Learn how to live safely with black bears during a program at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

New sheriffs in North Carolina are bombarded with new information and leadership duties their first year in office, but Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks came into the position with a unique understanding of the job because he’s seen it firsthand — his father, Homer Holbrooks, was sheriff for 16 years. 

After some pushback from Commissioner John Shearl, Macon County has approved three changes to the solid waste fee structure for fiscal year 2023-24. 

The Macon County Commission unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Macon County School Board this month concerning the new Franklin High School.

After weeks of heated discussion and back and forth over both revenue and expenditures, the Macon County Commission approved the 2023-24 budget with just a few deviations from the draft version proposed last month. It maintained the proposed tax rate that will be the lowest property tax rate in the state of North Carolina for the coming fiscal year.

There will be legal penalties for camping on the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Macon County after the County Commission updated the ordinance that regulates use of the greenway last week.

At the April 24 meeting of the Macon County School Board, confusion surrounding the county’s intent to purchase the Higdon property came into focus.

To the Editor: 

I was wrong in my previous letter (“Use common sense with library controversy,” April 5, SMN). The library has not been stonewalling the concerned citizens. After publication of my previous letter about our library, I spoke with the directors of the Macon and Jackson county libraries. 

After a seven-day trial and several hours of jury deliberations, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina failed to return a verdict in the case of a Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy who shot and killed a Macon County man nearly five years ago.