Eric Johnson, Author at The Assembly NC

Chimney Rock As We Know It is Gone. Long Live Chimney Rock.

Mark Helms surveys a wrecked bridge near the entrance to his neighborhood in Lake Lure. (Jesse Barber for The Assembly)

Tight-knit mountain towns face hard decisions about rebuilding after Hurricane Helene.

The Short Track to the Governor’s Mansion

N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson at his campaign kickoff event. (Cornell Watson for The Assembly)

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s official announcement that he’s entering the 2024 race at Ace Speedway was an appeal to a certain kind of nostalgia.

Apple’s Big Bite

The tech giant’s proposed RTP campus, and its quieter investment in the foothills, demonstrates the unsettling power of global companies to shape a state like North Carolina.