P ublic schools in North Carolina will be closed for the next two weeks. Here’s how systems in the westernmost part of the state are handling it: Schools in Cherokee , Clay , Swain , Graham , Macon , Jackson and Haywood Count ies all announced meals for students will be available for pick up t his week - with some starting as early as tomorrow. Additionally schools are putting into place online and at home learning materials options for students. A person from New York is now isolating in Macon

Organizations supporting migrant farmworkers in North Carolina are raising awareness about working conditions for the thousands who travel to the state to harvest seasonal crops, like strawberries and tobacco.

Western Carolina University is keeping its campus open while transitioning classes online. BPR spoke to a university official about what students should do at this time. On a Thursday morning the Cullowhee campus is mostly empty because of spring break. That break has now been extended through March 23. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Sam Miller says over a hundred students are on campus but all will need to weigh their options to figure out what is best for them: “There’s going to be trade

Macon County Commissioners voted to approve a constitutional support resolution Tuesday night. This resolution was different from a 2nd Amendment sanctuary resolution many other counties in North Carolina have passed. For 3 months, Macon County commissioners have been discussing this – and Tuesday night’s meeting was the biggest yet. About 40 people spoke during the public comment period. Some weren’t there for guns but for additional funding for art programs at Macon County schools. The tone of

Find COVID-19 resources and the latest case count in North Carolina here and testing information here. (3/30 4 p.m.) The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association , the trade association behind NC’s $23.5 billion hospitality industry, has launched a relief fund to provide fast access to cash for restaurant and hotel workers immediately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A press release states the goal of the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund is to provide qualified applicants with $500

Reports say that Frontier Communications will declare bankruptcy this week. Here's what that could mean for Western North Carolina: Frontier is one of the largest broadband providers in the region. Beyond that Frontier provides telecom services across 29 states. That’s why news that the company might file for bankruptcy is turning a lot of heads. Wes King is director of communications for the North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure office. “Whenever we hear that a large internet service provider

What has long been rumored is now reality – Western North Carolina Republican Congressman Mark Meadows will become President Donald Trump’s chief of staff. The move will likely leave his seat in Congress vacant for eight months if not longer.

There will be no water in the hot tubs at the AG Center in Fletcher this weekend, The AG center is hosting a hot tub expo – just months after the Legionnaire’s outbreak linked to hot tub displays at the Center. BPR’s Helen Chickering has details.

Republican voters in Western North Carolina will head to the polls again in just two months to decide a runoff primary following Tuesday’s results in the 11 th Congressional district. No candidate in the 11-person field for the GOP nomination hit the 30% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. That means the top two vote-getters – Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn – will face each other in the May runoff.

3/3/2020 - North Carolina has reported its first case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. State health officials say t he test, conducted by North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, is presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab. The North Carolina person from Wake County traveled to the state of Washington and was exposed at a long-term care facility where there is currently a COVID-19 outbreak. The