north carolina

September 11, 2012 - Some pundits say North Carolina's no longer a lead swing state in the 2012 elections. Big Money contributors don't seem to agree.

September 10, 2012 - Sanderson Farms of Mississippi just posted a 22 percent jump in revenue and announced plans to build a new plant in North Carolina. Meanwhile, workers at its Hazelhurt, Miss. plant are protesting poor working conditions.

September 4, 2012 - With conventions in Florida and North Carolina, all eyes are on the South. Here's your crash course in the key issues and trends to watch in the region's fast-changing political landscape.

August 30, 2012 - The chemical industry is promoting a type of petrochemical plant known as an "ethane cracker" as a job creator for North Carolina once it begins fracking for natural gas in a couple of years. But such plants produce high levels of toxic pollution that take their toll on the health of nearby residents.

August 27, 2012 - The North Carolina General Assembly's Republican leaders are raising more money from special-interest political action committees than their predecessors, despite promises to end the state's "pay to play" political culture.

August 27, 2012 - Public employees of the North Carolina city hosting next week's Democratic National Convention protest because they have to work long hours at low pay yet are denied collective bargaining rights.

August 23, 2012 - Congressman Todd Akin (R-Mo.) has sparked controversy with his wildly un-scientific remarks about rape and pregnancy -- but he's hardly the only politician with eyebrow-raising views on the matter.

August 20, 2012 - An energy watchdog group is running ads in newspapers across North Carolina demanding the power giant come clean on billions of dollars in planned nuclear improvements that could cost its customers dearly.

August 15, 2012 - Morally, leaving our poorest fellow citizens uninsured while we move forward with tax credits to help make coverage more affordable for middle-class families is unthinkable for most of us -- but expansion also makes sense financially.

August 13, 2012 - When the CIO launched a campaign to organize Southern workers in 1946, the region's elite fought back by exploiting fears about race and communism -- and fear remains the biggest obstacle to organizing today, as the UAW's campaign to unionize Nissan's Canton, Miss. plant shows.