By JOHN MURAWSKI, Raleigh News and Observer

Craig Guerdat used to be a technical writer but hasn't been able to land a full-time job in his field for more than two years. He suspects one reason he's been passed over again and again is that employers don't want to hire someone who doesn't have a job.

Elf, Truckette and Otto look like they rolled off the pages of a fantasy novel. But they're super-efficient solar-electric tricycles.

Collectors of old coins fill their vaults with nostalgia. Think of the Boy Scout who covets his first buffalo nickel, or the uncle who cherishes his special-edition set.

But a new class of collector is focused on the future: people who are clinging onto precious metals for fear that the nation's currency will implode.

Duke Energy and Progress Energy today announced a merger that would make the combined North Carolina companies into the biggest utility in the nation, with 71 million customers.

Charlotte-based Duke agreed to pay $47.48 a share for Raleigh-based Progress today in a deal valued at $13.7 billion, according to the Dealbook website. The headquarters would be in Charlotte.

It's foul and untouchable, but also packed with energy and endless in supply.

Human waste may well become North Carolina's leading animal source of green fuel for generating electricity.

GlaxoSmithKline will spend a record amount of money on legal fees associated with lawsuits against its controversial diabetes drug, Avandia, and other issues.

The British company, whose North American headquarters is in Research Triangle Park, said it expects to have $2.36 billion in legal payments and fees in the second quarter.

Every day, 8 a.m. sharp, an e-mail arrives in Ed Cox's in-box and opens a window to the nation's energy future.

The e-mail reveals Cox's daily household electricity usage for each of the past 15 days.

RALEIGH, N.C. - All day long, a FedEx trailer sits backed up to the merchandise warehouse of Global Golf, which ships golf clubs, shoes, gifts and other accessories worldwide. At the end of each day, a truck comes to haul away the trailer crammed with packages.

RALEIGH, N.C. - The nation's power companies are investing millions of dollars in new "smart" technologies and creating a mini-boom in hiring

Richard "Gus" Gusler had an ideological quandary on his hands.
His restaurant, the Players' Retreat Tavern in Raleigh, N.C., is an energy hog that contributes to one of Gusler's pet bugaboos: Global warming.