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BPR News
NC 'boot camps' prepare candidates for culture war's front lines: School board elections from 2022-02-11T16:56

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 battl...

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BPR News
UNC Charlotte to start center aimed at predicting future pandemics from 2022-02-11T16:45

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

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BPR News
Duke Energy says it will eliminate coal for power generation by 2035 from 2022-02-11T16:39

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.

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BPR News
North Carolina judges to pick expert for redistricting review from 2022-02-09T17:14

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 C...

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BPR News
COVID-19 In Appalachia: A Gardener's Devotion from 2022-02-08T16:27

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 qui...

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BPR News
NC Supreme Court hears gerrymandering case starting Wednesday from 2022-02-01T17:29

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.

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BPR News
Construction moving forward at new Franklin hospital from 2022-02-01T16:16

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 ...

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BPR News
What's in the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan - and when the new policies will start from 2022-01-26T13:42

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...

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BPR News
Dreaming las Am?ricas: the journey of Representative Ricky Hurtado from 2022-01-19T13:20

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 mo...

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BPR News
Destruction of Knoxville Planned Parenthood due to arson impacts WNC from 2022-01-11T16:40

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. H...

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BPR News
COVID 19NC: Putting the Omicron variant in context with NC Health News editor Rose Hoban from 2022-01-10T13:32:46

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...

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BPR News
Four months after Tropical Storm Fred, Canton is still recovering from 2021-12-22T17:53

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 to...

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BPR News
Stars pay tribute to late guitar icon Tony Rice from 2021-12-22T14:00

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...

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BPR News
A year later, Max Patch is healing from 2021-12-20T15:36

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 mu...

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BPR News
Have staff shortages at Mission meant less care for patients? from 2021-12-16T13:37

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 d...

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BPR News
New Mayors of WNC: Joe Slaton of Hayesville from 2021-12-10T16:33:25

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 th...

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BPR News
Nikwasi Mound story will be featured in traveling Smithsonian Museum exhibit from 2021-12-10T15:26

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 moun...

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BPR News
Infrastructure bill could help ease WNC's most nagging problem - internet access from 2021-12-09T18:06:09

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 - int...

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BPR News
WNC college professor competes on her favorite childhood TV quiz show - Jeopardy! from 2021-12-08T14:31:03

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 competito...

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BPR News
New Mayors of WNC: Maureen Copelof of Brevard from 2021-12-06T10:32

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 understa...

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BPR News
Here's where WNC abortion access stands as the Supreme Court debates abortion rights from 2021-12-01T15:58

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 Mo...

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BPR News
#NC14: Henderson County Sen. Chuck Edwards enters race from 2021-12-01T11:42

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.

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BPR News
New Mayors of WNC: Patrick Fitzsimmons of Weaverville from 2021-11-29T10:50

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.

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BPR News
New Mayors of WNC: Jack Hoton of Franklin from 2021-11-22T11:02

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 ...

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BPR News
StoryCraft part 4: Intentions, a king, and the taste of freedom from 2021-11-18T18:00

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 sto...

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BPR News
StoryCraft part 3: the one of many together from 2021-11-18T12:10

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 yo...

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BPR News
StoryCraft Part 2: Dance is my everything from 2021-11-17T13:43

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 Cent...

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BPR News
Reaction to Cawthorn's move varies across WNC from 2021-11-17T13:16

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 decis...

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BPR News
StoryCraft part 1: I am music from 2021-11-16T12:56:11

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-...

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BPR News
New Mayors of WNC: Preston Blakely of Fletcher from 2021-11-15T11:45

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.

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BPR News
Macon County group remembers Mitchell Mozeley on the anniversary of his lynching from 2021-11-10T19:18

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 t...

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BPR News
Many veterans still feel the call to serve from 2021-11-10T13:24

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 Ha...

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BPR News
Cherokee County former DSS director pleaded guilty, insurer sues county from 2021-11-03T17:42

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...

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BPR News
Republican Rep. Clampitt says he's been an Oath Keeper since 2014 from 2021-10-27T15:01

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 tha...

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BPR News
Haywood county conversations reveal ripple effects from overdose murder conviction from 2021-10-27T02:45

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 r...

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BPR News
Deep Creep: Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosts Halloween costume clean-up from 2021-10-26T15:04

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...

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BPR News
Report: Cawthorn one of GOP members of Congress 1/6 planners met with from 2021-10-25T12:16

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 wi...

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BPR News
Mission nurses rally for staffing solutions, calling current staff levels 'unsafe' from 2021-10-21T16:08

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 gathere...

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BPR News
Lost or forgotten no more: Incarcerated Black laborers that built WNC railroad memorialized from 2021-10-21T14:34

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 18...

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BPR News
National Transportation Safety Board says it isn't investigating Great Smoky Mountains Railroad from 2021-10-20T17:20:13

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

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BPR News
Memorial to lost piece of WNC history dedicated this weekend from 2021-10-15T13:09

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 lea...

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BPR News
WNC Politics Roundup: Don't overreact to the maps you see now from 2021-10-14T14:36

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 ...

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BPR News
Carbon emissions didn't grow at same rate as population in Asheville from 2021-10-11T16:07

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.

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BPR News
Western Carolina University holds public forms to update campus plan from 2021-10-08T15:59

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 est...

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BPR News
Here's How Same-Sex Marriage Laws Differ On Tribal Lands from 2021-09-30T10:07:41

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 ...

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BPR News
WNC Public Health Official Answers COVID-19 Booster Rollout Questions from 2021-09-29T14:46:26

Several health departments and vaccine providers across Western North Carolina are rolling out the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot to people 65 and older and others now eligible . Buncombe , Henderson...

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BPR News
Local Health Foundations Address Affordable Housing With Repair Grants from 2021-09-28T16:37:55

The Nantahala Health Foundation and Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation hope to address the region's housing crisis by helping homeowners keep their homes livable. Lori Bailey, executive director ...

