News

“Hot Rize” is a bluegrass band that takes its name from an “ingredient” in Martha White brand flour and cornmeal. Formed in Colorado in the late 1970s , the band’s current line-up plays in Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh this weekend.  Hot Rize is deep fried in bluegrass but as guitarist and founding member Tim O’Brien told Eric Hodge in a recent phone conversation, the four young fellows that formed band had interests that went beyond bluegrass.

The North Carolina Department of Insurance has set up a series of temporary insurance assistance centers in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Irene. The centers are designed to help customers who believe they are not being treated fairly by insurance companies.

Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin decided to open the centers after his office fielded a steady stream of complaints from customers in coastal counties.

Goodwin says many complaints have centered on non-existent or non-communicative insurance adjusters.

This week one North Carolina company gave Davie County a substantial gift.

Winston-Salem based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco gave the rural county 360 acres of undeveloped land southwest of the city. The gift is expected to help bring manufacturing jobs. Terry Bralley is President of the Davie County Economic Development Commission. He says at least one furniture company is considering a plant in the area.

In 2009, Wake County voters elected a new Republican majority to the county school board. Those board members made it their mission to dismantle a long-standing school assignment plan that emphasized socio-economic diversity. In the ensuing two years, the Wake County school board has seen the resignation of its old superintendent, the hiring of a new one and the ongoing reconfiguration of its assignment plan. Board members have also seen themselves on the national news as police broke up protests at school board meetings and led opponents away in handcuffs.

Next Tuesday, voters will go to the polls in Raleigh to choose a new mayor. For the first time in a decade, they will pick someone who is not Charles Meeker. Billie Redmond, Nancy McFarlane, and Randall Williams are all running to replace him. And if history is any guide, it will be the last elected position any of them will ever run for. Becoming mayor in the state’s capitol city is hardly a stepping stone to a long political career.

Protestors have been camped out in New York City's financial district for a few weeks now calling for radical changes to everything from the financial system to immigration policy. The movement has gotten worldwide media attention and spread to 65 other cities across the country including several in North Carolina. Host Frank Stasio speaks to Tom Maxwell, a musician and gadfly who is in lower Manhattan attending the protests; and Jillian Johnson a Durham activist helping to organize one of the upcoming protests in the Triangle.

These days, the term “philanthropist” is most often associated with multi-million dollar gifts to good causes, but a new book aims to reclaim the word for folks without Oprah-sized bank accounts. “Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African-American Philanthropists” (John F. Blair Publishers/2011) honors the generosity and goodwill that comes from everyday people and shines a light on the long legacy of giving in the black community. Valaida Fullwood and Charles Thomas Jr., the book’s author and photographer, join host Frank Stasio to talk about how to recognize philanthropy in your own social circle.

Sure, “Save the Whales” bumper stickers may not be as popular as they once were, but whale researcher Michael Fishbach says that doesn’t mean the waters are any safer for the majestic creatures. Fishbach is co-director of the Great Whale Conservancy and is particularly concerned with protecting blue whales, the largest animals on earth. He joins host Frank Stasio to talk about how efforts to save the whales have changed.

A fundraiser for Great Whale Conservancy will be held at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC on October 17th at 6 p.m.  For more information, click here.

A Durham-based environmental group warns utility companies are trying to add nuclear capacity without significantly reducing their use of coal power. A report from NC WARN focuses on what they call the "Southeast Five." That includes both Duke Energy and Progress Energy. Jim Warren is executive director of NC WARN.

Eric Hodge:  North Carolina Congressman Brad Miller has introduced a bill he says will give consumers the power to switch banks if they’re disgruntled over fees. Leoneda Inge reports.

Recent announcements about rising fees from big banks like Bank of America have some consumers mad.  Democrat Brad Miller of Raleigh says that’s why he introduced the “Freedom and Mobility in Banking Act.”

Brad Miller:  "Banks should send money by electronically from one bank to another when you decide you want to transfer your accounts because you weren’t happy with your first bank."