In local news:
As rain continues to fall amid already catastrophic flooding in the Houston area, residents of the Charlotte area may soon begin to feel the impact of the lingering storm. More than a quarter of the oil-refining capacity on the Gulf Coast has been taken offline, according to AAA, and gas prices across the nation are rising as a result. In the Charlotte area, the organization pegs today’s average price at $2.28 per gallon — that’s up 7 cents from yesterday and 11 cents from a week…