Trista Talton/Coastal Review Online The state’s environmental regulatory agency has established temporary caps on the amounts of several PFAS that industries will be allowed to release into groundwater. Until permanent limits are set, interim maximum allowable concentrations introduced by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources...

Will Doran/WRAL News A new ruling from the North Carolina Supreme Court has the potential to massively reimagine the state’s health care industry, allowing for more competition between hospitals, doctors and other medical providers. The case in question concerns “certificate-of-need” laws, an issue that in recent years has deeply divided...

Will Atwater/NC Health News Since the remnants of Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina’s mountains, flooding rivers and damaging water systems, the demand for drinking water wells has soared in Buncombe County. Shaken, homeowners, businesses, schools and care facilities want to guard against water disruption in the event of...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News With the North Carolina General Assembly’s preliminary $273 million relief bill in the rearview mirror, Western North Carolina Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) is looking down the road at the General Assembly’s next move — a billion-dollar relief bill coming Oct. 24. During a recent meeting with...

Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio North Carolina Republicans are showing signs of strength after three days of early, in-person voting — by casting ballots at essentially the same rate as Democrats. After Saturday’s voting, 13.9% of registered Republicans have cast ballots in both mail voting and early, in-person voting. That compares with...

Jeff St. John/Canary Media For years, Duke Energy has studied the threats that climate change poses to its power grid. It has produced tomes forecasting the risk to its power lines, substations, and power plants from fires, heat waves, and floods. But the scope of Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the...

Becky Johnson/The (Waynesville) Mountaineer As soon as the skies cleared from Helene’s ferocious storm, a massive undertaking was launched to knock on the door of every home in Haywood County impacted by flooding and landslides. Firefighters from the county’s 13 fire departments led the charge, fanning out in their communities...

April Laissle/WFDD Radio As much of western North Carolina works to recover from Helene, some business owners say they’re worried about what they’re calling a “second disaster”: the loss of tourism during peak season. Though many cities have asked visitors to stay away during the recovery process, Bryson City officials...

Matt Cortina/USA Today Network Gerry Mahon has owned the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Asheville for over 20 years. He’s weathered a lot of storms, but nothing like Tropical Storm Helene. So now, he’s thinking about the future. Not just the quotidian concerns of getting his 60-person staff back to work,...

Jonathan Bym/The (Southern Pines) Pilot Public comment speakers had no time limit for their remarks regarding the rezoning request for the proposed Uwharrie Motorsports Park and Resort, leading to a continuance for the public hearing with the county Board of Commissioners Tuesday night. After four hours broke up between the...

Gerard Albert III/Blue Ridge Public Radio Robin Longinotti doesn’t have much of a home to return to after flood waters from Hurricane Helene tore through her trailer. Longinotti evacuated her Hot Springs home before the storm and returned to find only a handful of salvageable possessions. The loss didn’t stop...

Virginia Bridges/The News & Observer Three United States representatives from North Carolina requested a national intelligence briefing on the spread of online misinformation hindering efforts to support and rebuild parts of Western North Carolina washed away by Hurricane Helene. “This information is dangerous to saving life and property right now,...

Rolando Arrieta/WFAE Radio Most recreational rivers in Western North Carolina were decimated by Hurricane Helene’s floods and are littered with debris. The Green River, a popular attraction for many outdoor adventure enthusiasts, is one of them. “I’m looking at the river, which was once 50 feet maximum wide,” said Woody...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News Western North Carolina’s small businesses, even those that suffered no damage, now occupy an unenviable position — struggling to rebuild and retain employees amid disruption to the transportation infrastructure that drives the tourist trade while still paying off COVID-era loans. Canton’s mayor is calling for help...

Andrew R. Jones/Asheville Watchdog Asheville Water Resources has restored running water to almost all of the city, but three weeks after Tropical Storm Helene, workers are still playing catch up with breaking or difficult-to-access areas, as well as water purity. “We’ve gotten service to 90-ish percent of our system, probably...