News

More than 48,000 gallons of raw sewage leaked into Lake Wylie on Friday. This is just two weeks after the EPA issued a notice of violation against the private sewage-treatment company for repeated sewage spills in Tega Cay, South Carolina.

Chiquita's merger with an Irish produce company will have a minimal impact on the number of jobs the banana giant keeps in Charlotte. The company currently employs about 300 people at its headquarters in uptown.

Human progress has not been kind to either the Eastern bluebird or the brown-headed nuthatch.

Governor Pat McCrory's administration is changing course on its plan to overhaul North Carolina's most expensive health care program. Medicaid serves roughly 1.7 million low-income parents, children, seniors and people with disabilities. McCrory had rolled out a plan that some called a privatization scheme. Now, state leaders are finalizing details on a different approach that they'll present to the General Assembly by March 17.

The city of Charlotte was recently given a bit of homework. How the city answers a series of questions will determine if neighborhoods like South Park, Uptown and Dilworth will be Google’s next fiber-hoods. So what could Google Fiber in Charlotte mean for consumers and businesses alike?  

Thousands of utility workers are in North Carolina this weekend, helping to restore electricity to about 191,000 customers still without power after Friday’s rain, wind and ice. But officials say it could be several more days until some people have their power back.

3/11/14 Update: The FAA has appealed the judge's decision to the full National Transportation Safety Board. The appeal also has the effect of staying the judge's decision.

Some unmanned flying vehicles, or drones, can be used commercially in the U.S., after a federal judge ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration cannot enforce its current policy. The agency has banned commercial drone use.

More changes are coming in regard to how standardized tests are scored.

Union County's school board is accused of sneaking through a controversial redistricting vote.

Third-party election cash is flowing into North Carolina's U.S. Senate race.

Plus, breaking news on drones.

Greg, Lisa and Ben discuss all these issue on the latest edition of WFAE Talks.

“Folks started talking about the New South after the Civil War," says Tom Hanchett, staff historian at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. "Where we are now is the newest of the New Souths, the Newcomer South.” Tom speaks about the ever-evolving South, especially as it relates to food, from a booth in El Pulgarcito, a Honduran-Salvadoran-Mexican restaurant on the east side of the city.

North Carolina students will find it easier this year to pass the state’s standardized tests.  The state board of education decided yesterday to lower the score it would take to be deemed proficient. That means thousands of third-graders will no longer have to attend summer reading camps mandated by the new reading law.

WFAE’s Lisa Miller joins Morning Edition host Kevin Kniestedt in the studio. 

KK: Lisa, why did the state board decide to do this now?