Editor’s note: During the holidays, Carolina Public Press will be reposting some of our most memorable stories from 2025. Today’s story looks at the hard lessons learned about dams and flooding during Tropical Storm Helene. This article, part of the Pulit... See more
Swaths of downed timber are a common sight throughout Western North Carolina after Tropical Storm Helene, even a year later. Near Roan High Knob, along the North Carolina-Tennessee state line in Mitchell County, 100-mile-per-hour winds uprooted and shredd... See more
On a mild late-summer afternoon in September, 86-year-old Tom Westall watered the flowers newly planted in the median on Locust Street in downtown Spruce Pine in Mitchell County.
“I love watching things grow,” said Westall, a life-long Spruce Pine residen... See more
