News Briefs for March 5, 2025
Tuesday’s Council of State meeting, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler warned that North Carolina, not California, is in higher danger of catastrophic urban impacts by wildfires, due to development and the growing population. At the same time, the State Forest Service is short on funding as well as manpower. Troxler noted that the NCFS is suffering from a lack of applications due to low pay and sometimes unreliable equipment.
Dangerous fire conditions are continuing throughout our area, and long term forecasts call for extended drought and active fire conditions through June. Columbus County is roughly eight inches below rainfall for this year, including a deficit from 2024. The City of Whiteville is urging residents not to do any outdoor burning. All burn permits in the city have been cancelled.
County Manager Eddie Madden said the state auditor’s office is investigating Columbus County’s experiences with the N.C. Office of Resilience and Recovery. Multiple complaints have been filed against NCORR contractors in Columbus. The state agency is more than $200 million in the red with less than half its projects statewide completed. Legislators approved $217 million to complete the work last week. They also put new, strict guardrails in place with NCORR and will shut the agency down after the work is complete.
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