Right now, the mountains of Western North Carolina are in the thick(et) of berry season. BPR reports on the history of fruit picking in our region: Farmers who had extra produce and not enough workers to pick it used to offer locals the option to pick fruits and vegetables themselves for a lower cost. That started what is now called U-Pick, explains Sarah Hart, communications coordinator for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project(ASAP). “Blackberries, blueberries and strawberries have long

Town Branch, also called Nasty Branch, is the longest creek that flows through Asheville. It’s also the most polluted. Environmentalists and residents of the Southside neighborhood are hoping to change that, and in the process, they’re also hoping to reverse the current of development in the city.

In this episode of The Waters & Harvey Show, our hosts examine the global impact of America’s racial justice protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, and ‘woke’ culture. Their guest is their UNC Asheville colleague Dr. Oliver Gloag, a professor of French and Francophone studies.

The mountains and forests of Western North Carolina are some of the most visited in the country. Thanks to that, the region is a hub for the outdoor recreation industry. BPR’s reports on how a new partnership wants more awareness of the local industry: Author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle said mountain biking changed her life. She became an avid rider when the Fire Mountain Trails opened on the Qualla Boundary. She said biking helped her finish her most recent novel ‘Even As We Breathe.’ “I tell a

A local biologist who's been making waves for her research into jellyfish that reside in freshwater ecosystems, including some here in Western North Carolina is part of an international campaign to protect and better understand marine life in a vast stretch of salt water - most of us will never see. UNC Asheville Assistant Professor of Biology Rebecca Hel m, PhD, spends much of her time trying to find and study the tiny freshwater jellyfish that reside in the ponds and lakes in Western North

For the first time, Juneteenth will be an official holiday across the country. Beyond governments, local institutions are also recognizing the holiday for the first time. Here’s how Lake Junaluska will celebrate Juneteenth for the first time: For more than 100 years, Lake Junaluska has been a meaningful place for Methodist ministers like Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand. The vitality strategist for the Western North Carolina Conference was ordained at Lake Junaluska. “So I count it as a ginormous

The City of Asheville wraps up a series of public discussions about reparations on Thursday. The final of the three “Truth Telling” presentations looks to guide policymakers toward improving and healing areas where the city’s Black community has been disproportionately harmed.

It’s been six years since the U.S. Supreme Court made its landmark ruling, making same-sex marriage legal. But that ruling doesn’t apply to sovereign nations in the U.S. – including the Eastern Band of the Cherokee on the Qualla Boundary. A year before the Obergefell decision, the Eastern Band Tribal Council passed a resolution codifying the tribe would only recognize marriage between a man and woman.

In this episode of The Waters & Harvey Show, our hosts reflect on their most recent conversation about justice and reparations. They get some help doing that with members of the current William C. Friday Fellowship on Human Relations – Angie Flynn-McIver of Asheville, and Dr. Ryan Emanuel, a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump made one of his first major public appearances since losing the 2020 election, addressing a North Carolina Republican Party convention in Greenville. If there were any lingering questions over Trump’s continuing influence among party loyalists, he answered them that night.