North Carolina’s new state budget will become law next week, and several provisions would give the legislature more authority over community colleges and the court system.

Twenty-three percent of all jobs at state agencies across North Carolina are vacant. That’s a record high and double the number of vacant spots from a decade ago. And those open positions are having an adverse effect on businesses. That’s something Ren Larson wrote about for The Assembly and she joins "Morning Edition" host Marshall Terry to discuss.

Duke Energy recently celebrated a big birthday for one of its oldest workhorses — Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station in Gaston County, northwest of Charlotte. The dam and power station were built 100 years ago. But don't call it a historical relic. It was renewable energy before electricity's fossil-fuel era and it's expected to keep generating long after Duke closes its last coal-fired power plant in 2035.

Anson County will not get a casino this year after House Republicans last week essentially killed the proposal. The Anson County manager says he hopes for another "roll of the dice" later.

A large Habitat for Humanity community build started by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn returns to Charlotte after a long absence. The project will build 27 affordable homes in the West Boulevard corridor.

The GOP-led North Carolina General Assembly just completed a run of public comment sessions on the drawing of new Congressional and state legislative district maps.