Blue Ridge Public Radio

Blue Ridge Public Radio BPR informs, inspires, connects, and reflects the people and places of Western North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Public Radio creates and curates content that informs, inspires, connects, and reflects the people and places of Western North Carolina. BPR cultivates a more engaged, curious, and empathetic public by listening deeply and embracing diversity.

On Wednesday, Asheville’s two mayoral candidates, Esther Manheimer and Kim Roney, attended the first major campaign even...
05/29/2026

On Wednesday, Asheville’s two mayoral candidates, Esther Manheimer and Kim Roney, attended the first major campaign event of the season at The Country Club of Asheville.

At the forum, which drew around 100 people, both candidates agreed that Asheville’s biggest challenges include affordable housing, homelessness and long-term recovery from Hurricane Helene.

But they expressed differing views on policing and their overall approach to politics.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

From AVL Watchdog: A Mission Hospital patient under an involuntary commitment order died by su***de inside the psychiatr...
05/27/2026

From AVL Watchdog: A Mission Hospital patient under an involuntary commitment order died by su***de inside the psychiatric unit in the early morning hours of May 21, Asheville Watchdog has confirmed.

The patient, whom The Watchdog is not naming at this time, was brought to the hospital by law enforcement, according to four people familiar with the incident.

“The agency is aware of the reported patient su***de at Mission Hospital and takes this matter very seriously,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said.

CMS has repeatedly sanctioned Mission Hospital since HCA Healthcare acquired it in 2019, determining that at least nine patient deaths were connected to lapses in care. Since January, the hospital has been under “enhanced monitoring” by CMS. On Tuesday, surveyors for the agency were reported to be at Mission Hospital.

Mission Hospital representatives did not respond to questions from Asheville Watchdog.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

There’s something similar to a small city of construction workers and heavy machinery along Interstate 40 near the Tenne...
05/26/2026

There’s something similar to a small city of construction workers and heavy machinery along Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border.

It’s part of a $2 billion effort to repair the highway, which was partially washed into the Pigeon River by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina Department of Transportation officials are hoping the project — one of the most expensive in state history — will lead the interstate to a more resilient future.

On a recent sunny morning, workers in hard hats and vests were harvesting rock from the nearby Pisgah National Forest. Every now and then, an off-road truck rattled across a bridge and dumped the rocks at a site where machines crushed them into ever-smaller pieces that were then hauled further up the river.

The winding, 5-mile stretch of interstate along the Pigeon River Gorge just south of the Tennessee border has seen its share of temporary repairs due to landslides and other disasters over the years.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

For communities along the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, the threat Hurricane Helene made devastatingly real in 2024...
05/21/2026

For communities along the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, the threat Hurricane Helene made devastatingly real in 2024 remains a fact of life. Now the state is investing more than $1.2 million to help Swannanoa and Rosman fight back.

According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the funding comes through its Flood Resiliency Blueprint program and will support restoration work along both rivers, led by two local nonprofits-- RiverLink and Conserving Carolina.

"Rebuilding more resiliently in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene continues to be an urgent priority," said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. "These projects will make downstream communities less vulnerable to damage during future floods."

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Buncombe County plans to ask its voters for permission to take on $70 million in new debt this November. At Tuesday nigh...
05/20/2026

Buncombe County plans to ask its voters for permission to take on $70 million in new debt this November. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Board of Commissioners began the legal process for placing two bond referenda on the general election ballot.

Two documents unanimously approved by the board outline plans to seek approval for $40 million in borrowing for affordable housing projects and $30 million for land conservation.

Those amounts, as well as their designated purposes, are similar to the bond issues that Buncombe voters approved in 2022.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Asheville is taking a major step to shore up its water infrastructure, nearly two years after Hurricane Helene derailed ...
05/19/2026

Asheville is taking a major step to shore up its water infrastructure, nearly two years after Hurricane Helene derailed the city’s system and left 160,000 customers without access to potable water for weeks.

With the help of FEMA’s Public Assistance program, the city is moving forward on a $25 million water pre-treatment system at the William Debruhl Water Plant in Swannanoa. Asheville is also pursuing an additional $260 million from FEMA for major upgrades at North Fork Reservoir, the largest of the city’s three water plants.

Bill Hart, the city’s Water Resources Director, said his top priority is to deepen the water system’s resilience from climate disasters, particularly flooding and landslides.

“A lot of the actions that we continue to take are as a result of Hurricane Helene,” he told BPR. “A lot of the projects we're looking at right now and a lot of work we're doing is for resilience and for recovery. We want to make sure that our future is a bright one.”

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Citizen scientists are monitoring climate change's impact on all kinds of living things in the Great Smoky Mountains Nat...
05/19/2026

Citizen scientists are monitoring climate change's impact on all kinds of living things in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

That work has become even more important now that federal budget cuts have resulted in trimming science agencies and reducing park staff.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

From AVL Watchdog: At HCA Healthcare’s April 23 shareholder meeting, CEO Sam Hazen pushed back on claims that he needed ...
05/18/2026

From AVL Watchdog: At HCA Healthcare’s April 23 shareholder meeting, CEO Sam Hazen pushed back on claims that he needed to do more to engage with Mission Hospital, which faces a fast-approaching deadline to fix deficiencies in care or face the loss of Medicare and Medicaid funding.

“In my normal travels, I go to Asheville, North Carolina frequently. I have visited with community leaders and key stakeholders and our people at our hospitals numerous times,” said Hazen, who became CEO in January 2019, just months before HCA bought the Mission Health system for $1.5 billion.

But 14 elected officials across the city, county and region interviewed by Asheville Watchdog said they have never met with Hazen. Many said that they are not aware of anyone who has.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

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