What is the Joining Forces Community Challenge? Launched in April 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, Joining Forces is a national initiative to support and honor America’s service members and their families. Americans care deeply about service members and their families; however, many are unaware of the pressures deployments create for military families.  Deployments and transfers place strain on every aspect of military family life from emotional to financial.  Military families may experience anxiety, isolation, or other issues when dealing with frequent moves, deployments, illness, or injury. The Joining Forces Community Challenge recognizes those organizations and individuals with a demonstrated, genuine and deep desire to be of service to military families. More than 300 applications were submitted and only 20 organizations were selected to be part of the online voting campaign. From Jan. 24 through March 16, 2012, the public was invited to view these finalists and ...

While sitting in the Boone office this past week, I have noticed quite a few vehicles make their trek up Highway 421 to local choose and cut Christmas tree locations just to pass our office with a few Christmas trees roped to the top of their cars a few hours later. It's official, the Holiday Season is here! When shopping for the prefect Christmas tree, what criteria helps determine your family's choice of the "Perfect Tree?" If you aren't too sure where to begin, fret not. We have you covered. Read below for practical tips on how to be a more informed consumer and to ensure a great experience with your Real Tree: Be sure you know what size (height and width) you need to fit in your home before heading to the retail lot. If you want the same species you know or have always used, great. If you want to try a different species, browse the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) website to become familiar with the species popular in your area before heading to the retail lot. Go to a ret ...

North Carolina ranks number one nationwide in the production of flue-cured tobacco and sweet potatoes; second in the growth of Christmas trees; third in the production of cucumber and strawberries; and, fourth in the production of upland cotton. Particularly during the planting and harvest seasons, dangerous situations may arise from slow moving agricultural machinery on the roadways. There has been an uptick in accidents on public roads in recent years that involved agricultural equipment for a multitude of reasons. There is an estimated sum of 52,500 Farms in North Carolina with total farmland size averaging a whopping 8.4 million acres. Notably, Banner Elk, Boone and West Jefferson, North Carolina is prominently known for its production of Fraser Fir Christmas Trees. Today's farms and ranches have increased in size, and land being farmed is often separated by longer distances. This means farm machinery has to be transported on public roads for further distances than in the past. The equipment itself is a ...