Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene reshaped the Hickory Nut Gorge, Lake Lure officials are confronting another challenge that could influence the town's future: How to regulate taxpayers' private property when it's used as vacation rentals for income while promoting tourism. It now rivals the community's permanent housing stock while rebuilding its year-round population.

U.S. Rep. Tim Moore is introducing legislation aimed at increasing transparency around Federal Emergency Management Agency staffing after concerns from disaster survivors about delays and difficulty getting assistance following Hurricane Helene.

Leadership search begins as the Charlotte region faces transportation funding decisions, modeling questions and renewed scrutiny over billion-dollar infrastructure priorities

Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday signed North Carolina's $34.4 billion state budget into law, ending more than two years without a comprehensive spending plan and approving another $700 million for Hurricane Helene recovery, including funding for rebuilding efforts across Western North Carolina.

Local governments across western North Carolina, including Rutherford County, can now apply for a share of $55 million in federal disaster recovery funding aimed at rebuilding infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene while making communities more resilient to future storms.