North Carolina
Applications open for $221M Helene disaster grant for North Carolina farmers
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The application window is now open for a $221 million federal disaster block grant for farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Terry Kelley, director of N.C. Cooperative Extension in Henderson County, said the grant was made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The money was allocated to the state last year, and on March 30, the USDA and the state’s Department of Agriculture opened the grant application period.
“This is additional help for farmers in the area affected by Helene, and it’s going to cover some specific things,” Kelley said.
The program covers four categories of eligible losses: infrastructure damage, market losses, future economic losses and timber losses.
USDA DISASTER BLOCK GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN SOON FOR HELENE-AFFECTED FARMERS
“The apple trees that were lost, basically washed away,[…] were in full production. I mean, it’s going to take growers four or five years to get those trees back into production,” Kelley said.
Since Helene, Kelley said that farmers have received a little over $450 million from the state, and now $221 million in federal dollars on top of that.
“That sounds like a huge figure. I mean, it sounds like it’s big, but you’re looking at around $650 million, but Henderson County had around [a] $135 million loss, $135 to $150 million loss,” Kelley added.
FILE – Crops and farm land in Henderson County, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
He said they’re still running behind, with only being at 10% or so recovery, and farmers are still hurting. So, this grant application is an opportunity to get some money back.
News 13 took a trip to McConnell Farms in Henderson County, where farmer Danny McConnell said the last 18 months have been somewhat difficult.
“September 27th will live in my mind for many, many years to come,” he said.
McConnell said he filled out his grant application on Monday. While it’s a lengthy application, he encouraged all farmers to take the time to fill it out.
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Kelley said that, as far as he knows, this is the last opportunity to get recovery money from Helene.
“Is it going to be the kind of money that changes lives? No, probably not. But maybe it’s going to be the kind of money that will at least help bridge the gap to get people back on solid ground,” he said.
Kelley said that with a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene, recovery will take years, but he’s hopeful that little by little, they can help get people back to close to where they were before the storm.
The goal is for all farmers to be aware that help is out there. Kelley said you can fill out the application online or go to your local extension office for help.
For more details on how to apply, visit the link here.
Do you have a favorite grocery store? According to an online food magazine, one grocery store reigns supreme as the best in North Carolina. With almost a century’s worth of history in the state, this store has since become a household name.
The Wilmington area is home to dozens and dozens of grocery stores, including several major brands, and opinions can certainly widely on which is the best place to do your weekly shopping
Online food publication loveFOOD.com recently published a list of the best grocery store in each U.S. state, with stores ranging from big chain superstores to local markets. When it came to North Carolina, LoveFOOD said Harris Teeter was the best grocery store in the state.
Hot food and good rewards
While some states had specific locations on the list, loveFOOD put the entire Harris Teeter chain for North Carolina.
LoveFOOD cited a handful of qualities that put Harris Teeter over the top. For one, the article highlighted the selection of prepared foods offered at Harris Teeter. Alongside the traditional hot bar, Harris Teeter also has pizza, sushi, sandwiches and more. LoveFOOD also gave kudos to what the article called a “thoughtfully curated wine selection.”
Finally, Harris Teeter’s reward system got special attention. Alongside access to weekly sales on groceries, the reward system lets customers earn Fuel Points that can be used to get up to $1 off per gallon at Harris Teeter gas stations.
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Problem Solved
A North Carolina store
According to Harris Teeter’s website, W.T. Harris originally founded Harris Food Store in Charlotte in 1936. A few years later, Willis and Paul Teeter opened Teeter’s Food Mart in Mooresville. In 1960, the two stores merged into Harris Teeter.
Today, Harris Teeter has over 250 stores across seven southern states and Washington, D.C, though the store is still based in North Carolina. Headquarters are located in the town of Matthews, and Harris Teeter operates distribution centers out of Greensboro and Indian Trail. The chain employees 35,000 employees across the country.
Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Two proposed changes to North Carolina’s tax laws are now headed to voters in November after lawmakers approved both constitutional amendments this week.
Western North Carolina political science professor Dr. Chris Cooper says both amendments involve taxes, but in different ways.
“Part of the fight here is essentially about how much people should be taxed, but some of it is also about local government power and how much power should local governments have to be able to levy the higher property taxes to fulfill their needs,” Cooper said.
The first amendment seeks to permanently cap the state’s income tax rate at 3.5%, which Republican state leaders say is necessary.
“Now we’re at a point where we’ve proven that we are able to cut and we are still able to generate revenue by the business policies that we’ve had,” Rep. Mark Pless said.
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Democratic leaders, however, argue that the change would limit the state’s ability to raise revenue.
“If we’re saying that constitutionally the legislature can never raise the personal income tax above 3.5 percent, then we are necessarily limiting our ability to generate revenue to meet the needs of our growing state,” Senator Julie Mayfield said.
The second proposal focuses on property taxes and would limit how much local governments can increase them.
Democrats say the cap could reduce funding for schools, disaster response and local government services.
“Property taxes are the primary funder for local governments and the services they provide, and if we start limiting their ability to increase that revenue, again, to match their increasing needs, then communities are going to suffer, and public services are going to suffer,” Mayfield said.
ASHEVILLE PROPOSES PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE TO CLOSE $8.9M BUDGET GAP
Republicans counter that voters should have a direct say in how tax policy is set.
“Members on the other side of the aisle wanted to say that it was going to raise gas, it was going to raise groceries, it was going to cause rent to go up, and that’s just not feasible. Reducing the income tax is only going to reduce the amount they pay for government services,” Pless said.
Some political observers also say the amendments are part of a broader political strategy ahead of the election.
“These are tools to turn out more conservative voters in a midterm election where the Republicans are worried that their voters aren’t going to turn out. That is the motivation behind all of these,” Mayfield said.
Political experts say these likely won’t be the only amendments on the ballot, and more could be placed before voters in November.
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida could be visible from parts of Eastern North Carolina early Thursday morning.
The launch window is scheduled to open at 5:26 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. According to Space Coast Daily, the Falcon 9 rocket is set to carry 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
If the rocket launches near the start of the window, viewers in Eastern North Carolina should look toward the southeastern sky shortly after liftoff.
Because the launch is scheduled before sunrise, the rocket’s exhaust plume may catch sunlight high in the atmosphere while the ground remains dark. That can create a glowing, fan-shaped effect sometimes called a “space jellyfish.”
Visibility will depend on the launch time, weather conditions, cloud cover and having a clear view of the horizon.
Viewers along the coast may have the best chance to see the rocket trail if the launch happens on schedule.
Launch schedules can change because of weather, technical issues or mission needs. SpaceX lists upcoming missions and launch coverage on its official launches page.
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