north carolina
December 7, 2012 -
A proponent of abolishing the minimum wage and corporate income taxes, Dan Forest is quite likely the most conservative statewide elected official in North Carolina. But his work with a nonprofit that criticizes retailer Sears for promoting pornography by showing photos of women in lingerie crosses the line into wacky.
December 6, 2012 -
The N.C. Utilities Commission and attorney general have settled their probes into Duke Energy's controversial $32 billion merger with Progress Energy. But a watchdog group calls the settlements a "sell-out of the public" and says it will continue to fight the merger in court.
December 5, 2012 -
U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms died in 2008 without ever disavowing his support for racial segregation, which is why some are protesting a bill to name a post office after him in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C. But there's something apropos about the proposal, as Helms pioneered the use of the postal service to promote his divisive politics.
November 30, 2012 -
In the wake of the latest election, the number of state legislatures under one-party control is at a historic high -- and half have partisan supermajorities. What does this mean for the future of politics nationally?
November 29, 2012 -
The 2012 elections revealed that, like the rest of the country, the South is undergoing big demographics changes that will change the shape of politics in the region for years to come.
November 28, 2012 -
Conservative groups whose clout grew in the recent N.C. elections want to repeal a groundbreaking state law requiring utilities to generate a small percentage of energy from renewable sources. Incoming Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has close ties to renewable energy foes -- and to renewable energy proponents. If forced to choose, which side would he be on?
November 21, 2012 -
A new report finds that U.S. coal-fired power plants are disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color -- and many of the worst plants and power companies from an environmental justice perspective are located in the South.
