A North Carolina state senator has asked the EPA to launch a criminal investigation of Alcoa to see if the company violated the Clean Water Act on the Yadkin River.

Republican State Senator Stan Bingham of Davidson County requested the investigation after reading an article in a Greensboro newspaper called Yes! Weekly.

A Gaston County group that serves at-risk teens is now expanding with a new home that will serve pregnant teenagers who are homeless.

Pregnant teens that can't rely on their parents for help or are fleeing abusive homes often show up in temporary shelters geared to single women. When they have their baby, they can move to a family shelter. But space there can be hard to come by and it's still temporary, normally just a couple months.

The new maternity home run by the non-profit With Friends Inc. will allow pregnant teens to stay two years.

A North Carolina state senator has asked the EPA to launch a criminal investigation of Alcoa to see if the company violated the Clean Water Act on the Yadkin River.

Republican State Senator Stan Bingham of Davidson County requested the investigation after reading an article in a Greensboro newspaper called Yes! Weekly.

The proper role of religion in public life in America has been debated since the nation's founding. Today, a political candidate's religion is often "off limits" to public scrutiny.

Author Damon Linker thinks that needs to change. He makes his case in a book called The Religious Test: Why We Must Question the Beliefs of Our Leaders.

WFAE will explore the convergence of religion and politics Thursday night in a Public Coversations forum. In advance of that event, WFAE's Mark Rumsey had his own conversation with Religious Test author Damon Linker.

A controversial incinerator in Matthews has been given federal clearance to keep burning medical waste for another five years. But the permit does not end the efforts of neighbors to have the incinerator shut down.

People who live near the incinerator have wanted it closed ever since it was built in 1988. But Catherine Mitchell says they also knew it was likely the incinerator would get this latest five-year operating permit from the EPA.

(Updated Thursday, 10 a.m.)

The House passed the Dream Act late Wednesday by a vote of 216 - 198. The Senate is expected to vote today. The measure would give undocumented students and soldiers a chance at legal status. WFAE's Julie Rose spoke with one of those youth.

Next week, Sianneth Sanchez will graduate with her nursing degree from UNC Charlotte. She's spent countless hours on her studies. Her parents have spent thousands of dollars on tuition. But Sanchez has no plans to get a job.

The proper role of religion in public life in America has been debated since the nation's founding. Today, a political candidate's religion is often "off limits" to public scrutiny.

Author Damon Linker thinks that needs to change. He makes his case in a book called The Religious Test: Why We Must Question the Beliefs of Our Leaders.

WFAE will explore the convergence of religion and politics Thursday night in a Public Coversations forum. In advance of that event, WFAE's Mark Rumsey had his own conversation with Religious Test author Damon Linker.

A controversial incinerator in Matthews has been given federal clearance to keep burning medical waste for another five years. But the permit does not end the efforts of neighbors to have the incinerator shut down.

People who live near the incinerator have wanted it closed ever since it was built in 1988. But Catherine Mitchell says they also knew it was likely the incinerator would get this latest five-year operating permit from the EPA.

(Updated Thursday, 10 a.m.)

The House passed the Dream Act late Wednesday by a vote of 216 - 198. The Senate is expected to vote today. The measure would give undocumented students and soldiers a chance at legal status. WFAE's Julie Rose spoke with one of those youth.

Next week, Sianneth Sanchez will graduate with her nursing degree from UNC Charlotte. She's spent countless hours on her studies. Her parents have spent thousands of dollars on tuition. But Sanchez has no plans to get a job.