*Advisory to listeners (readers), this story contains ethnic and homophobic slurs. Reports of assaults on Asian-Americans are on the rise in the time of COVID-19, as some have blamed the pandemic on China. An organization representing Asian-Americans in North Carolina announced this week it will start collecting reports of racially-charged incidents in the wake of Coronavirus.

What happens when a medical student and a dental resident harness 3D technology to help flatten the coronavirus curve in North Carolina? BPR’s Helen Chickering reports.

As a sovereign nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have been able to respond to COVID-19 differently than its neighbors in Western North Carolina. BPR spoke with tribal members and officials about how they are handling the health crisis: When Jade Teesateskie got tested for COVID-19 she had no symptoms of the virus. “I volunteered to go get tested showing no symptoms at all and still have not had any symptoms to this day,” says Teesateskie, who is 26 years old. Teesateskie did test

Coronavirus has led to dramatic changes in crime and justice in Asheville from the courtroom to the cop on the street. Reported crimes are down, police are making fewer arrests and inmates are being sprung from jail.

Covid-19 has shaken Asheville’s real estate market, in some areas more than others.

BPR's Helen Chickering talks with NC Health News Founding Editor Rose Hoban about the metrics state health officials are monitoring, the discussions by state lawmakers working on a COVID-19 relief bill and (below) the NC connection to the newly approved COVID-19 drug therapy.

Buncombe county residents who think they may have symptoms of COVID-19 can get answers and connect to resources with a new online Self -Checker . The digital tool was created by a COVID-19 think tank started by Emergency Preparedness Director Fletcher Tove with support from the Mountain Area Health Education Center . The idea for the online resource came from a local climate scientist who also worked to develop and program the self-checker. BPR’S Helen Chickering reports.

Several manufacturers in Western North Carolina have converted their operations to make personal protective equipment (PPE) but one is uniquely qualified to help during the pandemic. Industrial Opportunities Inc - known as IOI - has been in Andrews since the 1970’s. It manufactures military and medical products while also working with disabled and disadvantaged adults from Cherokee, Clay and Graham Counties. The company has a unique non-profit mission, explains CEO Tom O’Brien. “ I have personal

The tourism industry for Buncombe County has brought in just 7% of what it normally would in the month of April. That means the county has lost over $150-million dollars in visitor spending this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure which will only grow as stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements head into May.

Forced to stay home, Western Carolinians are choosing to add a companion to their quarantine.