State officials are accepting bids today for construction of the new Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks. The span will be built just to the west of the current bridge over the Oregon Inlet. Victor Barber works for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. He says three companies will submit bids with the winner being chosen by late this afternoon.

Leaders in the North Carolina Department of Commerce are taking a renewed interest is business with Russia.

North Carolina business leaders are pretty sophisticated – according to Jean Davis.

Jean Davis:  "Many of our North Carolina companies have solid bases in China and Japan and are now looking at Russia as the next horizon for them."

The town of Chapel Hill is cracking down on residents who illegally park their cars in their front yards. Town officials say citation officers will start giving out tickets for those who violate the town ordinance at the beginning of next month. The issue came to light after residents reported widespread violations in the Pine Knolls and Northside neighborhoods. Rae Buckley of the Chapel Hill planning department says those areas are popular among UNC students who rent houses. But she says lawn parking causes concern for permanent residents.

A team of researchers at NC State has high hopes their creation could lead to much larger innovations. They've developed a simple memory device, a primitive version of what you'd find in your computer. Except this one is made of a Jell-O-like substance. It's soft and squishy and can function underwater. Michael Dickey is an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State. He says the device is notable not just because of its mechanical properties.

A federal prosecutor has charged a former administrator at UNC-Charlotte with falsifying visa records so that international students could stay in the country illegally.

When America’s last space shuttle mission blasted off, astronauts weren’t the only living creatures aboard the Atlantis. Thirty mice also went along for the ride. After orbiting the Earth, they may return with some important answers about bone density that can help scientists treat human bone diseases like osteoporosis.

The Small Ponds combines the vocal and instrumental talents of Triangle musicians Caitlin Cary and Matt Douglas, backed by Jesse Huebner and Skillet Gilmore. Their music has been described as gorgeous art folk.

The partnership that fuels the heralded local band Filthybird is both creative and romantic. Renée Mendoza and Brian Haran found personal salvation and professional redemption when they met in Greensboro, NC a few years ago.

The three young poets we're following this summer left Egypt this week. Will McInerney, Mohammad Moussa, Kane Smego and photographer Sameer Abdel-khalek are moving on to Tunisia as a part of the project Poetic Portraits of a Revolution. Before moving out of their apartment in Cairo, they sent us this poetic reflection on their final days in Egypt.

Many veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who come into Veterans Affairs Hospitals are being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. There are many ways to treat them, but one challenge for therapists is helping veterans track of their symptoms and learn how to deal with them. Now the VA has introduced a smart phone application to help.