N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall recently said a little over 170,000 new businesses were created in the state in 2022, ranking just under 2021’s record of nearly 180,000.

Astronomically speaking, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly identical. In 2023, this will be March 20.

When you’ve lived in a place for a long time, it’s easy to not recognize a community’s visual weaknesses and other shortcomings that visitors see.

Conversations about the good things happening economically in Wilkes County often get stumped when lack of housing comes up.

Inclusion of the North Wilkesboro Speedway and Stone Mountain State Park on the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail is a tremendous economic opportunity, limited only by our energy and imagination.

A woman who spoke with the Wilkes Journal-Patriot a couple of months ago cried as she described the physical and verbal bullying her two sons, both with ADHD, were experiencing in a Wilkes County elementary school.

A new report reiterates the great need for more and better child care options in North Carolina.

Along with natural beauty and other attributes, a comparatively low cost of living is one of Wilkes County’s primary draws.

Young kids and teens have gotten out of regular teeth brushing and flossing, and dentists say COVID cavities are a lingering effect of the pandemic.

Recent extreme cold will make it even harder for struggling households to pay their power bills. Duke Energy and some electrical cooperatives have programs in place for people facing these hardships.

The stage is set for good things to happen in Wilkes County in 2023, especially as a result of massive renovations at the North Wilkesboro Speedway and its reopening.

Ever since Judge Thomas B. Finley of North Wilkesboro donated the initial 142 acres of the State of North Carolina’s current 3,316-acre Rendezvous Mountain property in Purlear, the state hasn’t been sure of exactly what to do with it.

It’s easy to dwell on what a community lacks, but Monday night’s Wilkes County commissioners meeting included a look back over what has been accomplished.

Grandparents and others not part of the foster care system rearing children whose parents became addicted to substances should be considered as plans are made for Wilkes County’s opioid lawsuit settlement funds.

Residential fires are often a tragic part of the holidays, typically due to problems with heating systems or mishaps in the kitchen.

November is National Adoption Month and Nov. 20 is National Adoption Day, designations intended to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children and teens in foster care nationwide and encourage safe and loving families to consider adopting them.

The Wilkes County school board’s revision of a board policy that addresses parental concerns about appropriateness of books and other educational materials in the schools sends a concerning implication.

Efforts are being made to address huge backlogs of cases in the state medical examiner’s system and the state crime lab, but more is needed.

This is National Forest Products Week (Oct. 16-22), an appropriate time to consider an industry that has had an anchoring presence in the Wilkes County economy since furniture factories and the C.C. Smoot & Sons Tannery were established in North Wilkesboro in the early 1900s.

The spirit of community service and volunteerism remains strong in Wilkes County’s fire departments, but it is becoming increasingly harder all the time to staff them due to a variety of factors.

The adverse impact of a 2018 state law requiring uniformity in early, one-stop voting sites appears to have worsened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for voters in far eastern Wilkes County.

The need for a larger farmers market with longer hours in Wilkes County and potential for worsening food shortages made for a sobering discussion during the Sept. 6 meeting of the Wilkes County commissioners.

One can only imagine the memories unleashed during the steady flow of visitors to the rubble now piled up where the Smithey’s Goodwill building once stood at the corner of 10th and D streets in downtown North Wilkesboro.

Chief Justice Paul Newby of the N.C. Supreme Court offered 10 suggestion of professional responsibility for attorneys when he spoke to members of the bar from the judicial district that includes Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany and Yadkin counties at the Wilkes Heritage Museum on Aug. 25.

One of the strongest arguments for passage of a county occupancy tax during an hour-long public hearing on the topic on Aug. 2 came at the very end after 13 other people had spoken.

Wilkes County School Superintendent Mark Byrd said during Monday night’s school board meeting that he was “owning this decision” to end Battle of the Books (BOB) in the Wilkes County Schools, thereby saying he took full responsibility for the decision.

A non-profit that stands out for protecting basic civil rights of some of the most vulnerable residents of Wilkes County and the entire state is also among the least known.

Many people may still be unaware of a new federal law designed to prevent patients insured by private companies from receiving surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers.

Closure of unmanned recyclable collection sites at Wilkes County schools outside the Wilkesboros, effective June 30, makes it even harder to recycle in Wilkes. This is especially true for rural residents who don’t live within reasonable driving distance from one of Wilkes County government’s…

Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant, according to the Mayo Clinic.

According to U.S. Census estimates released in late May, well over half (61%) of North Carolina’s 551 municipalities gained population from 2020 to July 2021.

The decision of Wilkes County School central office administrators to end the school system’s participation in Battle of the Books (BOB) leaves a disturbing impression.

North Carolina, including Wilkes County, is in the midst of a silent surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Brookings Institute recently released results of research indicating significant student learning losses nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wilkes County commissioners have taken a definitive step toward addressing the county’s roadside litter problem.

Wilkes County Emergency Medical Services reached a new milestone on April 28 when it began carrying whole blood for administration directly on the scene of emergencies and while transporting patients to trauma centers.

An audit of Bridges Charter School by the State Auditor’s Office revealed more clearly the lack of appropriate oversight and accountability in North Carolina’s charter school system.

Perhaps it has something to do with emerging from the hardships of a pandemic, but we can’t remember a time when there have been so many efforts with so much potential for positive change in Wilkes County.

A team of local people representing health, legal, human service and other sectors of the community believes a recent sharp rise in child fatalities in Wilkes County could be partly the result of unsafe infant sleeping conditions.

We enthusiastically concur with many of the Wilkes County Outdoor Action Plan’s recommendations, shared with local elected officials last week and in a community meeting from 4-6 p.m. today at the Stone Center in North Wilkesboro.

Heart disease has replaced cancer as the leading cause of death in Wilkes County, according to the 2018 and the 2022 Community Health Assessment reports.

The many matters of public interest that failed to get the attention they deserved due to the upheaval of COVID-19 include results of a study on workforce-related transportation needs in Wilkes County.

You might say the Wilkes Soil and Water Conservation District is producing a good return on investments, considering its success in seeking grants over the past three years.

From N.C. Press Association

Data indicating that COVID-19 caused more graduating Wilkes County high school seniors to enter the workplace and fewer to attend four-year public universities was shared with the Wilkes school board Monday night.

Unprecedented amounts of federal funds distributed among local governments and availability of even more created opportunities that challenge the imagination.

The tragically ironic thing about sexual exploitation of children is that the most likely victims are those in need of love and attention.

The North Wilkesboro town board’s retreat Friday at the Wilkes Art Gallery was one of the more productive and promising such sessions this governing body has held.

Icy road conditions Monday illustrated well the unpredictability of winter weather and of being alert for the unexpected.

Although not representative of the entire pandemic, the difference in COVID-19 death rates of Wilkes County residents and those statewide in the last week or so is disturbing.