David Boraks

African Americans account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases across North Carolina. The question is why.  

State officials are scrambling to catch up with more than 355,000 new claims for unemployment benefits filed over the past two weeks. But even agency officials admit it can't happen fast enough. 

With many North Carolinians now under stay-at-home orders to keep the coronavirus from spreading, we're all relying on the internet for remote work and schooling. Dropped connections during meetings or classes are becoming more common, a sign that the internet is straining under the demand.

Solar advocates and dozens of consumers are asking state regulators to investigate after Duke Energy's online system for solar rebates crashed shortly after applications opened Jan. 2. 

There's lots of concern these days about new and unregulated chemicals in drinking water across North Carolina. A new study from Duke and North Carolina State universities finds many home water filters may not be protecting you from these compounds. 

With the federal government's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, state and local governments in North Carolina have set their own ambitious goals for addressing climate change. Now, they're puzzling over how to carry out the big changes needed to reach those goals - such as switching to electric vehicles and shifting to more renewable energy. At least for now, it's still mostly data-gathering and discussion. 

Federal housing secretary Ben Carson unveiled plans Tuesday in Charlotte to roll back an Obama-era rule aimed at preventing racial segregation in housing. Carson announced a new rule that he says would increase housing choices for families. 

Major League Soccer says its Board of Governors will discuss “potential expansion markets, including Charlotte” at its meeting Thursday. 

A Duke University scientist says new data shows dangerous levels of a cancer-causing heavy metal occur naturally across North Carolina, and can be a concern in drinking water wells.

About 500 Duke Energy line workers, damage assessors and construction crews are headed to Florence, South Carolina, where they will be ready to restore any electricity outages from Hurricane Dorian.

North Carolina regulators have proposed new rules that would make clear that public utilities cannot charge customers for political and charitable contributions or lobbying expenses. The rules would apply to electric and gas utilities and large water and sewer systems. 

North Carolina regulators this week approved Duke Energy's latest 15-year energy plan as "adequate." But they also ordered the company next year to show why it still makes economic sense to keep old coal plants open and how it will help meet state goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

One day in the not-too-distant future, drivers of electric cars could pick charging stations the same way owners of gas guzzlers choose pumps now - by price. New rules being adopted around the country, including North Carolina, are clearing the way.

Duke Energy's second-quarter profit rose 64% from a year ago, as higher rates and other fees boosted revenues and hot weather drove energy use.

The Carolinas have not been hit by a hurricane so far this year, but researchers at N.C. State University are predicting a normal year with five to seven big storms in the Atlantic.

Updated: Friday at 2:45 p.m.

Friends and family members remembered the two students killed in Tuesday’s shooting UNC Charlotte – 19-year-old Ellis Reed Parlier of Midland, and 21-year-old Riley Howell of Waynesville.

Charlotte's reputation as a major banking center is getting a big boost. Southeastern regional banks BB&T of Winston-Salem and SunTrust of Atlanta are merging to create the nation's sixth largest bank. The combined company will have a new name, yet to be announced. And it will be headquartered in Charlotte.

For the second year in a row, North Carolina homeowners quickly snapped up all of Duke Energy's rebates for installing solar panels.

Updated at 8:55 p.m.

A federal appeals court in Virginia has ruled that the $7 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline cannot be built across national forest land and the Appalachian Trail in west central Virginia.

For years, utilities have been testing large-scale batteries to store electricity, especially from wind and solar power. Now Duke Energy is ready to bet on the technology, with plans to spend a half-billion dollars on batteries over the next 15 years in the Carolinas.

Updated Monday, Nov. 19, 2019

The family of Patrick Braxton-Andrew, the North Carolina teacher who was killed in Mexico, says his body has been found. 

Mexican authorities say a drug trafficker known as "El Chueco," or the crook, is a suspect in the murder of a North Carolina Spanish teacher last month. 

Updated 3:10 p.m.

Davidson College says it is still investigating after activists last week claimed to have identified a female student as the person behind a series of anti-Semitic and racist tweets.

Since the information came out, attention also has focused on the woman's boyfriend. A Davidson College spokesman said Wednesday that both students remain off campus during the investigation. 

Here's what a flash flood looks like. It's midday Sunday here on US 74 Business in Whiteville in Columbia County, where rising waters from a swamp are rushing over the road. A swift water rescue team from Illinois is here with several trucks and a boat, trying to get east to help out with the storm.

President Trump lauded Charlotte and North Carolina Republicans as he visited the city for an event to sign a measure on retirement security and attend a fundraiser. 

Just two weeks after Duke Energy began taking applications for new solar energy rebates, the program has run out of money for homeowners and businesses for this year. 

State regulators have ruled against the owner of hydroelectric dams on the Yadkin River, in a dispute over how it sells electricity to Duke Energy.

The City Council could vote as early as Monday on contracts required to host the Republican National Convention in 2020.  The action comes amid reports that Charlotte is the favorite to be nominated for the event, and as council members debate whether hosting it is a good idea.

Vice President Mike Pence will be in Charlotte Friday afternoon, promoting tax cuts signed into law by President Trump in December.

Duke Energy customers in North Carolina will be able to get rebates of up to $6,000 each beginning this summer for installing solar panels on their homes.  The four-year, $62 million rebate program was approved by state regulators last week. It's required under a 2017 state law designed to keep solar power growing in North Carolina.