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News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

FILE - In this April 12, 2012, file photo, former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John Edwards arrives outside federal court in Greensboro, N.C. Andrew Young retook the witness stand for a fourth straight day at Edwards’ criminal trial in a North Carolina courthouse over accused campaign finance violations on Thursday, April 26, 2012. The former aide was the first witness called by the prosecution and is key to making the government’s case that Edwards directed a scheme to use nearly $1 million in secret payments from two wealthy donors used to help hide his pregnant mistress as he campaigned for the White House in 2008. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six criminal counts and faces up to 30 years behind bars if convicted. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

Edwards aide admits to spending hush money on himself

Anne Blythe News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Friday, April 27, 2012 - 10:36am

GREENSBORO, N.C. — After four days of testimony, it has been difficult at times to tell who is on trial — John Edwards, the former presidential candidate accused of secretly obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions, or Andrew Young, the political aide that defense lawyers contend used the money to feather a fancy nest of his own.

Courts, John Edwards, National Read more Comments

Handicapped boy robbed while collecting funds for wheelchair basketball

Amanda James News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Sunday, March 25, 2012 - 8:06am

CARY, N.C. -- Seated in his wheelchair, Nolan Turner, 12, staked out his neighborhood Thursday evening to sell water bottles and raise money to bring his wheelchair basketball team to his elementary school.

Crime, Robbery, Handicapped, Wheelchair Basketball, National Read more Comments

In this March 15, 2012 photo, a billboard featuring the photo of murdered UNC student body president Eve Carson seen on National Highway 49 west of Munnar in southern India. The image of a slain U.S. university student body president has turned up on billboards in southern India. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Bruce Siceloff)

Billboard in India used murder victim's image for ad campaign

Bruce Siceloff, Jane Stancill News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Thursday, March 22, 2012 - 1:45pm

Along the roads of southern India, the billboards are plentiful, promoting movies, mobile phones, fine silks, Chinese restaurants and Communist Party politicians seeking re-election.

There, along National Highway 49, not far from the mountain town of Munnar, were at least two billboards with an image that would be chilling to most North Carolinians: the smiling visage of Eve Carson, a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill student body president who was killed in 2008.

Advertising, Billboards, India, University of North Carolina, International Read more Comments

U.S. professor faces cocaine-smuggling charges in Argentina

Jay Price News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 8:51am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A 68-year-old University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill physics professor with three degrees from Oxford University is being held in an Argentine prison on charges of trying to smuggle 2 kilograms of cocaine.

Crime, Cocaine, Drug smuggling, Drugs, University of North Carolina, College, International, National Read more Comments

Utah pilot who fled tax charges is arrested in N.C.

Jessica Halpren News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - 1:15pm

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Hiram M. Drane walked out of a Utah courthouse three years ago this month, just before he was convicted of tax evasion. He hadn't been seen since.

Now he is being held in the Chatham County, N.C., jail, awaiting extradition to Utah. He was arrested in Bear Creek on Friday.

Crime, Courts, Tax evasion, Utah Read more Comments

Whether you're looking to upgrade or join the almost 50 percent of mobile subscribers with a smartphone, you're in for a daunting task.

Ignore smartphone jargon when upgrading

Tyler Dukes News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 12:47pm

Whether you're looking to upgrade or join the almost 50 percent of mobile subscribers with a smartphone, you're in for a daunting task.

Business, Mobile devices, Smartphones Read more Comments

'King Karl' Hess a great referee, but still owes fans explanation

Luke DeCock News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Monday, February 20, 2012 - 9:04pm

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Despite what many college-basketball fans seem to think, Karl Hess is one of the best referees in the game, with a resume that speaks for itself: nine ACC championship games, five Final Fours, and more than 40 NCAA tournament games.

His authoritative style sometimes grates on fans, earning him the nickname "King Karl," but with Hess, you almost always know what you're going to get. There's a lot to be said for that.

