The Town of Beech Mountain has eased up on the current water restrictions, reducing the water sanctions from Stage 3, Mandatory Water Reduction II to Stage 2, Mandatory Water Reduction I status. While conditions for water supply have improved, the current water supply for the town is still well-below the average for this time of the year. Under the lowered water restrictions, consumers must still cut their water usage by 10 percent, and they must obey a series of restrictions including: irrigation is limited to a half inch per week between 8PM and 8AM; you can only wash full loads in clothes and dishwashers; you must prevent water waste and runoff; you can only use spring-loaded nozzles on garden hoses; you must identify and repair all water leaks, outdoor use of drinking water for washing impervious surfaces is prohibited; and all testing and training purposes requiring drinking water (e.g. fire protection) will be limited. Violators will be given a warning on their first violation, they will be issued a $250 fine on their second offense, and their third offense will result in their water being cut off. If you see someone violating the new restrictions, the Town of Beech Mountain asks that you call 828-387-2342. The Town would also like to thank its customers for their conservation efforts thus far, as well as their continued efforts while Beech Mountain remains in mandatory restriction status.
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The Town of Beech Mountain has eased up on the current water restrictions, reducing the water sanctions from Stage 3, Mandatory Water Reduction II to Stage 2, Mandatory Water Reduction I status. While conditions for water supply have improved, the current water supply for the town is still well-below the average for this time of the year. Under the lowered water restrictions, consumers must still cut their water usage by 10 percent, and they must obey a series of restrictions including: irrigation is limited to a half inch per week between 8PM and 8AM; you can only wash full loads in clothes and dishwashers; you must prevent water waste and runoff; you can only use spring-loaded nozzles on garden hoses; you must identify and repair all water leaks, outdoor use of drinking water for washing impervious surfaces is prohibited; and all testing and training purposes requiring drinking water (e.g. fire protection) will be limited. Violators will be given a warning on their first violation, they will be issued a $250 fine on their second offense, and their third offense will result in their water being cut off. If you see someone violating the new restrictions, the Town of Beech Mountain asks that you call 828-387-2342. The Town would also like to thank its customers for their conservation efforts thus far, as well as their continued efforts while Beech Mountain remains in mandatory restriction status.
Well, for one McDonald's restaurant, an electrical fire turned things very dangerous for customers and employees on Sunday. According to firefighters, the fire started on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:53 at the Hickory McDonald's on 2511 North Center Street. By the time firefighters had arrived, the building had been evacuated and light smoke had been reported in the upstairs of the building. After investigating, firefighters determined that the fire started in the basement in the electrical panel. No one was injured in the fire, but the damages are estimated at $20,000. Fire investigators determined the fire to be electrical and failure of equipment.
Amidst a substantial recall of some 550 million eggs due to the possibility of salmonella, consumers now have to deal with the price of eggs skyrocketing. Since the first reported case of salmonella, the price of eggs has gone up 38 percent. In Iowa, a dozen eggs rose from $0.98 on August 13th, to $1.35. Food and Drug Administration officials say there is no evidence that the salmonella outbreak has spread beyond two Iowa farms, but investigators are still looking into what exactly caused the outbreak. Officials with the FDA don't anticipate the recall to grow, but the number of illnesses is expected to increase. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, there could be as many 1,300 salmonella illnesses, which can be life-threatening for people with weak immune systems, linked to the eggs. Officials do say that, boiling the eggs will eliminate any potential of the virus, but it's probably best just to properly dispose of the eggs.
A local restaurant barely missed the top honor in the Best Dish in North Carolina contest recently. The Table at Crestwood of Boone took home second place in the contest, which is an annual statewide competition that recognizes and rewards the efforts of restaurants and chefs who use North Carolina products regularly in their menus. This year's winning dish featured field greens with almond encrusted goat cheese, tomato bisque with crab and basil salad, Hickory Nut Gap Farms rib-eye with summer squash fries, and cheese cake with wild berry compote. Now, for more information about the contest, which also raises awareness about local foods, restaurants and chefs, you can visit the website at www.bestdishnc.com.
Well, it's hard to believe that with the rain we had this weekend that we could still be in a drought, but we are. Less than a year after Watauga County exited a two-year drought, the county remains in a moderate drought. According to the N.C. Drought Monitor's August 10th analysis, Watauga is one of 37 counties experiencing moderate drought. The drought region extends across the northwestern and northeastern counties, with four counties experiencing severe drought.
