Economy

September 14, 2012 - The U.S. solar market is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks in part to policies pursued by the Obama administration. But fossil fuel interests are spending heavily in this election to ensure it's a one-term administration.

September 13, 2012 - It's time to take the conversation about union rights out of the technical and often confusing arena of labor law and into the realm of civil rights, which has a moral grounding that resonates with a far greater number of Americans than just those in unions.

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 3, 2012 - In brainstorming sessions held by labor advocates across the state, North Carolinians have come up with a list of recommendations for developing a future Workers' Bill of Rights.

August 31, 2012 - The Romney campaign had a strangely inapt group of messengers promote the theme of Ayn Rand-style entrepreneurship at the Republican Convention: GOP governors who have presided over deals in which huge sums of taxpayer money have been handed over to large corporations.

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 - 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.