Earlier this week, eight Northern states filed a petition with the EPA alleging that states from the South and Midwest are producing enough smog that it's affecting the air quality downwind. But how much can be blamed on North Carolina?
On the face of it, it's likely that some of North Carolina's air pollution does seep across state lines.
Despite a public blasting from state and local officials, the Southern Environmental Law Center says it plans to move forward with a lawsuit opposing replacing the Bonner Bridge.
"We have no plans to drop this lawsuit," said Derb Carter, Director the SELC North Carolina offices. "We're filing briefs next week. We are doing everything we can to make sure the case proceeds promptly to a conclusion."
When the Bonner Bridge was closed unexpectedly earlier this week, it shocked many Outer Banks residents and tourists. The bridge links the Outer Banks with the mainland. Suddenly it seemed everyone was wondering... How will I do my shopping and my banking? When will the bridge re-open? What will happen next?
Many locals are going to a rather unlikely place to get their news: a Facebook page called Oregon Inlet Idiots. The page was started in 2011 as a place to poke fun at the tourists.
Phil Beck has heard it all. He's a part time cashier at Marilyn's Deli in Rodanthe. Just about everyone who comes to his register wants to talk about the unexpected closure of the Bonner Bridge. "They want to know an answer, how long is it gonna take [to open the bridge]? Most of the customers, they ask me 'What do you know?' "
As he spoke by phone, he paused to ring up a customer. "$4.38 please. Oh, no worries, I've got the other penny."
Policy-makers and business leaders say North Carolina’s economic future relies on energy.
Governor Pat McCrory was one of many speakers and panelists at the North Carolina Chamber's Energy Conference at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Durham. McCrory said it’s time to follow the economic recoveries of Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Dakotas.
Friends and neighbors gathered to help 98-year-old Barbara Stiles (left) and her twin sister plant 1,000 tulip bulbs. Here the sisters offer bulb planting tips, and suggestions for how to continue gardening later in life.
Credit Carol Jackson
Invite neighborhood children and have a bulb planting party.
Credit Carol Jackson
Mark different planting areas. This space will hold 10-15 bulbs.
Credit Carol Jackson
Show children where the bulbs will be planted. Here Sara Fish demonstrates the process for her son Michael.
Credit Carol Jackson
Dig a 6-8" hole for each bulb. (The hole will be about the depth of the spade.) There should be 6-8 inches between bulbs as well.
Credit Carol Jackson
Make sure you put the bulb in the ground right way. The "pointy" end of the bulb, the part that looks like a little nose, should point towards the sky.
Credit Carol Jackson
Cover the hole with dirt. Consider using a commercial spray to dissuade pests.
Credit Carol Jackson
If you are working with more than one child, mark each child's section of the garden.
Most of us think about this time of year as about the harvest - the plentiful vegetables for our holiday tables. But for Chapel Hill's Bernice Wade and Barbara Stiles, this time of year means one thing - time to plant 1,000 or so tulip bulbs.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other forecasting organizations predicted an active hurricane season for 2013, but this season turned out to be the quietest since 1995.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended Saturday.
It turned out to be the quietest season since 1995, and it was first time in 19 years that no major storms formed in the Atlantic basin.
This came a surprise to forecasters.
Colorado State University predicted a higher-than average hurricane season. Researcher Paul Klotzbach says they estimated a 37-percent probability of a hurricane making landfall in North Carolina in August.
The endangered Atlantic Sturgeon is slowly making a comeback along the North Carolina coast.
The ocean fish needs to come into coastal rivers to spawn. Dams and locks in many of the state's waterways have made it difficult and, in some cases, impossible for the sturgeon to reproduce. But efforts to remove some of those barriers seems to be having a positive impact.
Three people have sustained minor injuries after a tornado hit the North Carolina coast. The roof blew of an Atlantic Beach condo, with a couple inside, and flying debris hit a Carteret Community College student.
The National Weather Service office in Morehead City issued a tornado warning last night. Forecaster Lara Pagano said a water spout moved onto land.
Forecasters say a winter storm is ready to drop heavy rain across North Carolina, but temperatures are high enough to avoid sleet or snow.
The system is sweeping through the mountains, Charlotte and the Triad, and will move east throughout the day on Tuesday. Meteorologist Ryan Ellis says the steady rain will start with the morning commute.
"It definitely is going to be a heavy-rain event and a long-duration event," Ellis says.
