N.C. Business News and In-Depth Reporting

Out of the Lion’s Den

Illustration by Jack Snyder/ Smoky Mountain News

A Christian author with a long list of abandoned business deals and unpaid creditors finds a new home for his work in N.C.

Miso Made the Masterful Way–But in North Carolina

Cooked soy beans are mixed with koji, water and salt to begin the aging and fermentation period. (Mike Belleme for The Assembly)

Rutherfordton-based Miso Master has become the world’s largest organic producer of a Japanese culinary staple.

Sunblocked: Can Shibumi Make Waves South of the (NC) Border?

Shibumi Shades line Ocean Isle Beach in July 2024. Horry County, seen in the background, bans them. (Courtesy of Shibumi)

Myrtle Beach has maintained its ban, but Horry County is considering giving sunshades a trial period this summer.

An Uphill Climb for North Carolina’s Ski Resorts

The view at Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock. (Jesse Barber for The Assembly)

As climate change raises temperatures and changes snowfall patterns, the state’s multimillion-dollar ski industry has had to adapt.

Like the Nation, North Carolina’s Airport Towers Are Understaffed

The Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control towers in North Carolina are understaffed, latest data show. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte Douglas International Airport)

A review of the latest data shows the state’s largest airports are hurting for air traffic controllers, a federal job that’s recently come under scrutiny.

Why Most Counties Aren’t Doing All Required Restaurant Inspections

Beaufort County health inspector Vera McConnell on the job. (Photo by Jimmy Ryals)

As counties struggle to hire and retain health inspectors, lawmakers, regulators, and scientists look to ease caseloads and develop new talent.

Short-Term Rental Owners Steel Themselves for Long Recovery

Hurricane Helene flooded Asheville's River Arts District, once a hotspot for local creatives and tourists. (Photo by Mike Belleme for The Assembly)

Western N.C.’s vacation rental industry, a key component of the tourism economy, faces an uncertain future after Hurricane Helene.

Tourism-Dependent Hot Springs Tries to Rebuild by Spring

Hot Springs Resort and Spa, located between the French Broad River and Spring Creek, will face a long and expensive recovery. (Mike Belleme for The Assembly)

Damage from Hurricane Helene has put the upcoming hiking season in question for the first town on the Appalachian Trail.

Greensboro Residents Demand Action on Housing Conditions

Brigette Babington reads demands outside the New Garden Apartments management office. (Photo by P.R. Lockhart)

Renters at a Greensboro apartment complex say they have been living in substandard conditions, and that the city isn’t doing enough to protect them.

It’s Christmas at the Biltmore. For Nearby Businesses, It’s a Lost Holiday Season.

Dried mud coats bushes and grass in Biltmore Village. (Photo by Jessica Wakeman for The Assembly)

Asheville has welcomed tourism back after Hurricane Helene. But in Biltmore Village, recovery is still months away.