BPR News

Pack Square Plaza has a winding, checkered history. City planners want to center the coming redesign around the stories and concerns of Black residents.

The BPR news team marks the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and talks in-depth about Western North Carolina politics

Incumbent Republicans will face each other in both state senate district 47 and state house district 113 thanks to redistricting

Last week, three of the country's major pharmaceutical distributors reached a $26-billion settlement with several states over opioids. North Carolina was one of them. Here's what happens next:

This week marks 12 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised. To mark the occasion, workers in Western North Carolina and across the country hit the streets, calling on low-wage employers to take action. BPR's Helen Chickering reports.

Advocates on the right and left say this year's school board campaigns will be ground zero in America's culture wars. The conservative North Carolina Values Coalition prepared people for that battle this week by holding training sessions for prospective school board candidates in Raleigh and Mooresville. Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the Raleigh-based group, says the issues that have led to heated protests at board meetings are fueling intense interest in running for office. "Parents

UNC Charlotte will start a new program with the goal of helping to predict and fight future pandemics.

Duke Energy says it expects to reduce energy generated by coal to just 5% of its total by 2030 and to eliminate coal entirely by 2035.

A trial court panel will name an outside remapping expert to help them determine whether upcoming replacement redistricting maps comply with partisan limits required by the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Nature has been a solace for folks in Western North Carolina long before COVID-19. But during the pandemic, local trails and forests saw record-breaking numbers of visitors who wanted to find a quiet place to safely escape the masked reality of crowded public spaces.

Oral arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday at the North Carolina Supreme Court over lawsuit s that will define this year's election in the state - and potentially for the whole decade.

The new Angel Medical Center in Franklin is starting to take shape. BPR took a tour of the construction site. David Sibilio is the superintendent of the project. "This right here is our biggest OR for you guys to see," said Sibilio. Bigger rooms - both for operations and for care - are one of the highlights that Angel's CEO Clint Kendall wants the community to see. "Normal rooms, you have more than enough room right now. It's about the size of a two bedroom room at the current hospital," said

The pandemic, over 10,000 public comments and more have all had a hand in delaying the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan. Here's the latest on the strategic plan that will manage over 1 million acres of national forest in Western North Carolina. James Melonas is the forest supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina. Here's how he describes how close the plan is to being completed: "So it's kind of like we have the house under contract. We're moving toward closing. We haven't gone to closing

On January 13th, 2021, Ricky Hurtado made history as the first Latino Democrat to be elected and sworn in to the North Carolina General Assembly. "For many years, I have felt, leading up to this moment," Ricky noted, "que no soy de aqui ni de alla." (I'm neither from here nor there.) As the son of immigrant parents fleeing the civil war in El Salvador, this was more than a political victory. Ricky Hurtado sees it as a watershed moment where he began to understand his Latinidad as a strength. "My

A Planned Parenthood clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee burned down on New Year's Eve, and investigators have confirmed arson was the cause. The clinic was one of the few near Western North Carolina. Here's how this impacts the region. Molly Rivera is a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. She says healthcare is connected - even across state lines. "I can't speak to really how many more patients will come to Asheville, but you know healthcare is a system and you know any time you lose a location in

The pandemic is showing no sign of letting up in North Carolina. The state set another COVID daily case record with 29,069 new cases on Sunday (1/9). For perspective, BPR's Helen Chickering checked in with North Carolina Health News editor Rose Hoban . (and check out the NC Health News look ahead for health in 2022 here )

It's been four months since Tropical Storm Fred devastated Haywood County - leaving six dead and a long cleanup ahead. BPR takes us to Canton, one of the hardest hit areas, for a look at how the town is doing as the year ends. Caroline Ponton is the curator at the Canton Area Historical Museum in downtown Canton. Five months after the storm the museum still doesn't have power. "This is the basement. The first time I came here everything was decimated," said Ponton . Ponton shows around the bare

Virginia-born musician Tony Rice isn't well-known commercially, but his influence on bluegrass guitar is undeniable. While playing with some of the biggest groups of the 1970s Rice helped transform the scene. But his timing and precision later lent itself to other genres.

Nestled on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee is a bald in the Pisgah National Forest called Max Patch. The grassy bald made national headlines last year when a photo made it look like a music festival - not a hiking trail. While the photo portrayed a habitat on the brink of destruction, it might have ended up saving the beloved slice of the Appalachian trail.

