Tens of thousands of students across the southeast attend school in districts that remain closed after hurricanes Helene and Milton — some with no set date to reopen.
The big picture: Natural disasters, like the COVID crisis, can leave long-lasting marks on children's physical, mental and academic well-being. As school districts rebuild, they must consider how recurring absences can undermine student success.
North Carolinians turned out in record numbers for the first day of in-person early voting Thursday, as the state continues to grapple with the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene.
The big picture: The key battleground state in the 2024 presidential race is still reeling from the storm's devastation, which prompted massive hurdles for voters and election officials in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
The annual NOAA winter outlook calls for weak La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean to be a key factor in influencing the path that storms take.
Zoom in: A warmer and drier than average winter is favored along the southern tier, with the likely emergence of drought conditions in the Southwest in particular.
