Will Michaels

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. 

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. 

Environmental officials are asking for public input about whether they should replant genetically modified crops (GMCs) at national wildlife refuges in North Carolina. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts a public meeting at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Thursday.  That refuge and three others in eastern North Carolina have been using a farming program to plant genetically modified crops like corn and soybeans since the 1990's.

A new report from the ACLU says African Americans are more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession in North Carolina.  The survey released today says African Americans were arrested at three times the rate of whites in 2010.  A US Health Department report from the same year showed similar rates of marijuana use among both ethnic groups nationwide. 

County commissioners and city council members across the state turn their attention to their local budgets this week. 

Many local governments are avoiding increases on property taxes as they craft their budgets for the next fiscal year.  But they're also expecting less direct funding from the state and increasing some fees for services like solid waste or animal control. 

The company Bayer CropScience says it wants insect experts to find out what's causing a massive drop in the bee population. 

The company broke ground on a bee research facility last week and plans to add a hundred employees at it expands in Research Triangle Park.  Bayer hopes scientists will be working with bees at the new building by the end of the year.  Iain Kelly of Bayer CropScience says other insects and diseases are invading much of the bee's natural habitat.

Differences in state budget proposals are prompting mental health advocates to rally for more spending on group homes and treatment. 

Gov. Pat McCrory's budget increases spending on mental health by about 2 percent over the next two years.  But the state Senate's plan cuts about 3 percent. 

North Carolina's teen birth rate is down significantly as more of them wait to have children. 

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about four percent of North Carolina teens are having children.  That's down more than one percentage point since 2007. 

Forecasters are urging North Carolinians to have an emergency plan for hurricanes before the season starts. 

Teachers at North Carolina's military bases are preparing for up to five furlough days due to cuts from the sequester. 

The Department of Defense says instructors and other nine-month employees can expect mandatory days off after the next school year starts.  Marilee Fitzgerald is the director of the Department of Defense Education Activity, which oversees schools at military bases.