Nurses at Mission Hospital have been calling out dangerous levels of staffing shortages since HCA purchased Mission Health System in 2019. Mission says there is a nationwide nursing shortage. BPR dug into both sides of the story. Since the nurses joined the National Nurses United Union in September 2020 calls about unsafe staffing levels have become louder in the form on community actions, federal and state complaints and more. In October , dozens of nurses gathered outside of Mission Hospital

Mayor Joe Slaton spoke with BPR's Lilly Knoepp about his plans to improve tourism, housing and bike access in Hayesville. "We're working on a pedestrian and bike lane, a trail that would connect the assets that we have in town," said Slaton. Slaton ran unopposed to win the position of mayor with just 21 votes - 91 percent of the total votes cast. Sixty-three people voted in the town council election. Hayesville is in Clay County. Slaton was previously on the town council for 5 years. He says he

The story of the deed transfer of the Nikwasi Mound in Franklin will now be part of a Smithsonian traveling exhibit. The story of the creation of the Nikwasi Initiative and the transfer of the mounds ownership will be a part of "SPARK! Places of Innovation" traveling museum. Bob McCollum is co-chair of the board for the Nikwasi Initiative, the non-profit that the deed of the Eastern Band of Cherokee sacred site was transferred to. "I think the main thing that I feel right now is pride in our

A bipartisan group of Western North Carolina leaders hailed the recently passed federal infrastructure bill as a way to make significant progress on one of the region's most pressing problems - internet access.

12/10 Exciting update! Alisa Hove is advancing to the Jeopardy! semifinals: Heads-up Jeopardy! fans: A college professor from Western North Carolina is putting her skills to the test as a competitor on the brain bending quiz show. BPR's Helen Chickering reports.

Maureen Copelof won the city of Brevard with 47 percent of the vote. She was previously a member of city council for four years. Copelof says that time on city council has given her a deep understanding of the regional issues facing Brevard and its neighbors across Western North Carolina. She tells BPR's Lilly Knoepp that healthcare, housing, development and the environment are all at the top of her list of goals as mayor. The former U.S. Navy captain served for 30 years before retiring to

The Supreme Court heard a case Wednesday from Mississippi challenging Roe vs. Wade. BPR looks at the level of abortion access currently in Western North Carolina. Planned Parenthood spokesperson Molly Rivera says there isn't access to abortion in the majority of North Carolina. "In North Carolina, 91 percent of counties in our state do not have an abortion provider," said Rivera. The only abortion provider in Western North Carolina is a Planned Parenthood location in Asheville. "And we know that

Henderson County Republican state senator Chuck Edwards' entry into North Carolina's 14 th Congressional district race is the latest turn in the soap opera that is Western North Carolina's politics.

Patrick Fitzsimmons first took office as mayor of Weaverville in August of 2021. Three months later, he was elected to a full-term representing the town of just over 4,000 people in Buncombe County.

Jack Horton has been involved in local Western North Carolina politics since the 1970s. In November, he ran unopposed to become Franklin's new Mayor. BRP's Lilly Knoepp spoke with Horton about his career and what he hopes to achieve in his new role. Here are some of the highlights of Horton's career in the region: Horton was the first appointed Swain County manager in 1978. He then served as county manager in Macon County from 1985 to 1991 before becoming the first appointed Haywood County

The inaugural cycle of StoryCraft, a partnership between BPR and Asheville Writers In The Schools and Community, used an exploration of the senses as our north star during a series of six youth storytelling workshops at the Grant Center. Our goal was to facilitate a genuine experience of identity exploration at a variety of levels through: Simplicity: making sure their experiences and voices are captured without concerns of format, right or wrong. Emotional engagement of the senses: allowing the

What happens when you put a microphone and camera in the hands of youth? When you guide them through an exploration of the senses and encourage their creative expression? When you make space for youth and adults to collaborate, using a model that works to disrupt power dynamics and involve young people in shaping the programming? We are pleased to bring you Part 3 of StoryCraft, a youth storytelling initiative from Asheville Writers In The Schools and Community (AWITSC) and Blue Ridge Public

In the second part of StoryCraft, artist mentors Elizabeth Garland and Micah Mackenzie introduce us to 15-year-old Tori Stinson. During our series of summer storytelling workshops at the Grant Center, Tori used the writing prompt "Who am I?" to examine how dance defines her as a person, how she calls on dance to help her through difficult times. Here's an excerpt: Dance makes me calm. Dance is who I am, I am freestyle dance. Dance is my escape, it's my escape from negative energy and bad things.

It hasn't even been a week since Congressman Madison Cawthorn announced he would run in North Carolina's newly drawn 13 th district. In his current district, the political consequences of his decision are only just beginning to emerge.

