Legendary comedian Andy Kaufman once famously said “there’s no drama like wrestling”, and this is still true for millions of Americans today, especially in Western North Carolina. WCQS’s Davin Eldridge asks local fans and wrestlers ‘why’? On any given night, in any given town throughout the Carolinas, droves of locals often gather for another night of professional wrestling. There’s about a dozen major independent wrestling promotions in North Carolina, and at least a dozen or so smaller ones

Haywood County's tax collector position is unique - it's the only tax collector office in North Carolina that is still elected. Similar positions in the state's other 99 counties are appointed. Whether that will remain the same is at the heart of a battle between the current holder of that office - Republican Mike Matthews - and Democrats who hold the majority of Haywood County commissioner seats. Smoky Mountain News reporter Corey Vaillancourt brings us the latest on the story, which started as

Congress was in recess last week, meaning some but not all members were holding town hall meetings with constituents back home. Members of Western North Carolina's congressional delegation were NOT holding such meetings however. So residents of Clay and Cherokee Counties held their own. It was standing room only at the Clay County courthouse in Hayesville, as more than a hundred locals turned out for a town hall meeting on the Affordable Care Act— known as “Obamacare” to many—and what is to

Tornadoes aren’t common here western North Carolina, but they are in the southeast and when they strike, they tend to be deadlier and more destructive than in other parts of the country. A research team at UNC Asheville is working to figure out why southeastern storms are so lethal by retracing the footprints of twisters the way detectives investigate a crime scene. WCQS's Helen Chickering reports. It was just minutes into the NFC championship game. “Touchdown Atlanta!” The Atlanta Falcons

The Asheville city council has finally decided on changes for Pritchard Park in downtown. They include fencing, meaning that portions of one of the city's iconic spaces will be sealed off . Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Joel Burgess has been on the story since the city started looking at changes. Burgess says many of the changes were necessary because of overuse of the park, or as he puts it, the parking being "loved to death." He joined WCQS news director Matt Bush to discuss what the city

A bill that would make elections for superior and district court judges in North Carolina partisan again has cleared the state house of representatives. Wednesday’s vote follows a trend to add partisanship back to judicial elections in North Carolina, meaning the party affiliation of a candidate would be listed on the ballot. Starting in 2002, all elections were non-partisan. Court of Appeals races became partisan last year, and Supreme Court races will be too in the future. Western Carolina

Asheville’s restaurant scene is one of the big reasons why the city’s national profile continues to rise. African-American restauranteurs, chefs, and cooks will be honored at an event Wednesday afternoon showcasing the role Asheville’s black population has in the industry. Asheville’s unemployment rate stood at 4 percent at the end of last year. That figure for the city’s black population is several times higher. One of the barriers to employment for African-Americans is many jobs require

With lawmakers back in Raleigh for their long session, we’re taking the time to speak to the members from out here in the west. Today, Brian Turner, a Democrat of Buncombe County. Turner represents District 116 in the House of Representatives.

WCQS's Jeremy Loeb interviews Rep. Brian Turner, Democrat of Buncombe County. This is the full interview. The original web post is here .

Democratic Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday introduced an HB2 repeal he framed as a compromise. Cooper, along with Democratic party leaders Sen. Dan Blue and Rep. Darren Jackson, said the bill would address the concerns of all parties. But shortly after Cooper's press conference, Republican Senate leader Phil Berger's office issued a statement calling it a 'so-called compromise' and repeating an inflammatory jab calling on Cooper to say whether he supports allowing men into women's restrooms. The