News and Weather Briefing for Tuesday, August 11, 2026

(since this is a quick forecast intended to cover the whole county, bear in mind that higher elevations may experience cooler temperatures than this and the lower elevations may experience higher temperatures than those in the forecast)

.TODAY.…Sunny. Patchy fog this morning. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

..TONIGHT.…Partly cloudy. Patchy fog after midnight. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times after midnight. Lows in the mid 60s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.

..WEDNESDAY.…Patchy fog in the morning. Partly sunny in the morning, then mostly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times in the morning. Highs in the mid 80s. Northwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

..WEDNESDAY NIGHT.…Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.

..THURSDAY.…Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.

..THURSDAY NIGHT.…Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER

An active, northwest flow pattern will continue through late this week. This pattern has the potential to produce several rounds of showers and thunderstorms. While widespread severe storms aren’t likely, some damaging winds could occur with the stronger storms.

POLLEN REPORT

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (7.5 out of 12) today with Grasses and Nettle being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (7.4 out of 3.0).

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(send your event to [email protected])

LIVE SATURDAY MIDDAY MUSIC CALENDAR FOR JUNE/JULY 2026

11a to 1p at Friends of the Greenway, Inc.
573 E Main St, Franklin, NC 28734
contact: [email protected]; 828-369-8488

To find out more about the Greenway and our organization, our website is: littletennessee.org.

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Record Weather Events for this date in Macon County (1872-2025)

Highest Temperature 93°F in Franklin in 1957

Lowest Temperature 46°F in Highlands in 1989

Greatest Rainfall 3.10 inches in Highlands in 1919

Record weather events for August in Macon County

Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on Aug 9, 1980
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Aug 29, 1968
Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on Aug 13, 1940
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873

Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of August

Highest Temperature 110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County Aug 21, 1983
Lowest Temperature 31°F Banner Elk, Avery County Aug 23, 1930
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 12.43 in Morehead City, Carteret County Aug 12, 1955

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• Jennifer Balkcom picked as Rep. Edwards’ replacement in North Carolina congressional race [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• Learning about night creatures [The Franklin Press]
• More Macon moves to tighten data center rules, Highlands weighs moratorium [Macon Sense]

Republicans pick ballot replacement for Rep. Chuck Edwards in NC-11 Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC) ]
• Balkcom gains NC-11 GOP nomination [Smoky Mountain News]
• In cringeworthy detail, House Ethics panel urges censure of Chuck Edwards for sexual harassment of 2 female staffers [Asheville Watchdog ]

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Healthy midlife habits could delay dementia by up to 13 years, study finds | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)

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Deadly quake collapses buildings: ABC World News Tonight with David Muir – Aug. 10, 2026 | ABC News

NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas Full Episode – Aug. 10 | NBC News

Trump reportedly used catering truck to sneak off Air Force One amid Iranian threats | ABC News

Lectures in History: Why Did America Declare Independence? | C-SPAN

• The picture that spells trouble for Trump [UK Telegraph]
• What to know about Trump’s vaccine executive order [The Hill]
• Trump signs order calling for spacing out childhood vaccines, against medical groups’ guidance [AP News]
• RFK Jr. is targeting a decades-old loophole allowing chemicals in food supply [Yahoo News]

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How Kim Jong Un “Accidentally” Fixed North Korea’s Economy | Economics Explained

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WTF Is Happening To The Economy? | GEN

• Bessent’s Whatever-It-Takes Yen Pledge Masks Limited Firepower [Yahoo Finance]
• Nvidia lines up $500 billion in financing as CEO Jensen Huang tells CNBC his chips are ‘investable asset’ [CNBC]

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New Antimatter Discovery in the Milky Way Challenges Known Physics | Anton Petrov

• August 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Solar and lunar eclipses, plus the Perseid meteors [Astronomy Magazine]
• Interstellar Travel: The Space Age and Nuclear Rockets [Universe Today]
• 567-million-year-old fossils rewrite the dawn of animal life [ScienceDaily]
• This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 31 – August 9 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]

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China’s Rocket Literally Bent Under Pressure! | Scott Manley

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I Bought a Ghost Town 6.5 Years Ago. Here’s What It’s Become. | Ghost Town Living

How Taiwan is Preparing to Get Invaded | Wendover Productions

Janissaries: The Child Levy That Built an Empire | Kings and Generals

Is America prepared for biological war? | PBS NewsHour

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Gold Path for 2026 [Update] | Benjamin Cowen

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We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds. 🫥 | Benn Jordan

• Brickbat: Unlicensed Search [Reason Magazine]
• Police say Flock cameras help solve crimes, but critics call them an invasion of privacy [PBS News]

• Schmidt v. Norfolk [ACLU]

• Chatrie v. United States [SCOTUSblog]

• Under Surveillance: Constitutional Concerns Surrounding Flock Cameras [North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology]

• Research Report on Automatic License Plate Readers: Legal Status and Policy Recommendations for Law Enforcement Use [Brennan Cebnter for Justice]

This Flock Camera Leak is like Netflix For Stalkers | Benn Jordan and 404 Media

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Public Records Request for Macon County Flock Safety Cameras

As an independent citizen journalist covering local government in Macon County for over 16 years, I have submitted a public records request to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for documents related to the Flock Safety automated license plate reader system. This request seeks contracts, board approvals, usage policies, camera locations, performance data, and related correspondence to promote full transparency and public accountability in how this surveillance technology is funded, deployed, and operated with taxpayer resources. By making these records available, we can separate facts from myths, address community concerns about privacy and effectiveness, and ensure informed civic dialogue about tools that impact public safety and individual rights in our rural mountain community.

Sheriff’s Office Public Records Custodian,

Pursuant to the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. Chapter 132), I request the following records related to Flock Safety (or any automated license plate reader/ALPR system):

1. All contracts, agreements, amendments, proposals, invoices, payment records, and correspondence between Macon County Sheriff’s Office (or County) and Flock Safety (or Flock Group, Inc.), including any subscription, installation, maintenance, or data access terms.
2. Board of Commissioners agendas, minutes, resolutions, motions, or approvals authorizing the purchase, funding, or use of Flock cameras (including budget line items from FY 2023–2024 onward).
3. Policies, procedures, manuals, training materials, or guidelines for use of the Flock system by Sheriff’s Office personnel (including access controls, data retention, audit logs, and privacy protections).
4. Any usage statistics, reports, or summaries on camera performance, alerts generated, cases assisted, or data shared (redacted as necessary for law enforcement sensitivity).
5. Location list or map of all deployed Flock cameras in Macon County.
6. Any privacy impact assessments, legal opinions, or correspondence regarding compliance with NC law or data sharing.

Preferred format: Electronic copies (PDF/email) where possible. I am willing to pay reasonable costs; please notify me in advance if fees will exceed $50.

Please provide these records as soon as practicable. If any portion is denied, please provide a written explanation with the specific legal basis and contact information for appeal.

Thank you for your assistance. I can be reached at [email protected].

Sincerely, Bobby Coggins, Publisher Macon Media [[email protected]]

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