North Carolina governor Roy Cooper says there are still plenty of questions that need to be answered about Mission Health’s proposed sale to a for-profit healthcare company. Mission announced last week it was entering negotiations to be purchased by HCA Healthcare, a for-profit company based in Nashville that operates hospitals in 20 states and the United Kingdom. Speaking to reporters after an event for students to learn about jobs in healthcare at Mission’s Cancer Center Tuesday morning,

Thousands are expected to march Saturday across the U.S. against gun violence as part of student-organized 'March For Our Lives'. These marches came together following the shooting last month at a South Florida High School that killed 17 people. The Asheville 'March For Our Lives' starts Saturday morning at 11 at Pack Square. Students from across Western North Carolina helped put it together. Two of the many organizers - A.C. Reynolds High School seniors Jessica Villatoro and Elizabeth Leonard -

Last week, students across the country walked out of classrooms to acknowledge the 17 people shot to death at Parkland, Fla.’s Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School. Several Western North Carolina counties saw similar student activism – including Jackson and Haywood – and although weather dampened the events for some students, it didn’t dampen their desire for change. The February 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglass was followed immediately by an outpouring of activism, as students from the

Asheville city council has decided to replace embattled city manager Gary Jackson, effective at the end of the business day Tuesday. Jackson’s ouster after 13 years on the job was announced by mayor Esther Manheimer during a Tuesday afternoon city council meeting. Earlier this year, Jackson announced he was retiring at the end of 2018. But that was before the release of video footage showing a then-Asheville police officer beating an unarmed black man last August. That video, from a police body

Leaked video of an Asheville police officer beating an unarmed black man accused of jaywalking has brought renewed attention to the North Carolina law regarding the release of police body cam footage. Lauren Horsch of NC Insider reports the Asheville incident is being cited by the law's critics as an example of its weaknesses. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb.

March 14 is National Pi Day, a time to celebrate the mathematical constant, 3.14 and a good excuse to eat pie. BPR’s Helen Chickering talked with UNCA Math Professor Sam Kaplan about why the irrational number deserves its own day, why math intimidates many of us, and his work in the community - outreach that uses math as a platform to help local students sharpen their leadership skills. Want to celebrate Pi and eat pie? UNC Asheville will host a Pi Run/Walk on Sunday, March 18, in celebration of

(UPDATE Thursday 9:40 p.m.) - Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams announced in a press release late Thursday that former Asheville police officer Chris Hickman will face three criminal charges for the August beating of an unarmed black man. Hickman and an officer in training stopped Johnnie Rush for suspected jaywalking and trespassing late on the night of August 24th on Short Coxe Avenue. Hickman beat, choked and shocked Rush with a stun gun. The charges detailed Thursday night

(UPDATE 12:20 p.m. Wednesday) - The Asheville city council is calling for an audit of the city police department, following the release of a video last week showing a then-city police officer beating an unarmed black man last August. In a statement released Wednesday morning, the council wants the audit to 'determine the degree to which structural racism and implicit and explicit bias continue to contribute to the operations and actions of the department and its officers.' The council wants the

The city of Asheville Monday afternoon formally asked Buncombe County Superior Court to release any additional police body camera footage of the beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush. The unarmed black man was beaten by then Asheville police officer Chris Hickman last August as he walking through the parking lot of a closed business on Short Coxe Avenue. Rush was initially stopped for suspected jaywalking and trespassing, but charges against him were dropped. Hickman resigned from the force in

Candidate filing for the 2018 North Carolina General Assembly elections ended this week, and both parties will field enough candidates to ensure all 170 seats will be contested this year. It’s making Democratic Governor Roy Cooper very happ - and confident. Cooper has been in office for 14 months, but his legislative power remains quite limited. That’s because Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly allowing them to override any vetoes from Cooper, something