Republican lawmakers are negotiating a final budget proposal behind closed doors. Unclear is what will emerge from those talks. Details could be released as soon as Friday with votes taken next week. One proposal included in the Senate's budget has created uncertainty over food stamps. It was put forward by Senator Ralph Hise of Spruce Pine. For more on its potential impact, we spoke with Hannah Randall, CEO of MANNA FoodBank , a non-partisan group that serves 16 counties in western North

The Y at 110 - With a dual mission to eliminate racism and to empower women, Asheville’s YWCA celebrates 110 years of fighting for social and economic justice. On this episode, a conversation with YWCA CEO Beth Maczka and UNC Asheville history professor Sarah Judson.

The Legacy of Reconstruction – Southern Appalachia’s experience during Reconstruction continues to have repercussions today. A noted historian observed that the process of reconciling a society torn apart by civil conflict is often as contentious as the conflict itself. On this program, a conversation with historian Steven Nash about his new book: Reconstruction Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains.

The opioid crisis is taking an acute toll and nowhere is immune, including here in North Carolina. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein says four people die every day in North Carolina from an opioid overdose. With that in mind, a mixture of lawmakers, law enforcement, first responders, health professionals and advocates of Buncombe County were on hand to hear from Stein recently. He’s made tackling the issue one of his top priorities since taking office, spearheading a bipartisan bill

A needle exchange program in Asheville has been running out of supplies on a monthly basis for over a year. That's according to Michael Harney, co-founder of the Needle Exchange Program of Asheville . Harney says the group goes through about 60,000 needles a month but can't keep up with the demand for clean needles. The program operated for years before the exchanges were legalized as a way to ensure those addicted to drugs don't share needles and spread blood-borne diseases like HIV and

Dozens of electronic music players from around the world descended on the city of Asheville, North Carolina, to participate in the second annual Continuum Conference. The conference is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of the electronic Haken Audio Continuum Fingerboard.

Joey's Pancake House in Maggie Valley, which first opened in 1966, will serve it's last breakfast this coming Tuesday June 13th. Owner Brenda O'Keefe lists many reasons for why she's closing , including her health and increasing difficulty in keeping enough employees to ensure the restaurant runs to her high standards. Joey's is an institution in Maggie Valley, regularly seeing lines of up to 50 people waiting for a table on the weekends. Smoky Mountain News reporter Corey Vaillancourt joined

The topic of climate change just got hotter on the heels of President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Retired Navy Rear Admiral David Titley is an international expert on climate change and national security . He’s giving a talk at the Collider in Asheville .

Bars were opening early all across the U.S. this morning to show former FBI director James Comey’s testimony to a U.S. Senate panel. Asheville was no different. Asheville Brewing Company’s Merrimon Avenue location includes a movie theater with its own bar, and when it opened at 10 a.m., around 30 people filed into it to watch the proceedings in D.C. Others slowly trickled in as the political theater unfolded in the nation’s capital. “I think there is some drama and excitement to be able to watch

Add North Carolina’s Attorney General to the list of those disappointed with President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. During a visit to downtown Asheville Tuesday, Josh Stein expressed his disappointment with the decision, saying it puts the nation’s economic future in peril.