BPR News Extended: Recent Episodes
In this special episode of The Porch, we hear from rural retirees about what their lives are like in the mountains.
The nation's political eyes are on North Carolina. First, for the gerrymandering lawsuit that the state supreme court is expected to rule that will determine lines for U.S. House and General Assembly elections this year, but also for the U.S. Senate election which could determine which party controls the chamber next year.
Bob Orr has had a long career in the public eye. His latest career move actually falls in line with what he first went to UNC Chapel Hill to study.
A lot contributes to climate change. A Warren Wilson College professor decided to examine one factor that many might find uncomfortable to talk about but is something we will all face - our death.
2021 in North Carolina politics saw a lot of what marked the state's politics in the prior decade - lawsuits and court rulings that left just as many questions as answers.
New maps made new lines. Those inspired Western North Carolina's Congressman to run somewhere else, meaning the region will have a member of Congress come 2023. Maybe.
A federal government housing voucher program is making the problems it was designed to alleviate only worse in the South. That's according to a six-month investigation done by the USA Today Network.
Just one month after the protests following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Asheville City Council approved a resolution calling for reparations for the city's black community. 16 months later, most of the details are still being worked out.
For almost 40 years, faculty at UNC Asheville have helped in the creation of the annual global Political Terror Scale . The report measures and codes human rights violations by countries across the globe.
On August 17th, historic flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred devastated Western North Carolina. Haywood County was hit hardest, as six people were killed in the Cruso, Canton, and Bethel areas.
On August 17th, flash floods caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred left six people dead in Haywood County, and devastated homes and businesses there and in neighboring Buncombe and Transylvania Counties. While the analysis is ongoing of what caused such rapid and destructive flooding in these tight spaces, one reason is inescapable - climate change.
Dr. Darin Waters will take over next month as North Carolina's Deputy Secretary for Archives and History. The job in the state department of Natural and Cultural Resources comes with many responsibilities, including being North Carolina's state historian.
The 2020 U.S. Census figures arrived last week eagerly anticipated - and late (for a variety of reasons).
Since BPR launched "The Porch" last summer, the news team has produced episodes centered on racial justice movements, policing, the insurrection on the US Capitol, all of this and more, while also navigating an unprecedented global pandemic. This episode is a little different. We invited listeners to submit funny stories from the past year and compiled them into this episode and online. It's a community gathering we're calling "Viral Humor." We've all felt it. The awkwardness of talking, or shouting, at a cashier through layers of masks and plexiglass. The toddler running around in the background of someone's Zoom call. The stinging sensation of the gobs of hand sanitizer seeping into our chapped hands. This is not to say, of course, that the pandemic is funny. No, Covid-19 hurt, all of us. Many of us lost loved ones, struggled with isolation, lost our jobs, put dreams on hold. And it's not over, we are very much still in this. But if this show aims to do anything, it's say "hey, it's
One year after the racial justice protests following the police murder of George Floyd, how much closer are we to the goals stated by the marchers in Asheville and Western North Carolina?
In this episode of The Porch, from BPR News, we explore this question: If communities benefit from the work and presence of artists, what is our collective responsibility to publicly pay for the arts? This episode includes: Interviews with Nate McGaha of Arts NC and Sheila Smith, recently retired from Minnesota Citizens for the Arts A look into our local arts councils, focusing on Transylvania County, Haywood County and the council serving Mitchell and Yancey counties. Interviews with educators and students with UNC-Asheville's STEAM studio and the founding director of the Institute for Arts and STEAM Integration. (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured in this episode includes Three Floors by Blue Dot Sessions)
In this episode of The Porch, a production of the BPR news team, we hear from - BPR's Lilly Knoepp about her reporting on the independent monitor tasked with ensuring HCA holds to the promises it made when it purchased Mission Health Joel Burgess of the Asheville Citizen-Times about Asheville City Council's retreat this month which was at the center of a lawsuit filed by five local media outlets. Burgess also talks about the latest on how the city will set property taxes this year. Dr. Chris Cooper , political scientist at Western Carolina University, talks about the comparatively slow pace the North Carolina General Assembly is taking so far this year (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured in this episode includes Three Floors by Blue Dot Sessions)
In this episode of BPR News Presents: The Porch, we talk with-- Musician, poet and writer Chelsea Labate Mike Martinez of the ska-rock band Natural Born Leaders Autobiographical storyteller and actress Barbie Angell Melissa Hyman of the folk duo The Moon & You Psychologist and researcher Dr. Christa Taylor Psychologist and dance therapist Dr. Ilene Serlin (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger).