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BPR News
How Dance Helped Create This Jackson County Celebration Of Harriet Tubman from 2021-09-24T17:49:12

Downtown Sylva has a new addition - a sculpture of Harriet Tubman. Meet the local woman behind the sculpture. The 9-ft bronze sculpture called "Journey to Freedom" sits in Bridge Park. "Looking at ...

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BPR News
Undiscovered Acts Flourish At MerleFest from 2021-09-23T12:21:16

There was plenty of disappointment last year when MerleFest became a casualty of the pandemic. This year, the show went on. America's premier "traditional plus" music festival returned, once again ...

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BPR News
Laurel Bank Campground: More Than A Vacation from 2021-09-16T17:07:21

Campgrounds are a way of life in Western North Carolina - and have been long before the current camping craze which helped bring more than 12-million visitors to the Great Smoky Mountain National P...

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BPR News
Benne On Eagle's New Head Chef Focuses On Retracing African Foodways from 2021-09-16T07:29:50

A nationally-acclaimed eatery in Asheville that honors soul food and African foodways has a new chef de cuisine. The new head of the kitchen at Benne On Eagle plans to shift the restaurant's flavor...

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BPR News
Eastern Band of Cherokee Election Results: Tribal Council And Expanded Alcohol Laws from 2021-09-10T19:52:31

Eastern Band of Cherokee held its general election on September 2 nd . The unofficial results for the new tribal council and the three referendum questions on the ballot. BPR's Lilly Knoepp spoke w...

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BPR News
Haywood County Waits For Federal Disaster Declaration from 2021-09-02T16:11:12

A second flood didn't occur in Haywood County this week. Despite a voluntary evacuation, that allowed locals to continue their cleanup from flooding more than two weeks ago. The ground is still mud...

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BPR News
Cawthorn's 'Political Prisoners' Comments Clash With Past Remarks About 1/6 from 2021-09-02T15:23:50

Video footage from a Republican Party event last weekend showed Western North Carolina Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn speaking about January 6th insurrectionists in a much different way th...

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BPR News
Study: Market Control Of Utility Poles Holds Back Broadband Expansion In NC from 2021-09-01T09:40:17

A study from the North Carolina Cable Telecommunications Association finds that utility poles -- in particular, who owns them -- are holding up access to high speed internet across the state.

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BPR News
New Clinic Offers Healthcare At Graham County Schools from 2021-08-30T17:19:24

A new clinic aims to make healthcare more accessible in Graham County Schools. With the school year underway, workers are putting the finishing touches on a new health clinic for students and staff...

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BPR News
WNC Flood Survivor Recounts Harrowing Tale from 2021-08-30T14:06:12

Residents in Haywood County are holding their breath that remnants of Hurricane Ida don't add to their misery this week. For some, the trauma of what happened two weeks ago is still front and center.

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BPR News
Cooper Says Federal Disaster Aid Request Is Coming Soon For WNC from 2021-08-25T16:32:58

A request for a federal disaster declaration for areas of Western North Carolina devastated by last week's flood will be coming soon according to Governor Roy Cooper, who toured affected areas agai...

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BPR News
Helpmate Plans To Expand Emergency Shelter In Asheville from 2021-08-23T13:14:19

A domestic violence agency in Asheville recently acquired more than seven acres of land to build a new housing facility for survivors of abuse. It comes as the need for domestic violence services c...

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BPR News
From Canton To Cruso: Volunteers Lend A Helping Hand After Flooding from 2021-08-20T16:25:47

Tuesday's flash flood in Haywood County left business and homes mired in mud and debris. Here's what the damage looks like on the ground: The water of the Pigeon River pushed into the Canton and Cr...

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BPR News
Out Of The Shadows: Moonshining In The 21st Century from 2021-08-19T20:03:37

Among the many regional delicacies produced in the Smokies is one that's got a little bit of a stigma to it. In Haywood County, it's also a cultural tradition that's always been in danger of disapp...

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BPR News
Moratorium Holds Back Flood Of Evictions, Housing Advocates Worry from 2021-08-12T15:30:16

The federal government earlier this month extended the moratorium on evictions due to the new rise in Covid cases, spurred by the Delta variant. Housing advocates in Western North Carolina are worr...

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BPR News
Medical Marijuana Could Be Available On The Qualla Boundary Next Year from 2021-08-11T16:26:09

Medical marijuana will soon be legal on the Qualla Boundary . BPR shares the details - including a timeline for when people can buy it: The Eastern Band of Cherokee started looking into legalizing ...

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BPR News
Women's History Trail Celebrates Cherokee Woman - And Her Legal Win from 2021-08-05T09:04:46

The Women's History Trail in Franklin continues to uncover new stories, as it celebrates the history of Western North Carolina. Mary Polanski, one of the co-leaders of the Women's History Trail in ...

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BPR News
WNC COVID Spike Mirrors Rising Statewide Numbers from 2021-08-04T15:17:40

COVID-19 numbers have spiked across North Carolina in recent days. BPR's Lilly Knoepp has a look at what's going on in the far-western counties... When infections spiked at the beginning of this ye...

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BPR News
#NC11: Cawthorn Gets More Headlines & More GOP Challengers from 2021-08-03T14:51:15

As the second half of 2021 comes into full view, the field of candidates running to unseat freshman Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn continues to grow in Western North Carolina's 11th Congre...

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BPR News
New Asheville Sound Code Limits Volume As Council Leaves Room For Adjustments from 2021-07-29T11:14:13

A new noise ordinance in Asheville goes into effect in mid-September. For the first time in 20 years, City Council on Tuesday approved ceilings and specific hours for sound levels, with separate li...

