Author: Jordan Meadows

By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Mary Potter Academy, once a cornerstone of Black education and community life in Granville County, is entering a new chapter more than a century after it was founded. The academy was established in 1889 by George Clayton Shaw, who served as principal until 1936. Shaw was born enslaved in Louisburg in 1863 and raised by a mother who, despite limited opportunity, received what he later

[caption id="attachment_15859" align="alignnone" width="1760"] North Carolina Board of Elections hearing Jackson County's proposal at a meeting on January 13, 2026.[/caption] By: Jordan Meadows Staff Writer A series of recent decisions by the North Carolina State Board of Elections is reshaping how and where voters across the state will cast their ballots in the upcoming primary. Since December 2025, the state board has begun approving early voting plans from county boards

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Parker David Robbins emerged from the rigid racial order of antebellum North Carolina to become one of the most prominent Black public figures the state produced during and after the Civil War.  Born around 1834 in Bertie County, Robbins was a free person of color of mixed African and Native American ancestry. At a time when North Carolina law prohibited the education of Black people,

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer A retirement savings and readiness session hosted Wednesday afternoon by the NC Retirement Systems offered a detailed look at what it takes to prepare for life after work, reframing retirement as a matter of financial preparedness rather than a milestone tied to a specific age. The program, titled "Achieve Retirement Readiness," walked participants through the primary sources of retirement income and the planning decisions that

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Last Friday morning, dozens gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Wake County Public Health Center. The 154,000-square-foot facility, located at 200 Swinburne St., is set to officially open on February 23, just minutes from the original structure on Sunnybrook Road, which served the community for nearly 40 years. The new four-story building features a five-level parking deck and a public lot with eight

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Across the Triangle, communities came together throughout the weekend and into Monday to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., marking the federal holiday with events centered on service and culture. The weekend culminated Monday morning in Durham with the 45th annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, welcoming hundreds of visitors to the Sheraton Imperial Hotel. The longstanding tradition brought together faith leaders, community advocates

[caption id="attachment_15629" align="alignnone" width="918"] The 1917 Silent Parade in New York City[/caption] By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, it proclaimed itself a defender of democracy abroad. At home, however, the pressures of war exposed and intensified long-standing racial and economic injustices. Nowhere was this contradiction more violently revealed than in the racial riots and massacres that erupted during the

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid in the NC General Assembly convened Tuesday afternoon to review new federal requirements and funding mechanisms for the state's Medicaid and SNAP programs stemming from H.R.1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act". The law tightens work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), affects eligibility for veterans and former foster youth, and mandates changes to Medicaid administration. "NC

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Last Wednesday, North Carolina House lawmakers opened the new legislative year with a contentious first meeting of the House Select Committee on Government Efficiency, focusing heavily on DEI policies in Asheville, Buncombe County and the City of Raleigh. Much of the scrutiny centered on allegations that local governments and publicly funded programs have unlawfully prioritized race and gender in violation of federal and state civil

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Owen Lun West Smith was born into slavery on May 18, 1851, in Giddensville, Sampson County, North Carolina. At the age of at most 14 he initially followed the Confederate Army as a personal servant. As the war drew to a close, Smith's path changed dramatically when he left his mother and joined General William T. Sherman's Union forces on their return north. He was