The filing season for municipal elections opens Monday morning, with seats open in all town races.

This year, Boone has scheduled its elections in November, which will save about $15,000. Previously, elections were held in October, with November as a run-off date. Three town council seats and the mayor’s position will be open.

In Blowing Rock, races will be held for mayor and three council seats. Three council seats are each open in Seven Devils and Beech Mountain, which both elect their mayor from within the council.

The top two vote-getters in each council race will receive four-year terms, while the third-place finisher gets a two-year term.
The filing period officially began Friday, July 3 at noon, but elections offices were closed for the Fourth of July holiday. Filing begins at 8 a.m. on July 6 and ends at noon on July 17.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

At least four people working on Fourth of July fireworks shows are dead from explosions Saturday.

Three of them died from a blast on Ocrakoke Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Federal agents are on scene today investigating why the fireworks blew up as they were being unloaded from a truck. The blast shook homes and businesses across the southern end of Ocracoke Island.

A memorial parade was scheduled Sunday afternoon to remember the three workers who died earlier in the explosion.

The crew worked for Melrose South Pyrotechnics near Rock Hill, S.C.