Felicia Sonmez

1 week ago | bpr.org | Felicia Sonmez

Asheville’s Historic Biltmore Village celebrated some good news Thursday: The reopening of the Grand Bohemian Lodge. The 104-room hotel had been closed ever since Hurricane Helene hit in late September. The recovery involved dozens of construction workers, artisans and more. It comes as the first few Biltmore Village retailers are reopening as well. During a visit by BPR to the property in late April, dozens of construction workers and engineers filled the building’s courtyard and lobby.

1 week ago | bpr.org | Felicia Sonmez

Biltmore Village is one of many Asheville neighborhoods that are recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The historic district recently celebrated the first reopening of one of its retailers after the storm. Other reopenings are planned for this week and the coming months. Benjamin Mitchell is vice president of administration for the Biltmore Property Group and chairman of the Historic Biltmore Village Association. Kara Irani is the group’s director of public relations.

2 weeks ago | bpr.org | Felicia Sonmez

The Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Asheville Hotel was full of activity. Dozens of people were milling about, examining maps on posters and TV screens, reading pamphlets and peppering state transportation staff with questions. The topic: the Interstate 26 Connector, a seven-mile highway project that has been in the works since the late 1980s. The northern part of the project is expected to cost $1.2 billion, the largest transportation contract in state history.

2 weeks ago | bpr.org | Felicia Sonmez

Buncombe County’s unemployment rate declined to 5.3% in March, in a sign of the region’s continued recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The figure — down from 6.2% in February — is still more than twice what it was in March 2024, when the county had among the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Statewide, the March unemployment rate was 3.7%. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.

3 weeks ago | bpr.org | Felicia Sonmez

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved the state of North Carolina’s plan for spending $1.4 billion in federal disaster block grants, Gov. Josh Stein’s office said Friday. The decision brings Western North Carolina one step closer to receiving the funding, which is part of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and was allocated by Congress late last year in the wake of Hurricane Helene.