Update 4:20 p.m.: Aerial support in the form of a spotter plane and a helicopter carrying a bucket is now being used, and a reunification center has been opened at Cavalry Road Baptist Church, where separated loved ones can find one another.

Dry, breezy conditions over the past several days are contributing to increased fire danger across the region, and although four fires just across the Tennessee border appear to be contained, another one is now visible just outside of Maggie Valley.

Maggie Valley is one step closer to completing its unified development ordinance after Town Planner Kaitland Finkle presented a draft proposal to the town board during a workshop last week.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting September Burton and Taylor Miller, who opened The Chef & The Baker in Maggie Valley this January. They are a talented couple boasting a multitude of culinary skills. September and I sat down for a Q&A where she shared a little about their lives and the story of their new business. 

“The motion passes, three to two,” is becoming an ever more common phrase during Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen meetings. Whether the board is discussing food trucks or property zoning, the vote is becoming predictable. Last Tuesday was no different. 

The issue of Food Trucks has come up once again for the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen. This latest discussion may lead to a final decision about food trucks in the valley.

More than a week after an unattended death was reported at Maggie Valley’s Our Place Inn, law enforcement officials still haven’t released any details on the incident, but one of the motel’s owners has revealed the identity of the deceased.

Sun is shifting in and out of the clouds covering Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday, Jan. 14, as I catch a ride to the top of Easy Way with Greenville, South Carolina, resident William Oliver. It’s my first run of the day, but he’s been riding for a while now — and after the warm weather and closures that plagued eastern ski resorts in December, he’s enthusiastic about today’s snow report. 

Anyone looking to create a new campground or RV park in Maggie Valley is out of luck. For the next six months, the town has a moratorium on RV parks, RV Planned Unit Developments, RV storage and campgrounds. 

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen walked back a decision it made Jan. 11 denying Harvest Moon Crepes food truck a special event permit necessary to operate in the parking lot of Tony’s Tube World. 

Maggie Valley Town Hall was packed Tuesday evening for the regular December Board of Aldermen meeting. This was the first regular meeting for incoming board members John Hinton and Jim Owens, and a meeting of great concern for anyone with an opinion about the future of development in Maggie Valley.