Electing a sheriff – even in one of North Carolina’s largest counties – doesn’t usually draw a lot of attention. But this year’s democratic primary in Buncombe County is different. Voters will select a new sheriff for the first time in 12 years. And law enforcement practices and reforms are center stage in the campaign because of an incident that took place within the county. The Buncombe County sheriff’s office had nothing to do with what happened last August on Short Coxe Avenue on Asheville’s

Buncombe County Democratic Senator Terry Van Duyn was sharply critical of a committee looking at changes to North Carolina's judiciary Friday. The Joint Select Committee On Judicial Reform and Redistricting looked at proposals for new maps for judges. They also discussed proposals to take the power of vacancy appointments away from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and give it to the Republican-dominated General Assembly. Towards the end of the two hour meeting, Van Duyn took the bill's proponents

Raleigh has been the scene of a lot of partisan political discord this decade. But the president of the University of North Carolina system says she’s thankful all that fighting has not impacted higher education funding. Margaret Spellings says even in North Carolina’s polarized political atmosphere, selling members of the General Assembly on maintaining higher education funding isn’t real tough. “To a person, they know that this institution, the University of North Carolina system, is going to

Asheville City Council member Vijay Kapoor was critical of the North Carolina legislature for moving towards forcing districts on the city of Asheville. Speaking with BPR's Jeremy Loeb, the councilman of south Asheville said his election shows that voters from anywhere in the city are fully capable of being represented on council under the current system. And he added that voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea of districts in a voter referendum.

John's final football coaching job was at Purdue University, where he and Marcia met professors Eric Nauman and Tom Talavadge. The duo had just finished a groundbreaking study on micro concussions by working with a high school football team in Indiana, and our hosts were blown away with what the research showed - so much so that it in many ways led to John losing his job. In the first of two parts, the Shoops discuss with Nauman and Talavadge what their research discovered. (Music featured

Early voting is underway in North Carolina for the May 8th primary. The early voting period runs until May 5th, and voters can find early voting locations by visiting their respective county's election boards website. Federal, state, and local offices are all on the ballot this year. One person who isn't is president Donald Trump. But Western Carolina University political science professor Dr. Chris Cooper says no one person will have a greater impact on winners and losers in this election than

Governor Roy Cooper wrapped up a 2-day tour of Western North Carolina Tuesday. His visit was designed to put a light on many issues affecting the region. And no issue may be affecting Western North Carolina more than opioid abuse. Up until about three years ago, David Dick had been abusing opiates for 35 years. After a workplace accident left him barely alive and badly injured, the subsequent opiate prescriptions left him hooked. “It’s just the constant prescribing of opioids, left me with

Early voting begins Thursday for the May primaries. Among the races on the ballot this year is Buncombe County district attorney. BPR’s Jeremy Loeb interviewed both candidates running for the office.

Local immigration advocates say there have been more arrests by federal Immigration & Customs Enforcement across Western North Carolina. Those come after around 15 people were detained last weekend in Buncombe and Henderson Counties. ICE spokesman Bryan Cox says the agency makes arrests on a daily basis as part of ongoing enforcement activity. Appearing on The State Of Things Tuesday , Cox says ICE agents target specific individuals who are in the country undocumented and have criminal

At the first-ever Student Opioid Summit, high school students across Buncombe County, Asheville City Schools and Madison County Schools spent the day learning about the drugs, everything from how the opioids affect the brain to how casual use can lead to addiction. In the afternoon, the students held brainstorming sessions and were encouraged to come up with action plans to implement at school in an effort to increase awareness and promote prevention. The inaugural summit took place at the