While Virginia’s Republican governor announced plans this week to continue SNAP benefits in November using state funding, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein doesn’t have the power to make a similar move.

According to a small business survey, 93 percent of the businesses impacted by Helene have since reopened, but economic uncertainty and the lingering government shutdown are blocking the road to full recovery.

More than two dozen people of Latin American descent registered with the State Board of Elections to run for local office across North Carolina this year.

The Trump Administration has said it will not use reserve funds to continue providing SNAP amid the federal shutdown. More than 1.3 million North Carolinians use the program to buy food.