It hasn't even been a week since Congressman Madison Cawthorn announced he would run in North Carolina's newly drawn 13 th district. In his current district, the political consequences of his decision are only just beginning to emerge.
In the first part of StoryCraft, we learn about the origins of the partnership with BPR and Asheville Writers In The Schools and Community, and we introduce you to one of the youth poets - 15-year-old Antonio Stinson, now in the 9th grade at Asheville High School. During StoryCraft's summer 2021 storytelling workshops, Antonio used the writing prompt "Who am I?" to develop a powerful poem that uses musical structure and composition to explore the role music plays in his life. "I want people to t...
Preston Blakely is in his first term as a city council member for the town of Fletcher. But by the end of the year, the 27-year-old will be mayor of the town of over 8-thousand in Henderson County.
1898 was a violent year in North Carolina. The white supremacist coup that took place in Wilmington that year is getting more and more attention as history is re-examined. Similar racist violence took place across the state that year, including an incident in the mountains that can still be felt today. History teacher John deVille convened a group of marchers in Franklin on a cold Saturday evening. "We are here tonight to remember Mitchell Mozeley, who was killed illegally by a mob 123 years ago...
Veteran's Day celebrates the service of members of the armed forces. For some of those veterans, their service never stops, even years after they take off that uniform for the last time. For the Haywood County chapter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, that service means a little something extra.
Cherokee County's former Department of Social Services director pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice at the end of October. The charge focuses on Cindy Palmer's use of an illegal custody agreement which could have unlawfully removed as many as 50 children from their homes in the county. Carolina Public Press' lead investigative reporter Kate Martin has been covering the trails of those families for two years and spoke with BPR's Lilly Knoepp about ongoing litigation. Lilly Knoepp: Thi...
A news report released this month showed a Western North Carolina state representative is a member of one of the largest anti-government groups in the country. Republican Mike Clampitt told BPR that he wasn't trying to hide his affiliation: Clampitt doesn't see what was newsworthy about his name on a list of members of the Oath Keepers. "No, it's not new information. I feel like it's been very open and out there," said Clampitt. He's been an open member since 2014. Non-profit news organization P...
The 2018 murder conviction of a Haywood County man charged with selling narcotics linked to a deadly overdose has caught the attention of public health researchers. They've published a paper that raises questions about the harsh punishment. BPR's Helen Chickering talked with the researchers over Zoom about the behind the scenes work that led to the findings.
Fans of puns and cleaning up trash have an opportunity to help out in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this weekend. Saturday is the 4 th year of the Deep Creep Smokies Service Day. Sheridan Roberts is the volunteer coordinator for the park. "We thought it would just be really fun to do a costumed clean-up at Deep Creep, Deep Creek - and call it the Deep Creep," said Roberts. Volunteers meet up in costume at Deep Creek in Swain County to clean up the area and do activities. "Probably some...
An article in Rolling Stone magazine reports that two people who planned the rallies ahead of the January 6 th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. - both whom are now cooperating with Congressional investigators - have said they talked with seven Republican members of the House of Representatives or their offices ahead of the day about attempts to overturn former President Donald Trump's election loss. Among them is Western North Carolina's Madison Cawthorn.
Members of the National Nurses United Union at Mission Hospital marched outside the building Thursday morning, asking for a solution to a staff shortage across departments. Dozens of nurses gathered including a person dressed in a death costume with a sign reading "Unsafe staffing is good for business." Others were dressed in scrubs, coats and masks. Elizabeth Binzel is a nurse from the cardiac unit. She says she worked two 15 hours shifts last week - both without a break. "That is in no way saf...
Outside of Old Fort, the Western North Carolina railroad bends around Andrews Geyser. The man-made fountain is named after the vice president of the company that owned the railroad, built in the 1870's. Now, the thousands of laborers who did the work are finally memorialized at the site too.
Recently, social media swirled with reports that a Great Smoky Mountains Railroad train had derailed.
A memorial to the incarcerated laborers that built the railroad into Western North Carolina in the late 1800's will be dedicated this weekend - culminating an effort by historians and community leaders to bring attention to a crucial piece of history in the region that had long been ignored or forgotten.
North Carolina lawmakers hope to have redistricting completed by the end of this month. There are plenty of proposed maps floating about right now, but Western Carolina University Dr. Chris Cooper urges people not to overreact to any of them - because the only map that matters is the final one.