In this episode of BPR News Presents: The Porch, we talk with - Emma Johnson, the climate science fellow for The Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting. She's been examining how climate change is hurting Western North Carolina's famed trout fishing, and whether the pandemic has slowed or continued the damage. Dr. Edward Lopez, the director of Western Carolina University's Center for the Study of Free Enterprise , which recently put out a report looking at North Carolina's potential for economic recovery post-pandemic. He's joined by Emma Blair Fedison, a graduate student at George Mason University, who also worked on the study. Cicely Rogers and Toshia Sitton, of the REGAL Learning Pod at Pisgah View Apartments in West Asheville. REGAL -- which stands for Relevant Education Grows All Learners - is a framework that aims to support students of color by offering an inclusive learning space, led by adults in their own community. Six students from Asheville City Schools meet regularly at the
In this episode of BPR News Presents: The Porch - We feature an episode of WUNC's podcast Tested titled 'An American Coup' which looks at the only violent overthrow of a government in U.S. history, which occurred in 1898 in Wilmington, North Carolina Western Carolina University political scientist Dr. Chris Cooper gives us a civics lesson on what it takes to remove and/or discipline sitting members of Congress, plus how an impeachment trial of President Trump can go on even when he is no longer in office Asheville therapist Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis talks about vicarious trauma that a person can feel watching or listening the news about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured in this episode includes Feeling by Borrtex)
In this episode, we talk with - - Dr. David Ellis, the chief medical officer for Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, where the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered in Western North Carolina this week. - Irene Smoker-Jackson, a Cherokee language translator for New Kituwah Academy Elementary in Cherokee. She's one of just a few hundred fluent Cherokee speakers in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She lost her mother to COVID-19 this year. - Tamiko Ambrose Murray and Marisol Jiminez, who've formed their own consulting firm built on storytelling and unraveling deep trauma to help businesses of all stripes and sizes address their roles in structural racism. The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured in this show includes Musa, 6th Melody by Livio Amato
In this episode, we talk with - - Dr. Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University, about why partisanship was the biggest winner in this week's elections in North Carolina - Raul Saldana, the founding director of the new PEAK Academy charter school in Asheville - Peter Lewis, reporter for AVL Watchdog, who wrote two extensive stories about the sale of Mission Health to HCA, with more planned in the near future The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured in this show includes Kick, Push by Ryan Little
The sale of Mission Health to HCA made be concluded as a financial transaction, but the details of how it was reached are few and far between. Peter Lewis of AVL Watchdog wrote two stories last month ( here and here ) examining what details about how Mission reached its agreement with HCA, and whether the then non-profit health system sold for far less than it was worth. He spoke with BPR's Matt Bush for the second episode of BPR News Presents: The Porch. You can listen to the interview above.
What is the future of live performance in Asheville? BPR's Matt Peiken checks in with local performers working in contemporary and classical music, along with managers of the venues that stage them, about how they're strategizing and meeting challenges about performing in front of in-person audiences in a socially distanced reality. This is a condensed version of a Facebook Live broadcast from October 21st, which can be viewed here . Guests include the musicians Mike Martinez (Natural Born Leaders), Ashley Heath, Andrew Fletcher and The Resonant Rogues, leaders of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center, Pan Harmonia and Asheville Choral Society, and managers of the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, the Orange Peel/Rabbit Rabbit, the Grey Eagle and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium / Harrah's Cherokee Center. (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger)
BPR News Presents: 2020 Local Election Special, is a production of the Blue Ridge Public Radio news team. It's three segments include an interview with Buncombe County elections director Corinne Duncan , and portions of two candidate forums done on the BPR Facebook page - for Asheville City Council , and for North Carolina State House District 119 . (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music featured includes FAWM9 by Damon Boucher)
Early voting in North Carolina runs from Thursday October 15th to Saturday October 31st ahead of the November 3rd general election.
On September 4 th and 5 th Blue Ridge Public Radio in partnership with Smoky Mountain News and Mountain Xpress held two forums with the major party candidates for the currently vacant seat in North Carolina's 11th Congressional district. Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis faced each other at Western Carolina University's Biltmore Park campus, and then again at the school's main campus in Cullowhee. Cory Vaillancourt of Smoky Mountain News and BPR moderated. Below is a condensed one-hour program the features portions of both forums. You can watch the full forums anytime on the BPR Facebook page . (The BPR News Presents theme song is The Vibes by Audiobinger)
For the superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the killing of George Floyd over the summer hit especially hard.
At this particular moment in history, we think it's vital that we give ourselves more time to listen to what's happening in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia. To do that, Blue Ridge Public Radio is launching a new program from its news department - BPR News Presents: The Porch . In our debut episode, we speak with Buncombe County elections director Corinne Duncan , Great Smoky Mountains National Park superintendent Cassius Cash , and the first Black principal in Macon County schools post-integration Shirley Parks . (The BPR News Presents theme is The Vibes by Audiobinger. Other music included in this episode includes I Care by Loyalty Freak Music)
North Carolina will be one of the state's that decides this fall's presidential election, plus which party controls the U.S. Senate. It also has one of the most watched gubernatorial elections in the U.S. this fall, plus every seat in the North Carolina General Assembly is on the ballot, all of the council state, seats on county commissions, city councils, town aldermen...you get the point. North Carolina is first in the country in this respect - it's the first state to mail out mail-in ballots that have been requested by voters. They go out Friday September 4 th , and because of the pandemic, requests for absentee mail-in ballots this year in North Carolina are more than 15 times greater than at this point four years ago. BPR's Matt Bush chatted over Zoom with Buncombe County elections director Corrine Duncan about all things mail-in ballot for the debut episode of Blue Ridge Public Radio's new program BPR News Presents: The Porch. You can hear it Friday morning September 4th at 9 a.m.,
Students started back to school last month amidst the uncertain world of COVID-19 and a racial justice movement across America. Franklin resident Shirley Parks remembers her own uncertain days as a student during integration in Macon County and much later in 2011 as the first Black principal in the county since integration. Parks worked in the Macon County School System for 33 years . She says its hard to watch children and parents struggling with the current COVID-19 pandemic. "No one is winning right now either way, so we just have to do what we can with what we have, with the training that the teachers are doing, and they are out there for the students. And I know that the parents are struggling to - especially the ones that have to go back to work so that you aren't there to help your little one... I was just thinking last night I'm so glad that I don't have to go through this, but you know overall, if I was I would be working just as hard as the rest of them. I'm just glad to be
