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The Lead Story
Rutherford County Homelessness Count Canceled for 2026
Taxpayer-Funded Agency Cancels Rutherford County Homelessness Count, Creating Gap in HUD Data and Funding Rutherford County will go more than a year without an official count of people experiencing homelessness after Partners Health Management, the region’s taxpayer-funded Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO), canceled the county’s 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC).
Annie Dance
48 minutes ago2 min read
Latest News
Rutherford County Homelessness Count Canceled for 2026
Taxpayer-Funded Agency Cancels Rutherford County Homelessness Count, Creating Gap in HUD Data and Funding Rutherford County will go more than a year without an official count of people experiencing homelessness after Partners Health Management, the region’s taxpayer-funded Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO), canceled the county’s 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC).
2 min read
Commissioners Appoint Interim County Manager
Rutherford County commissioners voted Monday night to appoint Chairman Bryan King as interim county manager, placing an elected official temporarily in charge of day-to-day county operations following the departure of Steve Garrison.
3 min read
SBI Data Show Rutherford County Crime Below 2022 Levels as Sheriff Seeks Reelection
New data from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) show overall crime reported to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office remains lower than when Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg took office in 2022, despite year-to-year fluctuations.
2 min read
Local News
Rutherford County Homelessness Count Canceled for 2026
Taxpayer-Funded Agency Cancels Rutherford County Homelessness Count, Creating Gap in HUD Data and Funding Rutherford County will go more than a year without an official count of people experiencing homelessness after Partners Health Management, the region’s taxpayer-funded Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO), canceled the county’s 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC).
2 min read
Commissioners Appoint Interim County Manager
Rutherford County commissioners voted Monday night to appoint Chairman Bryan King as interim county manager, placing an elected official temporarily in charge of day-to-day county operations following the departure of Steve Garrison.
3 min read
SBI Data Show Rutherford County Crime Below 2022 Levels as Sheriff Seeks Reelection
New data from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) show overall crime reported to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office remains lower than when Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg took office in 2022, despite year-to-year fluctuations.
2 min read
Regional News
Renew NC Housing Recovery Assistance Deadline Is Tomorrow for Western North Carolina Homeowners
Homeowners across western North Carolina have until tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 31, to apply for housing recovery assistance through Renew NC’s Single-Family Housing Program, the state’s long-term disaster recovery effort following Hurricane Helene.
2 min read
Are You Immune to Measles?
With cases rising in North Carolina and South Carolina, public health leaders stress that vaccination is highly effective but not perfect. As measles cases increase across the Carolinas, public health officials are urging residents to check their immunity status and understand what protection vaccination does — and does not — provide. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, immunity to measles depends on age, medical history, and vaccination
2 min read
ICE Arrests Surge in North Carolina Jails, Not Streets
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 3,300 people across North Carolina during President Donald Trump’s first nine months in office — more than double the total for all of 2024 — underscoring how local jails, particularly in Western North Carolina, have become a primary point of federal immigration enforcement.
2 min read
Business News
Report: Tariffs are $695M Risk to North Carolina Farmers
Plausible reductions in agricultural exports because of retaliatory trade policies stemming from aggressive U.S. tariffs could cost North Carolina farmers $695 million, a new report says.
3 min read
North Carolina Tops Nation for Workforce Development
North Carolina has been named the number one state for workforce development in 2026 by Site Selection magazine, following its 2025 ranking as “America’s Top State for Business.”
2 min read
State data show gap between job announcements and jobs delivered in North Carolina
As North Carolina leaders highlight a record number of job announcements, state economic data show a growing disconnect between promises made and jobs ultimately delivered, particularly within the state’s primary incentive program.
3 min read
Obituaries
Leonard Lewis Tessnear
Leonard Lewis Tessnear, age 83, of Forest City, passed away Sunday, February 1, 2026 at Hospice of the Carolina Foothills.
2 min read
Christina “Chris” Currie Hardin
Christina “Chris” Currie Hardin
1 min read
Ann P. Bailey
May 11, 1942 — January 27, 2026 Forest City Ann P. Bailey, age 83, of Forest City, passed away Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at Rutherford Regional Medical Center. Ann was born Monday, May 11, 1942 in Waverly, New York to the late Floyd Eugene Pierce and Alice Harper Pierce. She worked as an Accounting Clerk for the Brevard County Florida Tax office for twenty-two years before retirement and was a longtime member of the Eastern Star Orange Chapter in Apopka, Florida. Ann was a de
1 min read
Harrelson Funeral Home
Harrelson Funeral Home
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