The James Beard Foundation announced the recipients of the 2013 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Monday night. Raleigh’s Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner was in the running for Best Chef in the Southeast, but the final award for that category went to Joseph Lenn of The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Christensen was North Carolina’s only James Beard Award Nominee (finalist) this year, out of 13 semi-finalists in the state. Hear her interview with WUNC's State of Things.

State wildlife officials are continuing to investigate the deaths and injuries of brown pelicans along the North Carolina coast.  They say more than 200 of the birds have been found. 

Researchers at Duke University are using a flaw in an HIV vaccine in order to develop new formulas to fight off the virus. 

Bangladesh’s garment factory collapse at Rana Plaza has put pressure on U.S. companies to respond.

Charles Kernaghan has been working for years to push companies and governments to prioritize the rights of workers in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

On this edition of The Story, he talks with host Dick Gordon about the string of recent tragedies and the complex web of forces that make change so difficult.

Lawmakers in the state Senate have unveiled more details of their proposal to overhaul the state's tax code, though they haven't filed a bill yet. They propose lowering income tax rates significantly over the next three years. They also seek to lower the combined local and state sales tax to 6.5 percent.

A variety of measures aimed at weakening environmental protections are making their way through the General Assembly. One would limit environmental regulations while another would repeal a six-year-old renewable energy policy. Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is changing its mission statement to reflect an emphasis on customer service, a move some call anti-science.

The Triangle-based non-profit Support Military Spouses is honoring the “other halves” of active duty soldiers with shoe boxes of appreciation  in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Three thousand shoe boxes will be filled with donated items that include watches, stationery, bibles, jewelry and lotion. Organization co-founder Diane Rumley says for this campaign, they've also included a guide to "Worry Free Living" that has tips on saving money and finding jobs.

Paul Swartzel has always been a fan of professional wrestling. It all goes back to North Carolina’s own Nature Boy Ric Flair and his delightful entrance music: “Thus Spake Zarathustra.”

State house lawmakers have given tentative approval to a bill that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses, at sporting events and in businesses serving alcohol, among other places.