First Baptist Church of Spruce Pine honors veterans each July 4th with a lunch, and with the recovery from Helene well underway, the church is making a special effort to reach area veterans and their families and inviting them to come to eat and be honored for their service to our country. Church pastor Dr. Rocky Branch recently spoke with WTOE's Bruce Ikard about the dinner and all that is taking place on July 4th at noon.

An in-person survey of Mitchell County residents is taking place on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. The Sustaining Essential and Community Healthcare organization, better known as SEARCH. is conducting interviews on the effects of Helene on our area and residents. WTOE’s Bruce Ikard had a chance to interview Marvin Rogers with SEARCH about what’s taking place.

August 3, 2025 is the deadline to apply for the State of North Carolina‘s program that repairs or replaces private roads and bridges damaged by Helene. County Manager Allen Cook joins us to talk about this program that doesn't just provide money to repair damage. It provides engineers to evaluate and design the repair project along with crews and resources to complete the work.

Visit wearemitchell.org to learn more about the program and to access the link to apply or call the NC Disaster Management at 844-746-2326 for assistance.

Even though we are nine months out from the devastation caused by Helene, there are still volunteers and resources available for county residents to get help with repairs. Stephanie Pittman is our guest today, talking about the Multi-Agency Resources Center, which is located in Bakersville at the old Bowman Middle School, and the Long-Term Resiliency Group, an organization that is marshaling resources and volunteers for needs in Mitchell County.

There is exciting news that the famous Rhododendron Gardens atop Roan Mountain. For the first time since 2023, the general public will be able to tour the gardens while they are blooming this week (June 20, 2025). We talk with Alexandra Davidson of the Forest Service about the double challenge of completing a renovation project years in the making on Roan Mountain, only to have Helene come through and make a mess on the mountain. She shares a status report and what plans are moving forward in terms of re-opening Roan Mountain to visitors for the first time in nearly 2 years.

Helene has not dampened the optimism for the 78th North Carolina Rhododendron Festival which is June 20 and 21 in Bakersville. Misti Silver joins us on the program to talk about the events planned and some changes in times and locations for what's happening.

Mitchell County has released a proposed 2025-2026 budget. County Manager Allen Cook joins us on the podcast to go over the budget message and talk about the changes Helene has made to the budget. The public hearing on the budget is June 2nd and the County Commission will vote on it later in June.