The old Lowes Foods facility has been auctioned a second time, with an anonymous winning bid for $366,000. There were 25 bids total and the auction closed on December 2. The property failed to sell after the previous auction.

RALEIGH — The latest county unemployment figures released by the state show an unemployment increase in 86 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in October.

HEATON — Celebrate Recovery is a program, originally of Saddleback Church, that offers a Christian-centric recovery program for people suffering from addiction.

BLOWING ROCK — In an annual ceremony to award its Bright Ideas grants, Blue Ridge Energy recognized teachers from Avery and surrounding counties.

RALEIGH — The new congressional maps for the 13 U.S. House of Representatives districts in North Carolina were approved by a three-judge panel and the filing period for those districts were immediately opened.

LINVILLE — With winter on the way, Grandfather Mountain is decking its halls — and hills — for the holidays.

NEWLAND — Much remains the same with county officials as the Avery County Board of Commissioners performed its annual appointments at its Dec. 2 meeting.

BANNER ELK — Banner Elk Police Chief Kevin Hodges has thrown down the gauntlet. To show his support for Wildcat Lake and what it offers to the community, Hodges has issued a challenge to the High Country: Raise $5,000 for Wildcat Lake and he and the other officers will jump into the icy wate…

BANNER ELK — For the first year since the show began, Ensemble Stage’s “A Banner Elk Christmas 2” will be helping to kick off Banner Elk’s annual Small Town Christmas.

From our newspaper archives:

ELK PARK — In what is slated to become a tradition for the town, Elk Park held its inaugural tree lighting on the evening of Nov. 26 at the town’s park.

ROAN MOUNTAIN — Good Samaritan Thrift Store held its annual Thanksgiving Project, distributing to about 135 families in need in the area, including those from Newland and Elk Park.

HIGH COUNTRY — Cancer survivors and caregivers from Avery, Ashe, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties, as well as Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center staff, were invited to share artwork they created during or after a cancer diagnosis. The collection contains artwork created by professiona…

NEWLAND — Avery County Schools hosted community leaders last week to show what Avery County High School is doing to prepare students for life after school.

From our newspaper archives:

BANNER ELK — The Williams YMCA’s annual Reindeer Run is returning for another chilly holiday-themed 5K on Dec. 7.

The AJT in its recent Veteran’s section inadvertently omitted the name and listing of Finley Trivett (pictured left). Trivett served in the United States Navy as coxswain on the ship Breton in the South Pacific campaign from 1942 to 1946. Pictured right is Trivett’s grandson, Joshua Hughes. …

On Nov. 20 a call was placed to Newland Police Department to report vandalism at the laundromat adjacent to the Quik Shop in Newland. According to the report from NPD, the coin mechanisms in some of the machines had been removed. Seven of the missing mechanisms were later found on the premises.

CHESTNUT DALE — Chestnut Dale Baptist Church came together on Nov. 23 to support a family which has been struggling with a long saga of medical woes for the past few months.

HIGH COUNTRY — When most people hear the word “hospice,” they typically think about the worst — the loss of a loved one.

FRANK — A brush fire started by a downed power line was extinguished by county firefighters on Nov. 19.

CHARLOTTE — AAA Carolinas predicts that a record 2.9 million Carolinians will journey 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.

BEECH MOUNTAIN — The disputed residency of a Beech Mountain Town Council member has sparked angry feelings as Weidner Abernethy defends his seat from the charge made by other council members.

NEWLAND — During a short meeting attended by the man himself, the Avery County Board of Education appointed Dan Brigman as the new Superintendent of Avery County Schools.

A couple of deaths greeted Avery County residents in 1962. Almost a year after the passing of her husband Eustace, Dr. Mary Martin Sloop passed on January 13. The Avery Journal considered her one of Avery County’s “most valuable and outstanding citizens.” Born in Davidson County in 1873, she…

NEWLAND — The Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library System has been awarded a digital literacy grant to serve younger children and families. This program was supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and T…

AVERY COUNTY — Looking for something to do around the holidays? Avery is full of festivities through New Year’s Eve, and the following is a list of things to do as we approach the the holidays and 2020.

HIGH COUNTRY — All three of the area ski resorts have opened for the season. Beech Mountain Resort was the most recent to commence, opening for business on Nov. 23.

SPRUCE PINE — N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore visited the tri-county area to speak to local leaders about economic challenges facing their counties on Nov. 21.

CROSSNORE — Avery County High School came together to hold “An Evening of Love,” a fundraiser and outpouring of support for ACHS English teacher and drama advisor Shannon Perdue.

BEECH MOUNTAIN — Beech Mountain is giving residents a chance to get some holiday shopping done early.

RALEIGH — The number of North Carolina cases of severe lung injury associated with e-cigarette use or vaping continues to rise with 61 cases in people ranging in age from 13 to 72. The North Carolina cases are among a rising outbreak reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

AVERY COUNTY — Local colleges Lees-McRae College and Mayland Community College each received high rankings from recent online publications for their academic prowess.