north carolina

April 12, 2019 - North Carolina is now the third state in the South to order utilities to excavate all of their coal ash pits and move the toxic material to lined landfills. Duke Energy wants to charge its customers for the work, but some state lawmakers are trying to prevent that from happening. Meanwhile, the company is challenging the order.

March 29, 2019 - With the 2020 elections approaching, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering redistricting cases that could profoundly affect the South's electoral landscape — and thus the nation's — for years to come.

March 14, 2019 - For the amendment banning sex discrimination by the federal and state governments to be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, one more state needs to ratify it. Most of the states that haven't ratified the ERA are in the South, but ratification bills were introduced in seven Southern states this year.

March 12, 2019 - A state judge recently struck down a voter ID amendment to the N.C. Constitution because the legislators who ratified it were elected in unconstitutional, racially gerrymandered districts. Meanwhile, two white sheriffs who ousted black sheriffs with the help of a suspected election fraudster are also facing legal problems.

March 1, 2019 - A new coalition seeks to end Duke Energy's electric monopoly in North Carolina in hopes of hastening the shift to clean energy. There's also an effort underway to bring competition to the electricity market in Florida, where Duke operates as a regional monopoly.

February 25, 2019 - House Democrats are traveling around the country to investigate discriminatory election practices and document the need to restore the Voting Rights Act. Events have already been held in Texas and Georgia, with the next set for North Carolina.  

February 8, 2019 - Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost way to meet people's energy needs, yet utilities in the Southeast lag behind the rest of the nation in efficiency performance. The federal Green New Deal plan released this week could change that, with its call to upgrade all existing buildings to meet efficiency standards.

February 1, 2019 - The movement to oust Confederate symbols from public property has made gains in 2019, even while the continuing uproar over the toppled Confederate statue at UNC-Chapel Hill led to this week's forced resignation of Chancellor Carol Folt.