House lawmakers have approved a bill that would bring North Carolina closer to allowing a controversial natural gas extraction practice known as "fracking." Senate Bill 709 would also approve studying the potential of drilling for natural gas both on land and offshore. The measure would also require officials to set up the regulatory framework needed to produce the resource. Proponents of the bill say it would make the state more independent of foreign oil. But Democratic Minority Leader Joe Hackney says this measure would move too fast.

All over North Carolina, statues of Confederate soldiers stand sentry in front of courthouses, churches and in public squares.
 

It was a dark and stormy night in Reidsville early on May 23rd...

The races for Wake County School Board are heating up. Five seats are up for grabs in this fall’s election.

Charlie Thompson wanted to learn more about his grandfather’s history in moonshine, so began investigating his hometown and the “Moonshine Capital of the World,” Franklin County, Virginia. What he found was a complicated picture of poverty and necessity juxtaposed with a hierarchy of power that was revealed during a famous conspiracy trial in 1935.

Visualize a Civil War soldier and a sepia colored picture of a white man likely comes to mind. But thousands of African Americans in North Carolina served in the Union Army during the Civil War. They trained in the town of New Bern after its fall in March 1962.

During the Civil War, the South lost the Battle of New Bern and the area became occupied by thousands of Union forces. New Bern is home to many historic sites, including the storied Tryon Palace. As part of our North Carolina Voices series on the Civil War, Host Frank Stasio talks to Kay Williams, director of Tryon Palace, about the new battle facing New Bern's tourism gem - the state budget calls for massive cuts to Tryon Palace starting in fewer than 20 days.

President Barack Obama is searching for a real fix to the country’s jobs problem.  The White House is quick to say some two million private sector jobs have been created in the past 15 months.  But that’s hardly enough to put a dent in the country’s high unemployment rate.  So the president decided to visit a part of the country where he’s been before – a place that has steadily created jobs in the down economy. That place is Cree Incorporated in Durham.

Wake County Parents are getting a chance to test drive one of the two proposed student assignment plans.

The history of the Raleigh Fire Department goes on display today at a new museum downtown. The department's Historical Society has gathered artifacts and photos dating back to the Civil War era. Battalion Chief Alan Walters has served at the Raleigh Fire Department for 31 years. He says the museum shows the fire department has changed since it was founded in 1819, but the firefighters have not.

Business and political leaders gathered in Durham this afternoon for a visit by Barack Obama. He spoke at CREE manufacturing, a company that specializes in L-E-D lighting. Mr Obama announced a plan to train 10 Thousand new American engineers every year. The president's Jobs and Competitiveness Council took tours and met with business leaders earlier today. According to North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan, the president's plan is a step in the right direction.