Top News of the Week

Victory for Appalachian Voices—EPA Halts Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Permits

Environmentalists are still celebrating a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week to suspend and review permits for two new mountaintop removal coal mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky. The EPA said it also intends to review other requests for mining permits, putting between 150 to 200 coal mine permit applications on hold. Read more …

DOT Gathers Public Input on Highway 221 Widening—Highway To Be Widened to Four Lanes from 421 to Jefferson

About 150 people signed an attendance sheet at a Citizens Informational Workshop for the proposed U.S. Highway 221 widening project. The project will widen the 16.1-mile section of road from two lanes to four lanes from the intersection with U.S. 421 south of Boone to the U.S. 221 Business/N.C. Highway 88 in Jefferson.

Current total cost estimates for the project, including right-of-way acquisition and construction, are about $98 million. Read more …

Last of Original Owners of Mast General Store Dies at 83

The traditions remain, but the last member of the Mast family to own and operate the Valle Crucis general store that bears their name has died.

Howard Wellington “H.W.” Mast, Jr., 83, passed away Saturday, March 21, at Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation in Boone. He was a member of the fourth generation of Masts to operate general stores in the county, beginning more than 120 years ago.
Read more …

The View

Big Time Hoops Come to The Holmes Center April 9

For weeks, millions of views have been glued to the TV, watching one nail-biting game after another as the drama of the NCAA Tournament plays out on a national stage. While the Atlantic Coast Conference hasn’t enjoyed a very successful run overall, the Tar Heels of UNC-Chapel Hill are headed to the Final Four in Detroit to try and bag their second national title under head coach Roy Williams and their fifth overall. 

On Thursday, April 9, the Carolina Barnstorming Tour will roll into the High Country for a stop at ASU’s Holmes Convocation Center with none other than UNC stars Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green leading the Tar Heel-heavy team into action. The squad also includes UNC’s Bobby Frasor and Mike Copeland, as well as Duke University seniors Greg Paulus and David McClure. Former Wake Forest star and Harlem Globetrotter Antwan Scott was also recently added to the team. Read more …

Shelter Stories

New Changes To COBRA Unemployment Health Insurance

If a layoff or unexpected change in your employment status has affected your family in recent months, health insurance benefits are often the first to be sacrificed. When finances are strained, many find they cannot afford the high cost of coverage once the costs are no longer shared with an employer.

COBRA is an alternative health coverage plan offered to persons who have been laid off or fired from a job where they are participants in that company’s health care plan.
Read more …

THE HIGH COUNTRY PRESS TEAM

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