Gambling is big business in Western North Carolina. A new report by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that Harrah's Cherokee Casino pours more than $380 million into the local economy there. That has led to improvements in life expectancy, poverty rates and even education in the area.

Classic rock meets classical music as the North Carolina Symphony takes on the music of iconic British band Queen. In “The Music of Queen,” hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love” and “We Will Rock You” have been arranged for a symphony orchestra by guest conductor Brent Havens.

A new exhibit at Duke University explores the footprint of Simón Bolívar in the United States. Bolívar was the liberator of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Panama from Spanish rule in the 19th century. He was heavily influenced by the principles of the American Revolution and spent time in the United States learning about the new democracy. Numerous towns, cities and memorials in the U.S. have been named or erected in Bolívar’s honor.

There’s a section of eastern North Carolina where the Lumbee Indians call home.  The Lumbee have a long history of farming and ranching.  But just like African American and women farmers, they were discriminated against by the federal government.   And just like those groups – Native Americans filed a class-action lawsuit – and won. This week – lawyers are back in Pembroke, North Carolina helping the Lumbees file their claims for long-awaited compensation. 

Nearly 55 million Americans live in communities that are governed by homeowners associations, or HOAs. In exchange for dues, residents have access to neighborhood amenities like pools, parks and club houses. But more and more, HOAs are responsible for providing services and maintenance once offered by city and municipal governments – like trash pick-up and sewage system repairs.

The town of Cary has opened a new cultural arts center. The official dedication for the Cary Arts Center isn't until August 13th. But it's already open and bustling with activity. The Brussels Chamber Orchestra is performing there this week. And kids of all ages are painting and sculpting in larger classrooms. Joy Ennis is the Festival Coordinator for the town. She says the new center gives the Cary Cultural Arts Program much more class space than it had previously.

Animal Control officials say at least 10 packs of wild dogs are roaming neighborhoods in Cumberland County. Residents have recently reported feral dogs attacking or killing family pets. County Animal Control director John Lauby says more owners are abandoning their pets as they struggle with an economy still coming out of recession. Dogs instinctively join packs after being without food for long periods of time. Lauby says some residents have been feeding the wild dogs, which takes away his ability to trap them.

In a move to help reduce the rate of unemployment, more North Carolinians are getting a clean slate. In the last 10 years, expungements of criminal records have tripled.

It's tough to imagine the 112,000 muck-filled, bug-swarmed acres of the Great Dismal Swamp looking like paradise. But for enslaved people in the 18th- and 19th-century, the swamp provided protection from those who wished to keep them in bondage.

A fiery tractor trailer crash on I-40 claimed three lives earlier this month and the trucking company involved had numerous safety violations. The accident was one of the latest in a recent rash of deadly highway crashes involving big rigs. Other major accidents in recent months involved budget bus lines that also that have long lists of citations for, among other things, driver fatigue.