News and Weather Briefing for Sunday, July 19, 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.…Partly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

.SUNDAY NIGHT.…Partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 50 percent.

.MONDAY.…Patchy fog in the morning. Mostly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with showers with thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Humid with highs in the lower 80s. Light and variable winds, becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 90 percent.

.MONDAY NIGHT.…Partly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms likely in the evening. Lows in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 70 percent.

.TUESDAY.…Partly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

.TUESDAY NIGHT.…A chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Lows in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER

Scattered showers and thunderstorms possible this afternoon and evening. A few storms may become strong to severe, producing strong gusty winds and localized flooding.

Thunderstorm activity to be more confined to the higher terrain Monday afternoon and evening. Heavy downpours and gusty winds could accompany any storms.

POLLEN REPORT

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (2.3 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, Chenopods being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (2.3 out of 3.0).

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(send your event to editor@maconmedia.com)

Benefit for Randy Drinnon
July 25th at 5pm
Learn more on Facebook

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: frog28734@gmail.com; 828-369-8488

7-18-26—Two Troubadours…George James and Gary Gibson.

7-25-2026—Bill Petersen will be singing the blues along with maybe some originals. Then, up from Florida, hear John Bois and the Emotional Support Band.

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 97°F in Franklin in 1986
Lowest Temperature 47°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2009
Greatest Rainfall 3.79 inches in Highlands in 1959

Record weather events for July in Macon County

Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on Jul 29, 1952
Lowest Temperature 34°F in Highlands on Jul 27, 1911
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on Jul 29, 1879
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873

Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of July
Highest Temperature 109°F Albemarle, Stanly County Jul 28, 1940
Lowest Temperature 32°F Celo, Yancey County Jul 10, 1961
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 21.15 in Highlands, Macon County Jul 29, 1879

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Photo ID ballots approved in NC | WLOS-TV Asheville, NC

Reporter Denied Entry At Whatley Campaign Event on Public Property

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NC farmers say food safety remains top priority amid parasite outbreak ID | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)

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ABC World News Tonight with David Muir | ABC News

NBC Nightly News Full Episode – July 18 | NBC News

• Trump defends data centers, slams New York’s ‘terrible’ moratorium [USA TODAY]
• MyPillow founder not registered to vote in state he wants to lead [The Seattle Times]
• Trump election speech divides a GOP wary of midterms [The Hill]
• Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota pushes farther into the US and engulfs DC in haze [AP News]
• Trump administration activates never-before-used ‘alien terrorist’ deportation court [Yahoo News]

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Black Sea Escalation: Ukraine Shifts Tactics to Target the Dark Fleet | What’s Going on With Shipping?

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Iran war enters perilous new phase, with more US troops dead | DW News

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Did Zelenskyy miscalculate Ukraine’s reshuffle? | World News Tonight | TVP World

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China AI Selloff, Wildfire Smoke, Trump’s Clash With Iran | Bloomberg This Weekend: July 18, 2026 | Bloomberg Television

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A Visitor From the Edge of Galactic History: The Truth About 3I/Atlas | Anton Petrov

• NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test Will be a “Dress Rehearsal” for Returning to the Moon! [Universe Today]
• They were drilling off Oregon. What they found could shake the entire West Coast [ScienceDaily]
• This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 17 – 26 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]

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The Great Lunar Boom – Building a Civilization on the Moon | Isaac Arthur

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We Asked the Universe About Dark Energy Again. It Gave the Same Strange Answer | PBS Space Time

What Would It Cost to Keep The ISS Up? | Q&A 441 | Fraser Cain

Why the Lunar-Mass Primordial Black Hole Discovery Was Just Debunked | Anton Petrov

Nigeria’s mysterious art treasures | DW Documentary

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S&P 500: Seasonal Correction Starting in August/September? | 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 robertciogginsjr@gmail.com.

Sincerely, Bobby Coggins, Publisher Macon Media [robertciogginsjr@gmail.com]

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