As if we needed any other temptations to eat unhealthy, Pop Tarts now has a store and cafe in New York City. Kellogg's, the company that has made Pop-Tarts since the late 1960s, is renting a 3,200-square-foot space until January, at which point they will consider whether New York needs a permanent tart-aria. Included on the menu at the store and cafe is Fluffer Butter, which is marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries, the Sticky Cinna Munchies, which are cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese icing and chunks of Pop-Tarts cinnamon-roll variety, Ants on a Log: which features celery, peanut butter and chunks of the Wild Grape version, and Pop-Tarts Sushi, which has three kinds of Pop-Tarts minced and then wrapped in a fruit roll-up. If you want to see more tasty concoctions, you can visit poptarts.com.
As summer begins to wind down, you may be anxious to get a few more cookouts in before the cooler weather sets in, but before you do, make sure to check out what you are buying first. The Modesto California-based meat processor Valley Meat Company is voluntarily recalling approximately one million pounds of ground beef that may contain a rare strain of the bacterium E.coli. The Valley Meat Company is warning consumers to check any meat that was produced between October 2nd, 2009 through January 12th, 2010 and were distributed to retail outlets and institutional food-service providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and overseas. The Valley Meat Company has not released a list of retailers, but they do have a complete list of products published on their website. To date, seven people are believed to have been sickened between February and June according to a USDA press release. Officials say that if you have any of this meat in your freezer, throw it away immediately because E. coli can cause serious illness including death in the most severe cases. This sickness can be avoided if you properly cook your meat to at least 160° F, which kills the bacteria. Now, for the list of foods and to find out more information, please visit valleymeat.com.
The dry season that is affecting many in the High Country, especially at lower elevations has caused town officials to enforce sanctions on water usage in the Beech Mountain community. According to the official town report, Beech Mountain is now in Stage 3, Mandatory Water Reduction II status, meaning water supply is significantly lower than the average, and water shortage issues are expected to continue. The town has asked customers to further reduce water usage by 20 percent and has banned all non-essential uses of drinking water. They have also asked customers to reduce garden and landscape irrigation to the minimal amount necessary for survival. If the mandate is not adhered to, the town will charge customers 1.5 times the normal water rate. If you have questions about water usage or need to report violators, you can call the town at 828-387-2342.
One local restaurant is on the move, possibly moving out of Boone altogether. To the surprise of many residents and students, Mellow Mushroom on Rivers Street is closing down on Wednesday, August 25th due to a couple of reasons out of the current owners control. Krisiti Bunn and her husband, the current owners of the Mellow Mushroom in Boone, have owned the franchise since 2001 when they bought it from Chuck Luddeke. Bunn and her husband are closing the doors to the pizza franchise because the restaurant lease was not renewed and because they couldn't afford the requirements by the Mellow Mushroom corporation to relocate. According to reports, Bunn heard through the grapevine that the company that owns the property, Templeton Properties, was not going to renew the lease and would instead give the lease to another company. The rumors became a reality when the owner of Templeton Properties, Phil Templeton, would not respond to her calls, and instead, she heard via the Mellow Mushroom corporation, Home Grown Industries of Georgia, that the lease had been given to Frankie's Pizza. According to Bunn, Templeton confirmed the claim in May. When Bunn began to search for a place to relocate the business, she met with the corporate office in June to go over some potential locations, but after the meeting she determined that the cost would be too much. According to Bunn, the corporation stated that the business would not be able to use their old equipment at a new location, per company rules. That financial obligation was just too much for Bunn, so she decided not to continue her relationship with Mellow Mushroom. The Mellow Mushroom in Boone opened in 1995, and was the first to open outside of Georgia. It currently employs approximately 45 people and has been a huge success among students and visitors. Mellow Mushroom fans can still hold out hope for the franchise to stick around in Boone though, as the previous owner, Chuck Luddeke who owns the Mellow Mushroom in Blowing Rock, says he plans to pursue a new franchise in Boone. According to Luddeke, they already have a location in the downtown area, and now they just waiting for the approval from the corporation. If it is approved, Luddeke believes they can have a new Mellow Mushroom open by the beginning of 2011.
Being that it is summer, maintaining a fruitful garden is a big focus for many in the High Country, and that's where ASU has you covered. The High Country Gardening community outreach series is coming back for round two of Gardening in the Shade on Saturday, Aug. 14, at the ASU Biology Greenhouse at 333 Dale St. across from the State Farm parking lot. The workshop is a continuation of a July class on successful gardening in the shade. The session, taught by biology department greenhouse manager Jerry Meyer, will delve a little further into plants that thrive in less sunlight and will switch focus from trees and shrubs to the selection of beautiful, winter hardy perennials and native wildflowers. Meyer will explore more tips on shade gardening and discuss planting, care and long-term maintenance. He will be fielding any questions you have, and while it is a helpful to have attended the July class, anyone is welcome to register for this class. The class is free, but donations would be appreciated. You may register for any one of three sessions: 8-9:45 a.m., 10-11:45 a.m., or noon-1:45 p.m. To register, you can either email meyerja@appstate.edu or call 828-262-4025.