In the first part of StoryCraft, we learn about the origins of the partnership with BPR and Asheville Writers In The Schools and Community, and we introduce you to one of the youth poets - 15-year-old Antonio Stinson, now in the 9th grade at Asheville High School. During StoryCraft's summer 2021 storytelling workshops, Antonio used the writing prompt "Who am I?" to develop a powerful poem that uses musical structure and composition to explore the role music plays in his life. "I want people to

Preston Blakely is in his first term as a city council member for the town of Fletcher. But by the end of the year, the 27-year-old will be mayor of the town of over 8-thousand in Henderson County.

1898 was a violent year in North Carolina. The white supremacist coup that took place in Wilmington that year is getting more and more attention as history is re-examined. Similar racist violence took place across the state that year, including an incident in the mountains that can still be felt today. History teacher John deVille convened a group of marchers in Franklin on a cold Saturday evening. "We are here tonight to remember Mitchell Mozeley, who was killed illegally by a mob 123 years ago

Veteran's Day celebrates the service of members of the armed forces. For some of those veterans, their service never stops, even years after they take off that uniform for the last time. For the Haywood County chapter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, that service means a little something extra.

Cherokee County's former Department of Social Services director pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice at the end of October. The charge focuses on Cindy Palmer's use of an illegal custody agreement which could have unlawfully removed as many as 50 children from their homes in the county. Carolina Public Press' lead investigative reporter Kate Martin has been covering the trails of those families for two years and spoke with BPR's Lilly Knoepp about ongoing litigation. Lilly Knoepp:

A news report released this month showed a Western North Carolina state representative is a member of one of the largest anti-government groups in the country. Republican Mike Clampitt told BPR that he wasn't trying to hide his affiliation: Clampitt doesn't see what was newsworthy about his name on a list of members of the Oath Keepers. "No, it's not new information. I feel like it's been very open and out there," said Clampitt. He's been an open member since 2014. Non-profit news organization

The 2018 murder conviction of a Haywood County man charged with selling narcotics linked to a deadly overdose has caught the attention of public health researchers. They've published a paper that raises questions about the harsh punishment. BPR's Helen Chickering talked with the researchers over Zoom about the behind the scenes work that led to the findings.

Fans of puns and cleaning up trash have an opportunity to help out in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this weekend. Saturday is the 4 th year of the Deep Creep Smokies Service Day. Sheridan Roberts is the volunteer coordinator for the park. "We thought it would just be really fun to do a costumed clean-up at Deep Creep, Deep Creek - and call it the Deep Creep," said Roberts. Volunteers meet up in costume at Deep Creek in Swain County to clean up the area and do activities. "Probably some

An article in Rolling Stone magazine reports that two people who planned the rallies ahead of the January 6 th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. - both whom are now cooperating with Congressional investigators - have said they talked with seven Republican members of the House of Representatives or their offices ahead of the day about attempts to overturn former President Donald Trump's election loss. Among them is Western North Carolina's Madison Cawthorn.

Members of the National Nurses United Union at Mission Hospital marched outside the building Thursday morning, asking for a solution to a staff shortage across departments. Dozens of nurses gathered including a person dressed in a death costume with a sign reading "Unsafe staffing is good for business." Others were dressed in scrubs, coats and masks. Elizabeth Binzel is a nurse from the cardiac unit. She says she worked two 15 hours shifts last week - both without a break. "That is in no way

Outside of Old Fort, the Western North Carolina railroad bends around Andrews Geyser. The man-made fountain is named after the vice president of the company that owned the railroad, built in the 1870's. Now, the thousands of laborers who did the work are finally memorialized at the site too.

Recently, social media swirled with reports that a Great Smoky Mountains Railroad train had derailed.

A memorial to the incarcerated laborers that built the railroad into Western North Carolina in the late 1800's will be dedicated this weekend - culminating an effort by historians and community leaders to bring attention to a crucial piece of history in the region that had long been ignored or forgotten.

North Carolina lawmakers hope to have redistricting completed by the end of this month. There are plenty of proposed maps floating about right now, but Western Carolina University Dr. Chris Cooper urges people not to overreact to any of them - because the only map that matters is the final one.

The last decade saw significant population growth in Asheville. But that didn't lead to similar growth in the city of the principle driver of climate change.

Western Carolina University is looking for feedback as the school updates its future land use plan. This year's student population at Western Carolina University surpassed the predictions which estimated there would be just over 11,000 students in the year 2023. Mike Beyers is chief financial officer of the school. "As we work on this update we don't plan to project the growth to be quite as great over last 8 years. We expect it to slow a bit," said Beyers. The Cullowhee campus of Western

Earlier this month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal Council upheld its ban on same-sex marriage . BPR looked into how widespread these bans are in Native American Tribal governments across the United States: