The Carolinian Newspaper

Rocky Mount Leaders Vote To Continue Utility Cutoffs Despite Deaths, Calls For Resignations

The Carolinian — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:14:20 +0000

NC Newsline— Members of the Rocky Mount City Council voted Monday night against a proposal to halt utility cutoffs after a tense meeting at which angry constituents called for their resignations.

The decision came after a family of three and their dogs were found dead in their mobile home last week, shortly after their electricity was cut off by the city for lack of payment. The family was reportedly using a generator indoors for power, according to relatives.

About 300 other households have also been disconnected, city officials said at the meeting. State lawmakers of both parties said earlier Monday they’re looking into that decision.

Rocky Mount resident Dorothy Cook was the first public speaker of many Monday night to criticize the council.

“Enough is enough. Y’all need to stop it. People don’t need to die in order to survive here in Rocky Mount,” Cook said. ”The evil needs to be stopped.”

Robert Lane said the current council gets the “historical high honor of being the worst group ever elected” to run the city. “I want to ask for your resignations, each one of you. None of you are above the other. If there’s any shame, you should have it in the way you handled our business.”

“When you disconnect a human being’s electricity in the middle of a deadly heat wave, you are not engaging in administrative enforcement. You are issuing a sentence,” said Nehemiah Smith. “When did we start trading an algorithm for common sense? Algorithms don’t know what it means to gasp for air in a darkened, sweltering room.”

Unlike in many North Carolina communities, electricity in Rocky Mount is supplied by a city-owned utility. The utility, which already charges higher prices for power than other utilities, has had problems with billing mistakes and delays that have left some city customers owing thousands of dollars, facing disconnection, and unable to contact the utility by phone for help.

The utility delayed shutting off power for several months, but recently resumed disconnections. City councilmen defended that decision Monday night.

“It is hurtful to know that people lost their lives. It is also true that people intentionally did not pay anything on their utilities, and I’m not speaking about this family because I don’t know the circumstance, but I know the buzz,” said Councilman Reuben Blackwell.

“Since October, November, we told everyone weeks before the cutoff occurred what was going to transpire,” Blackwell said. “We didn’t want to do it, but how do you extend services to some and not to all?”

Blackwell said state regulators had forced the city’s hand in resuming disconnections, including the Local Government Commission and state Auditor Dave Boliek, who’ve been critical of the city’s financial management as they oversee its recovery from near-bankruptcy.

“They told us when we have been subsidizing the cost of utilities, that the people need to pay the cost of utilities, so we had to increase the cost of utilities,” Blackwell said. “What utility system in North Carolina will keep your power on for two months, three months, four months, five months without payment?”

Councilmember Andre Knight said he couldn’t agree to a moratorium without a better understanding of what it might cost the city, especially since an earlier moratorium on disconnections had just ended.

“When the auditor came, he told us what we had to do, and the LGC,” Knight said. “You call the state auditor, the treasurer, and the LGC because if they would have come in and taken over. That’s exactly what they would have done.”

The NC Labor Department Recovers Record $3.7 Million In Unpaid Wages

Jordan Meadows — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:05:00 +0000

North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and Kisha Scotton, bureau chief for the Wage and Hour Division, discuss the recovery of $3.7 million in unpaid wages for workers during a August 11, 2026, press conference. (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)

By Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced Tuesday morning that his department recovered a record $3.7 million in unpaid wages for workers over the past year, calling it the Department of Labor's greatest annual impact to date in enforcing the state's wage laws.

Farley announced the Historic Labor Building in Raleigh, where he was joined by Kisha Scotton, administrator of the department's Wage and Hour Bureau and vice chair of the National Wage and Hour Committee.

The recovered wages came from 2,199 substantiated complaints handled by the bureau's eight case analysts and fifteen investigators, with more complex cases routed to investigators for deeper review.

"Most businesses want to comply with the law," Farley said, "but when workers are denied wages they've earned, we as a department will work on their behalf. Today's historic announcement is a reminder that the NC Department of Labor is committed to protecting workers, protecting responsible job creators, and that a full day's work receives a full day's pay."

Farley said the department's primary goal in wage disputes is not necessarily to fine employers but to correct the error, enforce the terms of the labor agreements in question, and get workers their money—though the department can and does file lawsuits when necessary to secure compensation. He encouraged workers who believe they haven't been paid properly to contact the department directly.

