‘Keeping the lights on:’ In the public lands of the Blue Ridge, a complicated and unusual federal shutdown
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Nearly one month into the federal government shutdown, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains open to the public, and the National Forest Service’s logging and disaster response capabilities remain active.
Cancer researcher Paul Maddox targets NC-11’s ills
Paul Maddox has spent decades studying sickness. A cancer researcher, tenured professor and lifelong learner, he’s spent much of his career exploring how to heal the body. Now, Maddox says, he’s ready to heal something else.
Fundraising picks up in NC-11 congressional race
With third-quarter fundraising reports now filed, campaign finance records show sharp contrasts in both fundraising totals and donor bases among candidates in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District as they look to Primary Election contests in March.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards reported raising $233,163 from January through September, with no personal contributions to his own campaign.
Shutdown halts federal government, WNC braces again
On Oct. 1, Republican-controlled Congress shut down the federal government, bringing a renewed round of confusion, finger-pointing and uncertainty to tourism-reliant Southern Appalachia — a region still paying the price for generational poverty, and still struggling with recovery from Hurricane Helene more than one year ago.
FEMA says operations will continue as normal during shutdown
As Western North Carolina settles in for what could become a protracted federal government shutdown, a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson tells The Smoky Mountain News the agency’s disaster response operations remain fully funded and active, with payments to survivors, debris removal and other essential recovery work continuing uninterrupted.
Despite tepid D.C. response, the work goes on
It was a time and a place, and now that place is gone.
Or is it?
I came across some version of that idiom about time and place a few months ago, just as we at The Smoky Mountain News were beginning to discuss how to cover the one-year anniversary of Helene’s historic and deadly impact on this place we call home.
Big ‘Bad’ Bill is gonna hurt
To the Editor:
The Congress has to finalize the Big “Bad” Bill (for most of us) by Oct. 1 or face a government shutdown. This means Congress still has the rest of September to “fix” the worst parts of this bill if they want to before the final vote by Oct. 1.
New Democratic challenger takes aim at Edwards, reshapes NC-11 race
The field for one of North Carolina’s most closely watched congressional races grew again this week with the entry of Dr. Richard Hudspeth, a physician with deep ties to the region who says his experience caring for mountain families gives him a unique perspective on what Chuck Edwards has failed to deliver.
So this is saving democracy?
To the Editor:
Recently, Democratic strategist James Carville urged Democrats to add two states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to give us 52 states when Democrats “get back in power.” He also suggested that the Democrats “pack the Supreme Court” after the 2028 election.
Democratic hopefuls sidestep gala flap as Clayton outlines long-term plan
The political rift over an upcoming Democratic gala — an internal dust-up that sparked chatter across Western North Carolina political circles — was nowhere in sight on Aug. 12, as three NC-11 congressional hopefuls stepped to the podium in Waynesville alongside state party chair Anderson Clayton.
