Good News Friday: The first real snow of the season gives us snowy scenes in western NC

Winter, and the holiday season, is upon us. Here’s our weekly roundup of good news from across North Carolina. 

It’s a funny thing about Fridays. They happen every week, but when they roll around, it feels like a pleasant surprise.

We embrace that pleasantness with our weekly “Good News Friday” roundup, where we collect some of our favorite positive stories from around the state. 

Read More: Here are 16 North Carolina Christmas tree lightings, from the mountains to the coast

This week, we get our first taste of the holidays, a winter blast in the mountains and a few inspiring wildlife stories to shout out. 

Let’s get to it.

The holidays are, without question, upon us

There’s really no way to deny it anymore. The holiday season is here. This weekend features several prominent holiday tree lightings in North Carolina, including places like Raleigh, Durham, and Concord.

Check out this week’s guide to 16 holiday tree lightings, from the Outer Banks to the mountains. 

So try to leave a really brutal and divisive election year behind for a time. 

In the corniest way possible, it reminds me of that closing scene in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” where, after he’s robbed “Whoville” blind, the Grinch expects to hear a lot of boo-hooing but hears singing instead. 

It’s snowing somewhere

If you’re looking for snow, the chances aren’t great for most of North Carolina like, all the time. And the first day of winter isn’t until Dec. 21.

But those of us in central and eastern North Carolina can still live vicariously through NC’s mountain-dwellers, who are getting their first real blast of winter today out in Beech Mountain, one of NC’s highest elevations and popular destination for skiing. 

Check out this live “snow cam” from Beech Mountain.

Wildlife 1, Social Media 0

You might remember those folks in Asheville who got some notoriety for snatching a bear cub from a tree to take a “selfie.” 

The bear cub has been successfully returned to the wild by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Wildlife officials said this week that the cub, who they nicknamed “selfie cub,” was considered “healthy and able to successfully survive in the wild.”

Check out a clip of the cub’s successful return to the wild here. 

 

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As a reminder: Don’t mess with bears, folks. For their safety and yours, it’s a monumentally stupid idea to separate a bear cub from its mama bear. 

Another win for the wild

Speaking of wildlife rescues, a local NBC affiliate reported this week on the rescue of an 885-pound manatee who had become trapped near Greenville’s Tar River. 

It’s not common to see manatees this far north, but this manatee had a “watercraft-related injury,” according to the report, which is a big problem for these underwater mammals. 

Folks with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, NC State University, and North Carolina Aquariums helped out with the rescue, as well as the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Manatees have been spotted in North Carolina before, although they are an uncommon sight, preferring warmer waters to the south. 

I’ve had up-close encounters with these big, gentle animals before. They’re slow, curious, and sort of like a floating sweet potato. I find them delightful.