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BPR News
Investigation Into NC Poultry Plant Finds Disparities Impacting Migrant Workers from 2021-07-28T06:54:11

A more than a year-long investigation into Mountaire Farms poultry plant in Siler City, NC found a common hiring practice is making an already dangerous job worse for undocumented workers.

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BPR News
COVID-19 In Appalachia: Poetry And Legacy In WNC from 2021-07-21T11:47:40

For some artists, the pandemic was a time for creation and reflection. As part of BPR and Foxfire Museum's oral history project Jackson County poet Louise Runyon shared her poetry about pandemic - ...

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BPR News
NCDOT Adjusts Haywood Bridge Replacement Timeline from 2021-07-19T10:30:36

The State Department of Transportation is re-evaluating a controversial road project in Haywood County after criticism from residents and municipalities.

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BPR News
Miss Cherokee To Host Walk In Honor Of Indigenous Children Who Died At Residential Schools from 2021-07-16T09:08:02

News of over 1,000 unmarked graves of children found at an indigenous residential school in Canada hit home for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

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BPR News
Haywood Homelessness Task Force Issues Report from 2021-07-14T12:53:40

Homelessness was the key issue in the most recent municipal elections in Haywood County. In late 2019, newly-elected leaders in the Town of Waynesville created a task force to gather information. I...

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BPR News
Tribal Council Refuses To Hear Same-Sex Marriage Resolution Again from 2021-07-09T17:39:22

Supporters say they will keep showing up until the tribal council for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians hears their call to recognize same-sex marriage. Just like last month, tribal council memb...

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BPR News
U-Pick: WNC Berry Season History And Tips from 2021-06-30T16:50:04

Right now, the mountains of Western North Carolina are in the thick(et) of berry season. BPR reports on the history of fruit picking in our region: Farmers who had extra produce and not enough work...

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BPR News
Southside Voices Play Vital Role In Plans To Revitalize "Nasty Branch" from 2021-06-29T14:07:48

Town Branch, also called Nasty Branch, is the longest creek that flows through Asheville. It's also the most polluted. Environmentalists and residents of the Southside neighborhood are hoping to ch...

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BPR News
WNC Jellyfish Biologist Campaigns For High Seas from 2021-06-20T16:36:40

A local biologist who's been making waves for her research into jellyfish that reside in freshwater ecosystems, including some here in Western North Carolina is part of an international campaign to...

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BPR News
'Truth Telling' Series Aims To Guide City Toward Reparations from 2021-06-16T14:05:15

The City of Asheville wraps up a series of public discussions about reparations on Thursday. The final of the three "Truth Telling" presentations looks to guide policymakers toward improving and he...

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BPR News
Trump Uses NC Speech To Assert Party Control from 2021-06-07T15:46:19

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump made one of his first major public appearances since losing the 2020 election, addressing a North Carolina Republican Party convention in Greenville. If t...

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BPR News
Preservationists, Neighbors Plan To 'Wrap' Site Of Proposed Charlotte St. Development from 2021-06-07T13:13:03

On April 19th 1980, citizens of Asheville rallied to stop a swath of downtown from becoming a shopping mall. They tied together pieces of cloth and outlined the proposed 11-block development, calli...

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BPR News
How NC COVID-19 Restrictions Stacked Up Against Its Neighbors from 2021-06-03T18:08:31

Three states box in Western North Carolina - Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. All three responded to the pandemic much differently than North Carolina did. BPR reports on a study which examin...

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BPR News
NC Counties Prepare For National $26 Billion Opioid Settlement from 2021-05-27T16:29:08

An estimated $26 billion-dollars could soon be coming to counties all across the country from a financial settlement involving opioid manufacturers. BPR reports that county governments in North Car...

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BPR News
Beer City, USA: Gallons of Beer, Social Districts And More Might Pass NC Legislature from 2021-05-24T16:01:14

Crossover Day passed this month in the North Carolina General Assembly. The deadline essentially determines which bills have a chance of passing this session. And two bills that Beer City, USA and ...

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BPR News
Murphy Black Lives Matter Rally: One Year Later from 2021-05-20T15:52:28

Last summer, BPR reported on rallies across Western North Carolina in support of the Black Lives Matter movement . These demonstartions echoed those seen across the country during the months of pro...

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BPR News
Showing Face: Asheville Locals And Tourists Not Fully Ready To Ditch The Mask from 2021-05-20T07:24:30

It's been a week since the CDC announced fully vaccinated adults are no longer required to wear a mask. In Asheville, businesses and customers are still figuring out whether they're ready to let go...

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BPR News
Demolition Of Vance Monument Begins In Asheville, Will Take Roughly Two Weeks from 2021-05-17T16:23:28

Demolition of the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville began Monday and will take roughly two weeks to complete.

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BPR News
WNC Colleges And Universities Deliberate Vaccine Mandates For Fall from 2021-05-17T12:32:57

Colleges and universities in Western North Carolina vary when it comes to deciding whether students should be required to get a Covid-19 vaccine before returning to campus in the fall.

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BPR News
Anti-Police Message Proves Divisive In Maggie Valley from 2021-05-13T16:37:40

Owners of a Maggie Valley motel are getting death threats over a sign disparaging police officers and now a "Back the Blue" rally is scheduled in response. This follows heated and confrontational d...

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BPR News
Rain & Quiet Bats Don't Stop Fans From Having Fun At Tourists Opener from 2021-05-05T17:15:57

The Asheville Tourists opened their season Tuesday night at McCormick Field. Friends, families and long-time fans dusted off their jerseys and waited six-feet apart to enter McCormick field. Greeti...

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BPR News
Investing In Your Community: New Facilities And HCA's Commitments from 2021-05-05T17:09:13

The groundbreaking on a new Angel Medical Center in Franklin has some local leaders applauding HCA for following through on a promise it made when it purchased Mission Health. Macon County Commissi...

