WFAE Local Content

Two years ago, Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation across Western North Carolina. Flooding and landslides left thousands without housing, water, power and communications. More than 100 people died. As we enter the third year of recovery, WFAE is partnering with NC Local and more than a dozen news organizations across the region to collect your questions about the recovery, funding and what work remains. Where answers are available, we’ll offer them here.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board Vice Chair Liz Monterrey Duvall offered to step down from her leadership position after she said she received multiple threats following this week's controversial firing of Superintendent Crystal Hill.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' chief communications officer was arrested and charged with driving while impaired Thursday night. The arrest comes at a perilous time for the school district, after the school board this week unexpectedly fired Superintendent Crystal Hill.

Perinatal Quality Collaborative projects on newborn screenings and maternal mental health that would have started this year will instead launch in 2027, officials said.

A week of ins and outs. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization reverses their initial rejection of NCDOT’s I-77 toll lanes so, they’re in. CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill, though, is out. The school board fired her and Stephanie Sneed stepped down as chair with some board members saying the board is broken. Those stories and more with our roundtable of reporters.

Summers are getting hotter in the Charlotte region, and outdoor workers are among the most vulnerable to heat illnesses. The 32BJ SEIU airport workers union held a vigil Thursday morning for a woman advocates and coworkers say recently succumbed to the heat during her shift.

The philanthropic group Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium will make its final stop on a nine-city Southern tour Sunday in Charlotte. The tour aims to spotlight and celebrate community members.

Three years in, Charlotte’s heritage-tree protections are drawing criticism from both developers and preservation advocates.

North Carolina native Nina Simone was a classically trained pianist turned singer who blended jazz, blues, classical, gospel and protest music. She also blended music with her fight for civil rights. In Asheville, while in high school, she met poet and playwright Langston Hughes and formed a decades-long friendship and creative partnership. That's the topic of a new book about them both by NC State professor Jason Miller.

Former Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown is speaking out after a federal judge sentenced her Tuesday to 10 months in prison for wire fraud.In a 27-minute video posted to social media, Brown said she accepts responsibility for her actions but argued that more serious criminals receive less scrutiny and said she expected to receive probation.

Queens University of Charlotte announced Wednesday that it will become “Queens College” once its merger with Elon University receives final approval.