Doula Program Supports Moms Across Rural Eastern N.C.

By Quiana Shepard NCCU In parts of rural North Carolina, an expectant mother may drive more than an hour to reach a hospital that delivers babies. For families living in small towns in the eastern region of the state, access to maternity care often means navigating long distances, limited services and a shrinking number of hospitals.    But pregnancy does not pause for geography.  That reality is driving a new

Harnett County Holds Legislative Luncheon To Discuss Challenges

By Jheri Hardaway Staff Writer Lillington, N.C. - In a recently held Annual Legislative Luncheon, Harnett County commissioners met with state and federal legislators to discuss a range of issues affecting the county, with a particular focus on budgetary constraints, education funding, and state versus local control. The meeting, which aimed to facilitate dialogue and seek support for county priorities, was marked by both collaborative intent and expressions of frustration

Black-led Nonprofits Didn’t See The Lasting Funding Boosts Promised After 2020’s Racial Reckoning Promises

[caption id="attachment_17126" align="alignnone" width="960"] Asiaha Butler, the co-founder of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, poses for a photo outside her office in Chicago, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)[/caption] NEW YORK (AP) - The racial reckoning that followed George Floyd 's murder in 2020 carried hopes of new support for disproportionately underfunded, Black-led nonprofits. American companies stepped up donations to historically Black colleges and universities. Major climate

Juvenile Crime Prevention Council’s Impact and Opportunities 

By Jheri Hardaway Staff Writer Are you familiar with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council or JCPC? The Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention partners with Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils in each county to galvanize community leaders, locally and statewide, to reduce and prevent juvenile crime. JCPC board members are appointed by each county's board of commissioners and meet monthly or bimonthly in each county. The meetings are open to

What If Duke Energy Shared Part Of The Burden Of Fuel Costs With Its Customers?

Canary Media - If the war in the Middle East has proved anything over the last month, it's that fossil fuel prices are extraordinarily unstable. But global conflict isn't the only catalyst that can send the cost of oil and natural gas reeling. Factors such as extreme weather, policy changes, and pipeline outages can also set off a price roller coaster. In North Carolina, all this volatility is prompting calls

Rocky Mount Mayor Pro-Tem Andre Knight

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer A state audit has found that years of mismanagement, weak oversight, and aggressive spending pushed the City of Rocky Mount to the brink of financial collapse, with officials warning that the city's fiscal trajectory had become "unsustainable" before recent corrective actions were taken. In a performance audit completed March 9, the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor detailed what it described as "serious financial

NC’s Electoral Future May Hinge On Rural Black Voters Who Feel Ignored By Democrats

[caption id="attachment_17091" align="alignnone" width="1250"] Damion Farrow, 49, who works for a contract security firm, speaking from his hometown of Powellsville, N.C., on March 12, 2026, says he hears from Democratic political campaigns only at election time. But he's been a reliable Democratic voter anyway, he says. (AP Photo/Bill Barrow)[/caption] (AP) - Ricky Brinkley has lived in rural North Carolina nearly all of his 65 years, and he likes it "out

April Is Our National Fair Housing Month

National Fair Housing Month celebrates the passage of the Fair Housing Act in April, 1968, a national law that prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, and gender. The Act was later amended to include protections for people with disabilities and families with children. In the State of California, there are additional protections for marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source

D.A.R.E. Failed, D.E.A.R. Succeeded: Reading Is Liberation

By Jheri Hardaway Staff Writer Last week, in reference to the Afroman trial, there was a mention of the D.A.R.E. program. The emphasis was on the fact that his hit song, "Because I Got High," did more for drug awareness than its contemporary program D.A.R.E., which has recently come under fire. According to a 2023 NPR report, "numerous studies published in the 1990s and early 2000s concluded programs like D.A.R.E.

Alpha South Regional HBCU College Fair in Raleigh

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer The 2026 Alpha South Regional Convention and FOCUS HBCU College Fair brought more than 1,500 students to the Raleigh Convention Center last Thursday. Running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the annual event connected students from across North Carolina with representatives from historically Black colleges and universities throughout the Southeast region of the U.S., offering information on admissions, scholarships, academic programs, and extracurricular opportunities.  In