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Lumber company on its way to Spindale

Finally, a bit of good news for our friends in the west: A Wisconsin-based lumber distributor is placing a distribution and warehousing facility in the Rutherford County town of Spindale. Cedar Direct has pledged to invest $925,000 in the project and expects to employ 20 people. In return, the state’s...

By Ray Gronberg

October 14, 2024

Post-mortem comes later, legislators say

Another point legislators stressed this week as they rolled out the Helene relief bill is that a deep-dive after-action review of the effectiveness of the relief effort in the mountains is a job for the future, not now. “There’s a time and there is a place for us to figure...

By Ray Gronberg

October 11, 2024

Republicans push back on New York Times article

Republicans in the General Assembly are pushing back on a New York Times article that contends their deregulatory instincts may have exacerbated the damage Hurricane Helene inflicted on western North Carolina. The article (republished by WRAL) focused on recent battles about the control and content of the state’s building codes,...

By Ray Gronberg

October 11, 2024

House and Senate pass $273 million hurricane relief bill

Senators and House members came together on Wednesday to pass a hurricane relief bill that represents a $273 million down payment on the state’s efforts to help Western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene. The bulk of the money, $250 million, will become the state match for federal disaster assistance....

By Ray Gronberg

October 10, 2024

Legislators helping legislators

It’s obvious to anyone who’s looked at a legislator’s social-media feed (or U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’ official website) that the legislative branches at both the state and federal levels are a key link in the response effort. Squeaky wheels and grease, as they say. What’s less obvious is that legislators,...

By Ray Gronberg

October 10, 2024

Water, power and roads

The day was one for mountain-county legislators to share their experiences and observations about the hurricane and its aftermath, and to thank colleagues who’d helped them cope with the situation’s demands. Senate Deputy President Pro Tem Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, teared up as he talked about the situation in the Spruce...

By Ray Gronberg

October 10, 2024

Company police under scrutiny

A lawsuit spawned by October 2022’s mass shooting in Raleigh may put the state’s “company police” law — and one of the agencies licensed through it — under the microscope. The negligence complaint lists among its defendants a security firm called Capitol Special Police, its president and chief Roy Taylor,...

By Ray Gronberg

October 9, 2024

In court

Taylor hasn’t responded to an email asking for comment, and as of Tuesday afternoon the eCourts case file doesn’t list an attorney for him or any of the other defendants. It’s likely the judge who handles the case will have to address several potential defenses before the case ever reaches...

By Ray Gronberg

October 9, 2024

Port of Wilmington fares well in ranking

Wilmington continues to fare well in a worldwide ranking of container-port efficiency, albeit not as well in the latest version as it did a year ago. Issued in July and compiled with help from analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence, the World Bank’s 2023 Container Port Performance Index pegged Wilmington...

By Ray Gronberg

October 8, 2024

Power restoration nears end in SC; western NC proving a harder nut to crack

Duke Energy is warning that some of its customers in Western North Carolina could be without electricity “for an extended period of time.” The utility says “the vast majority” of those “who can receive power” should get it back by midnight Tuesday. Others should see a restoration of service “within...

By Ray Gronberg

October 8, 2024

Bridge loans available for Helene-hit small business

The Mountain BizWorks nonprofit in Asheville is creating a small business lending program to assist recovery from Hurricane Helene, with $7.5 million funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. The program entails bridge loans of as much as $100,000. They’re aimed at “providing critical relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene,” House Speaker...

By Ray Gronberg

October 8, 2024

Tillis weighs in on Helene rumors

Corbin isn’t the only prominent Republican speaking up. North Carolina U.S. Sen Thom Tillis, appearing Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation, addressed the point head-on. In storm responses, “discipline is absolutely essential,” Tillis said. “Kevin is a friend of mine and he’s right to call out people. “Many of the...

By Ray Gronberg

October 7, 2024

Rumor control

Rumor control is usually a problem for officials at every level of government after a natural disaster, and Hurricane Helene’s proving no exception. Perhaps more exceptional is the sheer volume of Helene-related rumors, with the imminent election adding to them as candidates jockey for advantage. Things got to the point...

By Welcome

October 7, 2024

Toyota North Carolina update

Japan’s Nikkei Asia reported Thursday that Toyota is slowing some of its plans to build new EVs, but it’s not looking like that has any immediate fallout for the company’s $13.9 billion battery factory in Randolph County. “There is no impact to Toyota North Carolina’s production schedule,” said Emily Wilemon-Holland,...

By Ray Gronberg

October 4, 2024

Flying into the storm zone

On Monday evening, some random Reddit scrolling amid the second game of the Braves-Mets doubleheader called to my attention that a car-modding YouTuber who calls himself Cleetus McFarland was using his personal helicopter to fly supplies to Hurricane Helene victims near Asheville. By Tuesday, Cleetus — the nom de guerre of...

By Ray Gronberg

October 3, 2024

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