Politics

July 25, 2014 - The deal joining North Carolina-based tobacco giants Reynolds American and Lorillard also unites two of the state's biggest corporate political contributors. Besides donating directly to candidates and committees, the companies have also been funneling money into outside spending groups active in the state's politics.

July 25, 2014 - Duke Energy contractors have finished cleaning up as much coal ash as they intend to from the Dan River -- leaving behind about 90 percent of the toxic waste left by the February spill. Meanwhile, state politicians continue to hammer out details of legislation that leaves ratepayers on the hook for addressing the company's coal ash woes.

July 24, 2014 - State Senator Chris McDaniel's still-contested narrow loss to incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi's Republican runoff last month exposed a divide with the Republican Party possibly as wide as the divide that ultimately split the one-party Democratic South in the 1890s between the "Bourbon" establishment and the rebellious "Populists."

July 23, 2014 - Environmentalists and others have condemned the Obama administration's decision to open up the Atlantic to seismic testing for oil and gas reserves, blaming political pressure from deep-pocketed oil and gas interests. Just how much is the industry spending to influence federal policy?

July 22, 2014 - A new report looks at the well-being of children by state and finds that those living in Appalachia and the South are facing especially difficult conditions, including growing poverty and economic inequality. It calls for smart investments to ensure all children have the chance to live up to their full potential.

July 17, 2014 - A new Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies analysis finds that super PACs and other outside groups spent more than $2.6 million targeting state races in North Carolina's 2014 primaries, with almost half targeted at a key seat for the state supreme court.

July 16, 2014 - The NC Mining and Energy Commission is taking public comments on the state's proposed fracking rules through Sept. 15. Meanwhile, environmentalists are urging the commission to reinstate the ban on the controversial gas drilling technique.