On Thursday July 23rd, Blue Ridge Public Radio hosted a live Zoom panel to discuss police funding in Asheville. BPR News Presents: A Conversation On Policing In Asheville, is hosted by BPR's Matt Peiken. His guests discussing the call to defund the Asheville police department include Robert Thomas of the Racial Justice Coalition, Zaria Abdulkarim of Democracy NC, retired UNC Asheville professor and founder of The State of Black Asheville report Dr. Dwight Mullen, local Fraternal Order of Police president Rondel Lance, and Buncombe County sheriff Quentin Miller. You can listen to an abridged one-hour version of the conversation above, or on both BPR Classic and BPR News Friday July 31st at 9 a.m. and Saturday August 1st at 3 p.m. The entire two-hour talk can be viewed on the BPR Facebook page. (Music featured includes The Vibes by Audiobinger)
On February 6th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with four candidates running for the Democratic nomination for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. The forum includes Moe Davis, Gina Collias, Michael O'Shea, and Phillip Price. Steve Woodsmall is also running for the Democratic nomination, but was unable to attend the forum. Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25th, and primary day is Tuesday March 3rd. Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:21 - Opening Statements 9:19 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 15:04 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen to record levels at the same time. Why do you think that is and what would you do about as a member of
On February 7th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with two candidates running for the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. All told, 11 candidates are running in the GOP primary. Each were invited to participate in two forums BPR held. This forum features two of them - Lynda Bennett and Joey Osborne. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29th. Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25th, and primary day is Tuesday March 3rd. Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:22 - Opening Statements 6:00 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 7:55 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen to record levels at the
On February 7 th Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum with three candidates running for the Republican nomination for North Carolina's 11 th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Western North Carolina. All told, 11 candidates are running in the GOP primary. Each were invited to participate in two forums BPR held. This forum features three of them - Wayne King, Vance Patterson, and Albert Wiley. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29 th . Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25 th , and primary day is Tuesday March 3 rd . Photo ID is not required to vote in the primary election. FORUM TIME CODES 1:21 - Opening Statements 6:58 - What is the biggest issue facing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District? 11:33 - The U.S. has seen an extended economic boom over the last decade, but the federal deficit has risen
On February 5 th, Blue Ridge Public Radio held a forum in its studios with the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for the North Carolina state senate seat for district 49, which covers central and western Buncombe County. Democrat Terry Van Duyn currently holds the seat, but is vacating it to run for lieutenant governor in 2020. Republican Bob Penland is running for his party's nomination unopposed. His opponent in the fall will be either Julie Mayfield, Ben Scales, or Travis Smith. Early voting for the primary election in North Carolina runs until February 29 th . Those who have not registered to vote yet will only be able to do so during the early voting period. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is February 25 th , and primary day is Tuesday March 3 rd . And remember, voters do not need to show photo ID to vote in the primary election. TIME CODES FOR QUESTIONS AT FORUM 1:06 - Opening statements 7:34 - If elected, you will be headed to Raleigh during a
Early voting is underway in North Carolina for the March 3 rd primary. Voters in Western North Carolina will have plenty of candidates from the major parties to choose from for the 11 th Congressional District seat - 16 of them to be exact, 11 Republicans and 5 Democrats.
Early voting in North Carolina starts on February 13th and runs until Feburary 29th. Same day voter registration is available each day of early voting. Photo ID is not required to vote during the primary election. The deadline to register to vote in order to cast a ballot on primary day March 3rd has already passed, so those who have yet to register will only be able to vote during the early voting period.
Asheville city council members meet for the final time in 2019 Tuesday evening, and lawmakers will take up a resolution that calls for a climate emergency to be declared by the city. While the resolution calls for action but offers no policy, a set of wide-ranging legislative proposals around climate change could be in front of lawmakers early next year. Their sponsor refers to them as a local 'Green New Deal', patterned after the similarly-named plan introduced in Congress this year two Democrats - New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey.
Blue Ridge Public Radio's Lilly Knoepp sat down with North Carolina's Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green after she visited Western Carolina University writing students . Shelton Green talked about how she views her work as a part of Southern Literature, why poetry is important and where real change happens. Here are some key parts of the conversation. How people should be introduced: "I believe in the philosophy that what we keep, keeps us. So I ask people to introduce themselves by way of an object, a memory, a place or something special that they keep. And as we go around the room sharing that people start to hear their own stories inside of the other things that people are keeping." Tune in at about seven minutes to hear a story about Biscuitville, 'Make America Great Again' hats and Black History Month: "This story for me embodies what this work can be as the poet laureate, as an ambassador of literary arts across North Carolina. Meeting people where they are. Not being judgemental
Bears have become a very big deal in Asheville. Pictures of them at least. As their natural habitat is being encroached on by increasing development, snapping photos of bears in the urban environment of the city has become quite popular on social media. But pictures of a certain kind of bear have been popping up a lot in recent months.
Asheville city council will hold a work session Tuesday evening on whether to take legal action stop the imposition of electoral districts for future city council elections. Council members appear split on whether to sue the state in an attempt to stop districts, which were created after the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved a measure creating districts last year.
Friendship is the driving force behind a new organization that aims to improve racial equity in Asheville schools -- starting with classroom bookshelves.
The installation ceremony for Dr. Nancy Cable as UNC Asheville chancellor takes place this Friday April 26 on the Quad on campus. Cable began her tenure as the school's 8th chancellor began last August, and her first school year at UNC Asheville has seen challenges. In the first days of her tenure, the school's new residence halls had to be closed to students over fire safety concerns. Asheville firefighters lived at the dorms for weeks after. Then in the spring, Eblen Charities CEO Bill Murdock returned his honorary degree that he was awarded from the school just the year before after renewed concerns over his guilty plea to a sex crime charge in 1988 surfaced after reporting from CNN and the Asheville Citizen-Times . Dr. Cable sat down with BPR's Matt Bush to discuss how she felt the school responded to those circumstances, as well as all the events taking place during her installation ceremony this week (which can be read below). Thursday, April 25, in the Blue Ridge Room, Highsmith
UPDATE: Friday 3:00 p.m. - The board of directors for Eblen Charities announced Friday morning that Bill Murdock will retire from his position as CEO. Later Friday afternoon, Murdock also resigned his seat on the board of trustees for A-B Tech. The decisions come just days after a CNN report that featured the first interview with victim of sexual abuse that Murdock plead guilty to in 1988.
