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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Thursday’s event comes one week after Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards held a town hall at the same venue. -
The 90-minute event provided a glimpse at some of the political tensions roiling the country since President Trump began his second term. -
The rail company will install new bridge spans to replace a section in Newport, Tenn., that collapsed after Hurricane Helene. -
Proposed plan allocates majority of funds to infrastructure needs followed by economic revitalization and housing. -
Disaster-relief block grants and services for people experiencing homelessness could also be among the casualties of the Trump administration’s cuts. -
Hotel occupancy rates last month were the highest for any January on record, tourism leaders said Wednesday. -
Stephanie McGarrah, who is leading the state Department of Commerce’s efforts to allocate the disaster block grants, detailed the path ahead at a meeting on Monday. -
Members of the public have 30 days to submit comments on the plan, which was released Tuesday by the state Department of Commerce. -
Calabria spoke with BPR about the mission of the new office and its priorities as the region recovers from Hurricane Helene. -
Canton and Haywood County will receive $5.75 million and the state will receive $500,000 under the agreement.
