Polk County officials are urgently evacuating residents as three fast-moving wildfires continue to grow, fueled by high winds and dry conditions. The largest, the Black Cove Fire, has scorched nearly 600 acres and remains zero percent contained, according to the North Carolina Forest Service.

Evacuation orders are in effect for areas near two additional fires: the Deep Woods Fire, now at over 330 acres, and the Fish Hook Fire, which has already surpassed 90 acres.

So far, six structures have been destroyed in the Fish Hook Fire, and one home was lost, with another damaged in the Deep Woods blaze, said Polk County Public Information Officer Kellie Cannon.

Firefighters from across North Carolina and as far as South Carolina are working 12-hour shifts to contain the flames. Crews are facing extreme challenges as strong winds and dry brush allow the fires to spread quickly.

Residents around the vicinity of the growing wild fires are being urged to evacuate immediately. Those displaced can seek refuge at the Polk County Shelter located at 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus.

Roads under mandatory evacuation:

Fish Hook Fire (Lake Adger area):

• Lake Adger from Jackson to Highland Lane

• Parkway North Rd from Lake Adger to North Park Lane

• North Park Lane

• North Boundary Rd

• North Martin Lane

Deep Woods Fire (Piney Mountain/Green River Gamelands area):

• Deepwoods Lane

• Wesley Lane

• Piney Gate Rd

• Piney Overlook Lane

• Gamelands Trail

• Oakview Lane

• Volley Way

• Charity Branch Dr

• Windsong Ln

• Moonshine Trace

Officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely and ask all residents to remain alert and prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has just released its final report on Hurricane Helene, detailing the storm’s historic impact, particularly on the Carolinas.

The report highlights record-breaking rainfall, historic flooding levels, and widespread destruction and death all along its path.

Helene’s Path and North Carolina Landfall

The report notes that the storm first developed from a Central American Gyre, intensified into a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds before making landfall in Florida on September 26, 2024. The storm then moved northeast, bringing heavy rain, flooding, and tornadoes to North Carolina.

Historic Rainfall and Deadly Flooding

Helene dropped more than 30 inches of rain in some parts of North Carolina, causing record river flooding and landslides (worsened by already saturated ground).

According to the report, “Rainfall associated with Helene and its predecessor rain event resulted in catastrophic flooding impacts across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, particularly in the mountainous regions, where landslides and debris flows destroyed numerous homes, roads, bridges, electrical infrastructure and water treatment plants. Helene is the most devastating natural disaster in western North Carolina’s history. In addition to the 85 direct and 20 indirect fatalities in North Carolina, at least 21 injuries were reported in the state, and the Coast Guard rescued at least 865 people in western North Carolina…the storm damaged or destroyed more than 125,000 housing units across western North Carolina. The North Carolina Forest Service estimated 822,000 acres of damaged timberland…In extreme examples, trees on entire mountainsides were blown down in the higher elevations of North Carolina.”

The French Broad River and Catawba River surged beyond historic levels, causing especially devastating flooding all around Asheville, Hickory, and Morganton.

After rainfall saturated the ground in the days leading up to Hurricane Helene, an unimaginable number of landslides were triggered throughout the NC mountains.

Power Outages and Wind Damage

Helene’s winds, gusting over 80 mph, downed thousands of trees and power lines, leaving just over 1 million North Carolinians without electricity and over 1.2 million South Carolinians without power.

Economic Impact

The NHC estimates North Carolina’s total damage at over $79 billion, with homes, businesses, roads, and public infrastructure among the hardest hit.

The NHC report emphasizes the importance of hurricane preparedness, noting that early evacuation orders helped prevent an even higher death toll.

As North Carolina rebuilds, officials stress the need for stronger flood control measures and resilient infrastructure to withstand future storms.

For full details, you can read the entire NHC report here.

North Carolina’s own Trent D’Agostino made history Tuesday by winning gold in the Intermediate Giant Slalom at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in northern Italy.

