A health clinic that’s been serving migrant farm workers in Western Carolina for almost 60 years is hoping a new initiative will spur more conversations about the people who harvest your produce.

The Cherokee language is officially in a state of emergency. The number of fluent speakers has been dwindling for years. BPR spoke with Cherokee language experts about what is being done to teach and preserve their native tongue. There are only about 200 fluent Cherokee speakers left in the Eastern Band of the Cherokee(EBCI) and only about 2,000 nationwide. Leaders in the Eastern Band say that’s not because the language isn’t being taught - but rather a lack of teachers and Cherokee families

Generations of Asheville’s black community will be highlighted in a series of public art installations downtown. The Celebrating African Americans through Public Art initiative aims to honor the surrounding corridor, The Block, at the heart of the city’s African American history.

A new report finds North Carolina’s clean energy jobs grew 3.5% last year, nearly double the statewide employment growth of 1.9%. BPR’s Helen Chickering has details.

The Shoops welcome Dr. Joseph Cooper to the show in this episode, which focuses on his book From Exploitation Back To Empowerment: Black Male Holistic (Under)Development Through Sport And (Mis)Education. Their conversation is so in-depth and engrossing that we've split it into two episodes. In the first, Dr. Cooper talks about his upbringing and how it led him to write a book about how major revenue college sports exploit African-American males in particular. (Music featured includes Aim by

An educational summer camp for the children of migrant farm workers is in its second year on the campus of the University of North Carolina - Asheville.

Since the sale of Mission Health earlier this year, the foundation tasked with spending the profits of the deal has been quiet. BPR got an update from the chair of the organization’s board: Dogwood Health Trust Foundation is tasked with distributing the profits of the $1.5 billion dollar sale of Mission Health to HCA. As part of his stipulations for the sale, North Carolina attorney general Josh Stein wanted increased diversity on Dogwood’s board of directors. Now that the 14 board members have

Around one in four Buncombe County residents reported having more than a week of poor mental health in a month, according to a 2018 report by the county's Health and Human Services Department . Finding and affording a therapist are two barriers for treatment, but historically marginalized communities also face cultural stigma and a lack of providers who share their experiences.

It’s been almost six months since Mission Health was sold to for-profit HCA Health. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein visited two Mission Hospitals this week to see how the aftermath of the sale is transpiring. BPR c aught up with him at Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. During the negotiations of the $1.5 billion dollar sale of Mission Health to HCA, the approval of the sale by the state Attorney General’s office was one of the biggest question marks. Stein called for a number

Murphy-based nonprofit Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition has a new name this month after a merger with Asheville conservation nonprofit Mountain True. Here’s what this expansion means for the region: Callie Moore has been the director of Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition for over 15 years so she’s still getting used to answering the phone by saying, “Hello, Mountain True.” “We’ve already changed the signage and the outgoing voicemail and everything,” says Moore. Moore says multiple people