Tropical Depression Chantal devastated parts of central North Carolina on July 6, dropping over 10 inches of rain and causing widespread flooding. Farms in Person, Orange, and Moore counties saw collapsed barns, ruined roads, and significant crop loss, especially in corn, soybeans, and tobacco. Up to 30% of some counties’ farmland was affected. Damaged infrastructure disrupted farm access and sales. Flooding destroyed fields, delayed harvesting, and increased disease risk. Farmers face added costs for repairs and re-fertilization. Despite steep losses—estimated at $50,000 or more per farm—many remain resilient, prepared to rebuild and adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
by Jane Winik Sartwell, Carolina Public Press July 15, 2025
Barns and roads collapsed. Miles of fencing and acres of corn lay flattened. Tobacco and soybean fields flooded. On Sunday, July 6, Tropical Depression Chantal left a scar on what was shaping up to be a banner season for Central North Carolina farms.
The system dropped more than 10 inches of rain on some Piedmont farm fields in a matter of hours. Some are calling it a 100-year flood event.
The level of damage varies significantly from farm to farm, and many operations went unscathed. But for those farmers who did see flooded fields and broken fencing, the economic impact is substantial.
In the estimate of Orange County extension agent Alex Kissinger, the damage he’s surveyed so far will cost at least $50,000. He expects that number will grow.
In Person County, 10% of all crop acreage in the county flooded, and for fields in the southwestern corner of the county, that number is more like 30%. Multiple farmers in Person County have reported that nearly half of their tobacco, soybean and corn crops are destroyed.
“Row crops took it on the chin,” Person County extension agent Johnny Coley told Carolina Public Press. “But farmers are resilient people. They will bounce back.”
Infrastructure damage
The storm crippled some of the basic systems that keep farms running.
At Benor Farms in Orange County, the main concern is less fields and more the broken roadways surrounding the dairy farm. Because customers won’t be able to drive up and pick up milk using the main road, owner Rob Benor fears sales will drop.
“On the road to get to our farm there is just a chunk of land that’s gone,” Benor said. “It just really hurts the flow of customers to the farm. As someone who is selling something, I want to remove all friction between me and my customer. This adds a lot of friction.”
Benor estimates that it will be two or three months before the road is fixed. That guess is based on what he knows about the speed of repairing back roads.
More than 40 roads in the region remained closed Monday, July 14, due to Tropical Depression Chantal, according to DriveNC.
Similar problems plague farms across the region.
At Wooden Nickel Farms, right down the road from Benor, the main road crumbled. There, in addition to the severe road damage, an old tobacco shed collapsed.
In Moore County, the main concern after Chantal is infrastructure damage, said Moore County extension director Ginger Cunningham. Farmers will need to find different routes to transport supplies, spend time fixing fences, removing downed trees and taking stock of damage to equipment. Several farms are dealing with erosion issues and breached ponds, which can also damage fields and roads.
“A lot of people don’t think about how this affects farms,” said Ian McGibney, owner of McGibney Family Farms in Person County. “But it absolutely does.”
Crop loss in fields
While infrastructure can be rebuilt, the damage to crops in fields presents a different challenge.
Floods drowned acres of soybean, corn and tobacco crops in fields across the region. On one Person County farm, flooding submerged an entire 50-acre soybean field.
Some plants did make it. But farmers will have a hard time harvesting those because of how waterlogged the fields have become. Heavy equipment in soggy fields is often a recipe for disaster.
Crops lie ruined in fields in Person County after Tropical Depression Chantal, which passed through the area on July 6, 2025. Provided / Person County Cooperative Extension
But it’s better to get out there sooner rather than later.
Root rot and certain fungal diseases flourish in these high-moisture conditions, according to Alamance County extension agent Rhiannon Goodwin, which will take even more plants out of the running. As a result, some Piedmont farmers will have lower yields come harvest time, when the money is made.
The storm hit at a particularly sensitive time for wheat. A lot of wheat was so badly damaged that it will not be harvested at all.
“We missed the window of opportunity to cut and bale our hay because of this weather pattern,” said Terry Phillips, owner of Phillips Farms in Chatham County.
“That will affect our bottom line, because we won’t have enough time to plant a second round to harvest in the fall.”
Floodwaters also washed away fertilizer, meaning that farmers will have to refertilize fields, incurring a significant expense.
Despite the setbacks, for farmers impacted by Chantal, the only direction to look is forward. It’s a speciality for folks in this line of work.
“They know going into each season that weather is an issue, that it is a variable that they cannot control,” Coley said.
“They’ll overcome this like they have other disasters.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This content is a factual report focusing on the impact of Tropical Depression Chantal on farms in Central North Carolina. It emphasizes economic and infrastructural damage without expressing political opinions, ideological slants, or partisan perspectives. The tone is neutral and informative, highlighting resilience within the agricultural community. Therefore, it aligns with a centrist political bias as it neither favors nor criticizes any political stance.