"The best way to get that help is to call us.”

Scotton said her bureau tries to intervene before a wage dispute escalates into a formal violation.

"The NC Department of Labor is here to help," she said. "Workers who believe they have not been paid properly should not assume there's nowhere to turn. The department is there to address issues even before they become violations."

The bureau enforces the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act, which governs unpaid wages, vacation pay, overtime, minimum wage compliance and youth employment protections. Investigators examine payroll deductions and other pay practices to confirm workers' gross wages comply with state law, cross-referencing actual hours worked, job responsibilities and scheduled shifts against compensation records, and rely on a combination of documentation, employer and employee interviews, and state law to determine whether wages were properly paid.

Farley's office said the extent of enforcement action in a given case often depends heavily on the employer's responsiveness once a complaint is filed.

North Carolina's minimum wage remains set at the federal floor of $7.25 an hour for standard non-exempt hourly employees, with a tipped minimum wage of $2.13 an hour, provided tips bring a worker's total hourly earnings up to at least $7.25. That trails well behind the state's average hourly wage of $24.79 across all occupations, according to federal labor tracking data, and behind an estimated living wage of $22.47 an hour for a single adult to cover basic local housing and food costs.

Farley, a Republican and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Law, was sworn in as North Carolina's labor commissioner in January 2025 and is one of only four elected labor commissioners in the country. Tuesday's announcement builds on a wage-recovery effort that topped $2.5 million over a comparable period a year earlier, according to the department.

What Could Happen in the Nolan Wells Case

Jheri Hardaway — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

By Jheri Hardaway

Staff Writer

The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Nolan Wells have sparked intense public outcry and urgent demands for legal accountability. In commentary addressing the investigation, community advocates, including Dr. Umar Johnson, have emphasized that every individual involved, whether directly responsible for Nolan’s death or active in subsequent attempts to obstruct investigation efforts, must face the full severity of state and federal law.

If justice is served in this case, the legal consequences for those involved will depend on whether an individual participated directly in the act itself or assisted in concealing the crime after the fact. Based on the direct participation and federal hate crime laws, when an act of violence is committed by multiple individuals or motivated by bias, federal prosecutors have distinct statutory tools to pursue severe penalties against direct perpetrators. Here are several penalties directly tied to the Nolan Wells case:

Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (18 U.S.C. § 249): Under 18 U.S.C. § 249(a)(1), it is a federal offense to willfully cause bodily injury to any person because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin. When such a hate crime results in the victim's death, or involves kidnapping or an attempt to kill, the statute carries a statutory maximum penalty of imprisonment for any term of years or life.

Emmett Till Antilynching Act (18 U.S.C. § 249 / 18 U.S.C. § 250): Enacted in 2022, this federal statute explicitly criminalizes acts of lynching. Under federal law, if two or more people conspire to commit a bias-motivated hate crime that results in death, severe bodily injury, or kidnapping, the offense is prosecuted as a federal lynching under 18 U.S.C. § 249(a)(5). A conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in federal prison, in addition to potential life sentences under underlying homicide or hate crime charges.

Legal exposure extends beyond the primary actors. Individuals who did not participate directly in the fatal violent act but knowingly assisted in concealing evidence, aiding suspects, or misleading law enforcement face criminal liability as accessories:

Mississippi Code § 97-1-5 (Accessory After the Fact): Under Mississippi State Law (Miss. Code Ann. § 97-1-5), any person who conceals, receives, or aids a felon, knowing that the person committed a felony, with the intent to enable them to escape or avoid arrest, trial, conviction, or punishment, is guilty of being an accessory after the fact.

State Penalties for Violent Felonies: Under Mississippi Code Ann. § 97-1-5(1)(a)(i), if the underlying crime is a violent felony for which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment or 20 years or more (such as murder or manslaughter), an accessory after the fact faces up to 20 years in state custody.

If federal and state authorities determine that Nolan Wells' death involved a coordinated group assault, hate-based motives, or a systematic effort by bystanders to destroy evidence and shield suspects, the criminal exposure ranges from 20-year state sentences for cover-up accomplices to mandatory life imprisonment for primary offenders under federal civil rights laws. Justice for Nolan Wells requires that every party along this chain, from direct participants to those aiding the silence, is held strictly accountable under these statutes. Only time will tell if justice is served.

