Students started back to school last month amidst the uncertain world of COVID-19 and a racial justice movement across America. Franklin resident Shirley Parks remembers her own uncertain days as a student during integration in Macon County and much later in 2011 as the first Black principal in the county since integration. Parks worked in the Macon County School System for 33 years . She says its hard to watch children and parents struggling with the current COVID-19 pandemic. "No one is winning right now either way, so we just have to do what we can with what we have, with the training that the teachers are doing, and they are out there for the students. And I know that the parents are struggling to - especially the ones that have to go back to work so that you aren't there to help your little one... I was just thinking last night I'm so glad that I don't have to go through this, but you know overall, if I was I would be working just as hard as the rest of them. I'm just glad to be

On Thursday July 23rd, Blue Ridge Public Radio hosted a live Zoom panel to discuss police funding in Asheville. BPR News Presents: A Conversation On Policing In Asheville, is hosted by BPR's Matt Peiken. His guests discussing the call to defund the Asheville police department include Robert Thomas of the Racial Justice Coalition, Zaria Abdulkarim of Democracy NC, retired UNC Asheville professor and founder of The State of Black Asheville report Dr. Dwight Mullen, local Fraternal Order of Police president Rondel Lance, and Buncombe County sheriff Quentin Miller. You can listen to an abridged one-hour version of the conversation above, or on both BPR Classic and BPR News Friday July 31st at 9 a.m. and Saturday August 1st at 3 p.m. The entire two-hour talk can be viewed on the BPR Facebook page. (Music featured includes The Vibes by Audiobinger)

On February 6th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with four candidates running for the Democratic nomination for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. The forum includes Moe Davis, Gina Collias, Michael O'Shea, and Phillip Price. Steve Woodsmall is also running for the Democratic nomination, but was unable to attend the forum. Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25th, and primary day is Tuesday March 3rd. Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:21 - Opening Statements 9:19 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 15:04 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen to record levels at the same time. Why do you think that is and what would you do about as a member of

On February 7th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with two candidates running for the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. All told, 11 candidates are running in the GOP primary. Each were invited to participate in two forums BPR held. This forum features two of them - Lynda Bennett and Joey Osborne. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29th. Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25th, and primary day is Tuesday March 3rd. Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:22 - Opening Statements 6:00 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 7:55 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen to record levels at the

On February 7 th Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with three candidates running for the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 11 th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. All told, 11 candidates are running in the GOP primary. Each were invited to participate in two forums BPR held. This forum features three of them - Wayne King, Vance Patterson, and Albert Wiley. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29 th . Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25 th , and primary day is Tuesday March 3 rd . Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:21 - Opening Statements 6:58 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 11:33 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen

On February 5 th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum in its studios with the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for the North Carolina state senate seat for district 49, which covers central and western Buncombe County. Democrat Terry Van Duyn currently holds the seat, but is vacating it to run for lieutenant governor in 2020. Republican Bob Penland is running for his party's nomination unopposed. His opponent in the fall will be either Julie Mayfield, Ben Scales, or Travis Smith. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29 th . Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25 th , and primary day is Tuesday March 3 rd . And remember, voters do not need to show photo ID to vote in the primary election. TIME CODES FOR QUESTIONS AT FORUM 1:06 - Opening statements 7:34 - If elected, you will be headed to Raleigh during a

Early voting is underway in North Carolina for the March 3 rd primary. Voters in Western North Carolina will have plenty of candidates from the major parties to choose from for the 11 th Congressional District seat - 16 of them to be exact, 11 Republicans and 5 Democrats.

Early voting in North Carolina starts on February 13th and runs until Feburary 29th. Same day voter registration is available each day of early voting. Photo ID is not required to vote during the primary election. The deadline to register to vote in order to cast a ballot on primary day March 3rd has already passed, so those who have yet to register will only be able to vote during the early voting period.

Asheville city council members meet for the final time in 2019 Tuesday evening, and lawmakers will take up a resolution that calls for a climate emergency to be declared by the city. While the resolution calls for action but offers no policy, a set of wide-ranging legislative proposals around climate change could be in front of lawmakers early next year. Their sponsor refers to them as a local 'Green New Deal', patterned after the similarly-named plan introduced in Congress this year two Democrats - New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey.

Blue Ridge Public Radio's Lilly Knoepp sat down with North Carolina's Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green after she visited Western Carolina University writing students . Shelton Green talked about how she views her work as a part of Southern Literature, why poetry is important and where real change happens. Here are some key parts of the conversation. How people should be introduced: "I believe in the philosophy that what we keep, keeps us. So I ask people to introduce themselves by way of an object, a memory, a place or something special that they keep. And as we go around the room sharing that people start to hear their own stories inside of the other things that people are keeping." Tune in at about seven minutes to hear a story about Biscuitville, 'Make America Great Again' hats and Black History Month: "This story for me embodies what this work can be as the poet laureate, as an ambassador of literary arts across North Carolina. Meeting people where they are. Not being judgemental