This week the Asheville Citizen-Times published a study showing Asheville police were disproportionately charging African-Americans with resisting arrest. The study, which looked at the last five year, found that 35-percent of resisting arrest charges filed by Asheville police were against African-Americans. The city's black population is only 12-percent. The study also found a sizable number of those arrests for resisting an officer included no other charges. Joel Burgess of the Citizen-Times spoke to many people for his story, including some people who were charged with resisting arrest. That includes Johnnie Rush, whose beating and choking by a then-Asheville police officer in August 2017 made national headlines. Burgess spoke with BPR's Matt Bush about what the study found, and how it might affect the future of a police department that's been in flux for multiple years.
The percentage of black students at four of Western North Carolina's universities is low, and so is the number of faculty members at each schools that could mentors for those students. This week, BPR has been talking with students from UNC Asheville who presented at this fall's African-Americans in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia conference. In our final interview, BPR's Matt Bush speaks with Jeremy James, who graduated from the school this month. He looked at the lack of African-American mentors for black students at five schools in the region - UNC Asheville, Western Carolina, Warren Wilson, Mars Hill, and Appalachian State. Excerpts from interview: On the significance of the mentor-student relationship in college - "That role is very significant, especially in this new period with colleges where so much is based off of connections. So, I don't know everyone's situation but I know mine, and it's one of the top things (graduate & doctorate programs) recommend is to
The Shiloh Elementary school served Asheville's African-American community from the 1920's until it graduated its last class in 1969. Shiloh was one of the more than 45-hundred Rosenwald Schools, which were built in the early 20th century to serve African-American students in rural parts of the Southern U.S. There were also Rosenwald Schools in Brevard and Mars Hill. They were created through a partnership of Julius Rosenwald, a white Jewish businessman and philanthropist, and Booker T. Washington, the famed African-American leader and educator. This week, BPR is featuring interviews with students at UNC Asheville who presented at this fall's African-Americans in Western North Carolina & Southern Appalachia Conference. Chris McKoy, a senior at the school, spoke about his research into Shiloh Elementary in Asheville, which included speaking to numerous people who attended the school. Excerpts on interview: Tell us some of the stories that you heard from your interviews with students
The 5th annual African-Americans in WNC and Southern Appalachia Conference was held at the end of October on the campus of UNC Asheville. The theme of this year's conference was 'Making The Invisible Visible'. Four students gave presentations at the conference on research projects they were doing for the fall semester. BPR will feature three of those students on-air during Morning Edition this week as they completed their research this month. First up is junior Flo Jacques, who researched the history of aid and educational opportunities for African-Americans in Western North Carolina. Excerpts of interview - On why she focused on Western North Carolina specifically - "Although Asheville is known as (the largest) city in Western North Carolina, there is so much more to know about. It was very interesting to find the little histories that people do not know a lot about at all. If you were not educated about this, you might think you'd never find people in the west of North Carolina
Asheville police chief Tammy Hooper says the department is in a better place than it was three years ago when she arrived. It's one of many reasons why Hooper gave her resignation this week. Hooper intended to resign earlier this year, going so far as give notice in February to then Asheville city manager Gary Jackson. It was at the end of that month that video was leaked to and then published by the Asheville Citizen-Times showing then-Asheville police officer Chris Hickman beating and choking an unarmed black pedestrian. Hickman ended up facing criminal charges, and Jackson was ousted as city manager. Hooper herself faced heavy criticism too, but maintained the support of a majority of city council and decided to stay on until a new city manager was hired. Hooper tells BPR the Hickman case showed that some of the reforms she pushed for in her time as chief have stuck and will do so after she leaves. "How do we make these things stick? We make them stick by having written policies,"
Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows (NC-11) spoke with Cory Vaillancourt of Smoky Mountain News and BPR News ahead of the 2018 election. You can listen to their full interview here. Meadows is seeking a fourth term in office this fall. His challengers are Democrat Phillip Price and Libertarian Clifton Ingraham.
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 Buncombe County that includes most of Asheville and Black Mountain. McHenry is seeking an 8th term in office. Early voting in North Carolina runs until November 3rd. You can find a polling place near you here . Election Day is November 6th. Those who did not register to vote by the October 12th deadline can still vote but only during the early voting period. They will not be able to vote on Election Day. 0:00 - Introduction 0:53 - Opening statements 5:33 - If elected, would you support retaining
On Wednesday October 17th, Blue Ridge Public Radio and Mountain Xpress hosted a forum with the candidates for the District 2 seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Republican Glenda Weinert and Democrat Amanda Edwards are running for the seat being vacated by Democrat Ellen Frost, who declined to run for re-election. Early voting in North Carolina runs until November 3rd. You can find a polling place near you here . Election Day is November 6th. Those who did not register to vote by the October 12th deadline can still vote but only during the early voting period. They will not be able to vote on Election Day. 0:00 - Introduction 1:01 - Opening statements 4:47 - What would you do as county commissioner to help restore faith and trust in Buncombe County government following the Wanda Greene scandal? 7:39 - What do you think of what commissioners have done already in the aftermath of the Greene scandal? 10:51 - District 2 is one of the most closely divided election districts
On Tuesday October 16th, Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Asheville Citizen-Times hosted a forum with the candidates for the District 3 seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Republican incumbent Robert Pressley and Democrat Donna Ensley took part in the forum. Pressley was first elected to the board in 2016. Early voting in North Carolina starts Wednesday October 17th and runs until November 3rd. You can find a polling place near you here . Election Day is November 6th. Those who did not register to vote by last week's deadline can still vote but only during the early voting period. They will not be able to vote on Election Day. 0:00 - Introduction 1:02 - Opening statements 5:39 - What will you do to restore faith and trust in Buncombe County government in the aftermath of the Wanda Greene scandal? 8:47 - How do you think commissioners have handled the aftermath and fallout from the scandal thus far? 11:35 - Recent reporting by the Citizen-Times shows that portions of
On Monday October 15th, Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Asheville Citizen-Times held a forum with the candidates running for Buncombe County sheriff. Democrat Quentin Miller, a 25-year veteran of the Asheville police force, and Republican Shad Higgins, a Weaverville business owner, participated. Libertarian Tracey DeBruhl did not respond to repeated invitations to participate. The winner of this election will replace Van Duncan, who decided to retire after serving three terms in office. Early voting in North Carolina starts Wednesday October 17th and runs until November 3rd. You can find a polling place near you here . Election Day is November 6th. Those who did not register to vote by last week's deadline can still vote but only during the early voting period. They will not be able to vote on Election Day. 0:00 - Introduction 1:06 - Opening statements 3:36 - With the Buncombe County jail routinely at near capacity, what if any reforms do you believe are necessary? 6:58 - In a climate
Early voting begins Wednesday October 17th in North Carolina. Probably the most critical item on the ballot is a race for a seat on the state Supreme Court. BPR's Jeremy Loeb spoke with each of the candidates. Above is his interview with Democrat Anita Earls. Interviews with the other two candidates can be found here .
