News

A recent study outlines efforts at North Carolina's military bases to help the Department of Defense reduce energy consumption. The report is from the Pew Charitable Trust. It says Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune are using energy reduction projects and bio-fuel to cut costs. Coby Jones is the energy program coordinator at Fort Bragg. He says recent renovations have cut energy consumption by 23 percent at 30 of the base's older buildings.

A new counseling program begins tonight for teens in the Triad.

Text 4 Teens is a program that allows youths to seek support without saying a word. Teenagers can use texting to find help with depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse pressures or relationship problems. Michael Cottingham with Center Point Human Services believes using newer technology is the best way to connect.

A new poll shows a majority of North Carolinians are opposed to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The data out of Elon University shows 56 percent of state residents opposed to an amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions. Assistant poll director Mileah Kromer says support for same-sex couples in North Carolina is now widespread.

More than 200 furniture companies in North Carolina have closed over the past decade. This weekend in High Point – there is a festival to celebrate the region’s unique history. 

The High Point Theatre is hosting the first annual – “Carolina Crossroads – A Celebration of Music and Furniture.”  Tonight the theatre will show the film – “With These Hands.”  It captures the last days of the Hooker Furniture Plant in Martinsville, Virginia.

More than 50 new laws take effect this weekend in North Carolina.

Among the changes starting Saturday is a new provision in the medical malpractice law. People who file lawsuits will be limited to 500-thousand dollars in non-economic damages if they win a case. That includes compensation for pain, suffering and other injuries. There will not be a limit on payments for medical bills and lost wages.

In 2003, Vamsi Tadepalli was looking to form a band. He knew a lot of great musicians from his time as a music major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but he wanted to play really crowd-pleasing stuff - songs that would make audiences jump to their feet and dance. Tadepalli found his groove in the music of pop icon Michael Jackson. That next year, he founded Who’s Bad?, a tribute band that puts a funky, jazzy spin on Jackson’s hits. The group quickly grew in popularity with college crowds and eventually began traveling all over the world to perform, selling out venues in China the UK. Tonight, Who’s Bad? returns to their hometown to play at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro.

In his new novel, "Nightwoods" (Random House/2011), acclaimed writer Charles Frazier returns to the familiar setting of North Carolina's Appalachian mountains. This time, the action takes place in the 20th century, instead of the 19th, but some familiar themes run through all of Frazier's works. As in "Cold Mountain" and "Thirteen Moons," characters are defined in part by their relationship to the land and their quest for peace in the face of violence.

Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union are among several groups who filed a federal lawsuit today opposing new restrictions on abortions in North Carolina. The new state law requires women undergo specific counseling, view an ultrasound, and wait 24 hours before having an abortion. The groups argue that violates the free speech and due process rights of health care providers and women seeking abortions. Donna Burkett is Medical Director for Planned Parenthood Health Systems.

A clean-up is underway along the shoreline of Jordan Lake. Corporate sponsors are picking up propane tanks, bottles and cans near the southern end of the lake where the Haw River brings in debris from storm water runoff. Fran DiGiano is the president of the group Clean Jordan Lake. He says volunteers will try to finish the job this weekend.

Architects view the world through a much different lens than most of us. What we see as the squares and rectangles of ordinary buildings, they see as proportion used artfully and skillful design conforming to the needs of modern life. The Triangle chapter of the American Institute of Architects hopes to share this passion for design with its second tour of well-designed residences this weekend.