Democrats hold a 4-3 edge on the Buncombe County board of commissioners. Each party has an incumbent on the ballot this fall, with another seat open thanks to Democrat Ellen Frost declining to run for re-election. Add in the Wanda Greene scandal - which occurred right under the noses of commissioners from both parties for decades – and a high stakes election is now even more so. There are three election districts in Buncombe County , and each gets to elect two commissioners. The chair of the

The Appalachian Regional Commission awarded more than $2 million dollars in grants to organizations in Western North Carolina. The biggest check went to the Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission for $1.25 million dollars. That money will expand the Western North Carolina Farmers Market in Asheville, by investing in a new facility that will teach entrepreneurs about food safety as well as develop food-centric entrepreneurial projects, often using the produce

An interfaith vigil Sunday afternoon filled the lower portion of Pack Square in downtown Asheville. It was held to honor the victims of Saturday’s shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Music, prayers, and poems filled the air at the vigil barely 24 hours after a gunman killed 11 people attending services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Among those who spoke was Asheville mayor Esther Manheimer, who said the enormity of what happened struck her

The Mission Health sale to HCA still sits on the desk of the North Carolina Attorney General waiting for approval. A local group of citizens have invited a former Missouri governor - who worked on a similar deal with HCA - to speak to the Attorney General’s staff in North Carolina about what he learned from his experiences. Former Missouri governor Jay Nixon has been in public office for over 30 years. During his time as that state’s attorney general, he worked to make sure that a public

Support and opposition to the six proposed North Carolina constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot breaks down along party lines by and large – with Republicans in support and Democrats against. One of those six proposed amendments would lower the cap on North Carolina’s income tax rate if approved. And in many ways, that campaign over that amendment pits philsophies against details. The current income tax rate cap in North Carolina is 10%, and approval of this constitutional amendment by

Debates are a chance for candidates to share their views with constituents in hopes to win their votes. One local debate series gives candidates that opportunity while also showcasing what local students care about says Dr. Bucky Dann of Southwestern Community College. “The debate tonight is hosted by the class members our Social Problems class here at Southwestern Community College,” announced Dr. Dann who is the debate moderator. “They are the ones who have been discussing these issues for

Early voting numbers are up in North Carolina with Election Day less than 2 weeks away. What do the early numbers tell us? Who's up and who's down? What are the big races to look out for? BPR's Jeremy Loeb discusses the latest with Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper.

This episode picks up where the last one left off - with Patton Robinette running off the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill before the first day of classes starts. He leads on our hosts through his journey on what happened next, including a history making redshirt freshman year at Vanderbilt to his decision to end his career to focus on medical school. (Music featured includes Kid Kodi and Copley Beat by Blue Dot Sessions)

Firefighters are no longer stationed at a new student residence complex on the campus of UNC Asheville. The school said in a statement that sufficient repairs to the buildings have been made so that a 24-hour fire watch is no longer needed. The five buildings that make up The Woods complex on campus opened in August. But just as the fall semester at UNC Asheville was set to begin, the complex was abruptly closed by order of the North Carolina department of insurance. Concerns lingered about fire

On Tuesday October 23rd, incumbent Republican Patrick McHenry and Democrat David Wilson Brown held their lone debate ahead of the election in North Carolina's 10th Congressional district. It took place at Highland Brewing in Asheville and was sponsored by the Council of Independent Business Owners (CIBO). The 10th was heavily redrawn earlier this decade during the last round of redistricting. It stretches west from the Charlotte suburbs to Polk County - with a narrow portion that juts north in