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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The Democratic Senate nominee spoke at a campaign event in Asheville, arguing that the region "desperately needs more federal funding." -
The budget’s passage comes days after Gov. Josh Stein signed a law that puts new limits on how the money can be used. -
The investigation comes amid a monthlong Trump administration effort to roll back protections for transgender students in school districts across the country. -
The nonprofit hospital system is one of several competitors vying for state approval to expand in western North Carolina. -
The measure was introduced after the state Supreme Court gave a coastal county the green light to spend occupancy tax revenue on law enforcement and other public safety services. -
The two days of festivities included live music, a costume contest and a parade featuring dozens of creative, maritime-themed floats. -
The city continues to make repairs to aquatic facilities that have exceeded their expected lifespan or were damaged by Hurricane Helene. -
The funding, known as the Helene Recovery Recycling Infrastructure (HRRI) grant program, will support 16 projects across western North Carolina. -
The Asheville Recovers Together grant program will accept applications from June 15 to July 14. -
The proposal would increase bus frequency along more popular routes while cutting service to several locations including Tanger Outlets and the Social Security Administration office.
