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Education
Top StorySpotlight
Marion Rotary Club recognizes Students of the Week
Mike Conley
Updated
On Thursday, the Rotary Club of Marion recognized Yesenia
Hernandez Zumarraga (left) and Hailey O’Maley (right), both of
McDowell Academy for Innovation, as the Academic Students of the
Week. They were introduced by Rotarian Sarah Washburn (center) and
received certificates from President Dave Watson.
MIKE CONLEY, MCDOWELL NEWS
On Thursday, the Rotary Club of Marion recognized Yesenia Hernandez Zumarraga and Hailey O’Maley, both of McDowell Academy for Innovation, as the Academic Students of the Week.
They were introduced by Rotarian Sarah Washburn and received certificates from President Dave Watson.
Zumarraga is the daughter of Ligia Zumarraga and Luis Hernandez of Marion. She is in the 13th grade at MAI.
As for her future plans, she wants to attend Clemson University and study mechanical engineering.
Her school or community recognitions include ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate – Platinum Level, McDowell Technical Community College President’s List, McDowell Technical Community College Honor Roll, McDowell Academy for Innovation A/B Honor Roll and McDowell Academy for Innovation A Honor Roll.
Her extracurricular activities are being a part of MAI Student Council and the International Club.
As for her interests, she enjoys playing the drums, listening to music, reading and writing.
O’Maley is the daughter of Crystal Cook (mother), Jeremey Cook (stepfather) and Nicholas O’Maley (father). She is in the 12th grade at MAI.
As for a college or university, she hopes to get into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and if she not able to, she will select a school with a strong pre-med program. Once her pre-med is completed, she will join the military as an officer and go through medicine school with them. Her intended area of study is pre-med psychiatry.
Her school or community recognitions, awards or accomplishments include President’s Silver (2024,2026), President’s Gold (2025), History Student of the Year (2024), A/B Honor Roll (2024) and President’s List Summer (2026).
Her extracurricular activities include Youth Devoted to Christ and Student Council.
As for her interests, she enjoys photography, poetry, crocheting, leadership, music, teaching and helping people.
Drone locates stranded NC mountain climbers after dark
MARK PRICE The Charlotte Observer
Two climbers found themselves trapped hundreds of feet up a mountain wall after sunset, and it took a drone with thermal imaging to find them in the dark, according to rescuers in western North Carolina.
The call for help came around 7:25 Friday, after the climbers reported being "stranded on the sheer rock face of Whiteside Mountain," Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad wrote in a Nov. 7 Facebook post. The mountain is "a landmark along the Eastern Continental Divide," towering 4,930 feet over Nantahala National Forest, U.S. Forest Service says.
"Using a drone equipped with thermal imaging and night-vision capabilities, our rescuers located the two climbers approximately 600 feet above the base of the mountain's nearly vertical 1,000-foot rock face," the squad said.
"The climbers had been employing unconventional climbing techniques and had encountered significant technical failures involving their limited climbing gear. These difficulties were further compounded by hazardous climbing conditions resulting from recent heavy rainfall."
A High Angle Rescue Team climbed down to reach the climbers, secured them with a technical rope rescue system, then pulled them to the summit, officials said.
One climber had to be pulled 230 feet up, and the other was pulled 350 feet, according to Highlands Fire and Rescue, which assisted in the operation.
"The operation was conducted in demanding nighttime conditions, with temperatures falling into the mid-30s and wind gusts reaching 40 mph," Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad said.
"Despite these challenges, both climbers were successfully brought to safety and transported to rescue vehicles by 11:55 p.m., just four and a half hours after the initial emergency call."
The identities of the climbers and details of their condition were not released.
Nineteen volunteers participated in the rescue, including members of Jackson County Emergency Management, officials said.
Whiteside Mountain is south of U.S. 64 between Highlands and Cashiers.
Events
Top StorySpotlight
McDowell County Veterans Day service set for Wednesday
Mike Conley
Updated
The service flags for all the branches of the military will be
presented by the veterans of those respective branches, and they
will be carried out with the playing of the service anthems.
FILE PHOTO
The annual McDowell County Veterans Day service will be held to honor those who have served or are serving in the United States military on Wednesday.
The annual Veterans Day service will start at 11 a.m. at the McDowell County Senior Center in Marion. The event is held on Nov. 11 to remember Armistice Day in 1918 when World War I ended. Armistice Day eventually became Veterans Day in the United States, according to Bob Smith with the American Legion Post 56.Â
The event at the senior center will begin with an invocation by American Legion Chaplain Doug Johnson and a welcome from Vietnam War veteran Bob Smith. The American Legion Post Honor Guard will present the nation’s colors. This will be followed by the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, Smith said.
The service flags for all the branches of the military will be presented by the veterans of those respective branches. The flag will be carried out with the playing of the service anthems.
The Foothills Community Band will give a special performance after the flag presentation. The local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will lay a wreath with brief comments.
The guest speaker will be retired Navy Commander David Byrd, who is the son of Larry Byrd with the Legion's Honor Guard, Smith said.Â
Post 56 Commander Alan Mainer will also speak.
Piedmont Natural Gas customers receive 5th rate cut of 2026
RICHARD CRAVER WinstonSalem Journal
Piedmont Natural Gas said Thursday that residential customers in North Carolina may see their bill drop slightly during the winter months.
The latest rate change, which took effect Nov. 1, lowers the average residential customer bill by just under $12 per year.
PNG said customers see the latest reduction reflected in their November bills, with the full impact reflected in subsequent months.
By state law, PNG does not mark up the cost of natural gas and must pass through the actual cost on a dollar-for-dollar basis to customers.
All rate changes for N.C. customers are reviewed and approved by the state Utilities Commission.
PNG requests periodic rate adjustments to reflect fluctuations in the market price of the natural gas it purchases for its customers. The utility has lowered its North
Carolina rates five times in 2026, following reductions in January, February, April and June.
Combined, the 2026 rate decreases are reducing the average residential customer's bills by 9%, or about $112 per year.
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