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.

3 hours 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.

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

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

Grogu (Baby Yoda) statue sits on a mossy log in a sunlit, misty forest.

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.

4 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.

4 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.

5 days ago in Entertainment

Rami Malek explores art, love and death in Ira Sachs’ Cannes entry ‘The Man I Love’

In Ira Sachs' 1980s-set drama "The Man I Love," Rami Malek finds the most well-tailored role since his Oscar-winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody."

National

4 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

4 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.

6 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.

2 weeks ago in World

A new Ebola outbreak is confirmed in a remote Congo province, with 65 deaths recorded

Africa's top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo's remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far.

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52 minutes ago in Local, Outdoors

Flooding slams Bat Cave, Chimney Rock and Henderson County

Fresh

Residents still rebuilding from tropical Storm Helene face washed-out roads, evacuations, flood advisories and renewed fears after torrential rainfall

3 hours ago in Crime & Safety, Local

Suspect still at large after stolen vehicle pursuit in Weaverville

Officers say suspect stole vehicle from Walmart, fled toward Asheville before crashing and running away on foot

4 hours ago in Local, Native Advertising

The hidden AC problems that can raise your summer energy bill

Person adjusting a wall-mounted thermostat with a digital display in a home setting.

All Seasons Heating & Air Conditioning explains why some cooling systems work harder than they should once Western North Carolina temperatures rise.

6 hours ago in Local

What to watch at tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting

From the city budget to affordable housing funding, several key decisions could affect Asheville residents in the coming year

6 hours ago in Local, Native Advertising, Outdoors

Flash flooding triggers road washouts, closures across Asheville area

Updated

Officials report a 12-foot roadway washout on Charlotte Highway and multiple closures in Gerton and Bat Cave

17 hours ago in Business, Custom Jewelry & Care Expert, Local

Natural or lab-grown diamonds? What today’s jewelry buyers need to know

Lab-grown and natural diamonds are reshaping the jewelry market as consumers weigh cost, sustainability and sentimental value when choosing engagement rings and fine jewelry.

Experts say consumers are balancing affordability, ethics and long-term value when shopping

News

3 hours 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

19 hours ago in Community, Lifestyle, Local, On The Town

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

Three men stand side by side in a garden with orange lilies, mountains in the background.

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

2 days ago in Arts & Culture, Community, Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Local, On The Town

Rain or brine: Mills River Cheese and Pickle Festival draws 100s, despite bad weather

Cheese-crazed crowds and pickle-passionate people flocked through heavy rain to Mills River Brewing Company this weekend for the brewery's second annual Cheese and Pickle Festival. The event featured a pickle-bobbing contest, an abundance of fried cheese and vendors hawking pickle wares of all kinds.

3 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.

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4 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.

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