Sen. Kay Hagan reassures Asheville-area growers on Food Safety Modernization Act
It's getting down to crunch time for the Food Safety Modernization Act, which could adversely affect farmers in Western North Carolina with onerous paperwork and thousands of dollars in added expenses.

There's another side to Obama's COIN
WASHINGTON - Amid continued high levels of violence and a steady stream of reports of high-level government corruption in Kabul, a growing number of foreign policy specialists are urging United States President Barack Obama to reconsider his counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy in Afghanistan.

Computers aid home schoolers
Editor’s Note: This story is the second in a series on home school and its popularity throughout the region and the state. Colorado leads the United States in the percentage of home-schooled children.

Bill Fleischman: NASCAR's Mark Martin makes his point
Race as long as Mark Martin has and you become a realist. With one race remaining before the Chase for the Championship, Martin is 15th in standings, 147 points out of the 12th and final qualifying position. This will be the first time Martin has not been a Chaser (he didn't race full time in 2007 and '08).

Santa Barbara plastic bag debate rages on
Paper or plastic? How passé. In 2010, try “Where’s your bag?” With state lawmakers next month considering a ban on all plastic bags – and a 10-cent fee for paper bags – the Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to come out in favor of the proposed law or oppose it.