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DKos Asheville Open Thread [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-13
This space appears each weekend with links to news and opinion from Asheville and Western North Carolina, and the floor is open for comment and discussion. Wishing all a good day from this still beautiful part of the world.
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North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has released a statement regarding FEMA's decision to deny the state's request for an extension on the 100% cost match for recovery from Hurricane Helene on April 11.
This decision follows the governor's request for an extension of the cost-share waiver under major disaster declaration FEMA-4827-DR, which was declared on Sept. 28, 2024.
WATCH: GOV. STEIN OUTLINES HELENE RECOVERY PROGRESS ON HIS 100TH DAY IN OFFICE
According to a letter from FEMA, on Sept. 25, 2024, the federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, was increased to 100 % for 180 days from the start of the incident period.
Later, on Dec. 6, 2024, the federal cost share for all categories of Public Assistance, including direct federal assistance, was raised to 90% of total eligible costs, except for assistance previously approved at 100%. <More>
While at the event, Governor Stein praised the Arboretum for the many initiatives staff has put forward, especially those in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the WNC region on Sept. 27, 2024.
Stein also reflected on this year's inaugural tree of the year, the White Oak, saying this species and others are "more than just wood and leaves."
WATCH: GOV. STEIN OUTLINES HELENE RECOVERY PROGRESS ON HIS 100TH DAY IN OFFICE
"In many ways, planting a tree is a symbol of hope — a belief that our state can continue to grow and flourish in the future just as these saplings will," Stein said. "Together, we can rebuild Western North Carolina as we reforest it, and together, we can ensure that the white oak and many other species can continue to enrich our lives for many generations to come.” < More >
Environmentalists worry that public lands in Western North Carolina, already devastated by a tropical storm and wildfires, are about to suffer a human-made disaster — adverse federal policies from the Trump administration.
Several environmental leaders held a forum at The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage on April 9 to talk about it. The event, Support Our Public Lands, included short presentations by representatives of more than half a dozen organizations.
A crowd of about 150 people attended the forum, which organizers say was designed to educate community members about nonprofits that focus on public resources, land and wildlife, especially given recent federal policies that could pose long-term challenges.
“The Trump administration’s actions have fueled an atmosphere of hostility toward the very concept of public lands,” said Ben Prater, Southeast program director of Defenders of Wildlife. “Federal workers are our guardians of these lands. They’ve been left powerless to stop the reckless agenda, and their ability to protect that land and the wildlife we love is now stifled with political pressure and chronic shortages of resources.” <More>
4-2 ruling reinstates 60,000-plus ballots challenged for clerical reasons, but sides with Griffin on military and overseas voters
Dispensing with a need for additional briefs or oral arguments, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday in the high-profile dispute over last November’s closely contested election for an associate justice seat on the high court.
If implemented without further action by the federal courts, it appears the ruling could overturn the election result that has been confirmed by two recounts in which incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs defeated her Republican challenger, state Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, by 734 votes.
The unsigned opinion was agreed to by four justices — all Republicans — Chief Justice Paul Newby and Associate Justices Trey Allen, Tamara Barringer and Phil Berger, Jr. Two associate justices — Republican Richard Dietz and Democrat Anita Earls — concurred in part and dissented in part.
The ruling partially upholds and partially reverses a 2-1 Court of Appeals ruling issued April 4 on three key issues: <More>
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