College Sports, College basketball, Sports, Basketball Read more Comments

Muslim-American terror rare, study says

Jessica Halpern News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Friday, February 10, 2012 - 9:25am

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The number of homegrown terrorism plots hatched by Muslim-Americans has declined over the last three years and remain relatively rare despite public fears, according to a study by a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill sociology professor.

Muslims, Religion, Study, Terrorism, University of North Carolina, National Read more Comments

Buckeye Chuck looks out during Groundhog Day, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 in Marion, Ohio. Chuck predicts an early spring this year. (AP Photo/The Marion Star, Bill Sinden)

Some groundhogs are more accurate than others

Josh Shaffer News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 11:36am

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Every Feb. 2, a slew of weather-predicting rodents lift their noses in the air to test winter's strength, offering groundhog-hole predictions from Punxsutawney, Pa., down to Lilburn, Ga.

But among all fur-covered meteorologists, the best-guesser's crown belongs to a 5-year-old critter who lives indoors and doesn't even hibernate: Mortimer, the pride of Garner, N.C.

Features, Groundhog, Groundhog Day, Weather Read more Comments

Dalton Windley, serving a life sentence for killing a man, wants to donate a kidney and an eye "to do some good." (SHNS photo by Josh Shaffer / Raleigh News & Observer)

Inmate wants to donate kidney, eye 'to do some good'

Josh Shaffer News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 5:17pm

TILLERY, N.C. -- When he was 20, Dalton Windley fetched a .22-caliber rifle from his car, aimed it from the hip and fired a single shot at Glenn Brame from about 150 yards, catching the young man in the neck.

They'd been arguing over a girl. Windley knows it doesn't matter, but he insists he didn't mean to kill. Those few seconds of wildness got him a life sentence in prison and, after nearly 20 years, he doesn't expect to get out.

Inmate, Organ Donation, Prison, National Read more Comments

The East Carolinian newspaper, where a series of photos were published Nov. 8 showing a naked man sprinting across the field and then being tackled and arrested. (WBTV)

University newspaper adviser is fired over photos of streaker

Jane Stancill News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Friday, January 6, 2012 - 11:27am

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina University fired the adviser to its student newspaper this week, two months after the paper published unedited nude photos of a streaker at a football game.

Business, Features, Newspaper, Streaker, College Read more Comments

Designers pedal solar-electric trikes

John Murawski News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Thursday, December 8, 2011 - 12:55pm

Elf, Truckette and Otto look like they rolled off the pages of a fantasy novel. But they're super-efficient solar-electric tricycles. A group of designers and sustainability advocates calling themselves Organic Transit plans to develop and market these buggies in Durham, N.C., a city they envision as the national hub for a three-wheeled brand of transportation virtually unknown outside a small cult following in this country and Europe.

Business, Features, Children, Solar energy Read more Comments

Human organs can now be grown, one cell at a time

Sam Boykin News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 12:59pm

Luke Masella was born with spina bifida, and after 10 years it was getting the best of him.

The congenital disorder affects the development of the nerves and vertebrae along the spinal cord, and can result in paralysis, neurological complications and organ damage.

In Masella's case, his bladder was failing and he spent much of his early childhood in the hospital. He was plagued by aches and pains, and often was too tired and lethargic to get out of bed. Because his bladder didn't work properly, his kidneys were shutting down.

Features, Human organs, Medical research Read more Comments

Animal rights' billboard near Butterball office urges people to go vegetarian

Sarah Nagem News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - 2:06pm

GARNER, N.C. -- An animal rights group is urging travelers on U.S. 70 to go vegetarian this Thanksgiving with a billboard in Garner, home to turkey giant Butterball.

Business, Advertising, Animal Rights, Billboards, Thanksgiving, National Read more Comments

Study: White teens more likely to abuse drugs than blacks, Asians

Jay Price News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - 10:08am

DURHAM, N.C. -- Black and Asian adolescents are much less likely than their white peers to abuse or become dependent on drugs and alcohol, according to a Duke University-led study based on an unusually large sample from all 50 states.

Features, Drug abuse, Duke University, Research, Teens Read more Comments