A trial is now underway in Raleigh that could have enormous consequences for North Carolina's multi-billion-dollar commercial and recreational fishing industries.

Why it matters: The state is being accused of not effectively managing its fisheries, natural resources that belong to the people of North Carolina.

State of play: Over 80 people, organized by the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina, sued the state in 2020 to demand reform.

• They argue that decades of mismanagement and commercial overfishing have led several coastal species to collapse or to the brink of it.

Context: North Carolina is bound by both its state constitution and a 1997 state law called the Fisheries Reform Act to rebuild any fishing stocks that get depleted, which has led the state to get involved in managing flounder, shrimp and red drum, among other species.

• Appellate court judges ruled back in 2022 that the state is indeed responsible for preserving "the people's right to fish and harvest fish," citing the North Carolina constitution's public trust doctrine.

What they're saying: But over the decades, the plaintiffs' lead attorney Keith Johnson said yesterday during opening arguments, recreational fishing access and harvest allotments have dwindled because of persistent overfishing.

• Food production is important, Johnson argued about commercial fishing, "but not at the expense of the resource."

The other side: The assistant attorney general defending the state, Ashton Roberts, said managing a wild ecosystem is a balancing act.

• North Carolina has seen "explosive growth in recreational fishing" that has outpaced population growth since the 1980s, with the state's estimated 18 million recreational fishing trips a year second only to Florida, Roberts said during opening arguments.

Just because some are dissatisfied, she argued, doesn't mean the state is failing the wider public.

• Roberts pointed to predation, disease and climate change as contributing factors and argued that "the state can not be held responsible for the whims of nature."

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The National Weather Service's Raleigh office is warning central North Carolina residents to gear up for a potential major winter storm this weekend.

Why it matters: Though the forecast remains fluid, the storm could bring dangerous cold weather, a mixture of snow and sleet, and potential power outages throughout the region.

Driving the news: Initial forecasts call for rain to begin in the area on Friday before switching to winter precipitation on Saturday and Sunday, possibly starting as snow and then transitioning into freezing rain.

• Total accumulation remains uncertain, but forecasts should become clearer in the coming days.

What they're saying: "If you can stay home, plan to stay home for several days this weekend," Nick Petro, a meteorologist for NWS Raleigh, said in a news briefing, adding that the storm brings the potential for power outages.

Threat level: Petro said this could be one of the biggest winter storms central North Carolina has seen in several years, and that he was "reasonably confident" that this storm could bring more than a couple of inches of snow before turning into sleet.

• The storm is expected to have a "double punch," Petro said, because the wind chill is expected to remain below freezing after the storm passes.

The bottom line: You know the forecast is looking potentially bad when the local meteorologists head to the store for big bags of ice melt, as Tim Buckley of Greensboro's WFMY did.

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Genentech, a biotechnology company that pledged last year to build a manufacturing facility in southern Wake County, said it will double its investment here.

Why it matters: The investment continues to cement the town of Holly Springs as a major manufacturing player in the biotech and pharmaceutical world, already home to other firms like Amgen, Fujifilm Diosynth, CSL Seqirus and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Driving the news: Last year, Genentech, a maker of drugs for cancer and rare diseases, said it would invest $700 million into its Holly Springs site and create around 400 jobs there.

• Construction began last fall, but yesterday, the company said it would raise those totals to $2 billion and 500 jobs.

Zoom in: Genentech, a subsidiary of the Swiss company Roche, is based in South San Francisco. Holly Springs will be the company's first East Coast facility.

• The goal is to be fully operational by 2029, with the facility producing products like a weight-loss drug.

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Kane Realty won approval from the Raleigh City Council yesterday to build even taller skyscrapers in North Hills.

Why it matters: The midtown neighborhood has grown exponentially over the past decade, and yesterday's rezoning lets Kane keep redrawing Raleigh's second skyline.

Zoom in: Kane now has permission to build up to 37 stories tall on a handful of parcels along Six Forks and Lassiter Mill roads. Previously, Kane was allowed up to 12 stories, though the new variance does not allow for more square footage than was previously allowed.

• Kane contributed money toward the city's affordable housing fund and fire department as part of the application.

Between the lines: The rezoning was approved in a 6-2 vote, with council members Jane Harrison and Christina Jones voting against it.

• The project received pushback from nearby neighborhoods, which expressed concern over increased traffic on Six Forks Road and the height of the buildings.