Julie Rose

The Charlotte area straddles North and South Carolina. Republicans who live just steps inside the North Carolina line can only watch longingly as their southern neighbors narrow the field of candidates. By the time North Carolinians get a crack at the Republican field in May, the decisions will already be made.

In North Carolina Tuesday, a state eugenics task force has recommended paying $50,000 to people the state sterilized against their will. It's not as much money as the victims had hoped, but it's one of the first times a state has offered any money.

South Carolina's Republican governor paints an optimistic picture of the state's economy. But with a higher-than-average unemployment rate, voters are focused on economic issues when it comes to the 2012 presidential election.

One county sterilized more people than any other, partially because the head of welfare believed it was a good option for women at a time when abortion was illegal and the birth control pill didn't yet exist. But in the context of an ugly eugenics campaign, serious questions remain over whether consent was forced.

Unionized businesses in Charlotte, N.C., have traditionally had to keep a low profile in this right-to-work state. But with the Democratic National Convention headed to town in 2012, having union ties could now be something to flaunt — and cash in on.