Exchanging students, exchanging cultures

fr exchangeWhen Donna Bell invited the first exchange student into her home seven years ago, she had no idea the lasting impact it would have on her family as well as the lives of the students.

Macon commissioners give board new direction

fr maconplanningWith the six-month process of getting a nuisance noise ordinance passed behind them, members of the Macon County Planning Board now have some new assignments.

Macon dodges insurance fund deficit

More than 400 Macon County employees and their families will see a reduction in health care coverage and an increase in their contributions beginning July 1 after commissioners agreed to change the county’s health insurance plan and provider.

Macon passes noise ordinance

fr maconnoiseMacon County commissioners realize they can’t make everyone happy, but they hope some residents can now get some sleep with a nuisance noise ordinance in place.

SCC plans for Macon campus expansion

fr SCCexpandsDr. Don Tomas likes to be ahead of the curve.

As Southwestern Community College celebrates 50 years, Tomas, who has been SCC’s presidents for three years, continues to look ahead and plan for the future.

Teachers fight to restore public education funds

fr maconschoolsThird-grade teacher Carolyn Cope deals with many stresses day in and day out —making sure her students are happy and healthy, teaching them a new curriculum and making sure she’s prepared them well enough to pass their extensive reading tests.

Public gets chance to weigh in on noise proposal

Macon County commissioners appear to be amenable to the planning board’s proposed plan to deal with nuisance noise, but the public will have one more chance to voice its opinions before the board takes a final vote. 

Macon to purchase additional landfill property

Macon County is taking the final steps to expand its landfill life expectancy by 60 years, likely the last expansion before the county will have to figure out a new plan for disposing waste. 

Commissioners recently approved purchasing two tracts of land that will enable the county to expand the current MSW Landfill on Pannell Lane in Franklin. For a total of about $1.5 million, the county plans to purchase 14.5 acres from Donald Burling at 256 Pannell Lane and 8.3 acres from Charles and Wendy Dalton at 198 Pannell Lane.

Blazing a trail: Work starts on first Bartram Trail addition since the 1990s

out frIt’s been nearly 20 years since Burt Kornegay first started looking into land along Hickory Knoll Road in Macon County, but dirt is finally moving on the Bartram Trail Society’s vision of routing a piece of the long-distance trail away from the road and over the Pinnacle and George Gray Mountain instead. 

“This had been years in the making,” said Kornegay, who was in the midst of his 12 years as president of the Bartram Trail Society when he bought the land. “This was going on even before these tracts of land came up.”

Elections embezzlement case lands on DA’s desk

fr BOEIt could be just a matter of months before District Attorney Ashley Welch decides whether to press charges in a year-old case of alleged embezzlement at the Macon County Board of Elections, but the investigation still has legs on the federal level.

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