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BPR News
This 83-Year-Old Man Wants To Set A New Appalachian Trail Record from 2021-05-04T16:11:21

During a pandemic, an 83-year-old man is attempting to become the oldest person to complete the over 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. BPR spoke with him as he made his way through Western North Caroli...

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BPR News
Baseball Returns: Asheville Tourists Open 2021 Season Tuesday Night from 2021-05-04T11:36:51

After losing an entire season, baseball returns to Asheville Tuesday.

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BPR News
Directory Linking Transgender-Friendly Services Gets An Update from 2021-05-03T12:25:23

The Campaign for Southern Equality has made its "Trans in the South" directory fully available online. The resource is meant to help connect transgender individuals to gender-affirming legal and he...

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BPR News
Can Asheville Become More Than Beer And Bears? from 2021-04-30T10:59:28

Five years ago, entrepreneur and philanthropist Mack Pearsall thought he had discovered Asheville's path to great wealth and world acclaim. Not through its beer; not because of its natural amenities.

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BPR News
Entire Andrews Police Force Suspended, Placed On Paid Leave from 2021-04-26T14:13:15

The town of Andrews in Cherokee County is currently without all four of its police officers following an incident at the police station.

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BPR News
Complaints About APD Using Excessive Force Go Unanswered from 2021-04-26T12:20:14

A group of protesters from last year's racial justice marches is still waiting on a response from Asheville Police regarding a complaint alleging use of excessive force. The complaint filed by 20 i...

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BPR News
Buncombe County Becomes Latest NC Community To Pass Nondiscrimination Ordinance from 2021-04-21T08:27:36

Buncombe County has officially become the first Western North Carolina community to pass a ban on discrimination in the areas of employment and housing.

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BPR News
Jackson County Gets First Look At Confederate Monument Changes from 2021-04-19T15:46:18

Eight months ago, Jackson County Commissioners voted to keep the county's Confederate monument in Sylva - but with some historical context added to it. BPR reports on the first glimpse of what the ...

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BPR News
HCA's 15 Commitments To WNC: Looking Forward from 2021-04-15T15:55:54

In this week's BPR Presents "The Porch," news director Matt Bush talks with our regional report Lilly Knoepp about her recent reporting on HCA Healthcare's commitment to the Mission Health System. ...

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BPR News
What Happened At The Asheville City Council Retreat - And What's Next? from 2021-04-15T12:30:08

Asheville City Council held its annual retreat earlier this month at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville. The whole event was open to the public, but only after a lawsuit that was filed by five medi...

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BPR News
Following Other States, NC Has Its Own Anti-Trans Bills from 2021-04-13T16:03:56

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have joined their colleagues in other states in introducing a bill that would limit healthcare for trans youth. BPR has a reaction from a local activist... Tw...

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BPR News
Independent Monitor Over HCA Updates Community from 2021-04-08T16:03:19

It's been two years since HCA Healthcare purchased Mission Health. The details of the sale continue to be discussed by the independent monitor assigned to ensure the stipulations in the deal are fo...

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BPR News
Talk To Us: COVID Questions from 2021-04-08T14:28:25

BPR is answering listener queries about the Coronavirus in a new segment - Talk to Us: COVID Questions . BPR's Helen Chickering brings us this week's answer. This week's question comes from Dr. Pen...

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BPR News
Buncombe Commissioners Wait On Vote For First WNC LGBTQ Protection Ordinance from 2021-04-07T16:28:05

Buncombe County Commissioners will wait until later this month to vote on a non-discrimination ordinance. It would be the first such county ordinance in Western North Carolina since local governmen...

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BPR News
Waynesville Race Honors Riley Howell, Raises Funds Against Gun Violence from 2021-03-30T16:32:01

A race in Haywood County this weekend raises money for survivors of gun violence and honors a fallen hometown hero. The Mighty Four Miler on Saturday morning supports the Riley Howell Foundation Fu...

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BPR News
WNC Republican Calls For Medicaid Expansion from 2021-03-29T17:44:11

One Western North Carolina Republican wants North Carolina to expand Medicaid. State and local representatives - mostly Republicans - gathered at Southwestern Community College to talk about the ne...

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BPR News
COVID In Appalachia: A Son Interviews His Mom About Pandemic Lessons from 2021-03-26T12:02:03

COVID-19 has altered our lives in numerous ways: from work to school to staying connected to friends and family. While the country processes a year of loss and uncertainty, many are reflecting on h...

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BPR News
Empowering WNC Farmers During COVID-19 from 2021-03-24T17:14:19

Before the pandemic, agricultural funding came North Carolina's westernmost counties to help connect farmers and those in need of local food. BPR shares how during the pandemic, the program became ...

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BPR News
Asheville City Council Approves Removal Of Vance Monument from 2021-03-23T19:41:24

Asheville City Council voted Tuesday evening to remove the Vance Monument from its spot in the city's main public space, taking away the 65-foot obelisk which has stood in what is now called Pack S...

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BPR News
Asheville City Council Votes Tuesday On Whether To Remove Vance Monument from 2021-03-22T13:50:15

Asheville City Council is scheduled to take a vote Tuesday on whether to remove the 65-foot Vance Monument from downtown's Pack Square. The decision will culminate a years-long push to remove from ...

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BPR News
COVID In Appalachia: How Nostalgic Entertainment Thrived During The Pandemic from 2021-03-18T17:54:58

Businesses in Appalachia - like the rest of the country - have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. But some have found themselves uniquely suited to thrive over the last year. This week for BPR...

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BPR News
Over 4,600 Columns: Remembering Barbara McRae from 2021-03-18T16:25:51

The town of Franklin lost one of its matriarchs this month. Vice Mayor of Franklin Barbara McRae passed away on March 2 nd after a long battle with cancer. Long before she entered politics, McRae h...