Early voting begins Wednesday October 17th in North Carolina. Probably the most critical item on the ballot is a race for a seat on the state Supreme Court. BPR's Jeremy Loeb spoke with each of the candidates. Above is his interview with Republican Justice Barbara Jackson, the incumbent in the race. Interviews with the other two candidates can be found here .
Early voting begins Wednesday October 17th in North Carolina. Probably the most critical item on the ballot is a race for a seat on the state Supreme Court. BPR's Jeremy Loeb spoke with each of the candidates. Above is his interview with Republican Chris Anglin. Interviews with the other two candidates can be found here .
Perhaps the biggest race on the ballot for North Carolina voters is for a seat on the state Supreme Court. The seat is currently held by Republican Barbara Jackson . She has two challengers in Democrat Anita Earls and Republican Chris Anglin . BPR's Jeremy Loeb conducted in-depth interviews with each of them.
When Kathryn Edin was studying poverty in the U.S., she and Luke Schaefer made a startling discovery - the number of households in the U.S. living on just $2.00 a day had skyrocketed in the past two decades. The pair authored the 2016 book ' $2.00 A Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America' which chronicles their research into why extreme poverty has risen so much in America. At the time of the book's release, they estimated 1.5 million households in America qualify as extremely poor, and that 3-million children live in those households. Edin talked to families living at this level across the country, including in Johnson City, Tennessee. She shared her findings with BPR's Matt Bush, as well as potential solutions to this problem in areas like Asheville which have seen sustained economic growth, but also rising inequality. Edin will be the speaker at the Thursday evening's Pisgah Legal Services 8th Annual Poverty Forum . It starts at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Tickets can
Buncombe County's rape crisis and prevention center says it has seen a surge in calls before, during, and after last Thursday's hearing featuring Dr. Christine Ford. She testified to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee allegations that supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Angelica Wind is the executive director of Our Voice , which provides services and support to survivors of sexual violence in Buncombe County. She explains to BPR's Matt Bush why Dr. Ford's testimony is so triggering for survivors - leading to a surge of calls for help, not just locally but nationally. Our VOICE operates a 24-hour crisis hotline. The number is 828-255-7576 Excerpts from interview with Angelica Wind - On why Dr. Ford's testimony and appearance last Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee has been so triggering for survivors of sexual violence - "In the past we have been accustomed to having discussions about rape. But this is a conversation about
Carol Anderson's book "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy" is an extensive look at voter suppression methods past and present. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb about her book and about suppression efforts taking place in North Carolina.
BPR will be interviewing candidates for state races in the 2018 midterms. Our series of conversations starts with Norm Bossert. Bossert is a Democrat running in the heavily Republican Senate District 48, which encompasses Henderson, Transylvania and southern Buncombe counties. It's currently represented by Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards. Bossert spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb.
Ballots are finalized (we think) for the high-stakes November mid-term elections. Voters will be deciding a state Supreme Court race, the fate of 6 amendments to the state constitution, who goes to Congress and who goes to the legislature. Western Carolina Univeristy political scientist Chris Cooper breaks it all down with BPR's Jeremy Loeb.
Monday is the first day of classes for the fall semester at UNC-Asheville. It also marks the beginning of Dr. Nancy Cable's tenure as the 8th chancellor at the school. She takes over for Dr. Mary Grant, who left the school at the end of 2017. Dr. Joe Urgo served as interim chancellor until Cable's arrival. Cable comes to Asheville from the world of philanthropy, having served as the president of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations since 2012. Cable's first few days on the job were hectic - a complaint from the North Carolina Department of Insurance forced the university to close its five new residence halls to students last week after 59 of them had already moved in. Late Friday night, The Woods complex was re-opened, but the concerns of the DOI remain. Firefighters will live in the complex until the lingering issues regarding standpipes and sprinklers in the buildings are resolved. Cable discussed that and a number of other topics with BPR's Matt Bush. What has the university done to
An increase in bear encounters has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to consider clamping down on food storage rules for campers in parts of Western North Carolina. BPR's Helen Chickering has details. Hanging food from a tree is apparently no longer enough to keep away the black bears that live around two popular Western North Carolina camping spots Panthertown Valley , just outside of Cashiers in Jackson County and the portion of the Appalachian Trail that travels through North Carolina "They have just learned that it's real easy to climb a tree and hold a backpack down," says Nantahala District Wildlife Biologist Johnny Wills, who says that scene is happening more often in the two areas. Wills says once a bear connects with a food source it's a hard habit to break, which is why the Forest Service is proposing mandatory bear resistant containers for overnight campers in both areas. "We make that mandatory and everybody complies with it, we stand a pret5ty good chance of more bears
NC State University's Institute for Emerging Issues is bringing its forum to Asheville in a month, September 17. New York Times columnist David Brooks will headline the event. Leslie Boney is the IEI's director. He spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb about the focus of this year's forum, titled ReCONNECT to Community.