SUMMARY: A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to release unclassified records about Jeffrey Epstein, with protections to redact victim names and prevent release of child pornography. President Trump has distanced himself from Epstein-related controversies, calling them hoaxes. Despite this, he acknowledged he has the power to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted trafficking accomplice, but called discussing a pardon “inappropriate” and said he’s not actively considering it. Maxwell recently met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Florida, where she received limited immunity. The Justice Department reportedly devoted about 1,000 staff to reviewing Epstein files. Republicans face political pressure to vote on releasing these records before the midterms.
When asked if he would pardon Ghislaine Maxwell — the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein — President Trump said he is “allowed to give her a pardon” but “nobody’s approached me with it.”
www.thecentersquare.com – By Prisha Mosley | Independent Women ambassador – (The Center Square – ) 2025-07-28 09:45:00
Prisha Mosley, a detransitioner and Independent Women ambassador, criticizes North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein for vetoing House Bill 805, which defines “male” and “female” by biological sex and restricts state funding for gender-affirming treatments in minors. Mosley shares her experience of transitioning at a young age, undergoing testosterone therapy and surgery, only to later detransition and suffer permanent health effects. She argues the bill would protect vulnerable youth from the harms of gender ideology, contrasting Stein’s veto with similar legislation passed in 17 states. Mosley urges lawmakers to override the veto to safeguard children’s physical and mental health.
Earlier this month, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein vetoed House Bill 805, a bill that would codify sex-based definitions of “male” and “female” into state law. With his veto, Stein turns his back on vulnerable young people like me and jeopardizes the safety of those who have been led to believe they can change their sex characteristics.
By the young age of just 16 years old, I had started socially transitioning to appear as a boy. At 17, I started testosterone injections. A plastic surgeon in North Carolina cut off my healthy breasts when I was 18. My doctors said this was the only way to treat my mental illness.
Following in the footsteps of President Donald Trump’s “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” executive order, HB805 clearly defines sex-based terms like “female” and “girl” based on biological sex and prevents state funds from going toward the mutilation of minors under the guise of so-called “gender-affirming care.”
I’ve seen the harms of “gender-affirming” procedures and gender ideology firsthand. After I read about transgenderism online and saw a “gender specialist,” I was fast-tracked for medicalization. When the various procedures I was subjected to didn’t help me, I detransitioned and was left to navigate the aftermath alone. Now, I’ll never have the ability to breastfeed my son, my voice is permanently lowered, and my health is a constant battle.
Gov. Stein could have been the first Democratic governor to sign legislation aimed at protecting young adults like me. Instead, he refused to break ranks with his party and the other Democratic governors who have vetoed similar legislation in other states, setting the bill – and vulnerable children – back.
Now, the issue returns to the North Carolina Legislature, where lawmakers have the opportunity to override Stein’s dangerous veto and send a message to struggling youth that their voices have been heard and that their physical and mental well-being will not be sacrificed for the sake of ideology.
If North Carolina lawmakers choose to take this stand – overriding the governor’s veto of HB805 – they will join 17 other states that have adopted laws inspired by Independent Women’s Voice’s sex-definition model, making it clear that states will not sacrifice the truth, or children, for ideology.
Gender ideology has harmed far too many young adults. From detransitioners like me to female athletes forced to compete against trans-identifying males, our youth deserve to be protected.
For the sake of the millions of children who live in North Carolina, I hope the Legislature overrides Gov. Stein’s veto. My story should never have happened. And if this bill passes, North Carolinians are a step closer to ensuring it never happens again.
Prisha Mosley is an Independent Women ambassador and detransitioner. Independent Women Features, the storytelling platform of Independent Women, featured Prisha’s story as part of its “Identity Crisis” docu-series, which highlights the irreversible harms of gender ideology. Prisha’s story, including her pregnancy journey, was documented in two parts, which can be found here and here.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning
This article clearly presents an ideological perspective aligned with conservative and right-leaning viewpoints. It frames gender-affirming care and transgender rights legislation as harmful and misguided, emphasizing detransitioning and medical risks. The language is emotive and critical of Democratic leaders, portraying them as neglecting vulnerable youth by opposing the bill. The piece advocates for legally codifying biological sex and restricting gender-affirming treatments for minors, consistent with right-wing social policy positions. While it includes personal testimony, the framing and call to action reveal a clear political stance rather than neutral reporting on the issue.
Shaun Adams was laid off from Stanley Furniture in 2014, marking the loss of Graham County’s largest employer and last major manufacturer. After the plant closed, unemployment in the county rose to the highest in North Carolina, and the facility remained nearly vacant for over a decade. Adams ran for mayor in 2021, determined to revive manufacturing jobs. Recently, Chinese company EcoKing announced an $80 million investment to reopen the plant, promising 515 jobs with an average wage nearly double the county’s median income. Renovations costing $21 million are underway, and hiring will occur in phases with local college partnerships for workforce development. This investment offers new economic hope for Graham County.
by Jane Winik Sartwell, Carolina Public Press July 28, 2025
When Shaun Adams was laid off by Stanley Furniture in 2014, he was beyond frustrated. Not only was he losing his job at the furniture manufacturing plant, but Graham County was losing its largest employer and last major manufacturer.
