Topic: Beverly Perdue

Can Republicans increase their ranks of governors? Four races to watch.

With only 11 races for governor this year, there’s no big sea change to anticipate. With Republicans hoping to add to the 29 states under their banner, the four races to watch are in Washington, New Hampshire, Montana, and North Carolina.

Boycott Mayberry? How North Carolina lost its shine for Obama.

After helping put President Obama over the top in 2008, North Carolina seemed the perfect place to hold the 2012 Democratic National Convention. But the Southern state has become symbolic of the economic and social headwinds Obama faces in his reelection.

Why North Carolina banned gay marriage (+video)

Republicans and African Americans in North Carolina were united in supporting a constitutional ban on gay marriage. The North Carolina is a key swing state in the 2012 presidential election.

North Carolina ready for constitutional ban on gay marriages, says poll

North Carolina will vote Tuesday on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions. One North Carolina poll shows only 38 percent oppose the ban.

Cover Story Gun nation: Inside America's gun-carry culture

Why Americans now carry handguns in so many public places, from parks to college campuses. Is it making the country safer or more dangerous? 

Why the death penalty is at historic low in the US

By and large, Americans still support the death penalty. But concerns about the fairness of its application, and even its costs, are playing a role in the steep drop in executions and convictions.

Aftermath of Irene: budget-straining cleanup and lives 'turned upside down'

Hurricane Irene was just a tropical storm by the time it hit New England. But its trip up the East Coast claimed an estimated 35 lives and left a path of destruction whose cost is magnified by a weak economy.

Hurricane Irene update: Now Category 1 but major impact still ahead

Hurricane Irene has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm. But as it makes landfall in North Carolina and heads north, it's still expected to pack a wallop with the greatest danger from flooding due to heavy rainfall and coastal storm surges.

Why North Carolina, far from Tornado Alley, took brunt of big outbreak

North Carolina averages 19 tornadoes a year. More than 60 hit the state over the weekend, part of a 'family' of 243 tornadoes that spun across the South, killing at least 43.

Storms bring furious winds, tornadoes across 6 states

Emergency crews searched for victims in North Carolina, where 62 tornadoes were reported from the worst spring storm in two decades. Gov. Beverly Perdue surveyed the damage Sunday.

Five top Republicans urge health reform? Well, 6 Dems don't.

Recession pummels South’s ‘miracle' economy

With seven states now seeing double-digit unemployment rates, the region is feeling some of the costs of a low-wage economy.

USA