I'm looking at possibly going to Cherokee for 5-6 days to spend at the casino with a friend who will be down there for a festival. I have flight credits so am trying to fly in to Asheville and then somehow get to Cherokee. Driving is actually more expensive for me because my truck doesn't get great gas mileage. My problem is I'm having trouble finding information on transport from Asheville to Cherokee. Anyone from the area that can offer any insight?TIA

Hi WNC, I'm Jessica Wakeman, a contributing writer for The Assembly, an online magazine about NC politics and culture. I'm reporting on the town of Lake Lure, which appears frequently in two episodes of the new HBO docu-series "Bring Me the Beauties."

To distill a cVERY omplicated story into a paragraph, basically there was a cult called Eternal Values that lived in Lake Lure. (They were in a house on the lake, but the house has since burned down. There's a new house in its place.) The leader thought he was an alien living inside a human's body. They moved to Lake Lure because the leader thought the Blue Ridge Mountains would be a safe place to ride out the apocalypse. They ran a construction company called The Lotus Group and also started a company, Lake Lure Tours. They also sold gemstones, which were apparently quite worthless.

I'm looking to speak with folks who lived in or visited Lake Lure at the same time Eternal Values was there. Did you know any of the cult members? Did you see them around town? Did you hire (or work for) The Lotus Group or Lake Lure Tours? Buy any gemstones? No story is too small.

I can be reached over email at jessica dot wakeman at gmail dot com -- thank you!

Hello. My nephew is visiting me in the Lincoln Falls/Jonas Ridge area. He wants to go fishing (brought a rod and everything!).

I tried to take him yesterday with no luck. We started at Roby Shoemaker Park in Newland, but there is literally no access to the water. The brush along the river is extremely thick!

We then drove to Lake Kawahna to be promptly hit with a big “NO FISHING” sign.

So then we tried a road pull off on the Linville River at Mountainside Lutheran Church and, boom, another NO FISHING sign.

And on the way home we just waved to Linville Land Harbor Lake knowing that is private.

Long story short…I’m not looking for someone’s secret fishing spot. I’m just looking for ANY PUBLIC fishing spots at all near Linville/Jonas Ridge.

Thank you.

What do yall think?

I've got 5 days off around labor day and I'm wanting to challenge myself. I'm thinking I can do 10-12 miles a day. Preferably a loop would be best but I can shuttle or uber if needed. I just want to make sure I'm getting some good unique views if I'm going through all the effort so what do you recommend?

P.S. I'm in WNC

Okay so I’ve been working on this for a few weeks and it finally feels real enough to share.

It’s called 91.7, left917.net. Basically a one-page feed for everything happening in Watauga, Ashe, and Avery. News, weather alerts, road conditions, all in one quiet place. Pulls from Watauga Democrat, Ashe Post & Times, Mountain Times, High Country Press, BPR, App State News, NWS, NC DOT, and Blue Ridge Parkway. No social media required.

I built it because I love this place but I hate that knowing what’s going on here means scrolling Instagram. So this is the opposite of that. No algorithm, no ads, no signup. Just what’s actually happening.

Working on adding events from the venues I keep going to like Boone Saloon, AMB, Lost Province, Booneshine, Todd Mercantile, and Huzzah Books. Library programming too. Long way to go but it’s a start.

If you check it out, tell me what’s missing. I want this to be the thing people actually use.

Named after the empty slot on the Boone FM dial. There’s a whole story behind the name but I’ll save it for whoever asks.

Public notice was posted by Skyway Towers, LLC, the developer of the proposed 199-foot cell tower (20 Story!!) that will be in the sightlines of the Parkway throughout the Watauga County portion.  There are two important actions we can take right now to make their voice heard before any final decisions are made, and another beautiful view is encroached upon.

  

 Help today by filing two complaints with the FCC.  

1. An Environmental Review Request
2. An Informal Objection

Both letters must be completed by July 3.  We have assembled all of the information for you to use in creating a letter for each, including letter templates as well as relevant talking points for each.  PLEASE DO BOTH! Directions for filing are listed below, and you will find the letter templates and talking points attached.  

 

Filing an FCC Complaint

 

We are at a critical juncture because the FCC open comment 30 day window is only open through July 3, so we have to act now.  Anyone can file an FCC complaint, so please forward to everyone who enjoys this view – this is your spouse, children (if old enough), family members, and friends.

Why Your Comment Matters

Personalized comments carry more weight than form letters. Describe your experiences, your respect for views, and how the tower would affect you and your BRP experience

There are two different complaints you can file:

1. Environmental Review Request —raises environmental, scenic, and historic concerns about ASR Application A1384900
2. Informal Objection — filed directly against the application in the FCC's ASR system, which is a broader objection to the application proceeding at all

 

HOW TO DO IT (takes about 10 minutes):

• Type this address into the address bar at the top of your screen:
• www.fcc.gov/asr/environmentalrequest
• Pleading Type: Informal objection or ASR Environmental Notice
• Fill in your name, address, and email address and hit “Continue”
• The page will ask for the type of File Number and select “ASR File Number.”
• The file number is: A1384900.
• Select the file and hit “Continue.”
• Select “Pleading” in the Type dropdown
• You must upload a document with your comments, so type your comments into a word document and save it as a word document or PDF.  We have some talking points, but make sure to write your concern IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
• Click Submit
• You should receive a confirmation email — save it

If you have trouble with the website, call the FCC directly:

• Phone: (888) 225-5322
• Ask to file an environmental review objection for ASR Application A1384900

Thank you for your help and support. Please help stop unnecessary parkway development.

Hi we are 51 and 49 looking for friends near Waynesville. We are hiking the MST and looking for friends to possible ride share to stage the cars. We are laid back and hike about 2 to 2.5 miles an hour.