In anticipation of powerful Hurricane Milton's arrival in Florida, several Brevard grocery stores will be closing early or closed in preparation for the storm. Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday on Florida's Gulf Coast and is projected to cross Central Florida before hitting Brevard.

Harris Teeter in Southside Square in Hendersonville remains closed. The store could remain closed for six to nine months. Trader Joe's in Asheville, 120 Merrimon Ave., is open on a modified schedule from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The number of people casting ballots on the first day of early in-person voting in presidential battleground North Carolina exceeded the first-day total four years ago — even as Hurricane Helene recov

More North Carolina residents turned out to cast ballots on the first day of early voting this year than in 2020, even as residents from the mountainous western portion of the state continued to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.

Turnout for early in-person voting started strong Thursday in the presidential battleground of North Carolina, including in mountainous areas where Hurricane Helene destroyed property and upended lives but apparently did not dampen a fierce desire to participate in elections.

With the election less than three weeks away, many residents are still reeling from Helene. This has led to some drastic changes to the voting process.

The team at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, outside of Asheville, has made significant progress cleaning up storm-related debris.