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BPR News
New Nikwasi Mound Plans Focus On Early Cherokee Agriculture from 2021-03-16T16:43:42

The nonprofit that took control of the sacred Nikwasi Mound in Franklin two years ago is releasing more details about its plans for the site. The Nikwasi Initiative is made up of representatives fr...

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BPR News
Farm Co-Op In Hendersonville Aims To Even The Field For Latino Farmers from 2021-03-16T06:37:34

The founding members of Great Harvest Coop are busy tilling the soil and applying for an LLC. Once they get the business up and running, they plan to sell their produce at local farmer's markets, C...

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BPR News
COVID In Appalachia: When Borders Closed, This Student Couldn't Go Home from 2021-03-12T08:54:55

Life in Appalachia has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. For some people, the pandemic meant that they couldn't go home. This week for BPR and Foxfire Museum's COVID-19 oral history project , we...

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BPR News
In Pandemic Year, New Home Construction In Asheville Continues To Thrive from 2021-03-10T11:46:18

For Patricia I?iguez and her family, the pandemic was the final push to move out of their suburban West Asheville home and into the woods.

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BPR News
Back To School In Buncombe County Still Isn't The Same As Pre-Pandemic from 2021-03-10T11:26:33

For the first time in almost a year, some students in Buncombe County are returning to the classroom five days a week. Bringing them back requires changes across the board. Each school is different...

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BPR News
New Angel Medical Center Construction Starts In April from 2021-03-05T18:10:48

Mission Health System has announced that it is moving forward with its new hospital in Franklin after more than a 3-month delay because of the pandemic. Mission Health says it will be breaking grou...

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BPR News
COVID in Appalachia: Teachers Share Their Pandemic Journey from 2021-03-05T09:15:41

As we mark the one year anniversary of the pandemic in North Carolina, BPR is launching a new series of oral histories from Appalachia. It's a partnership with Foxfire Museum to gather and share ho...

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BPR News
WCU COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Opens To WNC Community, Group 3 from 2021-03-03T17:02:35

As more people get vaccinated in North Carolina, more places are opening to administer the shots. BPR looks at Western Carolina University's on-campus clinic. The clinic, located at the school's He...

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BPR News
Embodied Comes To Blue Ridge Public Radio from 2021-03-03T14:26:34

Impolite conversations. Intimate connections. Important self-discoveries.

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BPR News
#NC11: Buncombe Commissioner Will Seek Democratic Nomination To Unseat Cawthorn from 2021-03-03T11:15:53

Buncombe County commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara will run for the Democratic nomination in the 11 th Congressional district in Western North Carolina next year. Beach-Ferrara is the first Democra...

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BPR News
Pandemic Strands Asheville's Professional Cyclists At-Home Or Abroad from 2021-03-02T15:07:15

The coronavirus derailed competitive sports over the past year. For many professional cyclists, it stopped them in their tracks. Scattered across the world, many had to ask tough questions about th...

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BPR News
Pardee Partners With El Centro To Get More Vaccines To Latinos from 2021-03-01T10:42:41

With the pandemic hitting Western North Carolina's Latino community harder than almost any other group, health care providers and advocates in Hendersonville are taking a more targeted approach to ...

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Bars, Variants & Vaccines from 2021-02-28T14:56:19

Bars in North Carolina welcomed back customers indoors over the weekend after almost a year of outdoor only cocktail service. On Friday, the Governor Roy Cooper's new executive order took effect , ...

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BPR News
Sharing WNC Black History Through Art During COVID-19 from 2021-02-25T16:46:10

Here's part one of BPR's features on Ann Miller Woodford. Earlier this week, we profiled local historian Ann Miller Woodford, who published "When All God's Children Get Together." It's about the hi...

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BPR News
WNC Data Hunt Provides COVID Death Toll Preview from 2021-02-25T00:48:07

As the country watches the COVID death toll cross the half million mark, a Western North Carolina official has been taking inventory of the local impact. As BPR's Helen Chickering reports, he ended...

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BPR News
Asheville City Council OK's Rules For New Hotels, Ending Moratorium from 2021-02-23T22:50:01

Asheville City Council Tuesday approved new rules for future hotel projects, ending a nearly one-and-a-half-year moratorium on the construction of new hotels in the city.

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BPR News
State Sen. Edwards Proposes Bill That Would Require NC Sheriffs To Work With ICE from 2021-02-22T12:33:51

A Republican state senator from Western North Carolina is proposing a measure that would force local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration agents.

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BPR News
'When All God's Children Get Together,' Black History West Of Buncombe County from 2021-02-19T15:37:49

The Western North Carolina Historical Association is located in Asheville's oldest brick house - where at least 70 people were enslaved. Now the association is hosting an exhibit about the history ...

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BPR News
REGAL 'Pod' At Pisgah View Supports Students During Remote Learning from 2021-02-19T11:56:47

A collaborative, community-based learning program organized during the pandemic aims to be a catalyst for education justice. It's called REGAL -- which stands for Relevant Education Grows All Learn...

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BPR News
Haywood Rivals Oppose Capacity Limits On Outdoor Athletic Events from 2021-02-18T16:33:39

COVID-19 caused the cancellation last fall of one of the nation's greatest high school football rivalries - Pisgah vs. Tuscola. Although the game has finally been rescheduled for next week, the cor...

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BPR News
Long Before COVID-19, Climate Change Was Already Hurting WNC's Trout from 2021-02-18T11:28:06

Climate change has been wreaking havoc on Western North Carolina's famed trout industry. Specifically, rising sustained temperatures are slowly eliminating the cold water in lakes trout need to thr...

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BPR News
In-Person Classes Also Means In-Person Meals At Buncombe County Schools from 2021-02-16T17:04:24

Schools in Buncombe County welcome students back this week for the first time since December. Those who have not opted for all remote instruction will be in-class in-person two days a week. Prepara...

