Environment

NC State Study: Genetic Diversity Key To Honey Bee Survival

Catherine Brand — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:52:38 +0000

Honey bee populations have been struggling in recent years. New research out of NC State underlines the importance of genetic diversity as key to the honey bees' survival. The study took samples from 80 commercial colonies used to pollinate about a third of the food we eat. It found queens that mated at least seven times were nearly three times more likely to survive the season.

Invasive Beetle Detected For First Time In NC Trees

Will Michaels — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:14:38 +0000

State agricultural officials have placed a quarantine on firewood from three counties due to a destructive insect infestation. Pest control crews have found evidence of a beetle known as the Emerald Ash Borer for the first time in North Carolina. It makes its home in ash trees and kills them over a period of two to three years. The quarantine applies to any wood products made from ash trees in Granville, Person and Vance Counties.

Phil Wilson of the state Agriculture Department says the bug spreads by flying from tree to tree or by lumber transportation.

New Tool Compares Fuel Costs For Electric & Non-Electric Cars

Avery Kleinman — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

A new tool on the US Department of Energy’s website allows users in each state to compare the price of power for an electric car to the cost of driving the same distance using gasoline. In North Carolina, a gallon of regular, unleaded fuel costs an average of $3.41. The equivalent amount of electricity costs about a third of that- an average of $1.02. That’s 12 cents less than the national average.

Power Out For Thousands As North Carolina Cleans Up From Storms

Will Michaels — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:03:34 +0000

Power was still out Friday morning for hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina after severe storms.

A fast-moving system swept across the state Thursday, knocking down trees and power lines. Duke Energy Progress says nearly 60,000 people were without power Friday morning in Wake County. Meteorologist Phil Badgett says damage reports came in quickly Thursday night.

Hold Your Nose, Heavy Rain Brings Sewer Overflow

Leoneda Inge — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:44:14 +0000

The weather forecast for the Triangle calls for more severe thunderstorms in the coming week, but they likely won’t be as bad as last week, when a downpour from Tropical Storm Andrea flooded streets, caused weak trees to tumble and resulted in hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewer water overflowing.

Records show the city of Raleigh experienced one of the largest sewer system overflows because of Andrea. This comes at a time when the capital city is already spending millions of dollars trying to up-grade water and sewer infrastructure.

NC Pulls Out Of Drought

Dave DeWitt — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:21:00 +0000

Thanks to recent rainfalls associated with Tropical Storm Andrea, North Carolina is now out of drought or abnormally dry conditions for the first time in three years.

The persistent drought has wreaked havoc on agriculture, affecting apple crops in the western part of the state and corn in the east.

Now, thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea and other rain events this spring, the state is no longer suffering from even the mildest classification of drought condition – abnormally dry or “D-zero” - for the first time in the past three years.

Numbers Of Red Wolf Pups Dwindling In North Carolina

Gurnal Scott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:03:22 +0000

Wildlife researchers have noticed a slight drop in the number of pups being born to the state's native red wolf population. According to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, 34 wolf pups in seven litters were found in eastern North Carolina habitats. That's down by an average of seven pups over the last three years.

State Officials Warn Of Dangerous Rip Currents

Brent Wolfe and Avery Kleinman — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:16:27 +0000

Safety officials on the coast are trying to make beachgoers more aware of rip currents. Those are the narrow channels of waves that can pull swimmers dangerously far offshore. Signs along North Carolina’s coastline advise visitors to ‘Break the Grip of the Rip.’

Spencer Rogers is with the governmental research organization North Carolina Sea Grant. He estimates that rip currents account for 80 percent of drowning and says the currents happen almost every day on North Carolina beaches, but are not always dangerous.

NCDOT Removes EV Charging Stations From Rest Stops

Will Michaels — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:18:08 +0000

The North Carolina DOT says it had to remove four electric vehicle charging stations from rest areas due to conflicting state and federal laws.

Transportation officials collected the stations before a state law took effect in March. The law directed the DOT to find a way to charge drivers for using the stations. But a federal law says states can only collect money from rest areas if it comes from vending machines.

The stations were in place for 14 months and the DOT says 146 vehicles used them during that time.

Andrea Advances On NC, Dumps Heavy Rain

Will Michaels — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:06:46 +0000

Heavy rain continues Friday morning as Tropical Storm Andrea moves toward North Carolina.

Flash flood warnings were in effect in the Triangle while the coast remained under a tropical storm warning. Tornado watches were also in effect for Rocky Mount, Wilson Goldsboro and the surrounding areas.