North Carolina
‘Seeing is believing’: Local content creator expands tourism growth across WNC post-Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A budding collaboration between content creators and local tourism leaders is bringing more eyes and visitor traffic to western North Carolina.
Explore Asheville is crediting local content creators like Aisha Adams, a Mills River resident, for helping to expand the mountain region’s digital footprint and draw more tourists to lesser-known spots.
Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Authority said they are working with their partners to tell creative stories that get people out to discover the area. Adams said she does not ignore capturing spots on video of areas left with the remnants of Helene’s devastating floods.
GOV. JOSH STEIN URGES TRAVEL TO WESTERN NC AT TOURISM CONFERENCE
“That’s just a part of our story now, and it adds that texture and culture,” Adams said. “Now we have this mix of art and resilience that I think is going to make the depth of our work and the depth of our community even more attractive.”
When businesses started reopening after Helene, Adams said she began road-tripping around western North Carolina, documenting her travels online.
One of her videos showing the Jackson County farmers’ market gained nearly 60,000 views. Adams said she never expected her Facebook to garner millions of views every month.
“It’s giving me a sense of community that I never thought I could have in a small town, sort of like Asheville, but connecting with people from all over the world,” Adams said.
Explore Asheville said tourism is showing continuous growth since the floods, including hotel revenue, which has increased by 20% in recent months.
Still, during the state’s annual Visit NC Tourism Conference in March, Governor Josh Stein said one challenge western North Carolina’s tourism industry faces is changing perception of those who still tie the area to images they had seen immediately after the hurricane.
VENUES ACROSS ASHEVILLE REPORT ROBUST VISITORS AMID LAGGING HOTEL OCCUPANCY NUMBERS
Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, said, “Seeing is believing.”
Isley said content creators like Adams are showing both the rebounded and still-recovering areas of Helene, providing a more balanced perspective of places that define the mountain community.
“It’s just really important for people to see not only the shiny parts of Asheville, but the deep inner beauty of Asheville,” Isley said.
Adams, who founded her own media company, Aisha Adams Media, supporting small businesses and nonprofits in bringing profitable and conscious content to social media, said she believes more individuals are looking for authenticity from both online content and their travels.
“People are looking for resilience and healing, and I think that’s what we offer here,” Adams said.
Some of Adams’ recent partnerships with Explore Asheville include content for Black Wall Street AVL, which celebrates Black-owned businesses, along with other work for Martin Luther King Jr. Park located at the intersection of downtown and the East End/Valley Street neighborhood.
ASHEVILLE KICKS OFF PEAK TOURISM SEASON WITH NEW FESTIVALS, LIVE MUSIC
Both Explore Asheville and Adams said they have been experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool, not a replacement, for their online content.
Adams said she hopes to partner on some more professional projects with Explore Asheville in the future.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A state Senate bill that would delay property tax reappraisals for some North Carolina homeowners is moving forward at the General Assembly with a last-minute change.
Lawmakers gave initial approval Tuesday to the Property Tax Revaluation Moratorium Bill (SB 889), which would block counties that completed property reappraisals in 2026 from using those new values for the upcoming tax year. Instead, those counties would be required to use older property values this year before switching to the updated numbers in 2027.
The move is in response to sharp increases in property values across parts of the state, in some cases jumping by 50% to 60%, which could translate into higher tax bills for homeowners.
“We’ve seen an extensive increase in property values, in the double digits,” said state Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson County, Davie County).
The moratorium would apply to a dozen counties, including Guilford, Buncombe and Pender, where reappraisals are already underway.
During debate Tuesday, state senators approved an amendment carving out an exemption for three smaller counties to allow them to move forward with their reappraisals as planned.
“This will impact only three counties, Clay, Chowan and Pamlico,” said State Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania counties). “These smaller counties face a relatively higher financial burden during the reappraisal process.”
The updated bill also includes new language clarifying the appeals process, ensuring property owners still have the ability to challenge their property values in both 2026 and 2027.
Senate leader Phil Berger says the goal of the bill is to give lawmakers time to address larger issues tied to rising property values.
“In many instances, the folks that are getting hit the hardest are folks at the lower end of the income scale, especially folks that are on fixed income,” Berger said.
The bill has cleared initial Senate approval and now heads to a final vote, before potentially moving to the House. Berger also acknowledged the proposal’s future in the House is still unclear.
“I don’t know that they haven’t embraced it. We’ll see once it gets over there,” he said.
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Monday, May 4, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 4 drawing
30-36-42-60-63, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 4 drawing
Day: 0-5-9, Fireball: 8
Evening: 5-4-0, Fireball: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 4 drawing
Day: 8-3-9-5, Fireball: 0
Evening: 4-8-7-4, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 4 drawing
01-10-21-27-37
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 4 drawing
02-09-15-23-34
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 4 drawing
08-17-22-34-39, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
GASTONIA, N.C. (WBTV) – An overturned transfer truck shut down traffic along an I-85 exit ramp in Gaston County on Monday morning.
The crash happened around 7:20 a.m. on Monday, May 4, along I-85 North off-ramp (Exit 17) near N. New Hope Road in Gastonia. Officials said the accident was causing major traffic delays.
The Gastonia Police Department said the road was closed for the next couple of hours as cleanup and recovery efforts were underway. Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible and use detour routes.
Officials said the driver of the truck was taken to the hospital. The driver’s condition was not immediately clear, or what caused the truck to turnover.
A transfer truck is a large truck that pulls a separate trailer, typically containing construction materials up to 25 tons.
Read more: Tick population becoming more active in Charlotte amid hot and dry weather
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
-
Kentucky3 minutes agoKentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will skip Preakness
-
Louisiana9 minutes agoSupreme Court denies motion on Louisiana congressional map ruling
-
Maine15 minutes agoContentious Belfast family lobster pound lawsuit makes it to Maine high court
-
Maryland20 minutes agoMaryland State Fair celebrates America’s 250th anniversary across three weekends
-
Michigan27 minutes agoMichigan State Police request public’s help in locating missing woman out of Battle Creek
-
Massachusetts33 minutes agoWrong-way crash kills driver, state trooper in Lynnfield
-
Minnesota39 minutes agoFood relief efforts in Minnesota
-
Mississippi45 minutes agoMDWFP appoints first female wildlife bureau chief, others take new roles