A former assistant coach for the University of North Carolina football team says players have the power - if they choose to use it - to reverse the suspensions of 13 players for improperly selling school-issued shoes. John Shoop served as North Carolina's offensive co-ordinator from 2007 to 2011 under then head coach Butch Davis. During that time, an academic scandal led to the suspensions of several players. Shoop says he sees echoes of that incident in the current one. But he says the ensuing years have shown college athletes have power to fight back against what Shoop calls unfair punishments for trivial offenses. And Shoop (who co-hosts BPR's sports & ethics podcast 'Going Deep: Sports in the 21st Century' with his wife Marcia) believes if players refuse to play in the Tar Heels first game September 1 st against California, those suspensions would be dropped. "If they threaten to protest it, the problem will get solved," Shoop says. "(UNC athletic director) Bubba Cunningham,
The Trump administration took another swipe at the Affordable Care Act recently in announcing that it's cutting funding to ACA 'navigators' 72 percent, from $36 million to $10 million. In North Carolina, the cut is even more severe: an 85 percent cut from $3.4 million to $500,000. That will hurt the efforts of navigators to help get people enrolled in health insurance. Jackie Kiger is an attorney and ACA navigator with Pisgah Legal Services serving western North Carolina. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb. Pisgah Legal Services is a business sponsor of BPR.
Asheville native Jackie Grant is now president of the North Carolina Bar Association . She was inaugurated at the NCBA's annual meeting last month. The A.C. Reynolds High School and Western Carolina University graduate is the first woman attorney from Asheville to serve as president of the NCBA, and only the second African-American woman to hold the position. Grant is a partner and litigator for Roberts & Stevens. She sat down with BPR's Matt Bush to talk about the role the Bar Association plays, and what lawyers can bring to discussions about criminal justice reform and educating the public about the court system. INTERVIEW EXCERPTS - On the role of the North Carolina Bar Association - "The Bar Association is the voluntary bar of lawyers. The North Carolina State Bar is the mandatory bar that handles licensing and disciplinary actions with lawyers. The North Carolina Bar Association has over 20-thousand members. We look at proposed legislation, anything that affects the legal
Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb about the latest in North Carolina politics. This week saw a major U.S. Supreme Court "punt" on political gerrymandering, a flurry of election changes pushed by Republican state lawmakers amid a process that's drawn criticism for a lack of transparency, and the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border draws a response from local politicians.
A new study put out by the League of Women Voters finds the vast majority of schools taking in students receiving vouchers are teaching a biblical worldview. Many of those schools are using what's called the Abeka Curriculum, which teaches students the earth was created 6,000 years ago, that climate change is a hoax, and refers to media as the "liberal press," according to study author Bonnie Bechard. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb.
The legislature started the Opportunity Scholarship Program in 2013. It provides taxpayer-funded scholarships to allow children to attend private schools. Critics argue the money should be put towards public schools and not towards private schools that aren't required to adhere to any state standard. The LWV study indicates many of those schools aren't complying with any state standard, and many are pushing a biblical or even political view.
Lawmakers are vastly expanding the Opportunity Scholarship Program by $10 million per year, putting its cost over a billion dollars over its 15 year lifetime unless changes are made.
Western Carolina University is unveiling NCDataDashboard.org, an online resource that shows key economic indicators and trends for all 100 counties in North Carolina. The site includes 12,000 unique data series according to the school, including information on employment, workforce, land, infrastructure and industry GDP. That data is broken down county by county. Two of those instrumental in creating the resource, WCU economics professors Angela Dills and Edward Lopez, joined BPR's Matt Bush for a Facebook Live chat. You can listen to the full discussion above or watch it here. Among the key takeaways from the data for Western North Carolina according to Lopez and Dills is that region has rebounded well from the Great Recession of 2008. Manufacturing numbers have risen, and the tourism industry has boomed. But wages have lagged and housing prices have risen, and Lopez noted the issuing of building permits - which the dashboard tracks - is at a seven-year low, something he says is not a good sign in fixing the lack of affordable housing throughout the region.
Commencement ceremonies take place this Saturday on the campus of UNC-Asheville. The school's interim chancellor Joe Urgo says this year's graduating class is the largest in recent memory, while the incoming class of freshman this fall is the largest in school history. Urgo sat down with BPR's Matt Bush to discuss news at the school, including the search for a full-time chancellor (expect something by the end of May). Urgo also discussed something he spoke about at a recent appearance in Western North Carolina by Margaret Spellings, the president of the University of North Carolina System - his desire to see higher education build the "thoughtforce" as much as it does the workforce. Urgo says there are a lot of intractable problems in the world right now - specifically noting climate change and racial inequity - and that the thinking that created those problems will not fix them. As the UNC-System's liberal arts university, Urgo believes UNC-Asheville is in a unique spot to do this. Urgo also discussed several initiatives and programs the university is undertaking to build a more diverse student body.
Asheville City Council member Vijay Kapoor was critical of the North Carolina legislature for moving towards forcing districts on the city of Asheville. Speaking with BPR's Jeremy Loeb, the councilman of south Asheville said his election shows that voters from anywhere in the city are fully capable of being represented on council under the current system. And he added that voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea of districts in a voter referendum.
The legislature is seeking input on criteria for a map for Asheville city council members from the public. The idea was pushed by Republican Senator Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville, who represents a small part of south Asheville. The idea was opposed by every other Asheville-area lawmaker, all Democrats, as well as Asheville mayor Esther Manheimer and the city council. Edwards did not respond to requests for an interview with BPR. But he has said that voters from south Asheville complained to him that they weren't being represented on city council. However, that argument took a hit when Kapoor got the most votes in the most recent city council election. Critics say Edwards' real goal is to make it easier for Republicans to be elected in the heavily-Democratic city.
