A government official encounters disinformation after Helene 

A Town Council member fights for people — and the truth. By Dalton George Just a day after Helene passed in late September, I found myself restless to do something to help.  An event with that scale of destruction often highlights the skills we lack. But I knew...

The fight for public education

North Carolina’s public schools are on the front lines of disaster recovery By Kimberly Jones  The devastation brought by Hurricane Helene to western North Carolina has left communities grappling with significant loss and upheaval. As we witness the aftermath,...

Mayor Smathers: Let’s come together and deliver for WNC

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers calls on lawmakers in Raleigh to deliver for hurricane victims By Zeb Smathers From the moment Hurricane Helene unleashed its fury on North Carolina, we’ve witnessed the best of humanity. Neighbors of all beliefs, political parties,...

How do we find candidates who represent the working class?

This election shows that those who lead us should be the same people who make our society go. By Gwen Frisbie-Fulton I grew up tagging along behind my dad at construction sites. He would find a hard hat for me to wear, and it would wobble around on my too-small...

Helene forces return to the old school Town Hall

In Black Mountain town leaders are getting information out with a method that’s been around for centuries. By Jeremy Markovich N.C. Rabbit Hole I’ve been doomscrolling quite a bit lately, mostly because there seems to be no end to pictures of the destruction...

Beyond belief in Ashe County

Organizer Nancy Weaver, who lives on multigenerational land, wants to make sure government dollars are spent on those who most need them  By Nancy Weaver One Sunday morning in November of 1977, my little sister Ann woke us up and said “The field is full of...