north carolina

December 21, 2012 - Dec. 22 marks four years since a coal ash impoundment collapsed at a TVA power plant in Tennessee, inundating a community and two rivers. As EPA drags its feet over issuing federal coal ash rules, politicians backed by industry interests are maneuvering to block the agency's ability to protect people and the environment -- even though their states have been adversely affected by poor regulation.

December 20, 2012 - Bill Ritter, who led a revamp of Colorado's fracking regulations and is now being considered to head the U.S. Department of Energy, visited North Carolina this week to share his thoughts with the state's fracking commission. With controversy over the risky practice roiling his home state, Ritter emphasized the need for drillers to obtain what he called a "social license" to operate.

December 18, 2012 - Cerberus Capital Management has announced plans to sell its ownership of the Freedom Group of Madison, N.C., the maker of the Bushmaster X-15 used to kill most of the 26 victims at Sandy Hook elementary school.

December 14, 2012 - The economic downturn is pushing more U.S. children into poverty, and it's no longer a problem limited mostly to Southern states.

December 14, 2012 - What does it say about the current state of North Carolina politics that not only is voter suppression legislation expected to pass early in the 2013 legislative session but that the head of Raleigh's leading conservative think tank doesn't even believe it's controversial?

December 14, 2012 - This week the federal government took big steps toward building a commercial offshore wind industry in the Southeast -- but its future could be threatened by the expiration of a key tax credit.

December 13, 2012 - The fire that killed 112 workers last month in a Bangladesh garment factory has sparked protests and brought scrutiny to retailers including Arkansas-based Walmart, which is embroiled in labor unrest back home.