Politics

March 2, 2012 - A joint investigation into Art Pope's political empire wins an Investigative Reporting award from North Carolina's leading newspaper association, who call it a "fascinating study" of how Pope's singular influence "has shaped the lives of so many people."

March 1, 2012 - Members of the youth-led immigration advocacy group NC DREAM Team interrupted a North Carolina legislative meeting yesterday, shouting "I am undocumented, unafraid and unashamed!"

February 24, 2012 - Facing federal scrutiny over a new voter ID law, South Carolina Republicans pushed lurid stories of dead voters taking over the polls. But even as the story fell apart, Fox News and GOP lawmakers dug in -- and still are, despite new evidence that zombie voter hysteria was a bad B-movie hoax.

February 24, 2012 - For-profit businesses have contributed $31 million to date to super PACs, independent committees that can raise unlimited funds to influence elections -- and companies in Southern states have been especially generous.

February 21, 2012 - Wake County, N.C. Commission Chair Paul Coble, who is running for Congress, led an effort to support a constitutional ban on gay marriage. He is also battling a sustainability initiative that he suggests is part of a shadowy United Nations plot to take over the world.

February 21, 2012 - Democrats and voting rights advocates successfully rebuffed an effort to pass a voter photo ID requirement in North Carolina in 2011. Now state Republicans are giving mixed signals about whether voter ID is back on the agenda.

February 17, 2012 - On an island off the coast of Florida, the billionaire brothers behind Koch Industries recently gave an order to push the privatization of schools, prisons and anything else standing in the way of the almighty Corporation.