LATEST NEWS

Happy 35th Anniversary to Dr. John H. Grant; October is Sudden Infant Death Awareness Month; Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Khayelitsha, South Africa. Project NAF & Project EMPOWER News: October 2024 (PDF) Project NAF (Nurturing Asheville and Area Families). Working together to help African-American women have healthier babies. Project...

This past Sunday, worshippers returned to Biltmore Church, a megachurch in Asheville, North Carolina, for the first time in person after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina. It was bittersweet, said Bruce Frank, the church’s pastor. People were glad to be together, even as many are still grieving. “There is a lot of loss,” Frank said simply in his sermon.Among the lost were Nora and Michael Drye, lay leaders at Biltmore, and their 7-year-old grandson, Micah, who became trapped on their roof and drowned in Helene’s flooding. Others in the church had lost loved ones, homes and their...

HOUSTON COUNTY – Everyone in East Texas understands how a hurricane can change lives forever. From the high winds, heavy rains, and tornadoes and flooding in its wake, Hurricane Helene slammed into the southeast part of the country, leaving over 200 people dead and many still missing. The high...

In the ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, stories of resilience are emerging from the hardest-hit communities. Many residents are still dealing with power outages, a lack of clean water, and extensive damage. Brendan McPeak, an Asheville resident for nearly a decade, has been doing everything he can to support his neighbors.

Judge J. Calvin Hill and Darcel Grimes were the recipients of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Members of the Asheville community convened recently at the YMI Cultural Center to celebrate two of Asheville’s most exemplary citizens. Darcel Grimes, former television anchor at WLOS-TV 13, and Chief Judge...

A North Carolina family's journey from war-torn Ukraine to the U.S. was tragically cut short. They were killed not by the familiar threats of artillery and rocket barrages, but by a more insidious force of nature.

The last time a North Carolina family saw their beloved cat, Blanco, he was clinging to power lines above raging flood waters -- before the animal fell into the waters below. Blanco's loved ones feared the worst, as they worried he drowned, was seriously hurt, or would be lost forever.

The South Toe River, clear and tranquil now, blasted away the walls of Hall’s Chapel Baptist Church.

BARNARDSVILLE, N.C. (BP) — Curtis showed up about two weeks ago and has been invaluable for helping Barnardsville Baptist Church after flood damage to its building. It’s what he hasn’t done, however, that may signal a key to the long-term response to Helene’s damage in the area.

Western North Carolina took a heavy hit from Hurricane Helene, and now, more than ever, local businesses need our support to bounce back. BrandsofWNC.com is here to make it easy. They’ve put together a collection of amazing North Carolina businesses that you can shop from directly, helping to revitalize the local economy.

In response to a request from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper due to a water shortage, the City of Columbia, South Carolina, has stepped up to assist Asheville. South Carolina Governor’s office quickly coordinated with the City of Columbia to mobilize the relief effort. “In times of crisis, it’s...

Gardner-Webb University and the Office of Student Engagement will host the Western N.C. Benefit Concert on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m. in the Brinkley Amphitheater. The event...

The pup is getting a second chance after he was injured in a post-storm dog attack.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A team of about 120 AEP Ohio employees is back in Ohio after helping with power restoration efforts in western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The Ohio crew was there from the very beginning.  “We were right in the heart of the storm and were able to start […]

Water service is returning to Asheville and other areas of the county hit hard by Hurricane Helene, but while the water may be flowing, officials say it could still take weeks before it’s safe to drink, at least without boiling it first.

Each year around this time, sightseers enjoy taking in the natural beauty of the changing colors of fall foliage, in particular along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway. However, this year will be different, thanks to Hurricane Helene. Clemson University Professor of Ecology Donald Hagan is not just an admirer...

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, One Fur All, creators of Pet House Candles, is stepping up to support the four-legged victims of the disaster in North Carolina. From November 1 to 8, One Fur All will donate 10 percent of all online sales from the brand’s website directly to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, an Asheville organization critically impacted by the hurricane.

FRENCH BROAD EMC – (10/19 P. rogress Update from 10/18) French Broad Electric Membership Corp. (From French Broad Facebook) Here are some of the poles we have replaced in the Popular area of Mitchell County. In this particular stretch of line, we replaced 14 of 15 structures in a row! None of these were reachable with a truck so we had to either use a track machine or hand set them. The crews have made a tremendous physical effort to get these poles replaced and now have power to the end of the three phase line. Unfortunately, there’s still over 20 poles to be changed out on popular creek road! This is what we have faced throughout Mitchell and Yancey County for the last three weeks. Most of the tap lines we are fixing now require, two, three, or four poles to be replaced to get 2-3 customers energized. Everywhere we go there are multiple poles destroyed by the wind and fallen trees or they have been washed away by the creeks and rivers. We now have over 50 crews in both counties working 16 hours a day. They are changing as many as 100 poles each day and getting more customers on each day but we still have a ways to go to get everyone on. There are multiple areas that our previous power line right of way is gone, washed away with the road bank. We are having to re-engineer the line and build it from scratch. In other areas, we still do not have a viable road to get our equipment in position to work or carry material. French Broad EMC crews have come along way in the last several days and restored power to over 94% of our membership and we will keep working until we get everyone electricity that is reachable. We continue to work with the NCDOT to get access to places that were washed away and where bridges were destroyed.

Helene and Milton’s gut-punching blows are keeping waste companies hustling in their quest to help bring semblance back to the municipalities and people most impacted. With franchised contracts throughout Florida and Western North Carolina, Waste Pro is among operations that have been in the throes of it all from the beginning. Two of its division managers share stories from the front line.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated swaths of the southeastern US by bringing too much water. Now, communities are struggling with the opposite problem: too little of it. The North Fork Water Treatment Plant supplies most of the drinking water to Asheville, North Carolina, and some surrounding mountain towns. Built in the 1970s, it was known for its clear water, which flows into the plant from a large reservoir.