After Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 817, also known as the Strategic Transportation Investments, into law about three weeks ago, the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition sat down with Ned Curran, chairman of the North Carolina Board of Transportation, to discuss what the formulas for House Bill 817 should look like. This is what we learned:

Due to rising fuel economy standards, the North Carolina and federal governments will have to find alternative revenues to fund transportation as the biggest source of revenue - the motor fuels tax - declines.

GREENVILLE — At the Young and College Democrats of North Carolina convention this weekend, the message was clear — the Democratic Party wants to retake control of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion by 2016.

Members of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition released data detailing pockets of severe poverty and unemployment – distressed census tracts – in North Carolina's larger cities. The data shows that nearly 580,000 North Carolina residents live in distressed tracts, with 62 percent of these living in metropolitan regions.

Braving a tornado warning and a 30-mile walk, about 50 people marched for eight hours from Chapel Hill to Raleigh Saturday to urge N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper to give a legal opinion on whether students without documentation can receive in-state tuition.

Due to rising fuel efficiency standards, the North Carolina and federal governments will have to find alternative revenues to fund transportation as the biggest source of revenue — the motor fuels tax — continues to decline.

While many UNC-system students graduate searching for a dream job, some are eventually forced to consider how they’ll pay tomorrow’s water bill. Average starting salaries vary across the state and depend on the type of degree. But despite increasing state emphasis on technical skills rather than liberal arts, many students from both types of backgrounds said they have struggled finding the ideal job.

Bill Atkinson, the president and CEO of WakeMed Health and Hospitals, announced last week he was stepping down — just days before the Affordable Care Act’s new health insurance enrollment system debuts nationwide.

While new poll results show that Gov. Pat McCrory’s approval rating continues to decline, many Democrats are already campaigning for the seat — even though the election isn’t for another three years.

In just 10 minutes, the N.C. Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Pat McCrory’s only two legislative vetoes, bringing the General Assembly’s 2013 special session to a close. The action mirrored the N.C. House of Representatives’ decision Tuesday, which also attained the three-fifths majority necessary to override the governor’s veto on a welfare drug testing bill and an immigration bill.

Education has been a state priority and topic of significant debate for decades, including the 2013 North Carolina General Assembly session. In order to answer some of the pressing questions about the best direction for North Carolina in education, WhichWayNC sat down with former Gov. Jim Hunt, who served for four terms.