Judging by the numbers, it would appear Augusta GreenJackets right-hander Martin Agosta is on his way to moving up the minor league ranks in short order. But pitching progression is about more than just good statistics, and Agosta already understands.

The North Carolina General Assembly has begun its end-of-session wrestling to reconcile Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed $20.6 billion budget for 2013-14 fiscal year and the goals of the Senate’s $20.58 billion proposal, released Sunday night (Senate Bill 402). Meanwhile, some of the nearly 600 bills still alive after crossover are also filtering through Statehouse committees. Crossover is the ...

Scientists downplay role of climate change as the cause of this week's huge tornado in the US state of Oklahoma.