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Original post This holiday season, WNC tourism-based businesses are holding out hope that visitors from across North Carolina and other states will plan trips and vacations that include local stays, dining and shopping. The state has a map of travel tips and more to support tourism, specifically in the western part of North Carolina.We’ve put […]

Original post The Buncombe County government on Monday launched a new website tracking the money it has spent related to Hurricane Helene. A screenshot of Buncombe County’s Helene spending tracker on November 25, 2024.(Buncombe County Government)The website allows users to explore the data in detail, with expenses searchable by category, date, vendor and amount.”We have […]

Original post After a 53-day water crisis, clean water runs through Asheville’s taps once more.Asheville lifted its boil water notice this morning, city spokesperson Clay Chandler shared this morning at a news briefing.The notice was lifted after the city’s water department tested 120 samples over the weekend. Turbidity is under 15 and the city expects […]

Original post Asheville residents could have drinkable water in their taps as early as Wednesday of next week. Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said the city is testing water samples this weekend, and if the results are acceptable, the boil water notice could be lifted as early as Tuesday evening. For more info on this […]

Original post A FEMA program is offering money and home renovation services to help property owners in the flood plain.FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Program offers options for property owners throughout Western North Carolina, including in Buncombe County. The program, which applies to homes that are at-risk for flood damage, allows property owners to choose between three […]

Original post In an update on Monday afternoon, officials with the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office reported one more death has been confirmed connected to Hurricane Helene in Mecklenburg County. In that case, officials said, a 70-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree. His death was recorded on Oct. 8. The latest […]

Original post A 44-year-old man from Bostic, N.C., was arrested Saturday after deputies say they received a report he “had an assault rifle and made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees.” The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office charged William Jacob Parsons with “going armed to the terror of the public” and officials said he was […]

Original post The state Department of Transportation has crews repairing the damage that Helene wrought on infrastructure, including roads and bridges in Western North Carolina – many of which were closed or destroyed due to mudslides and flooding. “Damage estimates from what we have been able to assess to this point are up to several […]

Original post Over 14,000 Duke Energy customers in Western North Carolina remain without power after Helene. The majority of these remaining outages include: Buncombe – 9,338 Henderson – 1,509 McDowell – 874 Mitchell – 1,511 Polk – 98 Rutherford – 708 Transylvania – 39 Yancey – 122 Duke has sorted the restoration work ahead into […]

Original post Henderson County has secured a location for a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). The DRC will be located at 2111 Asheville Highway in Hendersonville and will be open starting Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and then daily beginning Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The DRC will provide federal, state […]