Friday update: (Associated Press) The North Carolina House leader predicts redrawn election districts for trial court judges can be finalized with Senate Republicans by the end of January. But he's unsure what his colleagues think about a Senate proposal eliminating head-to-head judicial elections. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger appointed Thursday members of a special bipartisan joint committee tasked with recommending judicial changes to the General Assembly. A separate

The post-holiday purge is underway as people rid their homes of boxes, wrapping paper and trimmings. Many of those items can go in the recycling bin, but not everything. BPR’s Helen Chickering got some tips from Nancy Lawson, with Asheville’s Curbside Management.

The Buncombe County Tax Office says it's experiencing long lines this week as residents try to pre-pay their 2018 property tax bills. This is in response to the tax bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump. That bill imposes a $10-thousand combined limit on the deduction of state and local income and property taxes. There is no limit for this year. The Buncombe County Tax Office says while residents can prepay to avoid that deduction limit for next year, it's likely

The TV show Shark Tank matches charismatic investors with fledgling entrepreneurs who are hoping to snag a business deal. Earlier this month, some students at UNC- Asheville got a taste of the reality show experience. Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Helen Chickering has details.

Updated 6:00am 12/21: The Metropolitan Sewerage District has voted down a proposal to expand its board with 3 seats for Henderson County. The 10-1 vote reflected the belief of board members that giving Henderson the same number of seats as Asheville would create an imbalance because Asheville customers make up a majority of those served. There's also lingering mistrust after the state legislature tried to take over the Asheville water system and turn it over to MSD.

A Gateway To Understanding & Tolerance - Outgoing University of North Carolina Asheville Chancellor Mary Grant is a champion of Liberal Arts in education. She argues that this approach is needed now more than ever.

UNC-Asheville's winter graduation ceremony will be held Friday on campus. It will be the last event for chancellor Dr. Mary Grant, who earlier this year announced she would be leaving the school to become the president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston. Grant had been chancellor of UNC-Asheville since August of 2014. She sat down with BPR's Matt Bush for a lengthy interview which touched on many topics - such as the school's efforts to further integrate itself with

The federal investigation into former Buncombe County manager Wanda Greene has been one of if not the biggest local government story in the region in 2017. Greene retired at the end of June after nearly 20 years on the job. Shortly after, federal authorities confirmed she was being investigated, but did not specify for what. Through dribs and drabs information about the final months of Greene's tenure came out, including the awarding of hefty bonus packages to high-salaried county employees,

Many small towns sponsor holiday parades, complete with everything one might expect to see – sidewalks crammed with people, garland-draped lampposts and high school marching bands keeping the beat on the street. But at the town of Cantons two most recent parades – including last night’s Christmas parade – some were also greeted with the sight of the Confederate flag. After receiving complaints following Canton’s 111 th Labor Day parade – the South’s oldest – Canton Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett

Few neighborhoods in Asheville are iconic as the South Slope. Few have also changed as much in recent years. But even with all the growth there, there are still plenty of empty lots in that neighborhood waiting to be developed. The city is beginning to plan what will come to the South Slope in the next decade, and residents can weigh in this weekend on what they want to see happen. (UPDATE - Saturday morning's meeting has been canceled because of the weather. It will be rescheduled for a future