In the year after Stanley left, the unemployment rate in Graham County rose to the highest across North Carolina. Adams’ frustration grew as he saw the Robbinsville facility lay almost entirely vacant for more than a decade. Why weren’t town and county officials courting another company to use the factory space and create more jobs?
Adams ran for mayor, determined to bring manufacturing jobs back to Robbinsville. He won the office in 2021.
Last week, he got his wish: the Chinese biodegradable paperware company EcoKing announced an $80 million investment to reopen the same shuttered facility, promising 515 jobs in one of North Carolina’s most economically distressed counties.
“We have lost so much population over the years because of factories closing and our low median income,” Adams told Carolina Public Press. “This means a lot of people will get to come home.”
EcoKing manufactures for fast food restaurants like Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, and Panda Express. When the Robbinsville facility comes online in 2026, it will be the biggest employer in Graham County, providing an average wage of $46,700, nearly double the median individual income in the county.
Picking Graham County
But first, the abandoned Stanley plant needs major renovations — to the tune of $21 million.
“If you walked through the plant with me, you would say they ought to do a series ofThe Walking Deadhere, because it just looked abandoned and neglected,” Robin Sargent, owner of Old Town Brokers, a firm that helped orchestrate the sale of the plant.
“At one time, it was a vibrant place, but holy cow, someone just let it go to hell. Taking the pictures was like getting it ready for a dating site. It takes a special person to be able to have a vision for a space like that.”
The facility needs major HVAC, plumbing and electrical work. But EcoKing wasn’t scared off by the state of the plant.
Partially they were wowed by Graham County’s natural beauty. Partially they were swayed because of the cheap, abundant power supply in the area.
The deciding factor, however, was incentives: between the town, the county and the state, EcoKing was offered $12 million over five years to pick Graham County instead of a site in the other Southern states they were eyeing.
EcoKing’s customers — those big name fast food restaurants — wanted paperware products made domestically. With the tariffs coming down from Washington, the company had to act quickly.
“The tariff is high,” John Lin, EcoKing’s representative for this project, told CPP. “And 80% of our customers are here in the United States. So is most of our raw material. That taught us to make a decision: we’re going to land right here, and be Made in the USA.”
Economic lifeline
The EcoKing investment is a lifeline for this Western corner of the state. Graham County once had more than 1,100 manufacturing jobs across four factories and a sawmill. Now all of that is gone.
After Stanley Furniture was the last to leave, a company called Oak Valley Hardwood occupied a small corner of the same building starting in 2016, but left when COVID hit. Other than that blip, hardly any economic investment has come to the area.
“For decades we struggled with the closing of textile plants and furniture plants and the tobacco industry being more or less sunset,” Sargent said.
“This area has just been hammered in a way that is not well understood — 500 jobs is a big deal here. This is a really great story of how we were able to capture the interest of an Asian company to launch a big investment in their industry here.”
There’s a certain economic irony to EcoKing’s investment. Many of the manufacturing jobs that left Graham County — and Western North Carolina more broadly — went to China as companies chased cheaper labor. Now, a Chinese company is bringing manufacturing back to the exact same building where American workers once made furniture.
EcoKing will use the same pulp supplier that served the Pactiv paper plant in Canton, whose 2023 closure resulted in the loss of 1,200 jobs and a lawsuit from former attorney general and current governor Josh Stein.
Bringing back Graham County workforce
The one downside of US manufacturing is the cost of labor, Lin said. In China, the company can get away with much lower wages. EcoKing plans to use some automated manufacturing to offset this inflated cost.
But still, the plant will need 515 workers. In one of the state’s smallest counties, that won’t happen overnight — it will require coordinated workforce development.
Hiring is projected to happen in two phases. The first phase will take place over the next three to five years, and create about 300 jobs. The second, on a longer timeline, will bring on 215 more. The company is partnering with Tri-County Community College and Western Carolina University for workforce development.
“We’re going to take a slow-burn approach,” Josh Carpenter, director of economic development group Mountain West Partnership, told CPP. “That’s what we did with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino: built a workforce of 900 to 1,200 over the years.”
Construction crews are already at work on the $21 million restoration. And for the first time in over a decade, Graham County has concrete reason for economic optimism.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This content presents a factual and balanced report on the economic revitalization efforts in a local community without clear ideological slant. It focuses on job creation, economic development incentives, and workforce challenges, avoiding partisan rhetoric or polarizing viewpoints. The article highlights cooperation between government, private companies, and educational institutions, a neutral topic that appeals to a broad audience across the political spectrum.
