Felicia Sonmez
Growth and Development ReporterFelicia Sonmez is a reporter covering growth and development for Blue Ridge Public Radio.
Prior to joining BPR, Felicia worked for more than a dozen years as a print journalist, including as a national political reporter for The Washington Post. From 2013 to 2018, she was based in Beijing, where she worked as a China correspondent for the international wire service Agence France-Presse and as an editor for The Wall Street Journal. She also spent a year in advanced Chinese language study as a Blakemore Fellow at Tsinghua University.
A native of Hackensack, New Jersey, Felicia graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Government. She loves hiking, backpacking and listening to live music. She is the proud owner of a tuxedo cat named Yogurt.
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Candidates touched on issues like infrastructure, Helene recovery and the displacement of longtime residents in historically Black communities like Shiloh. -
Edwards dropped his reelection bid last week after a House Ethics Committee report detailed his alleged sexual harassment of two female staffers. -
Republicans in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District will meet Monday night to decide on a replacement for Rep. Chuck Edwards on the November ballot. -
Members of the 11th District Republican Executive Committee will meet Monday, Aug. 10 to select a new GOP nominee. -
The news comes after the House Ethics Committee recommended Edwards be censured for inappropriate conduct toward two female staffers.
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The congressman sent the staffers “lavish” gifts, invited them to “intimate dinners and vacations” and sent them notes about his “effusive affection” for them, according to the panel. -
Several major projects remain underway in the western part of the state, including the reconstruction of I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. -
“HCA threw every argument against the wall to try to get this case thrown out, but they didn’t stick,” North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said in a statement.
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The project involves striking a balance between protecting the long-term health of the trees and preserving the historic vision of planners Frederick Law Olmsted and Richard Morris Hunt. -
Rail advocates say some legislators didn’t want to commit the money because of a delay on the federal side.
