blue ridge mountains

A beloved tourist attraction in western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains will be demolished starting later this month. The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge sustained severe damage from Hurricane Helene last year.

Medical marijuana can now be legally purchased in North Carolina with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opening its long-planned dispensary this weekend on tribal land. Hundreds of people celebrated Saturday's historic opening of the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Over the years, MerleFest has become an annual homecoming for both music fans and the artists who perform there. Two of the musicians who return every year and who knew the Watsons well spoke with WFDD's David Ford about Doc, Merle, and the festival that bears his name.