Author: The Carolinian

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A man wrongly convicted of two separate violent crimes will be compensated by the state of Maryland after spending years behind bars, including over a year after he had been proven innocent. A Maryland board approved more than $340,000 for a settlement on Wednesday in compensation for Demetrius Smith who was wrongly convicted of murder and first-degree assault and spent more than five years in prison.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Feb. 5 retrial date was set Wednesday for the man whose 2016 manslaughter conviction in the shooting death of former NFL star Will Smith was overturned because the jury's verdict was not unanimous. Cardell Hayes, 36, has long insisted he shot Smith in self-defense during an April 2016 confrontation after a car crash. At his December 2016 trial, he said he fired at Smith, hitting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama high school band director said Wednesday that he was just "doing my job" when police officers arrested him and shocked him with a stun gun after he refused to immediately stop the band as it played in the bleachers following a football game. Johnny Mims, the band director at Minor High School, told The Associated Press he was confused when officers pulled him from

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - In 2020, North Carolina seemed the model of an evenly-divided swing state. Then-President Donald Trump barely won, beating Democrat Joe Biden by just over a percentage point. Meanwhile, the state's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, won reelection by a relatively comfortable 5 points. Even last year, as Republicans won two seats on the state Supreme Court, North Carolina's congressional delegation split evenly between Democrats and the GOP.

(AP) - The NCAA Board of Directors said Tuesday it was "troubled" by North Carolina's public criticism of the decision to deny an eligibility waiver to Tar Heels transfer receiver Tez Walker, adding that some committee members have received threats of violence. The statement comes less than a week after North Carolina said the NCAA had denied appeal efforts for immediate eligibility for Walker, an announcement that included pointed criticism from

LAS VEGAS (AP) - School district officials in Las Vegas are asking a judge to put an end to what they claim is a coordinated union campaign of teacher absences during a bitter contract battle, forcing school closures and classroom disruptions in a state where it is illegal for public employees to strike. Since Sept. 1, unexpected staff shortages have forced seven schools to cancel classes for the day and

NEW YORK (AP) - After months of testing, TikTok is fully launching its e-commerce product in the U.S. in an effort to translate the app's cultural relevance among young consumers to sales. The company said Tuesday its shopping wing, called TikTok Shop, will include several features such as a "Shop Tab," a marketplace its been testing on the app since August; affiliate videos in user's feed that allows creators to

NEW YORK (AP) - When the unexpected happens - whether fire, hail, or human error - renters insurance can provide much-needed stability. But many choose not to purchase coverage, including in places most frequently and hardest hit by natural disasters, new research shows. Linda Klamm, who works as an attorney for insurance policyholders after catastrophes, lost her home to a firestorm in Oakland, California, in 1991, and has firsthand experience

NEW YORK (AP) - The HBCU Transformation Project, a coalition of 40 historically Black colleges and universities, on Wednesday announced a $124 million gift from philanthropic funders Blue Meridian Partners to increase enrollment, graduation rates and employment rates for the schools' graduates. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, which is acting as an intermediary overseeing the funding, called the donation a vote of confidence in the coalition, which includes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper appointed an appellate judge and longtime voting rights attorney to fill a vacancy on the North Carolina Supreme Court created when one of two Democratic justices stepped down early. Allison Riggs, a registered Democrat, will replace outgoing Justice Michael Morgan, who resigned last week from the panel where Republicans hold a 5-2 majority. Riggs currently serves on the North Carolina Court of