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 worried about what will happen when the program ends.

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 medical marijuana over five years ago. For Jeremy Wilson of the tribe’s Cannabis Commission, this month’s vote by the Tribal Council to legalize it is a relief. “It’s been surreal. You know, not everything is impossible just because it’s really hard,” said Wilson, who is Governmental Affairs Liaison

Our hosts tackle a topic they've long wanted to in this episode - youth sports - and in particular, the trend toward having teens specialize in one sport at younger and younger ages. Their guests include Jon Solomon of the Aspen Institute, which will release a 'children's bill of rights in sports' on August 12th. Three members of the city of Asheville's parks and recreation department also join the program to discuss what's happening locally. (Music featured includes Don't Listen To The Words

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 Franklin, sits at a picnic table along the Little Tennessee River. “August is upon us here at the Little Tennessee River and East Franklin. And we’re in the park by the river and the mound is near us. And the beautiful land around the river is summery looking and it’s a little breezy out,” said

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 year, Western North Carolina was a few weeks behind more urban parts of the state in seeing high COVID-19 numbers. That’s not the case in this newest wave explains Haywood County Health Department spokesperson Allison Richmond. “I think our spike looks very similar to the state level. I think we are

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 Congressional District. The list of incidents involving the youngest member of Congress is also growing halfway through his first year in office.

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: Local government leaders worked to get all 100 counties in North Carolina to sign onto an agreement on how funding from the settlement would be distributed. Becky Garland, finance officer for Graham County, was part of the group that worked with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC

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 limits for sound coming from residential, commercial and industrial districts.

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.

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.