Data centers are in the news plenty these days. The massive homes for computer servers, cloud storage and Artificial Intelligence are in high demand. A recent analysis from NC State University and Carnegie Mellon University projects the rising number of data centers is likely to increase electric bills by an average of 8% nationally by the end of the decade. Zachery Eanes of Axios Raleigh joins Jeff Tiberii to share his reporting on data centers and rising costs, as well as the environmental and community impacts, in North Carolina. Guest: Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Enticed by cheap energy and friendly zoning laws, crypto mining operations poured into Appalachia in recent years. But in many places, like Murphy, North Carolina, these incredibly invasive facilities quickly wore out their welcome. Now, communities across the region are trying to pull the plug on crypto, while grappling with a new challenge that presents many of the same problems: AI data centers. WUNC’s podcast The Broadside and host Anisa Khalifa take a closer look.

Scientists estimate between 1.15 million and 2.41 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year, much of it carried by rivers. NC State University professor Barbara Doll joins Due South to discuss a project that tracks the travel of plastic bottles from Marsh Creek into the state’s river basins and, ultimately, into the Albemarle‑Pamlico Estuary. Guest: Barbara Doll, engineer, associate extension professor of biological and agricultural engineering at North Carolina State University, water protection and restoration specialist with the North Carolina Sea Grant