Western North Carolina

A stretch of Interstate 40 through the western North Carolina mountains is reopening to traffic this weekend, months after Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding collapsed portions of the road.

As state lawmakers debate how much money is needed for the latest Helene recovery package, Gov. Josh Stein’s administration is making the case for $1.07 billion to help western North Carolina rebuild.

President Donald Trump says he is considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He made the remark Friday during a trip to two disaster zones, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation’s central organization for responding to disasters.

Matt Calabria’s new role in Gov. Josh Stein's office will assist with efforts for western North Carolina.

While much of the Helene relief supplies so far have come through private donations, community leaders in Mitchell County and across western North Carolina are asking for help from the state and federal government for the next phases of recovery.

Seedlings from NASA’s Artemis I mission were sent to education institutions across the state.

An international humanitarian organization recently expanded efforts to help Spanish-speaking residents of the Alan Campos mobile home park in Swannanoa, N.C. recover from Helene's impact.

Gov. Roy Cooper is in Washington, D.C., Wednesday pushing for hurricane funding, so under the state constitution, his out-of-state travel makes Lt. Gov. Robinson the acting governor. A source close to Robinson says he's considering trying to sign into law a bill expected to pass the N.C. Senate this afternoon that would shift power away from Gov.-elect Josh Stein and other newly elected Democrats.

The North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated $20 million for recovery at public universities impacted by Helene. The UNC System will distribute the money, with the bulk of the appropriation going to students at institutions across the state.

UNC’s ViVE center — that houses all the data — was partly funded through the National Institutes of Health for over $3 million over the course of five years.