The 24-year-old snowboarder completed the course in 1:57.450, finishing more than two seconds ahead of Mexico’s Alejandro Elias Gonzalez, who took silver.

D’Agostino, who began snowboarding at age 10 in Boone, competed internationally for the first time at these Games. Although selected for the 2019 and 2022 World Games, he was unable to attend due to COVID-19 cancellations and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Special Olympics North Carolina follows international selection criteria, randomly drawing gold medal winners from all ability levels to compete at the Games.

D’Agostino’s victory highlights his perseverance and dedication to the sport. For more details on the Special Olympics World Winter Games, visit turin2025.org/en.

A recent Goldman Sachs report paints an optimistic yet challenging picture: 78% of small businesses are eyeing growth in 2025, and nearly half (46%) plan to bring on new hires to make it happen. However, the drawback is that 89% of these companies can’t find the right people for the job. One big reason? Students are increasingly wary of jumping into careers where artificial intelligence (AI) might soon elbow out entry-level roles. This hesitation is drying up the talent pool, and small businesses – many still dragging their feet on AI adoption – are feeling the pinch most acutely.

To dig deeper into this, Alta Technologies polled 4,034 small business owners, asking what’s keeping them up at night and how they’re scrambling to fill the gaps.

Over half of North Carolina small business owners surveyed (52%) say hiring has become more challenging because job seekers are avoiding roles that AI could make redundant in the near future (this compares to a national average of 52%). However, nowhere is this more glaring than in Colorado, where 72% of small business owners say they are experiencing recruitment problems. Maryland business owners, however, seem to be less affected, with just 18% reporting the same issues.

On top of that, small firms are competing with corporate giants for talent. Seven in ten owners (68%) significantly feel the effect from this rivalry – 24% call it a significant challenge, while 44% say it’s a serious issue. Just 7% say it is not a problem.

Some North Carolina businesses are leaning on AI to plug the holes or cut back on junior hires, but most aren’t sold yet. The survey shows only 35% have jumped on the AI bandwagon, while 65% are holding off, perhaps watching from the sidelines.

Even so, plenty of business owners aren’t sitting idle. When asked how they’re tackling the talent drought:

• 30% are rolling up their sleeves to train and upskill their teams.
• 20% are sweetening the deal with better pay or perks.
• 8% are creating relationships with schools and universities for fresh recruits.
• 42%, though, admit they haven’t taken any proactive steps.

As we enter Spring 2025, two-thirds (67%) believe small businesses will bear the brunt of AI’s disruption, while larger corporations remain more insulated. Even more concerning, 52% fear that AI-driven job shifts could create a lost generation of workers, leaving many small businesses struggling to function.

Respondents identified industries which they believe most likely to get hit by AI’s hiring fallout:

• Retail and Customer Service (14%)
• Marketing and Advertising (13%)
• Education and Training (13%)
• Manufacturing and Logistics (12%)
• Administrative and Clerical Services (11%)
• Accounting and Bookkeeping (11%)
• Healthcare Support (11%)
• Hospitality and Food Service (6%)
• Legal Services (5%)
• Transportation and Delivery (5%)

Spring is in the air and holiday goers are looking for their next spring getaway, with searches for ‘spring holidays 2025’ up by +8,700% in the last 12 months.*

What better way to celebrate the warmer days than visiting locations to see the beautiful colors of the spring florals.

In light of this, researchers at Planet Cruise have released a new study to reveal the top destinations worldwide to visit this spring to see the flowers bloom. They have looked at a variety of factors such as:

• Search volume
• Social media mentions
• Social media sentiment
• Number of observed flower species
• Average amount of sun hours
• Average amount of monthly rainfall

From Taiwan to Northern Ireland to North Carolina, these are the perfect locations to celebrate spring arriving and the flowers starting to bloom.

The Top Ten Destinations To See The Flowers Bloom This Spring