State Employees Credit Union Foundation awards $18,000 to WCC’s Bridge to Career Program   Wilkesboro, N.C. – The State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Foundation has granted $15,000 to Wilkes Community College’s Workforce Development and Community Education (WDCE) for the Bridge to Career Program. An additional $3,000 was provided for administrative costs, bringing the total donation to $18,000. The donation allowed 30 students to receive a $500.00 scholarship each. We are grateful to the SECU Foundation for its dedication to supporting students and shaping brighter futures.   The SECU Foundation has established the SECU Bridge to Career Program to eliminate financial […]

Residents in Western North Carolina Can Apply for Help Buying Food Following Hurricane Helene Los habitantes del oeste de Carolina del Norte pueden solicitar ayuda para comprar alimentos tras el huracán Helene    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 14, 2024 Contact: ne**@dh**.gov 919-855-4840   RALEIGH — Residents in 25 western counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) which will begin on Oct.18, 2024, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today. D-SNAP is open to individuals and households not currently receiving […]

Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announces Challenge Grant Opportunity   BOONE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION RECEIVES $35,000 CHALLENGE MATCH FROM ANONYMOUS DONORS FOR HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS Funding will provide additional resources for short, medium, and long-term business support   BOONE, NC – The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation is excited to announce an extraordinary opportunity for the community to double its impact thanks to a generous $35,000 challenge match from two local anonymous donors. This matching gift aims to support the Foundation’s continued efforts in storm relief throughout the High Country brought on by Hurricane Helene.    For every dollar […]

    For Immediate Release   Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771   Lenoir, North Carolina (4:30 pm, Thursday, October 10, 2024) – With nearly 97% of Blue Ridge Energy members restored with power after Hurricane Helene left 63,000 members in the dark, the cooperative is able to move additional manpower from its 500+ line technicians, tree workers and road graders to the hardest hit areas in Watauga and Ashe counties although crews continue work in all areas.   As of 4:30 pm Thursday, crews are working to […]

BOONE, N.C. — Today marks 12 days since Hurricane Helene hit the Boone area on Sept. 27. The storm brought wind gusts in excess of 40 mph and, combined with a predecessor rain event, dumped upwards of 10 to 21 inches of rain across the county, leading to massive flooding, significant damages to homes and businesses and two deaths in Watauga County.   In that time, the Town of Boone lost and restored its water service. A majority of town roads are currently open. Appalachian State University’s New River Light and Power, which serves residential and commercial customers in the […]

October 8, 2024  Alerts, Press Release Flooding and excessive rains, like that experienced from Hurricane Helene in our area, can cause water in your private well or spring to become contaminated. If contaminated water is consumed or comes into contact with skin, it can cause illness. The only way to know if your water is contaminated is to get it tested. AppHealthCare will be offering disinfection and bacterial test kits at no cost for private wells and springs. This will be a priority area for the AppHealthCare Environmental Health Team in the coming days and weeks as road conditions improve, power is […]

  Link to drone footage as one example of damage on Blue Ridge Energy’s system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35NQPxHIzAc   Power Restoration Countdown: Blue Ridge Energy Crews Have Outages Down to 3,909   For Immediate Release   Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771   Lenoir, North Carolina (4 pm, Wednesday, October 9, 2024) – Blue Ridge Energy crews are making tremendous progress rebuilding its electric system in the cooperative’s heavily damaged service area and additional manpower has been mobilized to the most devastated areas with remaining outages.   As of 4 […]

App State classes will resume on Wednesday, Oct. 16. On Friday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m., Adverse Weather Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) will go into effect and remain in effect until further notice. Read full message. Students should check their email and monitor ASULearn and course webpages. If in-person and/or remote learning is not possible, students are encouraged to reach out to their faculty or department chairs. Faculty can use Zoom for synchronous class meetings and AsULearn communication tools for announcements and asynchronous discussions. For design and pedagogical support, please submit a CETLSS Connection Request or contact your department chair. For AppalCART […]

Message from Interim Chancellor Heather Norris This morning, my leadership team joined me as we engaged in conversation with leaders from Watauga County, the Town of Boone and the Boone Chamber regarding the timing of our resumption of classes. During this meeting, together with the County, Town and Chamber, we determined that we can, with the improving infrastructure, thoughtfully, responsibly and respectfully resume classes after Fall Break, on Wednesday, Oct. 16. As I shared last week, Academic Affairs is prepared to work with each and every student to ensure they are able to be successful, especially those on track to […]

  Link to Example of Drone Footage of Damage to Blue Ridge Energy’s system: https://youtu.be/OEqHSQD9-ls   Still Focused, Still Committed: Blue Ridge Energy Outages Down to 5,522 as of 4 pm Tuesday   For Immediate Release   Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771   Lenoir, North Carolina (4 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2024) – Blue Ridge Energy crews continue around the clock efforts to restore power to the remaining 5,522 members without power after the most devastating storm in recent history hit western North Carolina September 27th.   […]

2,000 Meals For Ashe County   The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory and High Country is partnering with Lee Williams – Cooking for Christ to provide 2,000 meals for residents and Emergency Disaster Workers this Saturday, October 12th, at the Creston Volunteer Fire Department located on 163 3 Top Road, Creston, NC 28615, beginning at 10:30.   BBQ chicken and BBQ sandwiches along with beans, slaw and rolls are all donated by collection efforts through Cooking for Christ, a non-profit organization that conducts fundraisers for worthwhile causes throughout Iredell, Catawba and surrounding Counties. To learn more about Cooking For Christ […]

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**   Tweetsie Railroad Launches $10,000 Matching Challenge for Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts   (Blowing Rock, NC — October 7, 2024) — Tweetsie Railroad has announced the launch of the #TweetsieMatchingChallenge to support local disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of the recent hurricane. To demonstrate its commitment to the community, Tweetsie Railroad has made an initial $10,000 donation to Samaritan’s Purse, specifically earmarked for disaster relief and rebuilding efforts in the surrounding counties affected by the storm.   As part of the #TweetsieMatchingChallenge, Tweetsie Railroad will match up to an additional $10,000 for contributions made to any […]

      Power Restoration Efforts Continue from Catastrophic Storm: Outages Down to 8,917 as of 1 pm Monday   For Immediate Release   Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771   Lenoir, North Carolina (Monday, 1 pm  – October 7, 2024) – Catastrophic storm damage is extending grid repair and replacement work into this week as Blue Ridge Energy’s team of over 500 line technicians, tree specialists and grading contractors continue 24/7 efforts to restore power to the remaining 8,917 members without power as of 1 pm Monday. […]

  Outages Down to 9,958 as of 6:30 pm Sunday   For Immediate Release   Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771   Lenoir, North Carolina (Sunday, 6:30 pm  – October 6, 2024) – Blue Ridge Energy’s army of 500 line technicians, tree specialists, and grading contractors continue strong efforts to restore power to members in the wake of the worst storm to hit western North Carolina in decades.   As of Sunday, 6:30 pm, outages have fallen to 9,957 from a high of 63,000 outages when the storm […]

On Wednesday, we shared with students, faculty and staff that classes remain canceled on the App State Boone and Hickory campuses and Adverse Weather Condition 3 (Closure) remains in effect through 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. With Fall Break Oct. 14-15, classes will resume no earlier than Oct. 16. The modality and locations will be determined based on conditions and infrastructure. Our goal is to resume classes as soon as possible, recognizing that many are facing significant challenges with housing, power and communications connectivity, and also that our students, faculty and staff want and need to return to campus, to […]