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Many local businesses fear they won't win contracts for the 2012 Democratic National Convention because they can't boast a "union bug," like the small blue oval above, that can be found on some material printed by Consolidated Press.

Julie Rose

  • More than half of states once had eugenics laws, but North Carolina's forced sterilization was one of the most aggressive. Nearly 7,600 men, women and children were ordered sterilized by the state — often merely because they were poor or mentally ill. Now, North Carolina has become the first state to compensate its eugenics victims.
  • One county sterilized more people than any other, partially because the head of welfare believed it was a good option for women at a time when abortion was illegal and the birth control pill didn't yet exist. But in the context of an ugly eugenics campaign, serious questions remain over whether consent was forced.
  • In Charlotte, N.C., a secret bunker rests quietly below a radio station. Built in 1963, it was part of a federal network designed to provide emergency communications in case of a nuclear attack. With a new slew of potential threats to contend with, FEMA has revived the idea.
  • Many airports send their discarded french fries, burgers and Cinnabons to the landfill. But Charlotte Douglas International plans to transform that garbage into fertilizer for flower beds. All it needed was a couple of million red wiggler worms.
  • In a world of Facebook and TMZ, mug shots are as popular as ever. There are entire tabloids dedicated to the latest arrest snapshots. But in one North Carolina county, mugging too much for a mug shot can get you locked in a cell indefinitely.
  • Bank of America will release quarterly earnings on Wednesday, and once again, foreclosures will be part of the equation. The Charlotte-based bank's handling of the housing crash upset a lot of people. And yet, some of those closest to the foreclosure mess are softening toward the bank.
  • South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will take center stage at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday night. Haley was an early backer of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, to the displeasure of the Tea Party.
  • The state sterilized thousands against their will up until the 1970s. Legislation to compensate them seemed poised to pass, but it didn't. Now, victims — and their advocates — wonder what they could have done differently and what they can do next. A woman the state sterilized vows, "Justice will prevail."
  • When the summer sun sets in Charlotte, N.C., urban fishers make for the manmade pond in Freedom Park. They often bring their kids and grandkids for a taste of the country life they knew when Charlotte was a sleepier town.
  • With the national convention just three months away, state Democrats are reeling from a series of setbacks, including passage of a gay marriage ban and a sex scandal within the organization. But party leaders say they're committed to making the convention a success and keeping the state "blue" in November.