What we know about the death of Tasia Fortune in Mississippi

The Carolinian — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 21:30:29 +0000

A makeshift memorial honoring Tasia Fortune stands in the backyard of the property where her body was found. Photo taken on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The hanging death of Tasia Fortune, whose body was found outside an abandoned house, has shaken her family and community in Mississippi, where two other people have been found hanging from trees in less than a year.

Police have not indicated whether they consider the 29-year-old Black woman's death suspicious, saying only that they are actively working "to determine the circumstances surrounding the death."

A week after Fortune's body was found, a pink and white memorial honoring her life stood as a bright spot Monday in the otherwise overgrown backyard of the abandoned house in Jackson.

Feet from where rainbow pinwheels, white flowers and teddy bears surrounded a photograph of Fortune, empty chip bags and discarded plastic bottles littered the ground. Nearby, an entrance to the home gaped open, a tarp, foam pad and other debris scattered outside.

Jackson police officers responded to the home on Aug. 3 and discovered a body hanging in the backyard. Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator Jeremiah Howard later confirmed the identity as Fortune.

Her body is now in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death.

Here's what we know so far about Fortune's death:

What was Fortune doing when she was last heard from?

Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News on Sunday that she last saw her daughter on July 26. Fortune, a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for more than 10 years, had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion.

She described her daughter as a loving mother who was not behaving out of the ordinary.

"She did not do this to herself," Spivey told the outlet. "I know my daughter, and she did not do this to herself.

On Wednesday, Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes wrote a letter to Mississippi U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger asking for assistance in the case. In the letter, Stokes referred to Fortune as a murder victim.

Do authorities have any suspects?

Jackson police have commented very little on Fortune's death. They have not identified any suspects or person of interest.

Local media report that a man interviewed by investigators said he had argued with Fortune but had no involvement in her death. Police have not disclosed how the man, who was arrested last week on an unrelated charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, is acquainted with Fortune.

Where were the other hangings in Mississippi?

Fortune's death comes less than a year after the hanging deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused white man in his 30s, in Vicksburg.

Police in Cleveland concluded Reed's death was a suicide. Autopsy results were consistent with a preliminary examination of the body by the Bolivar County coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.

Reed's family and their attorneys called for an independent autopsy and for authorities to share security camera recordings.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner determined Zukatis died by suicide.

Why are the Mississippi cases attracting interest?

How law enforcement agencies in Mississippi, a state with a tumultuous civil rights history, handle death investigations of Black residents has drawn extreme interest in recent weeks with the case of Nolan Xavier Wells.

The 18-year-old joined friends on a Fourth of July boat excursion to an island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast but did not return with them. His body was found two days later.

Wells' parents say how their son died remains a mystery and there have been conflicting stories and missing details.

Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News she "does not want her name associated with" the death possibly being racially motivated.

Bernice King, daughter of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., cautioned people to "not rush to conclusions." At the same time, Fortune's death is triggering.

"We also cannot dismiss the fear and painful history these circumstances evoke for Black communities, especially in Mississippi," she said in a statement. "That history makes transparency, thoroughness, and truth essential."

Environmentalists Continue Pushing Back On Duke Energy’s Rate Hike

The Carolinian — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:57:00 +0000

NC NEWSLINE - Environmental activists and a Democratic state lawmaker are calling on Duke Energy to lower its rate hike request as the North Carolina Utilities Commission reviews its case.

Evidentiary hearings for Duke Energy Progress’ rate case start this week before the Utilities Commission, which will determine how much the company can raise residential electric rates beginning next year.

Last week, Duke Energy announced it had reached a settlement with the Utilities Commission’s Public Staff, a department that represents consumers in regulatory cases. They agreed to an average increase of 3.4% each year for the next two years for residential users. A standard residential customer consuming 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month could see an increase of about $9.61 each month starting in 2027.

The utility originally requested a rate increase of 18% over two years, but lowered its request to 9.5% over two years after months of backlash.

“We greatly appreciate the diverse partnership represented in these agreements, from Public Staff to businesses and organizations who all came together with us to reach a more cost-effective path forward for our customers,” Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton told NC Newsline in an email.

Even though the settlement is well below the utility’s original request, environmental advocates say it’s still too much.

Dan Crawford, senior director of public affairs at the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, pointed out Duke Energy shareholders made huge profits in 2025.

“Poor, poor Duke. They’re barely scraping by on $5 billion in profits they made last year, and last week, they announced they’re already on track to make even more this year,” Crawford said sarcastically. “Clearly, they need this increase.”