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BPR News
GOP Lawmakers Representing Appalachian Districts Split By Conspiracies from 2021-02-04T06:48:25

The insurrection at the US Capitol is driving a wedge in the Republican Party -- between those who are shying away from former Pres. Donald Trump and those who continue to support his false claims ...

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BPR News
Billboards In Cawthorn's District Call For His Resignation from 2021-02-02T13:18:31

Three new billboards around Asheville are calling for the resignation of Western North Carolina's Congressman Madison Cawthorn.

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BPR News
UNC Asheville LGBTQ Archive Expands To Jackson County from 2021-02-01T18:11:59

A project to document the lives of LGBTQ people in Western North Carolina is expanding. The LGBTQ Oral History Archive was founded at UNC Asheville in 2019 in partnership with the Blue Ridge Prid...

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BPR News
Vance Monument Should Not Relocate To Birthplace, Board Says from 2021-01-27T15:06:06

Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Commissioners both voted to remove the Vance Monument from Pack Square in downtown Asheville. But where will it go?

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BPR News
Biden's Immigration Policies Already Felt In North Carolina from 2021-01-27T08:55:48

On his first day in the Oval Office, Pres. Joe Biden swiftly signed executive orders aimed to reverse immigration policies established by his predecessor. Some of these actions are already being fe...

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BPR News
No State Oversight Of Where Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Work In NC, But Models For Change Exist from 2021-01-26T15:15:13

Editor's note: This article is Part 2 of a two-part investigative series. Part one can be read here .

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BPR News
Retired WNC Health Director Volunteers To Help With COVID-19 Vaccine from 2021-01-25T17:09:25

Local health departments across Western North Carolina are depending on volunteers to help them with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. BPR talked with a former public health director who came out o...

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BPR News
Cawthorn Talks Insurrection, Being Armed At Capitol from 2021-01-21T21:46:09

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville, hasn't even been in office for three weeks but he's certainly made waves - not just in D.C., but in his Western North Carolina district.

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BPR News
Safety And Security Paramount For Biden Inaugural Events from 2021-01-20T16:52:25

President Trump is now "former President Trump." But security concerns lingered during the inauguration of his successor, Joe Biden, after Trump helped incite a violent insurrection earlier this mo...

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BPR News
Rural WNC Counties Vaccinate First Responders For COVID-19 from 2021-01-19T17:22:11

Rural counties in Western North Carolina are vaccinating first responders. BPR went to a mass COVID-19 vaccination in Jackson County. A cold wind blows outside the Jackson County Recreation Center ...

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BPR News
Experiencing Symptoms Of Trauma From Recent News Is Normal, Even Human from 2021-01-15T13:50:59

2021 is just two weeks old, and watching and listening to the news has been traumatic so far. Coming off all that we experienced last year, each day right now can be more than a struggle. How to co...

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BPR News
BPR Invites Local Schools To Enter NPR Podcast Challenge from 2021-01-13T15:58:11

NPR's Student Podcast Challenge invites classrooms to put together a short podcast about any topic of interest and using simple tools - like the apps on your phone. It's a competition, but also a f...

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BPR News
Macon County Public Health Needs More Staff To Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine from 2021-01-12T15:53:49

In order to meet the demand for vaccinating residents, Macon County is cutting back on contact tracing. On Monday, Macon County Public Health department announced it would no longer issue press rel...

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BPR News
'I Was Wrong,' Former Henderson Sheriff Drops Support For Cawthorn from 2021-01-11T16:17:14

A key backer of Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn is now dropping his support following last week's insurrection at the Capitol in D.C. Former Henderson County Sheriff George Erwin Jr. was go...

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BPR News
COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients From WNC Share Their Stories from 2021-01-11T16:04:43

Buncombe County administered its first COVID-19 vaccines Monday under Phase 1B, where anyone over the age of 75 is eligible to receive one. Prior to this, healthcare workers, first responders, and ...

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BPR News
'Teacher Of The Year' Encourages Talking To Kids About The Insurrection At US Capitol from 2021-01-08T06:28:53

Kids want to feel seen and included in conversations about the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol Wed. That's one of the takeaways heard in the classroom belonging to the Western Region's ...

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BPR News
Cawthorn Calls DC Insurrectionists 'Disgusting And Pathetic' from 2021-01-07T17:37:31

As the events of January 6 unfolded in Washington, D.C, Western North Carolina's newly-elected congressman, Hendersonville Republican Madison Cawthorn, hadn't even been on the job for three full days.

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BPR News
What It's Like Inside North Carolina's COVID-19 Field Hospital from 2021-01-06T18:25:12

It was difficult to find a quiet spot Tuesday afternoon in the paved lot next to Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir as dozens of people rushed to meet a deadline. A man in a blue surgical mask sawe...

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BPR News
What's Old Is New: Redistricting Will Again Be North Carolina's Big Issue In 2021 from 2021-01-04T15:52:40

The North Carolina General Assembly reconvenes next week. After all the campaign rhetoric and money of 2020, the partisan makeup of Raleigh will still be the same. And the major issue that lawmaker...

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BPR News
Foxfire Museum Shares Appalachian Crafts And Skills During COVID-19 from 2020-12-28T09:43

The pandemic has hit non-profits and museums hard due to travel and social distancing restrictions. One museum in our region appears naturally poised to weather the pandemic. The War Woman cabin on...

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BPR News
Black Starseed Storyweavers Reunite, Reflect For Kwanzaa from 2020-12-22T07:56:15

Seven Black women in Asheville are offering up their personal stories in honor of Kwanzaa, the weeklong celebration of African-American heritage.

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BPR News
COVID-19 Has Made Teaching The Cherokee Language Even Harder from 2020-12-17T17:49:03

Long before the world had ever heard of COVID-19, the Cherokee language was in trouble. Last year, the three tribes in the U.S. declared a state of emergency because there are now so few fluent spe...

