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.

Some WNC locals took to the streets ahead of this week’s G20 Finance Track meetings. Here’s what they had to say. Read f...
08/31/2026

Some WNC locals took to the streets ahead of this week’s G20 Finance Track meetings.

Here’s what they had to say.

Read full story at link in bio.

✍️Reporting by Felicia Sonmez for Blue Ridge Public Radio/BPR

📷Photos and videos courtesy of Felicia Sonmez

Hundreds of financial leaders, central bank governors and journalists from the world’s largest economies have arrived in...
08/31/2026

Hundreds of financial leaders, central bank governors and journalists from the world’s largest economies have arrived in Asheville for this week’s G20 finance track meeting.

The gathering at the Omni Grove Park Inn will put a global spotlight on Western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. It’s also expected to bring up to $2 million in spending at local businesses.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared a video on X Sunday evening that highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to support the recovery, pointing to $5 billion in post-storm federal assistance.

But the damage caused by the historic disaster far eclipses that amount.

In recent days, demonstrators hit the streets of Asheville to protest what they said is the failure of the Trump administration and Congress to help Western North Carolina fully rebuild.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) is rejecting the House Ethics Committee’s conclusion that he sexually harassed two female fo...
08/28/2026

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) is rejecting the House Ethics Committee’s conclusion that he sexually harassed two female former staff members.

Edwards, who has represented North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District since 2023, is making his case to colleagues ahead of a possible censure vote next week.

In a statement Thursday, Edwards said he “unequivocally rejects” the ethics committee’s conclusion that he engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward the staffers.

"Sexual harassment is a serious offense. One that deserves to be defined clearly, investigated fairly, and established by evidence—not inference or speculation,” Edwards said, adding that the committee’s conclusions “do not accurately reflect the facts or the full context surrounding these allegations.”

According to NOTUS, a news outlet based in Washington, D.C., Edwards also circulated a letter Thursday in which he urged fellow House members not to censure him.

“An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition,” Edwards wrote in the letter, according to NOTUS. “A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct. Socializing with a colleague is not sexual misconduct. Caring deeply about someone with whom you have worked and come to know for years is not sexual misconduct.”

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Asheville City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to end the city’s contract with automatic license plate reader provider Flock S...
08/27/2026

Asheville City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to end the city’s contract with automatic license plate reader provider Flock Safety, but it rejected calls for city government to stop all use of the technology.

Council also adopted changes to development rules to make it easier to build duplexes and accessory dwelling units in much of the city in an attempt to increase housing supply.

A stream of speakers asked Council to get rid of all automated license plate readers it uses in addition to the 11 cameras Flock provides for city government, arguing that the cameras are an invasion of privacy and the data they collect can be misused. The city also has dashboard-mounted cameras on police cruisers that collect license plate data. They are provided by a different company, Axon.

Ending the Flock contract is “a solid step toward protecting the privacy of Asheville residents,” Jen Hampton told Council before the vote. “But, let’s be completely honest with each other tonight. This move does look like a total bait and switch.”

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Starting this weekend, Asheville will have a rare international spotlight as global finance leaders touch down in the ci...
08/25/2026

Starting this weekend, Asheville will have a rare international spotlight as global finance leaders touch down in the city for a pair of high-profile G20 meetings.

The economic forum, which runs Aug. 29 through Sept. 1, welcomes finance ministers, central bank governors, roughly 200 journalists and a slew of Fortune 500 executives from the world’s leading economies. The first two days involve discussions among financial deputies, ahead of the main meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

Attendees are expected to discuss financial regulation, global economic “imbalances,” cryptocurrency and the United States’ $40 trillion debt, among other things. A $1 million federal contract indicates that the event will take place at the Omni Grove Park Inn, a historic luxury hotel just north of downtown Asheville.

As the city prepares to host roughly 1,000 visitors, the appearance of so many powerful economic leaders is hitting a raw nerve for some Asheville residents. The Trump administration has framed the event as an opportunity to spotlight the region’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, the most deadly and expensive storm in the state’s history.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Asheville City Council essentially gave its blessing Thursday to postponing consideration of a revamp of the city’s bus ...
08/24/2026

Asheville City Council essentially gave its blessing Thursday to postponing consideration of a revamp of the city’s bus routes that sparked significant opposition from people dependent on the transit system.

