A newly sworn-in North Carolina General Assembly and a fresh legislative session present an opportunity to significantly advance government tr…
State senators are taking aim at a shady business practice, but instead of chasing cash-grabbers into the sunlight, they’ve decided we’d all b…
There’s an unfortunate trend continuing in North Carolina and across the nation that must be stopped: the bad behavior of coaches, parents and…
After two years of unprecedented challenges, we know that many North Carolinians are looking for new opportunities and a fresh start. Caldwell…
Juneteenth, Liberation Day, Black Independence Day, Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, and Jubilee are all names to celebrate the events of June 1…
Today is Earth Day and people around the globe are celebrating by taking action to protect our planet. Here in the High Country, MountainTrue …
More than 20,000 North Carolinians have lost their lives to opioid overdoses. Still more are struggling with the disease of addiction, and man…
Representative government is the bedrock of democratic societies. If all of us – millions of people — were charged with making policy decision…
For decades North Carolina has ranked near the bottom of all states in the country when it comes to the public’s right to know what went wrong…
For decades North Carolina has ranked near the bottom of all states in the country when it comes to the public’s right to know what went wrong…
The North Carolina General Assembly remains poised to make open government history next week when lawmakers return to Raleigh for the last tim…
When the 2021 session of the General Assembly began, passage of legislation to advance public access to records of disciplinary actions taken …
Our friends from North Carolina Press Association, Sandy Hurley and Bill Moss, have penned an important op-ed, found on the Opinion page of ou…
Even with our country and counties polarized to extents few of have witnessed in recent times, an opportunity arises this weekend to bypass di…
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Thumbs-up: To taking care of the trash and raising money for a great cause. The New River Conservancy hosted its Splash for Cash in late Augus…
The weather report Aug. 17 was unusual for our mountain communities — tornado warnings in the High County, including Watauga and Ashe counties.
This week, hundreds of High Country students began filling school hallways, most looking forward, on some level, to the new year ahead. After …
Supporting Tennessee’s rural citizens has been a top priority of mine since I signed my very first executive order. Executive Order 1 required…
To mask or not to mask is an important question, but not as important for motorists to know that no matter the outcome of that debate, childre…
One of the lesser known natural jewels of the High Country is one that is not only unique, but is the site of one of the best recent examples …
The High Country is largely open for business, and our downtowns and business districts — especially on weekends — show the result: visitors a…
Dillon Christopher Baldridge was born July 18, 1994, in Youngsville, N.C. From an early age, he told his family he wanted to be a soldier. Wha…
Some things take a lifetime to achieve, and because of one in particular, Boone is better for it.
Combining local agricultural with High Country food insecurity just makes sense — and it’s a sensible idea that Hunger Health and Coalition ha…
What a difference a year has made. With many public July 4 festivities canceled in 2020 due to the global pandemic, fireworks finales are agai…
Does the Watauga Democrat fit the bill in terms of new legislation promoting local journalism? We think so, and we bet you’ll agree.
Seven million pounds … 3,500 tons. That’s a sobering number, and more sobering when it’s applied to the amount of roadside litter collected so…
In our ever-increasingly fractured nation, it is important today to recall a time when High Country communities linked arms and hearts to join…