuss The Next 72 - how to prepare by having supplies to survive for 72 hours in an emergency situation.

The coldest weather in Mitchell County in several years is coming this weekend, with lows near zero and highs in the single digits at least a couple of days the week of January 20, 2025. WLOS Meteorologist Jason Boyer shares information about what is coming and how you can prepare for the extreme conditions.

Residents and businesses in central and northern Mitchell County have two new opportunities for grants to help rebuild and recover from Helene. Steve Rowland,  Executive Director of the Mayland Business Institute, joins us to talk about these programs and how to apply for them. The deadline for applications in Monday, January 20.

Hazard Mitigation is a program that provides grants for homeowners who have had flood damage from Helene. A meeting to discuss the program and help those who want to apply will be held at the Mayland Community College Main Campus in Spruce Pine January 16 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Brian Haines with North Carolina Emergency Management joins us to talk about the program and about the meeting.

With the start of the new congressional session, Mitchell County moved back into the 11th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Chuck Edwards. Congressman Edwards joins us on this episode to talk about this move along with details on how his office operates, plus shares information on congressional activity, updates on federal help for Helene, and he closes with information on...

Mitchell County moved back into North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District at the first of January, and that means we have a new Congressman (at least for us). Chuck Edwards is now our Congressional Representative, and his office held the first in-county sessions on January seventh. Chris Burns, District Director for Congressman Edwards, joins us on this episode to talk about this change and how...

Mitchell County Government held their second Town Hall Meeting post-Helene on Thursday, January 2, 2025 in the old Bowman Middle School auditorium. This episode presents a recording of the general public portion of the meeting, where you can learn more about debris removal, stream cleanup, the mitigation grant program, updates on Spruce Pine water and sewer, and much more.

Mitchell County Government will hold its second Town Hall meeting post-Helene on Thursday, January 2, 2025. A variety of topics will be discussed, including debris removal, extension of FEMA program deadlines, stream debris, and much more. Kelly Jones of the Mitchell County Public Information Office discusses the meeting and what will take place on this episode.

Helene has wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in Mitchell County. Kelly Jones, Mitchell County Tourism Development Authority director, joins us to talk about how this industry was affected by the storm and discusses the steps to bring the visitors back to the county.

December 12th has been named FEMA Day in Mitchell County. It is an opportunity for residents to get help with FEMA applications or other issues from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center inside the Mitchell Senior Center on School Road in Ledger. Mitchell County Manager Allen Cook joins us to share more information about what is taking place.

There have been lots of questions about property values and taxes in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Blair Hyder, the tax assessor for Mitchell County, joins us to discuss these topics, the postponement of the tax revaluation in Mitchell County, and how his office is working on documenting damage for future tax assessments.

Helene may have destroyed many businesses on Locust Street (Lower Street) in Spruce Pine, but four of them have moved into the former Market on Oak Building on Oak Avenue (Upper Street) and reopened to serve customers. On this program, we talk with Cheryl Buchanan of Treasures in the Pines, Kimberly Wise and Stephanie Medford of Spruce Pine Florist, Ginger Letterman with Haircraft, and Lisi Thomas...

This episode is a sad one. We talk with Donna Stafford, the owner of Helens Restaurant in Bakersville. She shares a brief history of the restaurant that was originally started by Wylie and Helen Hobson in 1956 and has been a fixture of the community ever since. A gathering place for ball teams after practice, local groups, and of course, Rhododendron Festival queens, Helens was tightly woven into...

As we approach the two month anniversary of Helene, things are starting to return to normal. With these changes, the need for multiple points of distribution of water, food, and goods has declined. Brody Miller who has handled the organization of that network for the county visits on this program to share changes coming to locations and days/times that citizens can visit to pick up items.

With our first taste of winter weather on the way, keeping warm becomes a bigger issue for our residents. County Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer takes a few minutes to remind you that it’s a good idea to check out your heating sources (and maybe even plan for backup ones) now before the cold weather arrives.

Our first winter weather event of the season will be arriving on Thursday as a strong cold front moves through the air, causing high winds that could down weakened trees and creating low temperatures with wind chill values that could cause problems with structures without proper heating capabilities. Jason Boyer, Chief Meteorologist with News 13 WLOS in Asheville joins us to talk about the incomin...

One of the stalwarts of Lower Street (Locust Avenue) in Spruce Pine for the past 24 years has been David & Tricia Niven and DT’s Blue Ridge Java in the Wylie Building. One of the most shocking images from the flood was the total devastation of their business - the front windows blown out and washed away by the flood waters, along with all the contents of DT’s. On this program, we talk with Dav...

Local geologist Alex Glover joins us to talk about the changes Helene made to the geology of our region. From causing shutdowns of our mines and processing plants to major landslides and rerouting our rivers and streams, the storm massively changed the lay of the land in our region. Alex explains what happened and what things will be like going forward.