The “Picturing Appalachia” project brings old images into the present, sharing scenes of mountain life produced by some of the region’s earliest photographers.

The $20.6 billion budget the Senate proposed Sunday is a massive 413-page bill that is as much a policy document as it is a spending plan with specific measures that could impact Western North Carolina.

Two Republican state senators are seeking funds for DWI toxicology and other case work at a new WNC crime lab in either Henderson or Burke county.

One of the only surviving bills in the N.C. General Assembly related to gun control would close permit information to the public, making it nearly impossible for groups to watchdog how the government issues licenses to buy hundreds of thousands of handguns.

State water quality officials are still considering whether to fine MSD for the spill, which is likely the largest one documented by the wastewater treatment facility in the last 20 years.

WNC supporters say short-changing a program that’s been a boost to the region’s economy and conservation efforts is the wrong move.