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BPR News
WNC Gets COVID Vaccine And Testing Support from 2020-12-11T01:18:23

Three WNC hospitals are on the list to receive the first COVID-19 vaccine shipments. Earlier this week, North Carolina health officials announced that Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville would be amo...

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BPR News
Jackson County ER Doctor Opens Up About Life With COVID-19 from 2020-12-09T17:02:13

Jackson County is one of six jurisdictions in Western North Carolina now considered to have 'critical' community spread of coronavirus, the highest such classification from the state . BPR talked t...

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BPR News
Asheville City Council Accepts Recommendation To Remove Vance Monument, But Questions Remain from 2020-12-08T23:46:11

Asheville City Council voted Tuesday night to accept the recommendation from a task force to remove the Vance Monument from downtown Asheville's Pack Square. But many questions remain before the 65...

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BPR News
PEAK Academy Receives $285k From Dogwood Health Trust For Startup Costs from 2020-12-08T15:05:33

Asheville PEAK Academy got a financial boost in its ongoing efforts to attract a diverse teaching staff.

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BPR News
WNC Activists Call For More LGBTQ Protections from 2020-12-02T18:19:50

A major provision of the bill that repealed North Carolina's notorious HB2 expired this week. In 2017, North Carolina lawmakers passed a "compromise" to repeal North Carolina's HB2 - commonly known...

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BPR News
NC Wildlife Resources Commission Calls For Comment On New Sunday Hunting Laws from 2020-12-01T17:25:42

The final public comment period for new Sunday hunting laws in North Carolina starts this month. Since 1868, it has been illegal in the state of North Carolina to hunt on Sundays. A 2015 law remove...

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BPR News
WCU Cherokee Studies Scholarship Will Honor T.J. Holland from 2020-11-25T16:58:24

Western Carolina University has established a Cherokee Studies Scholarship in honor of an Eastern Band leader and scholar. One death this year that had nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic hit ...

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BPR News
The Eastern Band Is Working To Legalize Medical Marijuana from 2020-11-23T18:26:36

Last week, a North Carolina task force commissioned by Governor Roy Cooper recommended small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized. It also says legalization should be studied. On the Qualla Bound...

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Case Climb, Hospital Staff & A Moment Of Calm from 2020-11-23T11:44

North Carolina broke another coronavirus daily case record on Sunday, as more people get tested before Thanksgiving. Gov. Roy Cooper will hold a coronavirus task force press briefing Monday afterno...

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BPR News
Task Force Recommends Vance Monument Be Removed From Pack Square In Asheville from 2020-11-19T21:25:38

A task force appointed by Asheville City Council and Buncombe County commissioners voted Thursday to recommend the removal of the 65-foot high Vance Monument from downtown Asheville's Pack Square.

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BPR News
NC's Westernmost Counties Saw Republican Wins And Huge Voter Turnout from 2020-11-04T17:46:52

Western North Carolina's seven westernmost counties were solidly red this election. The lone competitive General Assembly election in Western North Carolina was House District 119, which includes J...

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BPR News
#NC11: Cawthorn Wins Big from 2020-11-04T03:36:54

The race to replace Mark Meadows in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District was full of unexpected twists and turns almost from the moment it began last December. True to form, the final resul...

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BPR News
Black-owned Funeral Home Offers Living Souls A Lift To The Polls from 2020-11-03T12:47:20

A Black-owned funeral home in Asheville is sending out its fleet of limousines to pick up voters and drive them to the polls.

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BPR News
Mountain Voices On The 2020 Election from 2020-11-02T19:56:16

More than 4.5 million North Carolinians already have voted - either in person during early voting or by mail. That's more than 95% of all the N.C. voters who cast ballots in 2016. Across BPR's list...

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BPR News
WNC High School Student Turns Political Conflict Into Award Winning Civil Dialogue from 2020-10-29T19:06:09

Civil discourse may be missing this election season, but it's not entirely gone. In Henderson County, the local League of Women Voters created a voter education video contest to inspire high school...

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BPR News
Dogwood Health Trust Breaks Down Over $40 Million Spent During Its First Year from 2020-10-29T19:01:25

Dogwood Health Trust, the foundation created to disburse the profits of the sale of Mission Health, is required to host an annual public meeting. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the meeting was ho...

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BPR News
Fighting For Attention from 2020-10-28T17:18:33

They've been fighting over your attention on the internet and the television for what seems like forever now. They've got their slogans and catch phrases, their soundtracks and color schemes, their...

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BPR News
Split Ticket Voters Continue To Swing North Carolina Elections from 2020-10-27T17:11:10

Four years ago, North Carolina voters did something that didn't happen anywhere else - Republican Donald Trump won the state's Electoral College votes, but a Democrat unseated an incumbent GOP gove...

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BPR News
Breaking Down Latino Voter Registration And Turnout Gaps In North Carolina from 2020-10-27T16:32:32

Esta nota tambi?n est? disponible en espa?ol en La Noticia . About a third of Latinos eligible to vote in North Carolina have yet to register. The regular registration period ended Oct. 9, so their...

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BPR News
Lumbee Recognition Act Is Pandering To Win NC Votes Says Eastern Band Chief from 2020-10-23T19:29:21

The Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians says both major party presidential candidates are pandering to another tribe in North Carolina in the final days of the election. Preside...

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BPR News
North Carolina's Immigrant Groups Ramp Up Efforts To Increase Voter Turnout from 2020-10-22T16:36:24

Voting can be a complicated process for many. The pandemic is exposing that, with many rules only just now being widely discovered for the first time. For instance, North Carolina's witness require...

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BPR News
College Students Swayed The 2018 Election For Dems, What Does That Mean In 2020? from 2020-10-21T20:19:11

Voters on North Carolina college campuses played a huge role in the 2018 election. Democrats broke the legislature's Republican super-majority by winning two districts that included two of the larg...

