Here’s a check of the latest from WataugaOnline.com for Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
High Country Gas Surges to $4.18 as Crude Oil Tops $100 — Biggest Weekly Jump Yet
Regular unleaded in the Boone area jumped 29 cents in a single week to $4.18 a gallon, driven by crude oil climbing back above $100 a barrel amid the US-Iran conflict disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel is approaching record territory too, with most Boone-area stations near $6.29 a gallon. The increase is notable because it’s happening during a season when gas prices typically fall.
Boone Town Council Meeting Wednesday — Walk at Boone Rezoning, Town Manager Search, Water-Sewer Code Change on the Agenda
The Boone Town Council meets tonight with a 5 p.m. work session on town-owned property, followed by regular business at 6 p.m. The headline item is the Walk at Boone conditional rezoning — a revised 179-unit residential development at N.C. 105 Extension and Beverly Heights Avenue, after the Planning Commission voted 6-0 in July to recommend denial. Also on the agenda: an update on the town manager search, a water-sewer code change for state-owned property, and a proclamation declaring Sept. 25 Dolly Parton Day.
NC Lawmaker Renews Push to Shorten Divorce Waiting Period, End “Homewrecker” Lawsuits
Senate Bill 626 would cut North Carolina’s mandatory divorce separation period from one year to six months, waiving it entirely for uncontested divorces with no minor children and for domestic violence victims with documented evidence of abuse. The bill would also abolish the state’s “alienation of affection” and “criminal conversation” lawsuits, which let a spouse sue a third party for interfering in a marriage — North Carolina is one of only a handful of states that still allow them, with damages in one case exceeding $8.8 million. Filed in March 2025, the bill has sat without a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee ever since.
WEATHER
Check the current Hazardous Weather Outlook, live weather radar, and forecast for Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties on our Weather page. Forecast courtesy of the National Weather Service.
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— WataugaOnline