Flood insurance. It’s something that most people have heard of and that many probably have a notion they should look into as the climate warms and severe storms grow more frequent.
To their credit, some have done more than think about it. As NC Newsline’s Galen Bacharier reported this week, about 10 percent of businesses and five percent of homeowners in western North Carolina actually had flood insurance prior to Hurricane Helene and were, quite understandably, counting on their policies to help them rebuild in the aftermath of the disaster.
Unfortunately, as Bacharier also reported, that’s often not been the case. In numerous instances, it’s taken several months for the policyholders to collect and even then, many payments have been only partial. Many other claims have been denied outright based on technicalities and other questionable grounds. <More>
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has appealed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision denying the state’s request to extend the 100% cost share for eligible expenses related to Tropical Storm Helene recovery.
In an April 25 letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Stein wrote that without the 180-day extension it requested, North Carolina now “faces an ever-growing cost burden” at a time when the region still trying to remove debris and reeling economically.
Citing a delayed start in the debris removal process, Stein said the state has only benefited from three months of active removal by the Army Corp of Engineers, despite being granted six months of fully reimbursable costs for the work. <More>
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) was one of four federally recognized tribes that founded what would become the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) – founded originally as the Inter-Tribal Council of United Southeastern Tribes. Now, those four tribes (EBCI, Miccosukee Tribe of Florida, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida) have formed a new alliance they feel will better serve their needs.
Following signing of the Accord Agreement on April 18, Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks posted a statement on his Facebook page. “Hosted by Seminole Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., this historic event brought our leadership together including Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Chief Cyrus Ben – to declare our shared commitment to tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and mutual defense of our inherent rights as sovereign Nations.
I want to thank Chairman Osceola, Chairman Cypress, and Chief Ben for their leadership, vision, and commitment to this effort. It’s because of their dedication and our shared understanding of what’s at stake that this Accord came to life.”
His statement continued, “This agreement creates a lasting framework for our four Nations to: Align our voices on issues impacting Indian Country; collaborate on strategy and policy; protect our lands, cultures, and governance; and ensure our future generations have both opportunity and identity. More than 50 years ago, our tribes came together to form USET. Today, we build on that legacy with a renewed alliance, one that meets the moment we are living in. We are stronger together, and today’s Accord is a declaration that we will lead, we will act, and we will protect what matters most.” <More>
Helene destroyed numerous Asheville businesses. However, two Helene-impacted businesses found a unique way to move forward through an unlikely partnership.
Jeremy LaRochelle bought Moe's Original BBQ on the edge of historic Biltmore Village a year ago. Little did he know what would come along in September. He had previously lived in Asheville before spending time in Maine.
LaRochelle said he was excited for his return to Asheville.
He had hope for Moe’s on Sweeten Creek Road, but Helene flooded the place beyond use. He had to cook up another idea. “You kind of reevaluate what you can do," LaRochelle said. He turned to construction work to pay the bills. For LaRochelle, food remains his passion.
Other businesses in the area suffered the same fate.
“We ended up with 11 feet of water inside the salon,” said Kim Scofield, owner of the Fetch Dog Spa, "Everything inside was completely destroyed."
She, too, had to figure things out. <More>
Raise a pint of Fables & Folklore Hazy IPA on Wednesday, April 30, from 6-8:30 p.m., at Appalachian Mountain Brewery in Mills River to kick off the 2025 Asheville Amadeus Festival.
The special-release beer and evening of live music mark the return of the biennial celebration of music and the arts presented by the Asheville Symphony. Created in 2015 to honor the life and work of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the festival has evolved into a citywide, multiday collaboration among arts-focused nonprofits featuring live musical performance across genres, theater, dance, puppets and educational opportunities for all ages.
“The Art of Storytelling” is this year’s theme, with Grammy-winning mandolinist and singer Chris Thile and Time for Three strings ensemble co-headlining 11 days of performances and activities. Venues include churches and public libraries, the Wortham Center for Performing Arts, Asheville Community Theatre, The Orange Peel, the Brevard Music Center and the Asheville Art Museum. Asheville Amadeus Festival will wrap up with an Evening with Chris Thile, 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
For a full schedule and to buy tickets, visit avl.mx/eq2.
Imagine this: It’s a beautiful fall day in 2050, and you’re taking your dog for a walk in the local neighborhood you’ve lived in your entire life. You remember when most of these houses were surrounded by flat green carpets of sterile lawn, but now they’re abuzz with life. The air is thick with bees and butterflies landing on drifts of yellow goldenrod and purple asters.
Your old dog’s tail wags as he watches the birds swoop low to eat their fill before winter sets in. Just as you’re about to turn and head home, a cloud of monarchs rises from the meadow and wheels off into the sky to begin their great migration. You snap a picture and log it with your nature app — one more bit of evidence that the wildlife in your area is finally recovering.
When it comes to the climate, we’re used to thinking about the future in negative terms: What challenges will we face? How much will we lose? How bad will it get?
What if we flipped the script? What if, instead of wondering what will happen if we get it wrong, we ask instead: What if we get it right? <More>
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the crown jewel of the Southern Appalachians, an ancient landscape teeming with life — including what naturalist and explorer William Bartram in 1791 called “insects of infinite variety,” many of them “admirably beautiful.” Some 200 years later, naturalist E.O. Wilson would describe them as the “little things that run the world.”
“Those six-legged ‘little things’ in the park form an essential part of the vast ecological web of interconnectedness that constitutes the pulse of the Smokies,” said Jim Costa, author of a forthcoming field guide from Smokies Life that will help park visitors better understand and appreciate these tiny lifeforms. It will be illustrated in part by Jim’s wife, Leslie Costa. The couple was chosen as this year’s Steve Kemp writer and illustrator in residence.
The Costas hail from Cullowhee and Highlands, North Carolina, where Jim is a professor and executive director of the Highlands Biological Station of Western Carolina University and Leslie is a freelance illustrator, editor, and transcriber for the London-based Alfred Russel Wallace Correspondence Project. They met in graduate school at the University of Georgia in the fall of 1987. <More>
Thanks so much for stopping by, wishing all a powerful day.
“Be safe out there” Lamont Cranston