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BPR News
Democratic VP Nominee Kamala Harris Visits UNC Asheville from 2020-10-21T18:35

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris had to cancel a planned trip to Asheville last week when two staffers tested positive for COVID-19. On Wednesday, the California Senator made it t...

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BPR News
#NC118: Open Seat Crucial For GOP Hopes Of Regaining House Supermajority from 2020-10-20T18:25:54

An unexpected vacancy in one of Western North Carolina's state house districts has two candidates scrambling for a victory that could have major consequences in the General Assembly.

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BPR News
Eastern Band Of Cherokee Experience COVID-19 Surge from 2020-10-20T17:45:19

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. Just like the state of North Carolina, the Eastern Band rolled back COVID-19 safety measures and moved to Phase 3 of...

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BPR News
WCU Student Shares What Early Voting Looks Like On Campus from 2020-10-19T19:09:52

More than 1 million North Carolinians have voted during the first five days of early voting in the state. That's more than 14 percent of all registered voters in the state. BPR checked in on the ea...

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Case Surge & Voter Guide from 2020-10-19T12:12:31

Coronavirus cases are rising in North Carolina with the state adding more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases daily since Thursday (10/18). BPR's Helen Chickering checks in with NC Health News Editor Ros...

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BPR News
Asheville City Council Election: How It Could Affect City School Board from 2020-10-16T17:39:56

Five candidates are running for three seats on Asheville City Council in the current election. While there are differences on a variety of issues, there is one topic the majority of candidates agre...

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BPR News
#NC48: COVID, Caskey, New District Lines Challenge Sen. Chuck Edwards from 2020-10-15T17:44:23

Early voting is underway in North Carolina, as voters will decide elections at the federal, state and local levels. There are several offices where district lines were redrawn for this election. Th...

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BPR News
#NC119: Queen, Clampitt Race Could Be Key In Control Of NC Legislature from 2020-10-12T17:22:24

North Carolina House of Representative's District 119 is one of the most competitive races in the state. It's also the most familiar race to voters in the three western counties that make up the di...

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BPR News
New School Founded On Racial Equity Begins Hiring from 2020-10-12T14:51:28

A new charter school centered around racial equity is still moving ahead with its plans to open next Fall 2021.

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Case Spike & Coronavirus Voting Complications from 2020-10-12T13:33:16

The number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina is now over 231,000 with 1,719 new cases reported on Sunday. Hospitalizations remain over 1,000 as health officials keep a close eye on ...

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BPR News
What's A Threat? Chalktober And Sylva Sam from 2020-10-07T19:20:29

It's been two months since Jackson County Commissioners voted not to relocate Sylva Sam. However, anger about the statue remains. Sylva Sam still stands on its perch in front of the old Jackson Cou...

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BPR News
5 Tips To Safely Visit Elk In The Great Smoky Mountains from 2020-10-05T17:48:53

Fall colors start to shine in the mountains of Western North Carolina in October. Tourists aren't the only mamals that are more active this time of year, explains wildlife biologist Joe Yarkovich, ...

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Presidents & Phase Three from 2020-10-05T14:12:44

Every Friday, BPR's Helen Chickering talks with NC Health News founding editor Rose Hoban. This week, on the heels of the president's COVID-19 diagnosis, they take a brief look back in history at o...

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BPR News
Wastewater Shows Promise For Tracking COVID Spread from 2020-10-01T17:52:28

The struggle to get the most updated information on the spread of COVID-19 in a community has been crucial for local and national government decision-making. Here's the unlikely source of data for ...

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BPR News
Fall Harvest Brings New Challenges During Pandemic from 2020-10-01T14:47:46

It's apple season in Western North Carolina. Hand-painted roadside signs boast cider doughnuts and homemade pies. The beloved seasonal fruit is picked by thousands of migrant farmworkers. But with ...

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BPR News
How Mission Health Decides To Test Surgery Patients For COVID-19 from 2020-09-28T20:05:43

Since March, more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in BPR's Western North Carolina listening area. Most of those cases end up at the region's biggest hospital, Mission in Asheville....

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Hospital Cases, Nursing Home Safety & Phase 2.75? from 2020-09-28T12:09:33

Every Friday, BPR's Helen Chickering talks with NC Health News founding editor Rose Hoban. This week they discuss the latest COVID-19 metrics, what might be on the list as the governor lifts more r...

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BPR News
North Carolina Ranks Among States With Most Child Marriages from 2020-09-24T08:44:52

North Carolina has become a sanctuary state for child predators.

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BPR News
What's A Demonstration? Why Guns Were Allowed In Downtown Sylva from 2020-09-17T19:19:57

Even with the pandemic, mass outdoor gatherings in support of various causes have become a common occurrence across Western North Carolina. Dangerous weapons are prohibited at 'demonstrations.' But...

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BPR News
Nurses At Mission Hospital In Asheville Vote To Join Union from 2020-09-17T18:19:28

Nurses at Mission Hospital and its adjacent facilities in Asheville have voted to join a union, National Nurses United, by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

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BPR News
#NC11: Aggressive Tweets Overshadow Race from 2020-09-17T16:04:10

Candidates seeking to replace former Congressman Mark Meadows in Western North Carolina have spent plenty of time attacking each other. It's gone to a new level now however after controversial twee...

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BPR News
COVID-19 Following Flu Season Trends In Graham County, Says Health Director from 2020-09-14T17:23:21

Graham County started off COVID-19 by shuttering its borders. Months later, the county is experiencing an outbreak at a nursing home. Graham County didn't experience COVID-19 community spread until...

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BPR News
COVID-19NC: Phase 2.5, Relief Bill Backstory & Revisiting Prisoner Research from 2020-09-07T11:24:21

Every Friday, BPR's Helen Chickering talks with NC Health News founding editor Rose Hoban. This week they discuss North Carolina's move to Phase 2.5 of the governor's reopening plan, what happened ...

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