Entertainment

4 hours ago in Entertainment, Music

The Chicks announce intimate ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Tour. ‘This is our lives’

Call it a comeback, a crossover moment, or both. Twenty years ago, The Chicks released their blockbuster 2006 album "Taking the Long Way" — their first full-length after the country music industry turned their backs on them — and one of the biggest of their career.

21 hours ago in Entertainment

What tastes like a Korean pancake and is purple all over? An Oreo inspired by K-pop group BTS

Oreo is teaming up with K-pop supergroup BTS for a bit of marketing dynamite that capitalizes on consumers' growing interest in global flavors.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, continuing a more than century-old tradition. The three-day competition began Tuesday and concludes Thursday night.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop opens for tours. Here’s what’s inside the once-hidden puppet studio

Deep in a cavernous New York City warehouse, the artisans behind some of the world's most beloved children's characters have been fashioning costumes and puppets for years in relative anonymity. Now Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the workshop founded by the legendary creator of the Muppets, is drawing back the curtain.

5 days ago in Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Local, Perspectives

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is cute, copy-and-paste ‘Star Wars’

The first new "Star Wars" movie in seven years is here! While far, far away from the galaxy's best "Star Wars" flick, "The Mandalorian and Grogu" offers up cuteness in overdrive.

5 days ago in Entertainment

The game’s afoot as armchair detectives mark Sherlock Holmes Day

From 221B Baker Street in central London to a cliffside waterfall in the Swiss Alps, generations of armchair detectives are celebrating International Sherlock Holmes Day on Friday.

National

5 days ago in National

FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market

Senior officials in the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco center were blindsided by a recent decision that opens the door to allowing more unauthorized electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto the U.S. market, The Associated Press has learned.

1 week ago in National

What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries as Trump’s endorsement is put to the test

Is there a future in politics for Republicans who cross President Donald Trump? The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again.

2 weeks ago in National, Trending

Prosecutors to retry Alex Murdaugh in deaths of wife and son after high court overturned convictions

Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence for the deaths of his wife and son were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty. But the disgraced lawyer won't be leaving prison anytime soon.

2 weeks ago in National

Denver airport security missed trespasser who was killed by plane on runway

Workers at Denver airport initially missed a security breach by man who scaled an 8-foot perimeter fence and crossed a runway where he was hit and killed in a fiery collision by a plane with 231 people on board, authorities said Tuesday.

2 weeks ago in National

US consumer prices jump as Iran war sends energy prices rapidly higher

The Labor Department's consumer price index rose 3.8% from April 2025, according to data released Tuesday. On a month-to-month basis, April prices rose 0.6% from March as gasoline prices rose 5.4% during the month; the month-over-month gain was down from 0.9% increase from February to March.

2 weeks ago in National

Hegseth is facing a new round of questioning from Congress on the Iran war and more

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress on Tuesday about the Trump administration's end game for the Iran war, the conflict's costs and its impact on diminishing weapons stockpiles.

World

22 hours ago in World

Exceptionally early heat wave shatters records and brings deaths in Europe

The United Kingdom smashed a century-old temperature record for the second time in 24 hours on Tuesday as a spring heat wave continued to scorch parts of Western Europe, triggering government warnings about risks to life.

5 days ago in World

Congo curtails funeral wakes in Ebola outbreak as WHO upgrades risk assessment

Authorities in northeastern Congo banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people Friday in an effort to curb a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in a region where medical workers have struggled with a lack of resources and pushback from angry residents.

7 days ago in World

US announces charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the island's socialist government.

1 week ago in World

Congo reports sharp rise in Ebola cases as WHO worries about outbreak’s scale and speed

The World Health Organization director-general openly worried Tuesday over the "scale and speed" of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola in eastern Congo, where authorities reported a sharp increase in suspected deaths — to at least 131 — and over 500 suspected cases.

1 week ago in Trending, World

Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship docks in the Netherlands for disinfection

The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert.

1 week ago in World

Italy’s foreign minister says divers found bodies of 4 Italians dead in Maldives sea cave

Italy's Foreign Ministry said Monday that rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after they were reported missing.

