The North Carolina Arts Council has awarded $915,000 to nonprofit arts organizations in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

The grants utilize funds from the North Carolina Arts Foundation’s North Carolina Arts Relief Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts and South Art’s Southern Arts Relief & Recovery Fund. 

Last week, Haywood County Republican Rep. Mark Pless filed a bill that would strip the county of its ability to levy room occupancy taxes. Now, he’s revealed that the impact of tourism on public safety and tight county budgets are also a motivating force behind it. 

With billions in damages, limited state aid and considerable uncertainty surrounding federal funding, local officials are still pushing for streamlined disaster response to rebuild their communities months after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina.

This is my response to an article in The Franklin Press following the December 10 meeting.

The actions of John Shearl at the Dec. 10 Macon County Commission meeting opposing the hiring of a kennel attendant and chastising current staff at the Macon County Animal Shelter at best reflect ignorance and at worst reflect obstructionism and grandstanding. 

After receiving requests for additional staffing at the Macon County Animal Shelter, commissioners have decided to see if they might be able to contract the county’s animal control services out to a private company. 

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville has announced the launch of the HCAC Helene Support Grant.

Designed to provide financial assistance to HCAC artist members who have been significantly impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the application process is currently underway.

HERE of Jackson County, the county’s primary homeless services provider, is requesting half a million dollars from the county to purchase and renovate a facility that would become Jackson’s first and only permanent homeless shelter. 

After a request for an assistant JV volleyball coach prompted a review of coaching supplements in the school system, the Macon County Board of Education is considering funding several additional assistant coaching positions.  

With about 280 projects approved across the state, the new year will bring visible on-the-ground progress in the effort to reduce flooding in North Carolina communities.

The number is $53.6 billion. That’s the estimate from the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management for the damage Helene inflicted on Western North Carolina. Those are just dollars; in the bigger picture, lives have been lost, transformed and forever changed.