North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled their initial attempt this year to boost recovery funding for Hurricane Helene's historic flooding, proposing new spending that totals less than half of what new Democratic Gov.

The U.S. Forest Service has reopened several trails and roads in the Appalachian Ranger District. The U.S. Forest Service has cleared 137 miles of trails, including over 114 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Crews have also surveyed and reopened about 240 miles of roads across the district.