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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State transportation staff will hold an information session on April 24 in Asheville. -
The stadium’s story touches on many of the issues facing a growing Asheville, including the need to balance tourism with the interests of local residents. -
The new grant program is one of several aimed at small business recovery after Hurricane Helene. -
City staff are moving closer to presenting their disaster recovery plan to City Council after wrapping up their third and final listening session this week. -
The governor signed a proclamation honoring the 106 North Carolinians killed by the storm and met with local residents who lost their loved ones. -
Individuals who were displaced by the storm and were living in hotels paid for by FEMA made up more than two-thirds of this year’s total. -
The county’s January unemployment rate was up slightly from December’s 6% and more than double the rate of 3% a year earlier. -
About one in five Americans is on Medicaid. In North Carolina, more than 3 million people are enrolled in some form of the program. -
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has purchased 83 acres of land overlooking the French Broad River that had been slated for a 672-unit development. -
“Farmers are small businesses. But there are other types of small businesses that also need help,” the governor said during a recent visit to Haywood County.
