By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina General Assembly leaders said Friday that they’re prepared to approve initial disaster relief next week to address Hurricane Helene damage. House Speaker Tim Moore and…

By BRITTANY PETERSON Associated Press ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A well-known Asheville musical tradition returned Friday night, in a sign of hopefulness a week after Helene battered the mountain city. The Asheville Drum Circle had its…

North Carolina health workers are distributing Benadryl and epinephrine injections to communities after hurricane flooding has caused bees and yellow jackets to swarm from their underground nests. Hospitals, emergency responders and doctors have been requesting…

By MICHAEL PHILLIS, JEFF AMY and BRITTANY PETERSON Associated Press ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to western North Carolina, a shiny stainless steel tanker truck in downtown Asheville attracted residents…

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is expanding its program that allows people to file their taxes directly with the agency for free. The federal tax collector’s Direct File program, which allows…

By MAE ANDERSON and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. ports from Maine to Texas shut down this week when the union representing about 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for the first time…