Trending

4 hours ago in Sports, Trending

The Blue Wave from tiny Curaçao is making World Cup history

Before the tournament even begins, Curaçao has already crafted a story like none other in World Cup history. A tiny island country — autonomous territory, if you prefer — of about 156,000 residents in the Caribbean is now the smallest, both in terms of population and land mass, to make it to soccer's biggest stage.

5 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

Paul McCartney helps Stephen Colbert say goodbye to ‘The Late Show’ in ambitious final show

Stephen Colbert chatted with Paul McCartney and joined him on stage for a raucous performance of "Hello, Goodbye" on the final broadcast of CBS' "The Late Show" on Thursday night, a bittersweet farewell for a canceled show that still had a few barbs left for the network that ended its 33-year run.

News from 828NewsNOW

24 minutes ago in Community, Health & Wellness, Local

Patient on psychiatric hold dies by suicide at Mission Hospital

Fresh
Exterior view of Mission Hospital campus: a multi-story building with red brick and white panels, glass atrium, seen from the street.

The suicide occurred after federal regulators recently placed the hospital under enhanced monitoring following repeated safety concerns.

24 minutes ago in Local, Native Advertising, Outdoors

Strong thunderstorm targets Madison, Buncombe counties

Fresh

National Weather Service warns of wind gusts up to 40 mph near Mars Hill and Barnardsville

53 minutes ago in Community, Crime & Safety, Local

Citations surpass 15 at former Patton Avenue U-turn

Fresh
LED variable-message sign on a trailer with a solar panel top in a construction zone.

The Asheville Police Department has reported double digit numbers for citations and warnings issued to motorists who have attempted a now-illegal U-turn at the intersection of Patton Avenue and Regent Park Boulevard.

4 hours ago in Local

Swannanoa event offers residents a closer look at flood, fire, landslide risks

Community workshop at Warren Wilson College aims to help homeowners understand property vulnerabilities before the next major storm

5 hours ago in Local, Native Advertising

Large hole on I-40 West near Exit 44 blamed for multiple blown tires

Motorists report exposed concrete in the left lane at the West Asheville/Enka/Candler exit and warn others to move right through the area

5 hours ago in Local

Asheville budget hearing draws public pushback over taxes, wages and city services

Residents challenge pay plan, property tax increase, and community center hours in FY27 budget debate

News

4 hours ago in Entertainment, Music

The Chicks announce intimate ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Tour. ‘This is our lives’

Call it a comeback, a crossover moment, or both. Twenty years ago, The Chicks released their blockbuster 2006 album "Taking the Long Way" — their first full-length after the country music industry turned their backs on them — and one of the biggest of their career.

20 hours ago in Community, Lifestyle, Local, Native Advertising, Outdoors

Hikes of WNC: Lookout Trail

As peak hiking season hits Western North Carolina, trek out to Montreat outside of Black Mountain, N.C. for a climb up Lookout Trail. The technical route requires stamina and some rock scrambling, but its views of the Swannanoa Valley are unmatched.

1 day ago in Lifestyle

You should be dancing, yeah. Moving to music offers all kinds of benefits as you age

Moving to music is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Medical professionals say it doesn't matter if it's Western line dancing, ballroom steps, salsa, tap, Zumba at the gym, or with a group

2 days ago in Community, Lifestyle, Local, On The Town

Sunshine, stories and sweet music fill Black Mountain Memorial Day ceremony

Veterans, their families and community members gathered at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery today for a Memorial Day ceremony.

Now Playing

 

On the RIVER

Critter Corner

Every Thursday Jordan’s featuring an adoptable animal from Asheville Humane Society in Critter Corner

Homegrown on The River

Listen for tracks from WNC artists and bands.

Studio AVL

Listen to acoustic sessions with Homegrown artists

How to Listen to 98.1 The River

There are many ways to listen to 98.1 The River at home, in your car, or on the go.

Sign Up

Join the River Insiders Club

Homeward Bound of WNC

Homeward Bound of WNC

Features

5 days ago in Features

A proposed additive ban could change New York’s pizza and bagels, some say for the better

After more than a decade of mixing and kneading dough in his family's Brooklyn pizzeria, Salvatore Lo Duca recently made a distressing discovery: A key component of their thin-crust pies, bromated flour, contained a suspected carcinogen already banned in much of the world.