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    Duke University Study: N.C. Residents Living Near Large Hog Farms Have Elevated Disease, Death Risks

    Duke University Study: N.C. Residents Living Near Large Hog Farms Have Elevated Disease, Death Risks

    By Olga Naidenko and Sydney Evans Residents of communities near industrial-scale hog farms in North Carolina face an increased risk of potentially deadly diseases, Duke University scientists reported in a study released this week. Researchers found that compared to communities without big hog farms, in the communities with the highest hog farm density, there were […]

    18 Dead, More Than 900 Rescued as Florence Floods the Carolinas

    18 Dead, More Than 900 Rescued as Florence Floods the Carolinas

    Hurricane Florence, downgraded to a tropical depression, pummeled the Carolinas this weekend, killing 18 so far and instigating flooding that officials said could last through mid-week, CNN reported Monday. Florence, which scientists predicted would be more than 50 percent wetter due to climate change, is expected to dump 40 inches of rain on parts of […]

    Climate-Denying Law Could Make Hurricane Florence More Dangerous

    Climate-Denying Law Could Make Hurricane Florence More Dangerous

    A 2012 law could make North Carolina more vulnerable to hurricanes like Florence, which is expected to approach the state later Thursday, CBS reported. The law banned policy makers from using up-to-date climate science to plan for sea level rise, which is expected to make flooding from storms like Florence worse. “Currently the unspoken plan […]

    Will Hurricane Florence Flood North Carolina Factory Farms and Manure Pits?

    Will Hurricane Florence Flood North Carolina Factory Farms and Manure Pits?

    When Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina in 2016, it flooded more than 140 feces-strewn industrial-scale swine and poultry barns, more than a dozen open pits brimming with liquid hog waste and thousands of acres of manure-saturated fields. As Hurricane Florence—far bigger than Matthew—bears down on the state, Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Waterkeeper Alliance are […]

    Category 4 Hurricane Florence Forecast to Hit East Coast

    Category 4 Hurricane Florence Forecast to Hit East Coast

    After starting off as a tropical storm, Florence has rapidly intensified and is expected to become a major hurricane that could make landfall in North and South Carolina later this week. The storm is now a Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center’s Atlantic branch tweeted in its latest update Monday. “Florence has continued to […]

    Victory for Whistleblowers in North Carolina: Court Reinstates Constitutional Challenge to ‘Anti-Sunshine’ Law

    Victory for Whistleblowers in North Carolina: Court Reinstates Constitutional Challenge to ‘Anti-Sunshine’ Law

    The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of North Carolina’s anti-sunshine law can go forward, reversing the decision of the federal district court. The law was designed to deter whistleblowers and undercover investigators from publicizing information about corporate misconduct, and a coalition including […]

    Asheville Declares First Ever ‘City-Proclaimed’ Vegan Challenge in U.S.

    Asheville Declares First Ever ‘City-Proclaimed’ Vegan Challenge in U.S.

    The famously artsy and progressive city of Asheville, North Carolina declared the week of June 4-10 as the nation’s first “city-proclaimed” seven-day vegan challenge. The initiative—organized by the City of Asheville, regional hospital Mission Health and no-kill shelter Brother Wolf Animal Rescue—aims to promote the vegan diet as a means to combat climate change, mass […]