With 1,500 evictions filed since Tropical Storm Helene, 100,000 housing units damaged or destroyed and an ever-growing number of people who are unemployed, the housing crisis in Western North Carolina has reached a fever pitch.
Asheville’s “unsheltered” homeless population — those living on the streets —reached 328 in the city’s 2025 count. That’s up more than 100 from the year before — a record high. The total number is 755, if you include those sleeping in shelters.
In the months since Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the region, there have been some minor wins. Like community organizations that have stepped up, offering unprecedented support to those struggling to keep a roof over their head. <More>
Extensive personnel shortages at the N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) hampered the agency’s ability to manage the wildfires that raged in Western North Carolina this spring, state and county officials say.
According to Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, 100 positions are vacant at the agency.
Fast-forward to late March and early April when wildfires burned through nearly 8,000 acres of forest in Henderson and Polk counties. The NCFS deployed 365 people and 23 fire engines, but it still took more than a week to put out the flames.
Federally, things are also grim. As a result of the Trump administration’s funding cuts, 2,000 probationary employees were fired from the USFS. That leaves fewer people to address fires on federal lands in North Carolina.
The result is a crippled wildfire response that could endanger both families and forests in North Carolina and across the country. As flames grow more frequent and intense, the shortage of trained personnel makes communities vulnerable. Fiscal limitations leave life and land hanging in the balance. <More>
The Haoe Lead Fire has reached 1,010 acres and remains at 0% containment as of noon Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire is burning in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area in the Nantahala National Forest. It is located approximately seven miles west of Robbinsville in Graham County.
The Southern Area Gray Team took command of the Haoe Lead Fire on Thursday. On Friday, firefighters will continue focusing on the southern and eastern portions of the fire.
WILDFIRE RISK VERY HIGH THROUGH THE WEEKEND, DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS PERSIST
Communities across Western North Carolina are preparing for a weekend of festivities in celebration of Easter Sunday on April 20.
Here are some Easter events and fun spring-themed activities happening this weekend: <More>
While Madison County residents are aware of the county's outsized impact on music, led by its rich ballad singing, the tradition spanning at least eight generations is now getting national recognition.
In March, Rolling Stone Magazine profiled Donna Ray Norton as part of a feature piece on "The Nest of Singing Birds," a group of local ballad singers that has played shows throughout Western North Carolina and, lately, Virginia and South Carolina, as well.
"The Nest of Ballad Singers" is led by Sheila Kay Adams, one of Norton's mentors, who National Endowment for the Arts recognized as a National Heritage Fellow in 2013.
The name is a reference to Cecil Sharp's 1917 book, "English Folks Songs from the Southern Appalachians." In 1916, Sharp, a musicologist from England, met with 29 singers in Madison County. One of those singers was Donna Norton's great-great-great aunt, Mary Sands. Earlier this year, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced the placement of a new highway historical marker in recognition of Sands.
Earth Day is April 22, a time for people to gather and celebrate the Earth. A time for environmental education and litter pick ups to help move toward a more sustainable future. Here is a list of ways to get involved in the days leading up to Earth Day and on Earth Day. <More>
Thanks for the visit, wishing all a very fine weekend!
“Be safe out there.” Lamont Cranston
