Health

Runners may soon have to shell out more cash for their hobby. The proposed fee is part of Wilmington's recommended budget for the upcoming year. It would require all city race participants to pay an extra dollar for each race they run. Full story...

Elnora Mills was sterilized at age 16. She thinks it happened while in surgery to have her appendix removed. Two years later she found out. Though a bill passed through the state House last week, money for Mills and other eugenics victims is not in the Senate's budget. Full story...

They live on your skin, up your nose, in your gut. If you collected all the bacteria and other microbes you have, they could weigh, amazingly, a few pounds. Full story...

The State Lab confirms the second case of rabies this year at Oak Island. The Brunswick County Health Department says a fox sent to the lab Monday tested positive for the disease. Full story...

The North Carolina Senate's largest committee has moved along the Republicans' budget proposal for next year without making changes sought by advocates for the public schools and the prevention of teen smoking and adolescent pregnancy. Full story...

Scientists say a freezer malfunction at a Boston-area hospital has damaged one-third of the world's largest collection of autism brain samples. Full story...

Wrightsville Beach is one step closer to enforcing a smoking ban. During a special meeting Thursday, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to put the ban to a public vote. Full story...

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is aiming to save lives by educating the community. The hospital is offering free CPR events, including one today at Wrightsville Beach. Full story...

When is a wall not a wall? That was the main issue Wednesday when Battleground Restaurant Group Inc. appealed $1,200 in fines levied against it by the New Hanover County Health Department for violations of the state law that prohibits smoking in a restaurant. Full story...

Last year the FDA made new rules for sunscreen makers. But an extension on compliance means many sunscreens still boast protections that may not be enough. We checked with a dermatologist to find out what you should be looking for before soaking in some rays. Full story...

The nation's school districts are turning up their noses at "pink slime," the beef product that caused a public uproar earlier this year. The US Department of Agriculture says the vast majority of states participating in its National School Lunch Program have opted to order ground beef that doesn't contain the product known as lean finely textured beef. Full story...

With ten cases of rabies in New Hanover County already this year, the Sheriff's Office Support Services Division gave out free rabies shots for pets Saturday. Full story...

The way doctors access your medical records may soon change. But what will it mean for you? New Hanover Regional Medical Center is hoping to better connect with their patients thanks to a new electronic health records system, NHRMC Connect, which is going online Saturday. Full story...

North Carolina lawmakers are reacting to a recent chicken-nuggets lunchroom controversy that raged on conservative talk shows and web sites by banning school officials from looking at the nutritional balance of home-packed meals. Full story...

New York City officials say they believe their proposed ban on large sodas and other sugary drinks in eateries will prove popular with residents and start a national trend. Full story...