A hearing has started in North Carolina over the insurance industry's request to raise homeowner premiums by more than 42% on average. A top lieutenant for Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey began hearing what's expected to be multiple weeks of testimony and evidence on Monday.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has unanimously passed an emergency resolution to make several voting changes in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene devastated the region.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has inched up to 227 as the grim task of recovering bodies continues more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the U.S. Southeast.

Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged ongoing federal support for those affected by Hurricane Helene as she visited North Carolina. The Democratic presidential nominee met with state and local officials Saturday in Charlotte, where she praised the work of strangers helping strangers.

False and misleading claims about Hurricane Helene are spreading about the storm and recovery efforts. And that's forcing public officials in hard-hit areas to set the record straight.

Democrats and civil rights groups are asking election officials in the states ravaged by Hurricane Helene to give voters more time to register for the Nov. 5 presidential election. In North Carolina, one of the most fiercely contested presidential battlegrounds, election officials aren't planning to extend the Oct. 11 voter registration deadline, but that could change when the Legislature meets next week to consider adjustments to state election laws.

A well-known Asheville musical tradition has returned in a sign of hopefulness a week after Helene battered the mountain city. The Asheville Drum Circle had its first regular Friday night session since the powerful storm blew in.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is heading to North Carolina as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene. She'll be arriving there Saturday, one day after a visit by Republican Donald Trump, who has been spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.

Hurricane Helene’s flood waters may have contaminated drinking water across western North Carolina. Residents with overtopped wells must boil and test the water before concluding it’s safe.

Hurricane Helene severely damaged drinking water utilities in the Southeast. Western North Carolina was especially hard hit. Flooding tore through the city of Asheville's water system, destroying so much infrastructure that officials said repairs could take weeks.