Isaac-Davy Aronson

A partnership that works to protect and restore the longleaf pine in North Carolina will plant its 500,000th seedling today. Debbie Crane of the Nature Conservancy says the tree is an iconic state symbol, but it's been in decline for decades.

Raleigh has opened what it calls the nation's most sustainable solid waste services facility. The new operations center was built to LEED platinum standards - the highest level of sustainability certification. City manager Russell Allen says the building was constructed with re-used and recycled materials where possible. It includes solar panels and geothermal systems; and will have plug-in electric vehicles.

Teams of volunteers are out on the streets and at campsites across Wake and Orange Counties this week, surveying the homeless population. It's part of a national effort to house 100-thousand people who are homeless by the middle of next year. The United Way's Chantelle Fisher-Borne is the coordinator of Triangle Registry Week.

Contrary to what doctors have believed for decades, a high-fiber diet may not stave off one intestinal disease. That's the conclusion of a study from UNC-Chapel Hill. It found no correlation between a lack of fiber and a higher incidence of diverticulosis. Anne Peery is the study's lead researcher.

Anne Peery: It's too early to tell patients what to do differently, but these results are really exciting for researchers. It gives us the opportunity to look at a disease process in new ways and to really rethink why people develop asymptomatic diverticulosis.

A new study by Disability Rights North Carolina says the state is failing disabled children with complex treatment needs. Vicki Smith is the advocacy group's executive director. She says the state isn't following its own guidelines for treating children with both a mental illness and developmental disability.

Vicki Smith: These are kids, so there should be really good robust cooperation and collaboration between education and mental health and social services, because we have to treat the whole child.

Appalachia now has its own version of WikiLeaks. It's a website where government and corporate whistle blowers can anonymously share documents. Jim Tobias is co-coordinator of Honest Appalachia, which will focus on North Carolina and six other states.

Municipal primary elections could be on the chopping block in Fayetteville. The City Council has voted to explore the idea of eliminating the biennial primaries, and their 84-thousand dollar price tag. Fayetteville's mayor is among those who've raised concerns about the potential change. The mayor wonders if ditching the primaries could unfairly benefit incumbents. But Councilman D.J. Haire, who proposed the measure, doesn't share that worry.

Chapel Hill's Town Council is scheduled to discuss a new report on a police raid on protesters occupying a vacant downtown car dealership. Town Manager Roger Stancil found the action "appropriate."

A new emergency department is open in Raleigh. WakeMed's latest free-standing medical facility is in Brier Creek, near the Wake-Durham county line. WakeMed's Carolyn Knaup says they chose the location based on the area's rapid growth.

Carolyn Knaup: It's totally locally driven - i.e., when you need emergency care, you need it close to where you live or where you work. So, in doing our demographic assessment really felt like the Brier Creek area afforded lots of opportunity to be able to meet the need in that community.

Better incentives for economic development are one way to tackle North Carolina's high unemployment rate. That's according to the non-profit North Carolina Budget & Tax Center. Report author Allan Freyer says the state should change how it attracts companies.