Duncan McFadyen

It's only been two years since we last heard that a large number of periodic cicadas would be emerging from the ground, congregating on tree branches and singing their distinctive mating calls. This year, there's news that more will be coming out again. But every time the story is in the news, it's reported that these insects stay underground for 13 or 17 years. So why do we hear about periodic cicadas so often? Duncan McFadyen asks N.C. State University entomologist Clyde Sorenson.

If you fish on Lake Norman, you may have heard about a new warning this week from state and county health officials. They advise most people not to eat striped bass from the lake more than once a week, and for pregnant women and children to avoid the fish altogether. It’s because they’ve detected PCB’s in the fish. These chemicals, once common industrial lubricants, were banned in 1979 because they were found to cause birth defects and to be a likely cause of cancer. PCB’s have been a problem in other bodies of water for years, but this is the first warning about them in Lake Norman. So we called Captain Gus Gustafson. He’s been taking people fishing on Lake Norman for more than 20 years.

Heading into the new year, Republican lawmakers were in prime position with veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate, and a Republican in the governor’s office.  So far, they haven’t been shy about flexing their political muscle. They’ve introduced bills to require voter ID, repeal the Racial Justice Act, eliminate teacher tenure, and even double the amount of time a married couple has to be separated before they can be granted a divorce. And then there’s the resolution that would've said the U.S. Constitution’s ban on establishing a religion doesn’t apply to North Carolina. House Speaker Thom Tillis announced there wouldn't be a vote on it.

Michael Bitzer, professor of Political Science at Catawba College and WFAE's political blogger, speaks to Duncan McFadyen about the GOP initiatives.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced changes Thursday to the design of drivers licenses for certain illegal immigrants who qualify for temporary residency status under the federal Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. 

Governor McCrory has released his budget for the next two years. He’s now got to work with state legislators to try to get his initiatives passed. And after the budget becomes law, it’s State Auditor Beth Wood’s job to make sure that more than $20 billion a year of state money is used as lawmakers intend it to be. Her office also audits $23 billion in federal grants. Duncan McFadyen spoke to Auditor Wood to find out more about what she does.