WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Asheville (North Carolina) Housing Authority has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requesting a reevaluation of the 2026 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the Asheville HUD Metro FMR Area. This initiative, in collaboration with WNC Source, aims to support very low-income participants facing soaring rental costs in the region. In the letter, Asheville Housing indicated that approving their request would involve conduc  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Sept. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the following fact sheet on Sept. 26, 2025: * * * Medicare Open Enrollment in North Carolina, 2026 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers seniors, people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and people with disabilities several insurance options, including Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare prescription drug plans. The   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 26 -- The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued the following news release: * * * DEQ continues to prioritize Helene recovery one year later * For the past 12 months, the top priority of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has been to help communities in western North Carolina recover and rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Staff from almost every division have devoted thousands of hours to the effort.  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 26 -- The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued the following news release: * * * DEQ Division of Water Resources releases revised Martin Marietta permit for public notice * The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Water Resources (DWR) has released a revised wastewater discharge permit for Martin Marietta Materials Inc.'s Vanceboro Quarry for public comment. The permit was previously approved in February 2025,   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration has published a list of petitions submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. This publication, as required by the Public Health Service Act, details the petitions received between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, 2025. The program offers no-fault compensation for individuals injured by specific vaccines. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims is responsible for reviewin  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. Alma S. Adams, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Letter: Adams, Lawmakers Call on USDA to Reinstate Household Food Security Reports * WASHINGTON, DC-- Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, along with Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown (OH-11), Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Ranking Member Jahana Hayes (CT  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 27 -- The North Carolina Department of Commerce issued the following news release on Sept. 26, 2025: * * * Marking One Year Since Hurricane Helene, N.C. Commerce Highlights Recovery Milestones in Western North Carolina In the 12 months since Hurricane Helene damaged Western North Carolina, Governor Josh Stein's Commerce Department has launched a new division to put $1.4 billion of federal recovery dollars to work, accepted more than 3,400 applications from homeo  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 27 -- The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor issued the following news release on Sept. 26, 2025: * * * OSA Introduces Cardinal Award, Gives Inaugural Recognition to Morganton's Finance Director "We want to show our greatest appreciation to citizens of all walks of life who make North Carolina a better place to live." - State Auditor Dave Boliek * State Auditor Dave Boliek is pleased to introduce the Cardinal Award - a special distinction from the Stat  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 27 -- The North Carolina State Treasurer issued the following news release on Sept. 26, 2025: * * * State Health Plan Board of Trustees Takes Action to Ensure Continuity of Care The North Carolina State Health Plan (Plan) Board of Trustees approved a resolution today to direct Plan staff to take necessary actions if Duke Health and Aetna are unable to come to an agreement to keep Duke in the Plan's network. The resolution ensures that every Plan member who relie  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Rep. Ross and Ranking Member Raskin Lead Judiciary Democrats in Urging Chairman Jordan to Invite Epstein Survivors to Testify Before Judiciary Committee * Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, led Judiciary Democrats in sending a letter to Chairman Jim Jordan calling on him to allow survivors of convic  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Sen. Rick Scott in Letter to DOT: We Must Review CA Disaster Funding After State and Local Botched Response to Wildfires * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy thanking him for his tireless efforts fulfilling President Trump's agenda and requesting information about DOT's response to California wildfires. In the letter,   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Law firms assisted companies in the following recently announced transactions: * * * Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner... ...advised Cascade Infrastructure Limited, a consortium formed by STRABAG, Equitix, and GLIL Infrastructure, on reaching financial close for the pound sterling2.9 billion Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme, the first major UK water project under Ofwat's Direct Procurement for Customers model. The project involves construction of a 110km aqueduct fro  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency issued the following news release: * * * USDA Issues Second Economic Assistance Payment to Agricultural Producers * WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2025 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing a second Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) payment to eligible producers for the 2024 crop year. Of the authorized $10 billion in ECAP assistance, USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already provided over $  more

PANAMA CITY, Panama, Sept. 27 -- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute issued the following news: * * * Who's AMI? Meet the STRI Arthropod Program's moth-identifying technology Through the power of machine learning, an insect photo booth could allow the Arthropod Lab to track all 4,000 moth species on BCI By Fern Alling Though it's my first time visiting, Barro Colorado Island feels like familiar territory. The oppressive humidity reminds me of North Carolina summers but with the carp  more