Will Michaels

A developer has approval from the Chapel Hill Town Council to rebuild a key block of the downtown area.  The council voted unanimously Monday night to approve the 123 West Franklin project, which would replace University Square.

The current development is separated from the front of Franklin Street by a parking lot.  123 West Franklin would include buildings on the front of Franklin Street with apartments as well as retail and office space.  Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt says it will revitalize the area.

A North Carolina renewable energy company says it plans to build a large solar farm in Duplin County.  Strata Solar announced yesterday it's developing 400 acres of land for solar panels with a capacity of 100 Megawatts.  It's one of the largest solar farms in production on the east coast.  Strata CEO Markus Wilhelm says his company will file its plans with the state Utilities Commission by the end of the month.

A series of hearings begins today to examine how Duke Energy wants to invest in power sources over the next 20 years.  The state Utilities Commission is set to hear from the utility and consumer advocacy groups about its annual Integrated Resource Plan.  Duke Energy spokesman Mike Hughes says the utility plans to open new plants to keep up with North Carolina's population growth.

"Even if the per-household use of electricity is declining, the overall use of electricity is increasing," Hughes says.

A UNC Board of Governors panel says it agrees with most of the findings from an earlier investigation of academic fraud at UNC-Chapel Hill.

An audit of the Veterans Affairs office in Fayetteville says employees have not conducted proper follow-up procedures for veterans at a high risk of suicide.  Federal policy calls for offices to get in touch with high-risk patients for a month after they visit the VA hospital.  The audit says the Fayetteville office followed up with patients for two weeks in nine out of ten cases.  Fayetteville VA executive director Elizabeth Goolsby says the office has a large case load of high-risk patients.

"We regret that is the circumstance that they found," Goolsby says.

More beds are available for the homeless in Durham as the need for shelters continues to rise across North Carolina.  The Durham Rescue Mission has opened a new facility with beds for 88 men as well as a large kitchen and dining area.  The Triangle is among North Carolina's metropolitan areas where more people are looking for a meal and a place to sleep.  Durham Rescue Mission COO Rob Tart says shelters are also trying to adapt to new needs for the homeless population.

"I've been doing this for 17 years and we had very few intact families that showed up 17 years ago," says Tart.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of central and western North Carolina.  Meteorologist Phil Badgett says snow and sleet could cause slippery road conditions Friday afternoon.

Doctors in North Carolina roll out a long-term plan today to reverse the rise of the state's obesity rate.  The proposal recommends thousands of behavioral and policy changes for the next seven years.  The recommendations range from limiting time in front of the television to adding funds for hiring health coordinators at every school district.  Doctor Carolyn Dunn is a professor at N.C. State and lead writer of the plan.  She says the strategy to reduce obesity is shifting from broad reform to one policy change at a time.

Dominion North Carolina Power plans to study the prospect of wind and solar energy on the Outer Banks for small-scale power grids.  The utility is launching a three-year research project at its office in Kitty Hawk. The plans include four wind turbines, solar panels and a storage battery that will work to reduce the amount of power the office pulls from the grid.  Project manager Sarah Cosby says that network creates a so-called micro-grid that could be useful for small communities during power outages.

The Carolina Hurricanes remain winless after their home opener.  The 'Canes fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Raleigh Tuesday night, 4-1.  Jeff Skinner scored the only goal for Carolina during a power play in the second period.  But Tampa Bay put the game away in the third with two goals on Cam Ward.  The 'Canes goalie has allowed nine goals in his first two games this season.  Coach Kirk Muller says the team is still working on its chemistry.