The Raleigh scrap metal recycling facility that has been discharging PCB-polluted water into a local stream finally has a plan to clean up its mess. Raleigh Metal Recycling sent a letter to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources on May 2nd, outlining “a comprehensive approach” to stabilize PCB and metal contaminated soil and […]
Jane Porter
Jane Porter is Wake County editor of the INDY, covering Raleigh and other communities across Wake County. She first joined the staff in 2013 and is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief, first joining the staff in 2013.
Posted inNews
Raleigh food distribution center to open this weekend
The long-awaited Oak City Outreach Center will have a soft opening this Saturday at the warehouse at 215 South Person Street, starting at 9 a.m. The Center will hold an official opening ceremony in July but anyone needing food assistance on weekends from now until then can stop by the center between 9 and 6 […]
Posted inNews
State takeover of Asheville water system ruled unconstitutional
Updated: Attorneys from the state Attorney General’s office do plan to appeal the judge’s decision on behalf of the state, according to an email from Noelle Talley, a public information officer with the N.C. Department of Justice. A judge struck down a 2013 bill Monday that allowed the state-ordered transfer of Asheville’s water system to […]
Posted inNews
N.C. Senate teacher pay raise plan cynical on many levels
We wrote this week about how the Senate budget sneakily pegs teacher pay raises to unpopular provisions: taking away tenure, slashing education and kicking 14,000 needy people off of Medicaid. This makes teachers look greedy and Democrats anyone who votes against the budget look like they don’t care about teachers. In a blog post reprinted […]
Posted inNews
N.C. Senate takes up McCrory’s coal ash plan
DENR Secretary John Skvarla was confused today about exactly how much coal ash Duke Energy spilled into the Dan River earlier this year. During a presentation of Governor McCrory’s Coal Ash Action Plan to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the Environment and Natural Resources, Skvarla said 35 to 39 million tons of coal ash spilled […]
Posted inNews
Animal welfare group says “Ag-Gag” bill could be back
Video footage released by the animal welfare group Mercy for Animals this morning shows more horrific cruelty to birds at a Butterball turkey facility in Raeford, N.C. And although much of the ag-gag language was pulled from S648 in an amendment, including a provision where whistleblowers could be punished for exposing animal abuse and their […]
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Sweets, not a sweetheart deal for Duke Energy
Lawmakers at the General Assembly got a sweet treat from their wary constituents today: coal ash cupcakes. And unlike the 39,000 tons of real coal ash that Duke Energy spilled into the Dan River this year, the cupcakes are non-toxic. Residents from all over the state took cupcakes around to all 170 Senators’ and Representatives’ […]
Posted inBest of the Triangle
Get your thrills, Chapel Hill
The best things about Chapel Hill, the best town in the Triangle, are the things steeped in its 260-year history, but there is so much else that makes it unique. Its 50 percent student population, for example. Its main street, named after a U.S. founding father, who had nothing to do with the town. The […]
Posted inNews
How the Senate budget hurts nearly everybody
N.C. Senate President pro tempore has been touting an 11 percent pay increase North Carolina teachers would receive in exchange for their tenure. However, Berger hasn’t told the public where the money would come from to pay for the raises, on average, $5,800 per teacher. The $21.2 billion budget was crafted outside of subcommittees and […]
Posted inNews
Wake County teachers lured to Texas, Commissioners consider pay increase
It’s been a week—well, really a good seven years— of ups and mostly downs for North Carolina teachers, who haven’t seen a raise in at least that long, as surely as the class sizes have been growing and the resources waning. Last week Senate president pro tempore Phil Berger announced that the Senate budget would […]