Western North Carolina continues to await state and federal funding six months after Helene
Six months after Helene, Gov. Josh Stein has signed into a law a bill that will provide more than a half-million dollars in relief funding. The funding approval comes as a new disaster is further ravaging the region, as Henderson and Polk counties continue to fight wildfires.
Gerard Albert III, Western North Carolina Rural Communities Reporter, Blue Ridge Public Radio

WNC tourism, arts, and restaurant check-in
We turn our attention to Avery County — home to Grandfather Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and several ski resorts — for an update on business recovery and tourism. And we check back in with two activists who are entrenched in the Asheville arts, restaurant, and hospitality industries to talk about the “yes and” of living with both grief AND hope.
Robin Morgan, Executive Director, Avery County Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Tomasin, studio manager of Echo Mountain Recording Studio, Asheville
Jen Hampton, co-chair, Asheville Food and Beverage United, Asheville

Helene debris is causing problems for wildfire fighting
Fire management specialists and landowners tried to clear up debris left over from the hurricane last fall, but some of the brush they didn’t get to is making it hard to fight an ongoing wildfire in Polk County.
Zack Turner, Climate Reporter at WFAE