Former Asheville police officer Chris Hickman pled guilty Friday morning to three charges related to the beating of an unarmed African-American pedestrian in August of 2017, including one felony count of assault. But under a plea deal, Hickman can have those charges expunged if he completes a restorative justice program.

A plant that grows wild in Western North Carolina is having a moment.

North Carolina’s state budget fight is entering its second month. While Republican leaders in the General Assembly and Democratic governor Roy Cooper remain far apart on ending it, the lack of a new state budget is holding up progress on an important issue for rural parts of the state. With so much focus on how the budget standoff will play out, it’s unlikely that any more bills will be passed this session. John Coggin is the Director of Advocacy at the NC Rural Center. “Yeah we don’t expect

UPDATE:(2:30 p.m. Tuesday ) Cherokee Guns confirms that the billboard was taken down this morning. The store had more time on their contract with Allison Advertising, which owns the billboard, so they put up a new message. The billboard now reads: "First Amendment. Enough Said. Cherkoee Guns." Last week, a billboard in Murphy made national headlines after detractors called it racist. It stayed up through the weekend, a weekend that saw two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that left more than 30

New Asheville police chief Chris Bailey steps into his role in the wake of events that have created distrust in communities of color. In July, the Asheville Police Department apologized for statements on gang activity in the area which were criticized as racial profiling.

In this episode, our hosts continue their conversation with Dr. Joseph Cooper, author of the book From Exploitation Back To Empowerment: Black Male Holistic (Under)Development Through Sport And (Mis)Education. They focus on 'special admissions' that universities use to admit athletes - and how that really hurts and not helps the people who get them. (Music featured includes Broken Soul Blues by Squire Tuck)

A controversial billboard in Murphy depicting and deriding four Democratic Congress women is staying up - for now. BPR spoke with the town’s mayor and the store owner about the attention the sign has brought: The billboard advertising Cherokee Guns references the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but calls the Congress women – whom President Trump recently told to go back to their countries, even though all four are U.S. citizens - “idiots.” Cherokee Guns sits along Highway 64. The parking lot is

One of Asheville’s best-known chefs is celebrating his first full year since he took the oath to become an American citizen.

North Carolina GOP Congressman Patrick McHenry kicked off a series of town hall meetings in Buncombe County Wed. morning.

A new interactive taco map highlights minority and women-owned businesses in the area. Multimedia designer and creator Luis Martinez launched Taco Map AVL in July. He said he hopes the map brings together communities and dispel stereotypes about Latinx people in the region.