A group of neighbors saw their forest toppled by Tropical Storm Helene’s winds. It’s getting reshaped again, this time by salvage logging.

A group of neighbors saw their forest toppled by Tropical Storm Helene’s winds. It’s getting reshaped again, this time by salvage logging.
In his latest book, A Perfect Frenzy, local author Andrew Lawler reexamines the American Revolution and spotlights a lesser-known story from the United States’ founding.
County commissioners agree to cut the county budget 4% across the board and including the two school districts despite impassioned pleas not to during public comment at their Jan. 21 meeting.
The holiday shopping season was a huge success from some small-town merchants still reeling for the effects of Tropical Storm Helene. And even those who had less success said local shoppers made a huge difference.
Several city staff members and elected officials attended the Jan. 17 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners (CIBO) to explain the rebuilding process and outline projects to improve the water system.
Give!Local raised more than $337,000 — plus more than $112,000 in matching grants — for 52 area nonprofits in 2024. That was a big increase from 2023.
Propane is a valuable commodity in Western North Carolina these days. Helene destroyed roughly 100,000 homes and many of those people have been living in campers ever since. Keeping them warm is a struggle.
The Orange Peel and Public Interest Projects are seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury and are asking the judge to keep in place the existing management agreement.
To offset a loss in revenue, county staff proposes 4% cuts to the county’s general fund, including a 4% cut in K-12 education.
“Based on the literature review, constituent input, local environmental factors, the current operations and academic outcomes of each school system, Prismatic does not recommend consolidation of ACS and BCS,” concluded a report from Charlotte-based education consultants Prismatic Services.
A symbolic gathering on ancestral lands fortifies collaboration between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the U.S. Forest Service.
Asheville City Council had a lot to bite off at its Jan. 14 meeting. Much discussion arose over choosing a manager of a controversial Business Improvement District (BID), post-storm changes to building codes and solutions for those about to lose FEMA housing assistance.
The new youth hip-hop writing program incorporates playfulness, performance and the classic rite-of-passage journey with a focus on healing.
From a decrease in adoptions to an increased need for emergency veterinary care, Tropical Storm Helene’s impact will continue in 2025 for animal shelters.
After the storm, officials estimated that Helene created about 10 million cubic yards of debris in Buncombe County alone. County Manager Avril Pinder says “It’s going to take a long time” to clean up all the debris.
Mission’s appeal, brought against the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Health Service Regulation, says those agencies’ decisions curbed Mission’s expansion efforts.
FCC Environmental says workers have delivered nearly 76,000 trash carts to 38,500 residents, but complaints about service continue to percolate through the community.
The rural region, somewhat isolated by the mountains, has struggled with its economic viability, and Helene has exposed some of the area’s tender points.
What lessons have local teachers taken away from Tropical Storm Helene, and how have they incorporated these insights into their classrooms? Xpress finds out.
Mandated by the N.C. General Assembly in 2023, Buncombe County hired Charlotte-based Prismatic Services in March to analyze the feasibility of merging the county’s two public school districts based on finances, student enrollment, policies, procedures, student well-being, personnel, operations and facilities.
Three months after Tropical Storm Helene tore through Western North Carolina, Xpress catches up with residents from Barnardsville to see how the small, unincorporated community is dealing with its ongoing recovery efforts.