The last decade saw significant population growth in Asheville. But that didn't lead to similar growth in the city of the principle driver of climate change.
Western Carolina University is looking for feedback as the school updates its future land use plan. This year's student population at Western Carolina University surpassed the predictions which estimated there would be just over 11,000 students in the year 2023. Mike Beyers is chief financial officer of the school. "As we work on this update we don't plan to project the growth to be quite as great over last 8 years. We expect it to slow a bit," said Beyers. The Cullowhee campus of Western Caroli...
Earlier this month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal Council upheld its ban on same-sex marriage . BPR looked into how widespread these bans are in Native American Tribal governments across the United States:
Several health departments and vaccine providers across Western North Carolina are rolling out the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot to people 65 and older and others now eligible . Buncombe , Henderson , and Haywood Jackson , Madison , and McDowell counties are among those offering the booster shot. Meantime, there are lots of questions about just who is qualified to get the extra dose.
The Nantahala Health Foundation and Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation hope to address the region's housing crisis by helping homeowners keep their homes livable. Lori Bailey, executive director of nonprofit Nantahala Health Foundation explains their new Healthy Homes Initiative. "If you're a family that is really struggling to get by already then you need a little assistance just to keep it in good repair going forward and so that you are able to keep living there," said Bailey. Keeping up ho...
Downtown Sylva has a new addition - a sculpture of Harriet Tubman. Meet the local woman behind the sculpture. The 9-ft bronze sculpture called "Journey to Freedom" sits in Bridge Park. "Looking at the sculpture, I'm like that's not my face but those are my hands, those are my feet, that's my body. Like I am Harriet Tubman too." That's Jada Bryson. She's a dance teacher in Franklin where her family has lived for as long as they have records. She was dancing at a Macon County Women's History Trail...
There was plenty of disappointment last year when MerleFest became a casualty of the pandemic. This year, the show went on. America's premier "traditional plus" music festival returned, once again giving undiscovered acts their chance to shine.
Campgrounds are a way of life in Western North Carolina - and have been long before the current camping craze which helped bring more than 12-million visitors to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park last year. BPR went to Laurel Bank Campground in Haywood County. Camping there is more than a weekend activity or a vacation. It's life - and family. Sherrie Lynn McArthur still remembers growing up at Laurel Bank Campground in Cruso. She is now 66 years old. "I was raised here, went to school on t...
A nationally-acclaimed eatery in Asheville that honors soul food and African foodways has a new chef de cuisine. The new head of the kitchen at Benne On Eagle plans to shift the restaurant's flavors and focus.
Eastern Band of Cherokee held its general election on September 2 nd . The unofficial results for the new tribal council and the three referendum questions on the ballot. BPR's Lilly Knoepp spoke with Holly Kays, outdoor editor and staff writer at the Smoky Mountain News about the election results. Lilly Knoepp: So Holly and I just spent the day together at Tribal Council meeting. This was recorded September 9 th . She is much more experienced with Tribal Council than I am. She's been covering i...
A second flood didn't occur in Haywood County this week. Despite a voluntary evacuation, that allowed locals to continue their cleanup from flooding more than two weeks ago. The ground is still muddy outside Juke Box Junction Restaurant where Peter Constantian is sitting outside. He points to how high the water level in the Pigeon River rose during the flood. "They said the water came all the way up to the floor boards, and maybe a little bit came through the floor boards but the basement was to...
Video footage from a Republican Party event last weekend showed Western North Carolina Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn speaking about January 6th insurrectionists in a much different way than he had previously. Those remarks have people from both parties calling for a rebuke or his removal .
A study from the North Carolina Cable Telecommunications Association finds that utility poles -- in particular, who owns them -- are holding up access to high speed internet across the state.
A new clinic aims to make healthcare more accessible in Graham County Schools. With the school year underway, workers are putting the finishing touches on a new health clinic for students and staff. "As a family nurse practitioner, we kind of tease and say, 'we go from womb to tomb,'" said Debbie McDaniel. She's a nurse practitioner with Erlanger Health System and will be the lead healthcare provider at the Graham County Schools Health Clinic. The clinic is part of a partnership with Erlanger He...
Residents in Haywood County are holding their breath that remnants of Hurricane Ida don't add to their misery this week. For some, the trauma of what happened two weeks ago is still front and center.
