A recent report showed Asheville police were pulling over far more African-American drivers than their white counterparts – even though the white population in the city dwarfs that of the black population. Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Joel Burgess spoke with BPR’s Matt Bush about the police response to that report as well as the latest on the police department’s request for nearly $1-million in additional funds to hire more officers in response to a spike in crime downtown.

Buncombe County's larger population gives it advantages in economic development its smaller neighbors in Western North Carolina don't have. So what's there to do for those counties? Smoky Mountain News reporter Corey Vaillancourt has been looking at what Haywood County has been doing . He joined BPR's Matt Bush to discuss the county's need for workforce development, the importance of the Appalachian Regional Commission in economic development in Western North Carolina, and one example of Haywood

Chris Sgro, the leader of the state LGBT rights group Equality NC, has announced he's stepping down at the end of May after nearly four years with the group. He's taking a job with the national gay rights group Human Rights Campaign. He'll be their communications director. Sgro spoke with BPR about his time with ENC and about the bill that partly repealed HB2.

Employees of Montreat College are speaking out against a covenant that includes anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion language. The college is requiring employees to sign it and some have chosen to resign. Several of them told us why.

The current level of funding for North Carolina's transportation system just isn't enough, according to a national research firm, which is urging state lawmakers to act soon.

Homeowners in Buncombe County are receiving their property tax bills, which arrive with this paradox – tax rates are going down, but the amount each homeowner must pay is almost universally going up. Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Emily Patrick joined BPR’s Matt Bush in studio to explain how that’s possible. She also touched on how taxes may end up increasing because of the brewery that did not relocate to Asheville aka Beer City U.S.A - Deschutes Brewery, which decided to build it's East

A complaint filed by the left-leaning group Democracy NC alleges Republican Senator Ralph Hise of Spruce Pine broke campaign disclosure laws. Among the complaints are that Hise pocketed around $10,000 from his campaign, failed to disclose PAC contributions and didn't properly disclose information about his donors. Hise has yet to respond to a request from BPR for comment.

Angel Medical Center’s board of directors made it official – later this year, the far-western North Carolina hospital will no longer deliver babies.

Sometimes work doesn’t feel like work. That was the case for an Asheville contractor and his employees last week as they rehabbed an historic cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It takes a while to find the Cook cabin in Little Cataloochee. A long while. The roads go from asphalt to gravel and then finally dirt. That last portion can only be accessed via a two-mile hike on foot along the Little Cataloochee Trail - or by vehicle but only if you have the key to the gate. “My name is

Asheville isn't alone when it comes to problems with providing enough affordable housing. Citizen-Times reporter Emily Patrick found the struggle is often greater in areas well outside of the city in Western North Carolina. She wrote two articles for the paper looking at the issue , and joined BPR's Matt Bush to discuss her findings.