Zachary Turner

North Carolina is free from extreme drought after widespread, heavy rainfall improved dry conditions. Five counties in the Northern Piedmont and Southern Coastal Plains regions are still experiencing a severe drought and are advised to implement plans to mitigate water shortages. Much of Mecklenburg County is now designated abnormally dry.

Duke Energy is in the process of finalizing its plan to power North Carolina while reducing emissions. The utility has reached an agreement with North Carolina’s state consumer advocacy group on how to do that.

Everyone is feeling the heat this summer as daytime temperatures skyrocket with heat indexes in the triple digits and the nights stay warm. But heat isn’t evenly distributed across Charlotte’s urban heat island. For the first time, a group of volunteers are tracking down Charlotte’s hottest neighborhoods.

State regulators are in the process of hearing arguments for how and when wind energy comes to the Carolina coast. The state has three wind energy areas off the coast, but no active wind farms. Meanwhile, Virginia already has two spinning turbines.

State regulators ordered the utility to excavate the former coal ash pond and place the ash in an onsite, lined landfill. The utility has removed about one-fifth of the coal ash so far.

June marks the 13th consecutive month of global record-breaking high temperatures. In North Carolina, that’s led to severe drought conditions in many parts of the state.

Ratepayers with a home battery can give Duke Energy access in exchange for money back on their monthly utility bills.

The North Carolina General Assembly set aside millions of dollars to remove derelict dams in the mountains. Environmental groups are organizing state and federal agencies with that money to remove obstructions to the natural flow of Carolina rivers.

A warmer atmosphere is driving up incidents of inland flooding outside areas included in federal floodplain maps. A new state rule will give homebuyers more information about homes’ flood histories outside of federal floodplains.

Researchers and volunteers dove into the Watauga River to recover as many eastern hellbenders as possible before a dam removal next week.