While it certainly appears that a “red wave” washed over the United States on Nov. 5, that’s not exactly the case in North Carolina, where Democrats held onto critical Council of State offices and made solid gains where it really counts — in the General Assembly. 

Editor's note: Hurricane Helene has already produced flash flooding and dangerous winds across the region, and it has come on the heels of heavy rains, downed trees, sporadic tornadoes and some minor flooding due to a separate system that entered the region from the west. Smoky Mountain News Staff will be out gathering photos and firsthand reports throughout Friday and beyond. This page will be updated with those pictures and stories as they come in from across our coverage area, but you can always find more on our Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.

The exhibit “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will run through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

Dan Desjardins’ presentation of his book “Oscar Wilde and the Art of Lying” will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway is proposing a significant increase to camping fees, with public comments accepted through Friday, March 15. 

Volunteers are wanted to help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stock trout into the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County beginning at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 4. 

Join MountainTrue’s 18th annual caravan around the Lake Chatuge shoreline to view a variety of birds 7:30-9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. 

Following CEO Laurel Rematore’s announcement that she intends to retire at the end of 2024, Smokies Life, formerly known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, has launched a national search for her successor. 

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a hike and trail workday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Cold Mountain Trailhead in Panthertown Valley Backcountry Recreation Area. 

Celebrate CSA Month by lining up your source for fresh fruits and vegetables this growing season, with a CSA Fair planned for 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the YWCA of Asheville. 

Dive into the natural history of black bears at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina Asheville. 

The Great Smokies Eco-Adventure, a fundraising event for Discover Life in America, will be held April 21-23 near Gatlinburg. 

A new Carolina Mountain Club trail crew, dubbed the Extra Mile Crew, has been formed to work on trail sections likely to be missed by existing crews. 

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will hold its annual gathering May 3-5 at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, with an agenda that includes guided hikes, excursions, trail building workshops and more. 

Learn the fundamentals of archery during a youth program 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center. 

Lake Junaluska hosted youth groups from across the Southeast recently during its annual Winter Youth Retreats.

The Sylva Tourism Development Board announced that, following its nomination online to be the next Tesla Supercharging site, the charging station is now open. 

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital recently held a special recognition luncheon to honor staff members who reached significant milestones in their tenure as employees of the hospitals.

The Letter of Interest deadline for the Affordable Housing Development Fund- Haywood County is 5 p.m. Friday, March 1. Until that time, Haywood County will accept Letters of Interest from qualified public, private and nonprofit organizations who want to apply for financing for multifamily or single-family housing rehabilitation and new construction projects in the county.

The Jackson County Board of Elections announced the appointment of Amanda Allen as the new director of elections effective Feb. 26. The vote to appoint Allen was a unanimous decision of the Board. 

The 56th annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition will run through March 22 at the Fine Art Museum in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.  

Trekking through fresh snowfall on the Appalachian Trail, Carolina Mountain Club volunteers and U.S. Forest Service staff installed a new bear box at Little Laurel Shelter — part of a larger CMC initiative to replace traditional bear cables with boxes at each of the 10 A.T. shelters the club maintains. 

Applications are open to the second annual Tremont Writers Conference, slated for Oct. 23-27 at Tremont’s campus in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, through April 30. 

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted an application that Northbrook Carolina Hydro II LLC submitted in November seeking to relinquish its license to generate power from Ela Dam on the Oconaluftee River.

The new Blue Ridge Parkway bridge over Interstate 26 in Asheville is now just 3 feet from connecting, but several operations and several weeks remain before the two sides will meet.

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association is looking for volunteers to adopt six trail sections in North Carolina, taking ownership of their regular monitoring and maintenance. 

Take a Leap Day hike to Laurel Knob at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, in Panthertown Valley. 

Help keep tabs on water quality in Western North Carolina by joining the Volunteer Water Information Network. 

Haywood County has a new recreation director with the appointment of Elizabeth “Elli” Flagg, who started her new job Feb. 19. 

Learn to tie flies with the best during the Fly Tyers Retreat 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Maggie Valley Pavilion in Maggie Valley. 

A slate of prescribed fires is planned through the end of May on the Cherokee National Forest in southeastern Tennessee, with some smoke impacts possible over the state line in North Carolina. 

When filing a state tax return this year, North Carolina workers can support research and conservation management projects by donating some or all of their tax refund to the N.C. Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. 

The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has awarded more than $6.1 million in 30 grants, including more than $400,000 targeted toward the western counties. 

For the first time since 2022, High Path Avian Influenza has been found in North Carolina. 

In recognition of the outsize impact that longtime members Bill and Sharon Van Horn have had on the organization, the Nantahala Hiking Club has created a new annual award in honor of their contributions. 

The 16th annual Hiwassee Watershed Gala will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at the Charles Suber Banquet Hall at Young Harris College in Georgia. 

A limited number of high schools will be awarded a $10,000 grant to develop a Trailblazers Outdoor Club for the upcoming school year, with applications open through March 30. 

Rachel Paige Crowe, 33, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison, five years of probation, $5,200 in fines and at least 15 years on the sex offender registry after pleading guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy on the Qualla Boundary in 2022. 

A Glenville man, angered by neighbors’ target practice and who, afterwards, fired four times into their residence, is now in state custody serving active prison time, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said. 

North Carolina’s 13-day early voting period, where voters can appear at local polling places to cast their votes in person, is underway and will continue through Saturday, March 2.

Regional country/rock act Jon Cox will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park librarian/archivist Michael Aday will present his book, a collection of correspondences, “Letters From the Smokies” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

Net emissions of greenhouse gases have fallen 38% between 2005 and 2020 in North Carolina, according to the latest update of the N.C. Greenhouse Gas Inventory. 

Nearly 300 million acres of American farmland is expected to change hands over the next 20 years, and a new program from the American Farmland Trust called “Land Transfer Navigators” aims to help farmers and landowners retire with confidence as they help new farmers access land. 

A draft conservation plan for the federally endangered Virginia big-eared bat is out for public comment through March 1. 

The U.S. Forest Service has completed its review of proposed renovations at the Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard and determined that current environmental regulations allow the project to move forward.

Help transform an old cattle pasture into a wildlife haven 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 24, at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Otto. 

Learn how to grow plants from seed with a program slated for 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Center in Waynesville. 

“Safe and Found,” a documentary featuring the Haywood County Search and Rescue Team, is now available to stream online after its premiere Jan. 20 in Clyde.