Kapoor says this is an issue of voter rights, which he calls 'sacred.' And he says if the rights of the voters of Asheville comes under attack, he will defend them, through litigation if necessary. Kapoor spoke to BPR at length about the districts proposal, about the Asheville budget, and the infamous Asheville police beating video. The full interview is above.
Recently released data from Duke Energy is raising new concerns about contaminated water at the Asheville coal plant and others around the state. BPR's Jeremy Loeb reports groundwater at the Asheville plant had levels of radioactivity 38 times the federal safety standard.
Leaked video of an Asheville police officer beating an unarmed black man accused of jaywalking has brought renewed attention to the North Carolina law regarding the release of police body cam footage. Lauren Horsch of NC Insider reports the Asheville incident is being cited by the law's critics as an example of its weaknesses. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb.
As Horsch reports, the law signed in 2016 lays out the protocol for which body cam footage is released, and requires a superior court judge to sign off on it. The ACLU says the law could be preventing footage like the video that was leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times from seeing the light of day. A bill that would make minor tweaks to the law is stuck in a Senate rules committee after clearing the House.
You can follow Lauren Horsch on Twitter for up to date information on the North Carolina General Assembly.
The city of Asheville Monday afternoon formally asked Buncombe County Superior Court to release any additional police body camera footage of the beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush. The unarmed black man was beaten by then Asheville police officer Chris Hickman last August as he walking through the parking lot of a closed business on Short Coxe Avenue. Rush was initially stopped for suspected jaywalking and trespassing, but charges against him were dropped. Hickman resigned from the force in January, shortly before a criminal investigation into his actions in the Rush beating was opened by the Asheville police department. That investigation is expected to be finished in a week, at which point Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams will decide whether charges will be filed. The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, which typically handles such inquiries, told the Asheville Citizen-Times city police waited too long before asking them to investigate, and therefore the SBI would not look into the matter.
Police body camera footage is not public record in North Carolina, and only a court can order it to be released. The city of Asheville's petition is the first step in doing that. The body camera footage that showed the beating only became public when the video was given to the Asheville Citizen-Times. Both the Buncombe County District Attorney and Asheville police chief have said an investigation into the leak of the video the paper could be forthcoming.
The petition to release any other footage came just hours before an Asheville city council meeting where members in a closed session voted to release additional information about Hickman's personnel record. That can be viewed here. The new details show Hickman resigned at a meeting January 5th before chief Tammy Hooper could fire him. After reviewing 58 hours of footage from Hickman's body camera, four instances outside of the August beating incident were found where he displayed 'discourteous or rude behavior' to the public. No complaints were filed after those incidents, but the police department's Professional Standards Unit did launch a query into whether he violated any departmental policies in his actions.
This Wednesday March 7th, the city's Citizen Police Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center. It's open to the public. A hotline has also been opened to allow residents to share their thoughts on the beating video, with the messages they leave being sent to member of the committee. The hotline number is 828-259-5900.
Reverend Billy Graham passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 99 at his home in Montreat. The most prominent American Christian preacher of his era was ordained in Southern Baptist church, but it was his ability to blur the denominational lines of Protestant Christianity that built his large following says Reverend Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, the pastor at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville. She joined BPR's Matt Bush in studio to discuss how Graham was able to do that - plus his complex history with gender, racial, and LGBTQ doctrines in the U.S., and where Protestant Christianity stands and where it may be going at the time of his death. Reverend Mount Shoop is also the co-host of BPR's Going Deep: Sports in the 21st Century podcast. Episodes can be found here or through iTunes or Google Play Music, and can be heard Saturday afternoons at 3:30 on BPR News.
Excerpts of interview -
On blurring the denominational lines of Protestant Christianity - "Billy Graham is an interesting figure because he was a trailblazer - probably unconsciously so - in creating a space in which those lines started to blur and not be so important. He had a broad appeal...(he) began to loosen the hold that the denominational lines had, especially in mainline Protestantism, on frankly everything from the government to the economy, to the conventional culture of this country."
On how Graham was able to blur the denominational lines - "There became something very predictable and stale about being Methodist, or Presbyterian, and the Baptists do this...he kind of breathed life into if you're Christian, you do this."
On current evangelical Christianity and how it formed during Graham's heyday - "In some ways, evangelical is now equated with conservative politics or the religious right. Technically that term evangelical means that you are called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. So every Christian should be evangelical."
On his crusades and filling sports stadiums with followers - "He created an experience for people. It was a visceral experience. It was a revival. There was energy, there was feeling, there was movement. Lives were changed. They left those experiences different."
On whether denominational identity still matters to Christians now - "What I'm seeing is a soft resurgence in denominationalism now. I think it's because of our political climate. And people are looking for frameworks of meaning and how to be engaged in what's happening in the world...I think it's because of how much is up for grabs in our country politically and spiritually."
On the Billy Graham rule, where he would not be in the same room alone with a woman who was not his wife - "If Billy Graham does anything for us today as Americans...let it be that he holds a mirror up to us. His rule (was born) in a time when it was not uncommon for men in power to abuse their power. And to use that to have sexual relationships with women they had more power than. We're seeing with the MeToo movement that has persisted. On the one hand the feminist in me says, 'Hey I'm you're equal. We should be able to sit down and have a meeting just the two of us. And engage in a conversation about theology and church politics.' But there is another part of me that has lived in the church long enough and knows how much of a patriarchal institution it is to know...there are very few examples I can give you in which there wasn't some complexity to the men I was engaging with and how they used their power."
The North Carolina legislature is adjourned until May. Or are they? BPR's Jeremy Loeb and Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper talk about the latest in North Carolina politics, from a loaded class-size bill critics call a "poison pill" to a stand-off over Gen-X, the latest in the neverending gerrymandering saga, and the 2018 midterms.