State leaders have taken action against the proposed rate increases. Last month, Attorney General Jeff Jackson said he wouldn’t support the settlement, believing the rates can still come down. Gov. Josh Stein criticized the increase as well.

Crawford said he stands with Jackson in asking the Utilities Commission to deny Duke’s request.

“Cut Duke’s guaranteed profits. Stop raising our bills to pay for it,” Crawford said. “Stand up for the people of North Carolina.”

Prices for consumers have been rising across the board over the past year, according to Terryn Hall, state director for the left-leaning group Climate Power.

Since the Trump Administration passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year, Hall says costs for North Carolina families have gone up by $2,032 per household through June 30 of this year, according to a recent study from Climate Power and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

“The reality is North Carolina families cannot afford these rising bills,” Hall said. “We say no to rate hikes. Our bills are just too high across the board.”

Wake County Democratic Rep. Maria Cervania described the rate increase request as “untenable.”

She said residential customers shouldn’t be responsible for subsidizing the electricity costs for large and profitable corporations building hyperscale data centers.

Lawmakers passed a budget this year repealing the sales tax exemption on electricity for data centers, but there’s still concern over other costs to upgrade the state’s power infrastructure to accommodate the growth in demand that large data centers will bring.

“We deserve a modern grid capable of supporting our growing economy, but we also deserve electricity that families can afford,” Cervania said.

State Employees’ Credit Union Awards $233,000 to Help 466 Young Members Attend Summer Camp

The Carolinian — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:41:00 +0000

RALEIGH, N.C. – Hundreds of North Carolina youth are spending part of their summer exploring new interests, building confidence, and creating lifelong memories with support from State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU).

This year, a record 466 young members received scholarships through SECU’s annual Summer Camp Awards program, helping them attend day and overnight camps. The scholarships total $233,000 — the most in the program’s five-year history.

SECU’s Summer Camp Awards program gives FAT CAT® and Zard® youth members an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to help offset registration fees and other camp-related expenses. This year’s recipients include children and teens from 91 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, demonstrating the program’s statewide reach.

“Summer camp is an excellent opportunity for children and teens to try new things, step outside their comfort zones, and form lasting friendships,” said SECU President and CEO Leigh Brady. “The goal of SECU’s Summer Camp Awards program is to help ease the financial burden on families so more young members can experience everything summer camp has to offer. We are so pleased to continue our support for SECU families across the state through this beneficial program for a fifth consecutive year.”

To be eligible, young members with a FAT CAT or Zard youth account were invited to submit an essay or illustration describing their dream summer camp experience.

For Greenville’s Riley Hines, the dream was to experience a summer filled with fun and learning.

“I am truly grateful that Riley was able to apply herself to do something she loves with drawing,” said Brianna Hines, mother of Greenville-First Street Branch recipient Riley Hines. “But I also see it is something she is able to use to benefit herself by obtaining scholarships and encouraging her to continue to use her talents to build her future.”

Oliver Jernigan of Troy used his award to attend a wilderness adventure camp, where he explored the outdoors while learning camping and survival skills.

“For SECU to support me in this endeavor means a lot, as this was most definitely a dream trip,” Jernigan said. “Scouting has been a great adventure for me, and this was, without a doubt, a highlight in that adventure. Trips such as this one are what most people will never experience.”

Since launching the program in 2022, SECU has awarded more than $741,000 to 1,483 young members, helping families reduce the financial barriers that can sometimes prevent children and teens from participating in enriching summer experiences.

The Summer Camp Awards program is one of many ways SECU supports its youngest members. Through its youth accounts, FAT CAT and Zard, SECU offers financial education resources and opportunities that encourage healthy financial habits from an early age. To learn more about SECU’s youth accounts and benefits, visit https://www.ncsecu.org/accounts/kids-teens.

Haitian Immigrants Face Uncertainty After TPS Ruling

Judaea Ingram — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:05:00 +0000

By Judaea Ingram

Special To The Carolinian

Fireworks burst across the sky last month as Americans celebrated Independence Day. For many, the crackling explosions meant joy, tradition, freedom. For a 31-year-old Haitian woman living in Florida, they sounded like something else entirely: the gunfire she spent years trying to survive.

Before she fled Haiti in 2021, falling asleep to gunshots was routine. Violence was the background noise of her life. Now, even the harmless pop of fireworks can send her spiraling into panic, pulling her back into memories she has tried desperately to outrun.

For a moment, she believed she had finally found safety.

That sense of security shattered when the Trump administration moved to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, the program that allowed her to rebuild her life in the United States. Without it, she fears losing her job, her independence, and the fragile stability she has fought for.

The decision could affect hundreds of thousands of Haitians who rely on TPS protections. For her, it feels like being pushed toward a country she no longer recognizes. One where political chaos, gang rule, and daily violence make survival uncertain.

She was willing to share her story, but asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

Created by Congress in 1990, TPS allows people from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to temporarily live and work in the United States. Haiti first received the designation following the devastating 2010 earthquake and remained eligible as the country continued facing political instability, natural disasters and escalating gang violence.

The administration has argued TPS was designed to be a temporary humanitarian program rather than a permanent immigration solution. Advocates, however, argue Haiti remains unsafe for many people to return because of ongoing violence and instability.

For the Florida resident, the decision represents more than a change in immigration policy.

"The question that I ask myself is, when am I finally going to be and feel safe?" she said.

Raised by a single mother in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, she attended private school before continuing her education in college. Her mother dedicated her life to providing her with opportunities, and she eventually became a young entrepreneur with plans to build her future in Haiti.

Leaving her home country was never part of that plan.

But, as political instability worsened, she said her involvement around political circles made her feel increasingly unsafe. She said she narrowly escaped being kidnapped, an experience that convinced her she could no longer remain in Haiti.

She does not discuss the details of the incident, but said the experience changed the way she viewed her future in Haiti. She no longer felt she could safely remain in the country.

She arrived in the United States in 2021 intending to apply for asylum. When Haiti received TPS protections, she instead applied for the temporary status. The process took months, leaving her unable to legally work while waiting for approval.

During that time, she relied completely on family members for support.

"If they don't cook, I wouldn't eat," she said, explaining that she depended on her aunt while waiting for authorization to work.

After receiving TPS and employment authorization, she began rebuilding her life. She found jobs, created friendships and discovered a community that welcomed her despite being thousands of miles away from home.

"I found a place in a new community that has welcomed me, regardless of my roots," she said.

But building that new life came with sacrifices.

She missed family funerals in Haiti. When her mother suffered four strokes, she could only help by paying medical expenses rather than sitting beside her. One of her nephews no longer recognizes her because he was only a baby when she left.

Those were losses she accepted for the opportunity to live somewhere she believed she could be safe.

Now she fears losing that security.

Without TPS, she said she can no longer work and faces uncertainty about what comes next. She worries about losing her independence and becoming dependent on others again, as she was when she first arrived.

The uncertainty has also taken a toll on her mental health.

When news of the TPS decision spread, she said her first reaction was disbelief. As a woman of faith, she said she continues to believe there is a path forward, but the fear returned after seeing reactions online and hearing concerns from others.

"I don't want to be in those detention centers," she said. "When am I gonna finally be and feel safe?"

Returning to Haiti is not simply a matter of moving back to where she was born. She said the country she left no longer exists in the same way.

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, Haiti has continued to face political instability. Powerful gangs have expanded control over parts of the country, forcing residents to flee their homes and making everyday activities increasingly dangerous.

Those dangers are not just stories she sees in the news. They are experiences she has watched happen to people she knows.

She recalled classmates and acquaintances who were kidnapped or killed despite having no political involvement. One woman she attended college with was kidnapped and later found dead, her body abandoned beneath a mountain, she said.

Growing up in Haiti, she learned that danger could come without warning. She saw ordinary people become victims while going about their daily lives, whether traveling to work, visiting family or simply stepping outside their homes.

She said many Haitians feel trapped between two extremes: being poor enough to avoid attention or wealthy enough to afford protection. Those living in between, she said, can become targets for kidnapping because they are seen as having enough resources to pay a ransom.

"Whenever you can make a decent living, you can have a nice life, you can do everything for yourself, you become a target," she said.

She said the violence has reached a point where ordinary people live with constant fear of becoming victims.

"In my country, the bottom line is when you get kidnapped, you pay your ransom and they release you if they want," she said. "If they don't want to, they keep you and they ask for more. Or they kill you."

The neighborhood she once called home has also changed. She said many residents have left because of the violence, leaving her uncertain about where she would return.

She said the streets she once walked have changed, with gangs controlling parts of the area and many residents leaving for their own safety. The homes and community she remembers are no longer the same.

Returning, she said, would not mean going home.

Even while living thousands of miles away, the trauma has followed her.

In Haiti, gunfire became a sound she learned to live with. In the United States, fireworks now bring those memories rushing back.

"When I used to sleep through gunfire, I used to sleep to that sound," she said. "Now I can't even hear fireworks. Whenever I hear it, I go into panic mode."

Rather than focusing only on her immigration status, she said she has spent recent days trying to protect her mental health.

She fears what could await her if she is forced back: the same violence she escaped, and the same fear she has carried since leaving Haiti.

"Enough lives have been ruined in my country," she said. "Let's not give opportunity to more lives to be ruined."

National Night Out Brings The Community Together

The Carolinian — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:03:00 +0000

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Neighborhoods across Fayetteville came together Tuesday evening for National Night Out, an annual event designed to strengthen relationships between residents, law enforcement and other public safety agencies through community fellowship and engagement.

Across the city, neighborhoods hosted cookouts, games, music and family-friendly gatherings where residents had the opportunity to meet local police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel in a relaxed setting. Rather than interacting during emergencies, community members connected with first responders through conversations and activities aimed at building trust and strengthening neighborhood partnerships.

Fayetteville Police Chief Roberto Bryan Jr. said National Night Out is about bringing neighbors, community members, law enforcement and public safety personnel together in an informal environment where relationships can grow beyond emergency calls and crisis situations.

Observed annually on the first Tuesday in August, National Night Out began in 1984 through the National Association of Town Watch as a nationwide effort to promote crime prevention and community partnerships. Since then, the event has expanded to include millions of participants in thousands of communities across the country.

Throughout Fayetteville, families gathered for neighborhood celebrations featuring food, entertainment and activities for children and adults alike. Community members explored emergency vehicles, met first responders and learned more about the resources available through local public safety agencies.

Bryan emphasized that events like National Night Out provide an opportunity for residents and first responders to interact in a welcoming atmosphere, helping strengthen communication and encouraging collaboration throughout the year.

The annual event also reflects the principles of community policing, an approach that focuses on building relationships between officers and the communities they serve. By creating opportunities for meaningful conversations outside of emergencies, organizers hope residents become more familiar with local officers while encouraging neighborhoods to play an active role in crime prevention and public safety.

Beyond promoting safety, National Night Out encourages neighbors to connect with one another. Cookouts, music and family-friendly activities create opportunities for residents to build relationships that can strengthen neighborhoods long after the event concludes.

The evening served as a reminder that strong communities are built through partnership. While police officers and first responders play an important role in protecting the public, community engagement and neighbor-to-neighbor connections are equally important in creating safer neighborhoods.

As Fayetteville residents gathered around grills, listened to music and spent time with local first responders, National Night Out demonstrated how a single evening can help foster lasting relationships between the community and those dedicated to serving it. Organizers hope those conversations continue well beyond the annual celebration, reinforcing the partnerships that help keep Fayetteville neighborhoods safe year-round.

Before The Civil Rights Movement There Was The Freedmen’s Convention

Judaea Ingram — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:00:00 +0000

By Judaea Ingram

Special To The Carolinian

Months after the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, newly freed Black North Carolinians faced a difficult question: What would freedom truly mean?

For more than 100 Black leaders who gathered in Raleigh in 1865, the answer was clear. Freedom had to include education, political representation, equal protection under the law and the ability to fully participate in society.

Their demands became part of one of the earliest organized efforts by Black North Carolinians to fight for their rights after emancipation: the Freedmen’s Convention of 1865.

Held in Raleigh during the early years of Reconstruction, the convention brought together formerly enslaved people and Black community leaders from across eastern North Carolina.

The gathering became a historic moment of political organizing, giving Black citizens an opportunity to advocate for themselves during a time when many lawmakers were attempting to determine the future of the state.

Although the 13th Amendment ended slavery in 1865, freedom did not immediately bring equality.

Formerly enslaved people still faced discrimination, violence and legal restrictions designed to limit their opportunities. Many Black families were separated during slavery and worked to reunite loved ones. Others searched for education, employment and a pathway toward economic independence.

The Freedmen’s Convention allowed Black North Carolinians to address those challenges directly.

Delegates discussed issues including voting rights, access to education, fair labor practices, citizenship and legal protections. Their goal was to ensure that emancipation became more than a symbolic change.

