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July 17, 2013 - Democracy North Carolina criticizes the $99,000 fine that's part of the proposed settlement between the utility giant and state regulators over water contamination from its coal-fired power plants as "piddling" while raising concerns about the company's political influence and close ties to Gov. Pat McCrory.

July 16, 2013 - There's also a George Zimmerman in me that I need to watch, because he's up to no good.

July 15, 2013 - A new poll finds that the majority of North Carolina residents oppose fracking, but their elected state representatives are aggressively pushing to fast-track the controversial gas drilling technique in the state. Could a backlash be brewing?

July 15, 2013 - Civil rights and gun safety leaders are calling for the repeal of what some decry as racially biased "shoot-first" laws, which are especially popular in the South. Some are putting renewed pressure on the corporate members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the business advocacy group that promoted such laws in the states.

July 12, 2013 - Hundreds of Eastern North Carolina residents plan to sue pork giant Smithfield Foods over the company's hog farm pollution, which they say has infringed on their property rights. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are finalizing an ALEC model bill designed to discourage such farm nuisance suits.

July 12, 2013 - South Carolina is the latest state where politicians' tales of dead voters casting ballots have been proven false, but restrictive voting laws are still being passed in response to these myths. Perhaps it's time for a law to ban such false claims as a form of voter fraud?

July 11, 2013 - More legislators in North Carolina than in any other state have signed Americans for Prosperity's pledge that discourages action on climate change. Credit for the pledge's political success goes to the billionaire brothers of Koch Industries who founded AFP -- but also to North Carolina's own Art Pope, a conservative mega-donor and longtime AFP leader.