A column last year in the News & Observer of Raleigh declared "North Carolina is no longer classified as a democracy." The article went viral and prompted a range of heated reactions, even death threats. The writer, Andrew Reynolds, a professor of political science at UNC Chapel Hill, recently updated us to say things had only gotten worse. He joined BPR's Jeremy Loeb and WUNC's Jeff Tiberii to discuss.
Tiberii also discussed the legislature, campaign finance reports, and his interview with Governor Roy Cooper, which was part of WUNC's series "Hitting Home: The Opioid Crisis in North Carolina."
Dan Pierce is UNC-Asheville's National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Professor in the Humanities. He's written several books on the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Pierce attributes his love of the park to first passing through it on Highway 441 when his family moved to Asheville from Arkansas in the 1950's. His book Hazel Creek: The Life and Death of an Iconic Mountain Community, will be the subject of a lecture Saturday at UNC-Asheville's Reuter Center. That's the home of OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Hazel Creek was a boom and bust town that eventually disappeared with the creation of the park and the construction of the Fontanna Dam. The reservoir created by the dam covers the area where Hazel Creek once stood. The history of the town - as well as the process that created the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - can still be felt today Pierce says, especially in how the federal government is viewed by many residents in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
(Timeline of interview)
:23 - What was Hazel Creek?
1:21 - How many towns were there in the area that became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
2:14 - What was intriguing about Hazel Creek that Pierce wanted to write about
4:22 - Why is there still lingering resentment about the process that created the park
5:20 - How does the process that created the park still linger today in how the federal government is viewed by many residents in the mountains of Western North Carolina
9:00 - What did Pierce learn about Hazel Creek as he wrote the book
17:18 - What is it about the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway (two most visited in the National Park System) that make them so attractive to visitors
24:42 - What is the lesson about how the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created that people need to learn
UNC-Asheville's winter graduation ceremony will be held Friday on campus. It will be the last event for chancellor Dr. Mary Grant, who earlier this year announced she would be leaving the school to become the president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston. Grant had been chancellor of UNC-Asheville since August of 2014. She sat down with BPR's Matt Bush for a lengthy interview which touched on many topics - such as the school's efforts to further integrate itself with the city of Asheville, the perception that the liberal arts field in higher education excludes non-white students and those who hold conservative political viewpoints, and the future of higher education at a time when negative partisan attitudes toward universities and colleges is growing.
The Washington Post published an article this week looking at North Carolina's moves on taxes in recent years for clues to how the GOP tax plan making its way through Congress could impact the country. BPR's Jeremy Loeb was joined by WUNC capitol reporter Jeff Tiberii and Western Carolina Univeristy political scientist Chris Cooper for a discussion of North Carolina's example with regards to taxes.
Senate Republicans in Congress could vote on their version of tax reform as soon as this week. If the Senate bill passes, it would need to be reconciled with the House version and then voted on again. There are still a number of Senate Republicans who have expressed reservations. They can only lose two votes for the bill to still pass without any Democratic support. BPR's Jeremy Loeb discusses its impact in Western North Carolina with NC State University economist Dr. Michael Walden.
North Carolina's Republican-dominated General Assembly has made a number of changes to the way judges are elected in the state, with many more proposals under current consideration. They include making races partisan and changes to district lines and term lengths, even eliminating some vacancies and proposals to do away with elections for judges altogether. Former state Supreme Court justice Robert Orr, a Republican, is no fan of the changes. He spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb about the proposals and about the state of the Republican party under President Donald Trump.
Orr told BPR the legislature's moves regarding the courts threaten the independence of the judiciary.
ÂWe've seen the legislature either enacting or proposing a variety of changes, that I think the only fair assessment would be, to make the court system and judges more inclined to the legislature's positions than contrary to them.Â
Regarding President Donald Trump, Orr was an early critic and says Trump's only gotten worse.
"Are there any characteristics or qualities of Donald Trump that I would want my children or grandchildren to emulate, and the truth is I can't think of a single one, which is a pretty sad commentary on the state of things."
So what's a Republican to do?
Orr doesn't have a specific answer, calling that "one of the biggest questions out there... These are very difficult time for those of us who I describe as mountain Republicans."
Orr is also representing the craft beer industry in its legal challenge against wholesale distributors over the 25,000 barrel cap brewers can produce before being forced to enter into a distribution contract. He said the lawsuit is in the early stages but thinks craft brewers have strong legal and constitutional ground to stand on.
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer got a resounding vote of confidence earlier this month, winning re-election with more than 80% of the vote. She stopped by BPR to speak with Jeremy Loeb about the election results and to look forward to her second four-year term. She also discussed possible actions the city might take in response to a legislative effort to force districts for council members, something Asheville voters overwhelmingly rejected.
There's been a big change atop one of North Carolina's most prominent civil rights organization. The influential leader of the North Carolina NAACP, Rev. William Barber II is stepping down to lead a national effort focused on the rights of the poor. BPR's Jeremy Loeb spoke with the man elected to take his place, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman. This is their full conversation.
New York Times political columnist and frequent commentator for NPR's All Things Considered David Brooks sat down with BPR's Jeremy Loeb for a discussion about the state of our country and media during the Trump presidency.
Brooks answered a range of questions about Trump, including his stability and his attacks on the media (including the New York Times). He also discussed the media in general, the state of the Republican party and much more during the twenty minute conversation. Two of Brooks' recent columns were discussed: The Philosophical Assault on Trumpism and Guns and the Soul of America.
The issue of how much partisan gerrymandering is too much is before the U.S. Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments Tuesday on a case out of Wisconsin challenging maps there for being too lopsided in favor of Republicans. That case could have huge implications in North Carolina, which has a nearly identical political situation, and where a similar case is winding its way through the courts. For the latest, BPR's Jeremy Loeb spoke with Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper.