Expert to NC parents: Social media sites have changed how kids interact with drugs and alcohol

In 2021, 20 teenagers died in North Carolina due to drunk driving, says Rodney Poole, program coordinator for Talk it Out NC. The state-funded program was created by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission in 2014 to help educate youth and parents about the dangers of underage drinking. As a result of those fatalities, Poole said during a webinar about how social media influences teen drinking, there will be 20 empty seats at

Breast cancer survivors may not need so many mammograms after surgery, UK study suggests

(AP) Annual mammograms are recommended indefinitely for breast cancer survivors in many countries, including the U.S., but a large British study finds that less frequent screening is just as good. Yearly screening is meant to monitor whether cancer has come back. All that testing causes anxiety for patients and costs money. Until now, there wasn't solid evidence for when women could ease back on yearly mammograms, said Janet Dunn of

Some states’ economies cool even as the nation’s sizzles

Tim Henderson - Stateline - A still-roaring national economy grew at an unexpectedly robust 5.2% annual rate in the third quarter of this year, but early indicators show a more mixed picture for many states heading into the holidays. The preliminary unemployment rate rose in 38 states and economic output slowed in 32 states in October, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal economic data. Yet states where the economy

40TH ANNIVERSARY THRILLER DANCE REENACTMENT

By: LINDEN BECKFORD JR. and MOTHER DIVA It was an epic moment and gathering on December 2, 2023, for the 40th Anniversary of Thriller Dance Re-Enactment produced by Chicago Community Activist/ Producer Mother Diva. The event was sponsored in part by the LA Valley Recovery Center. They help people detox from drugs and alcohol. “Mr. Jackson always believed in doing things that had never been done before. Out of all

Museum brings civil rights leaders’ portraiture in Templeton exhibition

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  The National Civil Rights Museum has opened a new exhibition, Lest We Forget… Images of the Black Civil Rights Movement, on display until May 6, 2024. This traveling collection, showcasing 35 powerful portraits and images by Robert Templeton, captures key figures and moments from the Black civil rights movement, spanning from the Niagara Movement to the 1970s. Against the backdrop of Templeton's humble beginnings in the Great

After mistrial, feds move to retry ex-Louisville cop who fired shots in Breonna Taylor raid

(AP NEWS) - Federal prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they intend to retry former Louisville officer Brett Hankison after a jury deadlocked last month over charges he used excessive force the night Breonna Taylor was killed by police in 2020. A judge declared a mistrial Nov. 16 after the jury deliberated for several days but could not reach a unanimous decision. Hankison fired 10 shots the night of the deadly

From creeks to clouds: The invisible invasion of microplastics

Will Atwater - NC Health News Judging by recent developments, microplastics have risen to the status of supervillain. Reports about these new anti-heroes read almost like celebrity sightings. The tiny particles are everywhere: in water, on land, on mountaintops, in humans and animals - and even in the clouds. Microplastic compounds are defined as being less than 5 mm long, which is slightly larger than a sesame seed, but many microplastic

Democrat-turned-Republican Tricia Cotham draws a Democratic challenger

NC NEWSLINE - Rep. Tricia Cotham, the Democrat-turned-Republican who upended North Carolina politics, has a Democratic challenger in the  Mecklenburg House district where she's running for another term. Yolanda Holmes, the Democrat who came in second to Cotham in a four-way Democratic primary in 2022, filed to run in the district. Cotham, a Mint Hill resident,  became a GOP hero when she switched parties this year to give Republicans a