Wake Co. Board Discusses Progress & The Challenges With Homelessness

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners' Affordable Housing Committee met Monday morning to review programs aimed at expanding affordable housing and addressing homelessness, including new funding initiatives, partnerships and ongoing planning efforts as the county continues to face rising housing costs and a growing population. The meeting focused on the work of the Wake County Continuum of Care (CoC), a collaborative network that

First Black Boy Scout Troops in America

  By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Long before the Boy Scouts of America became a nationwide institution, Black communities were already working to bring the ideals of scouting to their youth. In the early twentieth century, African American leaders and volunteers organized some of the first Black Boy Scout troops in the country, helping open opportunities for young people who were frequently excluded from mainstream civic organizations. Historians say identifying

Historic Shepard House at NC Central Turns 100

By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer In 1925, a home rose on the corner of Fayetteville and Brant Streets in Durham, built for the founder of what would become one of the nation's most important historically Black universities. One hundred years later, the Dr. James E. Shepard House at North Carolina Central University still stands. The home was constructed for university founder and first president James E. Shepard and his family

2nd Annual Raleigh Women’s Market

By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer The Raleigh Women's Market returned to downtown Raleigh this month, transforming Moore Square into a place for women-owned businesses, artists and performers from across the Triangle. Held last Sunday afternoon, the event coincided with International Women's Day and was part of the broader celebrations of Women's History Month. The market featured a curated selection of women-owned and women-led small businesses. Visitors browsed handcrafted goods, artwork

NC Medicaid Faces $319M Gap as Lawmakers Examine Costs

By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer State lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon pressed North Carolina Medicaid officials about rising costs, enrollment trends and funding gaps during a meeting of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid at the North Carolina General Assembly. The briefing from officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services came as lawmakers prepare to return to Raleigh next month to negotiate a long-delayed state budget

The Southern Black Girls And Women Organization Are Bending Philanthropy Toward Justice

By Jordan Meadows  Staff Writer Since its founding in 2017, the Southern Black Girls and Women's Consortium has set out to do one thing: transform the philanthropic landscape for Black girls and women across the South. In 2017, LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, encountered a report from the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative showing that Black women and girls received less than one percent of the $4.8 billion

Free Women of Color Take Center Stage in New NC Exhibit

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer A new exhibit from the state archives is shining a light on stories long left in the margins.  Through MosaicNC, an initiative of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, the state is elevating the voices of free women of color who lived through and helped sustain the American Revolution. The exhibit, led by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, centers

North Carolina’s Data Center Surge Is Sparking Debate Over Energy Costs

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Data centers have become the backbone of modern life. In North Carolina, that backbone is expanding at a historic pace by bringing billions in investment, thousands of construction jobs and a growing debate over energy, water and who pays the bill. The warehouse-sized facilities that power cloud computing, artificial intelligence, streaming services and nearly every corner of the modern digital economy are expanding rapidly across

How A Black NC Native Rose To The Top Of Snowboarding

By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Professional snowboarder Zeb Powell has spent the past few years redefining what the sport looks like while carrying his North Carolina roots onto some of snowboarding's biggest stages.  Born in Charlotte and raised in Waynesville, Powell grew up far from the traditional mountain hubs that typically produce elite riders, yet carved out a path that would eventually make him one of the most recognizable figures

They Were Bound By Law: Limits To Emancipation in Revolutionary NC

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Last Wednesday, the State Archives of NC's America 250 held a panel discussion offering a detailed examination of how colonial and early state laws shaped the lives of African Americans in North Carolina. The panel, titled "Bound by Law: Limits to Emancipation during the Revolution" revealed deep contradictions between revolutionary ideals of liberty and the legal system that restricted Black freedom.  Hosted as a lunch-and-learn