Council had been scheduled to vote next week on a proposal to eliminate some less used bus routes and increase the frequency of service along key city corridors. The intention was to get more people to use the system but without a significant increase in city spending on transit.

But Mayor Esther Manheimer this week said a vote would be postponed because of concerns by many city residents that losing routes would be a hardship for people who do not drive or live in neighborhoods that would no longer be served by the system.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper on Thursday brought his campaign to Hendersonville, where he delivered remarks on t...
08/21/2026

Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper on Thursday brought his campaign to Hendersonville, where he delivered remarks on the economy and Hurricane Helene recovery.

More than 200 people turned out to see the former governor, who faces former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley in the fall.

Taking the stage at Oklawaha Brewery, Cooper acknowledged that it’s been years since North Carolina elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.

But he said that if his party retakes the chamber in November, securing more funding for Helene recovery and making life more affordable will be at the top of the agenda.

“We can roll back these tariffs,” Cooper told the crowd, referring to the Trump administration’s tariffs on dozens of countries. “You know, Congress can take back its constitutional authority on trade and tariffs and roll them back and help these small businesses and consumers who are getting the brunt of the cost on this.”

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Asheville may soon join the growing list of communities that are canceling contracts with Flock.On Tuesday, Asheville Ci...
08/21/2026

Asheville may soon join the growing list of communities that are canceling contracts with Flock.

On Tuesday, Asheville City Council will vote on a resolution that would force an early termination of the police department’s contract with the Atlanta-based company and request the removal of 11 automated license plate readers.

Still, the Asheville Police Department – and some council members – say they remain open to using a different form of automated license plate reader if the Flock contract is canceled.

The resolution comes as residents have increasingly voiced concerns over Flock’s privacy and data sharing practices. It would prohibit city employees from accessing, searching, analyzing or sharing Flock data after contract termination.

The cameras scan license plates, photograph vehicles and upload vehicle characteristics, locations and timestamps to a searchable cloud database. According to APD, 86 Flock cameras are deployed throughout Buncombe County, including 11 in Asheville. Cameras operated by other public or private entities would not be affected by the vote.

APD has contracted with Flock since 2025. The $72,000 agreement was originally set to expire at the end of January 2027.

Flock operates a national database that police, and in some cases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have used to track the movements of civilians. A recent investigation from 404 Media also revealed that some police officers have used the technology to stalk people.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

"Bring back Charles D. Owen Park," several Swannanoa residents asked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Tuesday....
08/21/2026

"Bring back Charles D. Owen Park," several Swannanoa residents asked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

Before Tropical Storm Helene struck in 2024, “Owen Park was a meeting place,” resident Jerald Pope said. “We walked there ‘most every day, met hundreds of people.”

The nearly 30-acre park off Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa contained walking paths, two fishing ponds, ballfields, basketball courts and other facilities. It adjoins the Swannanoa River and county government says it sustained the most damage from Helene of any county park. It has been closed since the storm.

Residents’ pleas came during a public hearing on the county’s planned application for roughly $24 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds earmarked for disaster relief.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

More than 200 people turned out Wednesday for a public hearing on proposals from four hospital systems to expand in Bunc...
08/20/2026

More than 200 people turned out Wednesday for a public hearing on proposals from four hospital systems to expand in Buncombe County.

Mission Hospital, AdventHealth, UNC Health West and Novant Health are all competing for state approval to add up to 92 beds to their new or existing facilities. According to state Department of Health and Human Services requirements, the beds must serve residents of Buncombe, Clay, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties.

Representatives from each of the four hospital systems made their case for expansion during the hearing at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium. The proposals range from Novant Health’s bid to add 20 beds to its new South Asheville medical center, to UNC Health West’s proposal for a new 92-bed hospital at the site of the current Westgate Shopping Center.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Address

73 Broadway Street
Asheville, NC
28801

Telephone

+18282104800

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Blue Ridge Public Radio posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Blue Ridge Public Radio:

Shortcuts

Share

Category