Carolina Observer

08/03/2025

VALLE CRUCIS — Betty’s Biscuits, Reid’s and the Beacon have introduced Pearl’s Kitchen, which is the newest addition to the Tina Houston culinary family.

07/17/2025

The Trump administration’s press to quickly strip down FEMA is being tested against a devastating disaster for the first time. And it is violating a basic precept of emergency management, Zoe Schlanger reports:
https://theatln.tc/l19WEFFJ

📸: Lokman Vural Elibol / Anadolu / Getty

07/17/2025

Singer Connie Francis, a star of the 1950s and ‘60s known for her hits "Pretty Little Baby" and "Stupid Cupid," has died, her publicist announced.

She passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. No cause was disclosed.

"It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night," Ron Roberts, the president of Concetta Records, wrote on Facebook.

Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero, she grew up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey. She often participated in talent contests and pageants, singing and playing the accordion, as described in her 1984 autobiography, “Who’s Sorry Now?”

Read more: nbcnews.app.link/j7PxHabM4Ub

07/17/2025

WATAUGA — Watauga County Schools and Two Rivers Community School have had more than $216,000 frozen by the Department of Education while it reviews $165 million in various federal grant

07/11/2025

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06/24/2025

Duke Energy asks North Carolina residents to conserve power amid intense heat wave.

Duke Energy emphasized that even small changes in energy use can help maintain normal operations and protect the grid during extreme weather conditions.

06/11/2025

In a speech at Fort Bragg yesterday, President Donald Trump led soldiers “in a display of unseemly behavior that ran contrary to everything the founder of the U.S. Army, George Washington, strove to imbue in the American armed forces,” Tom Nichols writes. https://theatln.tc/3QKWq9tq

“It is too much to call it a ‘speech’; it was, instead, a ramble, full of grievance and anger, just like his many political-rally performances,” Nichols continues. Trump attacked former President Joe Biden, announced that he would rename U.S. bases after Confederate traitors, and “repeated his hallucinatory narrative about the invasion of America by foreign criminals and lunatics.”
“The president also encouraged a violation of regulations,” Nichols writes. “Active-duty military members are not allowed to attend political rallies in uniform … It is part of their oath, their credo, and their identity as officers to remain apart from such displays. Young soldiers will make mistakes. But if senior officers remain silent, what lesson will those young men and women take from what happened today?”

“Where is the Army chief of staff, General Randy George? Will he speak truth to the commander in chief and put a stop to the assault on the integrity of his troops? Where is the commander of the airborne troops, Lieutenant General Gregory Anderson, or even Colonel Chad Mixon, the base commander?” Nichols asks. “And if these men cannot muster the courage to defend American traditions—by speaking out or even resigning—where are the other senior officers who must uphold the values that have made America’s armed forces among the most effective and politically stable militaries in the world?”

“The top officers of the U.S. military wear eagles or stars on their shoulders that give them great privilege, as befits people who assume responsibility for the defense of the nation and the welfare of their troops,” Nichols continues at the link in our bio. “They command the power of life and death itself on the field of battle. But those ranks also carry immense responsibility. If they are truly Washington’s heirs, they should speak up—now—and stand with the first commander in chief against the rogue 47th.”

📸: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty

06/10/2025

WNC — Funding to rebuild in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene is severely lagging, according to new data released by North Carolina’s Office of State Budget Management (OSBM).

06/04/2025

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05/18/2025

"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," according to the statement, which says Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options.

Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from his personal office.

05/14/2025

Your sense of balance fades after 40-but it doesn't have to. Here's how to maintain it.

05/14/2025

In birthright citizenship case, US Supreme Court gets two controversies in one
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