Jake Bittle/Grist Even as the full scale of devastation in the mountainous regions of North Carolina and Tennessee remains unknown, it’s clear that Hurricane Helene is one of the deadliest and most destructive storms in recent U.S. history. As of Friday, the storm had caused at least 180 deaths and...

Shaquira Speaks/Queen City News A Boone couple’s home is one of thousands destroyed by a landslide caused by Hurricane Helene. Just days after the storm hit, their insurance company canceled their homeowner’s policy — despite the couple not having landslide coverage or the company even selling it. Now the couple...

Emily Vespa/NC Health News While Helene tore through Boone, 20-year-old Mya McClarty braved the heavy downpour to get back to her apartment for her cat, Matcha. Floodwaters forced her to watch from higher ground as the muddy water swirled around her first floor apartment. She had slept at her partner’s...

Christopher Miller/Independent Tribune With Cabarrus County expected to continue being one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, having adequate capacity for wastewater, which is the lifeblood of the county, is absolutely critical. To prepare for the future, the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC), which operates the...

Chantal Allam/The News & Observer Two tenants have leased 31,659 square feet of Class A ”top-of-the-line” office space at the Bank of America Tower in Raleigh’s North Hills. The newly inked deals include a new “large-footprint tenant” and a renewal and expansion of an existing tenant inside the 18-story, mixed-use...

John Boyle/Asheville Watchdog Twice in two decades, enormous transmission lines have washed out at North Fork Reservoir after torrential, hurricane-induced rain events, leaving city residents without water for days on end. In September 2004, a historic rain event spawned by a hurricane pummeled the Black Mountain and Swannanoa areas, causing...

Hannah Vinueza McClellan & Mebane Rash/Education NC As rescue and recovery efforts continue in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is coordinating a statewide response to support impacted schools — including 28 school districts, 459 local public schools, and 24 public charter schools....

Lisa Sorg/Inside Climate News Flooding from Hurricane Helene may have contaminated private wells for thousands of people in western North Carolina, and experts say residents should boil or test their water before drinking it, or even showering in it. Harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, is the primary concern. “That’s...

Allen G. Breed/The Associated Press The stone tower that gave this place its name was nearly a half billion years in the making — heated and thrust upward from deep in the Earth, then carved and eroded by wind and water. But in just a few minutes, nature undid most...

Emma Dill/WilmingtonBiz The city of Wilmington plans to apply for nearly $20 million in federal grant funding to help pay for the replacement of two bridges – one on Fourth Street and the other on Pine Grove Drive. The Wilmington City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the...

Katie Peralta Soloff/Axios Raleigh The number of fatal overdoses has declined rapidly in North Carolina over the last year — far outpacing how fast they’ve fallen nationally. Why it matters: Overdoses kill more than 100,000 people in the U.S. a year — but the number appears to be dropping quickly,...

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News  Hurricane Helene has dealt serious damage to Pactiv Evergreen’s shuttered Canton paper mill, but the St. Louis-based demolition and development company owner trying to buy the 185-acre parcel remains undeterred. Back in May, Eric Spirtas of Spirtas Worldwide signed a letter of intent to purchase the...

Brianna Atkinson/WUNC Radio An organization that advocates for North Carolina’s private colleges has launched a fund for campuses impacted by Helene. The North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities is looking to provide support to seven colleges and universities located in Western North Carolina: Brevard, Gardner-Webb, Lees-McRae, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill, Montreat...

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily Plotting is underway for New Hanover County’s next comprehensive plan, which will likely determine the fate of the county’s remaining untouched land and plans for accommodating a growing population. NHC planning staff, including director Rebekah Roth, and Clarion Associates consultant Leigh Anne King provided an update...

Aaron Keck/WCHL Chapelboro Saturday, October 12, is University Day: UNC’s annual celebration of its founding in 1793, marking the anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone at UNC’s first building, Old East. The University is marking the occasion a day early this year, with a ceremony in Memorial Hall on...