The Vance Monument in Pack Square is one of downtown Asheville’s most recognizable landmarks. It honors Zebulon Vance, North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War and U.S. Senator during the Reconstruction period. It has stood for over a hundred years. But following the removal of Confederate flags and statues in Charleston and New Orleans, the discussion over the future of the Vance Monument in Asheville is becoming unavoidable. In the first of two stories, BPR’s Matt Bush takes a deep look

Western North Carolina Republican Congressman Mark Meadows met face to face with supporters and detractors during a town hall debate last night near Hendersonville that was largely dominated by health care. BPR’s Jeremy Loeb was there.

The fourth annual Asheville Anime Regional Convention brought in nearly 2,000 visitors - it's largest attendance ever, proving that there's no shortage of love or demand for Japanese animation, even in Western North Carolina. BPR’s Davin Eldridge attended the event…

Legislators are heading back to Raleigh Thursday for a special session, but it's unclear exactly what's on the agenda. Veto overrides were originally cited as the main reason. Now those appear to be off the table for the moment as not enough lawmakers are expected to be in attendance. Instead, they could consider bills not taken up in the long session. Hanging over it all is a tight deadline for correcting illegal legislative maps, and the potential for surprises. WUNC capitol reporter Jeff

With Waynesville Democrat Matt Coffay withdrawing from next year’s race for the Congressional seat in North Carolina’s eleventh district, the only challenger left for incumbent Republican Mark Meadows’s seat now is Nebo resident Phillip Price. BPR ’s Davin Eldridge caught up with Price at a meet-and-greet in Highlands, where Price introduced himself to a non-partisan group of voters…

On August 21, most of the country will pause and look up to the sky to observe the Great American Eclipse. If you aren't able to make it outside for the astronomical event, no worries. NASA is planning to live stream the eclipse using cameras attached to high altitude balloons. A local community college is part of the balloon projec t. BPR's Helen Chickering has details.

The first day of classes are always hectic for any university. For Western Carolina, that may be taken to a new level this year. That’s because classes start on the day of the solar eclipse. BPR’s Davin Eldridge reports…

Asheville voters will decide this fall whether they want city council districts or the current system of electing members at-large. That’s even though the North Carolina General Assembly already passed a measure forcing the city to draw districts for the 2019 election. It’s a pretty simple reason why Asheville voters will get a say this fall says Citizen-Times reporter Joel Burgess, who covers city hall. “What’s the point one might ask, and it seems to be the (Asheville) city council might be

The solar eclipse is less than a month away. Thousands will come to Western North Carolina to see it, but there is one scenario that could ruin everyone’s fun – what if it rains that day? While many towns in Western North Carolina will be in the ‘path of totality’ where it will get completely dark during the afternoon of August 21 st , Andrews in Cherokee County is on the direct line of the eclipse. That means it will stay darker in Andrews longer than anyplace else in Western North Carolina on

Updated Tuesday 7/25 7:23pm: The Asheville City Council approved Sunday alcohol sales unanimously, meaning restaurants and bars can start serving drinks at 10am rather than the previous noon start time. The original story is below.