In less than a month, voters in Western North Carolina decide the Republican nomination in the 11 th Congressional District. Outside of whether Lynda Bennett or Madison Cawthorn wins on June 23rd, how voters cast their ballots during a pandemic will be a major takeaway from the race - and a potential foreshadow of how prevalent mail-in voting will be for the November general election.

This month, universities said good-bye to graduating seniors in unusual ways. BPR takes us to UNC Asheville’s English graduation: On May 9, Professor Lori Horvitz, head of the English Department said goodbye to her students: “I have the pomp and circumstance theme music. Do you hear that?” The department graduation was held over Zoom. Each professor gave some final advice and then many of the students expressed their thanks to the department. Alyssa Vincent transferred to UNC Asheville her

Every Friday, BPR's Helen Chickering talks with NC Health News founding editor Rose Hoban about the week’s coronavirus headlines and emerging issues linked to the pandemic. This week they discuss the metrics amid the start of North Carolina’s Phase-2 reopening and the many roles churches are playing in the coronavirus pandemic. HC: When the governor read the list of businesses allowed to re-open or expand services, I was not surprised that bars didn’t make the list but was somewhat surprised

Summer camps are a big part of the culture of Western North Carolina. There are over 70 camps of all types for kids of all ages at the western end of the state. Many are still deciding if they will close due to COVID-19. Singing songs around a campfire, canoeing, team building - these are all activities that are associated with summer camp. They are also activities that require close contact - something that isn’t possible in a social distancing world of COVID-19. “Capture the flag is a big

Georgia and North Carolina have taken very different paths in responding to COVID-19. As Memorial Day approaches, BPR heads to a lake that lies in both states: Lake Chatuge is a man-made lake capped by the Chatuge Dam. It straddles the line between Georgia and North Carolina in Towns County and Clay County respectively. “It’s really gotten busy this week.” That’s Dwayne Phillips. He owns Lake Chatuge Boat Marine. The marina has been operating since 1972. Phillips and his family took over in 2014

Baseball fans everywhere eagerly await news of whether Major League Baseball will start play in 2020. Once MLB makes its mind up, then a decision on whether Minor League Baseball will play at all this year should soon follow. North Carolina is home 11 minor league teams, including the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. For one couple, the absence of the Tourists during the pandemic hits close to home.

The Coronavirus Pandemic popped up just as local governments across the state were in the heart of budget season. That’s forced many to reassess plans that were made back in January. As cities and counties ponder budget cuts, they’ll look closely at the pandemic’s impact on sales tax revenue.

An emergency relief fund which launched in March in response to COVID-19 has so far dispersed 78 loans to small businesses in the Asheville Area.

When the Rev. Tami Forte Logan learned that the Buncombe County Tourist Development Authority and allies won legislative approval to offer $5 million to small businesses crushed by the pandemic, she didn’t join the chorus of congratulations.

Across the country, counties expect to have to tighten their budgets this year because of the COVID-19 health crisis. The National Association of Counties estimates that by 2021 counties will have lost $144 billion dollars. This is due to the compounded impact of funding spent fighting COVID-19 and losses in revenue such as local sales taxes. This is the case in Transylvania County, explains County Commissioner Page Lemmel. She says the county budget will look very different this year: “What’s