There has never been a year quite like 2020, and with 2021 fast approaching the time is right to look back at the biggest stories of the past 12 months.
From the excitement of an extended playoff push by the Highlands School girls basketball team, to the story that dominated the headlines for more than nine months, here are the top topics of conversation around Highlands from the past year.
10. Dollar General coming soon
In November, Dollar General Corp. announced that the company would be opening a retail location near the intersection of US 64 and Cherrywood Drive between Highlands and Cashiers.
Construction began in early December and the plan is to have the store open in the spring of 2021. The Dollar General will be the first in Highlands, but the eighth location in Macon County for the national retailer.
9. HHS girls make playoff run
The Highlands girls basketball team captured the town’s attention in February with a run to the third round of the NC High School Athletic Association 1-A state playoffs.
After claiming a conference title, the Highlanders cruised past Bessemer City and knocked off Lang Tree Charter in the state playoffs before falling to Alleghany in the final seconds of their third-round game. Highlands finished the season 17-12 (6-0 conference).
8. Bear-resistant trash cans become mandatory
In June the town board of commissioners approved a policy that made bea-resistant trashcans mandatory inside town limits. The goal being to decrease bear interactions with humans and also to stop the bears from leaving torn apart trash bags for sanitation crews to pick up.
Enforcement of the ordinance was delayed until November due to a backlog of trash can orders at local stores, but has since gotten underway.
7. RIP David and Dawn Head
Macon County Sheriff’s Office deputy David Head and his wife Dawn were tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident when their Harley Davidson motorcycle was involved in a Clayton, Georgia, crash.
Hundreds of people, including representatives from law enforcement and other public service agencies, lined the 23-mile processional route and/or attended the Heads’ memorial service at Scaly Mountain Fire Department.
6. 2020 seniors wait to graduate
It may have come three months later than usual, but the Highlands School class of 2020 got their chance to walk across the stage on Aug.6 in an outdoor ceremony.
The traditional indoor graduation ceremony was scrapped in June due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and forced the graduates to wait a little longer to turn their tassels. In person classes were suspended in March for the 2019-20 school year, so the seniors finished their education virtually.
5. Holland takes over as police chief
Former Highlands Police Chief Bill Harrell announced in May that he would be stepping down to take a similar position in Franklin.
Following Harrell’s resignation a search for a new chief in Highlands began and eventually landed on long-time HPD detective Andrea Holland, who was sworn in officially on June 25. Holland has 15 years of law enforcement experience, the last 13 of which was with Highlands Police Department.
4. New fire station approved
Highlands Fire and Rescue will be moving out of the current station on Oak Street and into a new state of the art building on Franklin Road.
The town board of commissioners approved a not-to-exceed amount of $6.5 million to build the new station in October. Construction at the new site can begin as soon as the financing package is approved by the NC Local Government Commission, which could happen during the LGC’s Jan. 8 meeting.
3. Hospital housing request denied
In September, officials with Hospital Corporation of America and Highlands Cashiers Hospital proposed building an employee housing development on land already owned by HCA along Buck Creek Road.
Questions regarding water and sewer usage, road access, traffic, and ultimately the future of the property should it ever be sold, led the town board of commissioners to deny the request for water and sewer access and thus render the project unbuildable.
2. Fiber network build out underway
During the summer and fall months crews with Wide Open Networks were busy running fiber lines to create the Town of Highlands high-speed fiber network, which will provide broadband internet access for residents once complete.
The town recently entered into negotiations with Hotwire LLC to become the network administrator as soon as the build out is finished, likely sometime in the spring of 2021.
1. COVID-19 wreaks havoc
No other story could possibly occupy the top spot on the list for 2020.
COVID-19 has become part of daily life, not only in Highlands, but around the globe since the coronavirus pandemic began in February. From social distancing and mask regulations, to the cancellation of dozens of community events, the pandemic has been at the forefront of the collective consciousness.
With vaccinations now underway, there is hope that COVID-19 will begin to wane in 2021 and life in Highlands can return to what was previously considered normal.