They wanted freedom recognized in everyday life.

The convention was led by Black leaders who understood that political participation would be essential to protecting the future of African Americans in North Carolina. Delegates argued that Black citizens deserved the same rights and responsibilities as other residents of the state.

One of the most important issues discussed was education.

After generations of being denied literacy under slavery, Black communities viewed education as a pathway toward independence and empowerment. Families, churches and community leaders worked to establish schools across the state, laying the groundwork for institutions and organizations that continue serving North Carolina communities today.

The convention also reflected a larger national movement during Reconstruction, when formerly enslaved people throughout the South organized to demand political and social equality.

However, the progress made during Reconstruction faced strong opposition.

As federal support for Reconstruction declined in the late 1870s, many of the rights Black Americans fought for were weakened through discriminatory laws, racial violence and voter

suppression efforts.

Still, the legacy of the Freedmen’s Convention endured.

The gathering demonstrated that Black political engagement in North Carolina did not begin during the modern Civil Rights Movement. Decades before figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders emerged, Black North Carolinians were already organizing, advocating and demanding change.

The convention’s legacy can be seen throughout the state today in Black civic organizations, historically Black colleges and universities, community leadership and continued efforts to protect voting rights and equality.

More than 160 years later, the Freedmen’s Convention remains a reminder that the pursuit of freedom has always required action.

The men and women who gathered in Raleigh in 1865 were not simply witnesses to history, they were shaping it. And their voices continue to influence the ongoing story of Black North Carolina.

Advisory Council Hears Urgent Calls for Stronger Digital Media Literacy in NC Schools

Jordan Meadows — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:39:38 +0000

By: Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

Mitch Prinstein, the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and co-director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development at UNC-Chapel Hill, told members of Gov. Josh Stein's Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being said on Monday morning that nearly half of North Carolina's early high schoolers are experiencing digital stress severe enough to interfere with their sleep, exercise, homework, hygiene and family relationships.

Prinstein's presentation covered adolescent social media use, the rollout of the state's new cell phone-free classroom law, and what he called an urgent and largely unstudied new front: children's use of artificial intelligence chatbots.

"About 45% of the kids in early high school report that they're experiencing so much digital stress it's interfering with their daily rules and routines," Prinstein said. "Their sleep, their exercise, their homework, their hygiene, looking at their parents in the eye across the dinner table — this is all impaired. The more digital stress they report, the more depression they're reporting a year later."

Prinstein said his lab has applied the same diagnostic criteria used to identify substance dependency, excessive and uncontrolled use, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and interference with daily life, to social media use, substituting the word "social media" for "alcohol" in the clinical standard. In his own research sample, 95% of respondents reported excessive, uncontrolled use of social media, and about half reported at least one symptom of clinical dependency.

He said his team is now collecting comparable data on AI use and is already seeing adolescents report withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop.

Citing American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidance that adolescents need eight hours of sleep a night, Prinstein said fewer than half of the nation's ninth graders and fewer than a quarter of 12th graders get the medically recommended amount — a shortfall he attributed largely to screens. Poor sleep, he said, is linked to obesity, risky behavior, lower grades, impulsivity, emotional outbursts and next-day driving accidents among teen drivers, and is associated with slower growth of white matter — the brain tissue that speeds signal transmission and underlies more sophisticated adult-level thinking — during a critical stretch of adolescent brain development.

Prinstein also presented data from brain imaging of roughly 10,000 children scanned annually across 20 sites nationwide, part of a broader study he said showed more screen time correlated with a thinner cortex over time, particularly in regions tied to impulse control and susceptibility to addiction. Kids who used their phones heavily in sixth grade showed a blunted brain response to social feedback by the time they were older, he said, while kids who started using phones heavily later showed the opposite pattern: a spike in sensitivity in the brain's reward circuitry.

"They're building brains that are now hypersensitive to social cues," he said.

Turning to phone use inside North Carolina classrooms, Prinstein cited a state-funded study — conducted with support from Jenny Corn at the North Carolina Collaboratory — that collected data from 22 schools across the state, more than 2,300 students and their teachers. Even with every school in the sample enforcing a no-phone policy, he said, students reported spending roughly 20 minutes of every classroom hour on their devices, a third of the school day, mostly on social media, entertainment and texting rather than schoolwork.

He said students are most likely to reach for a phone when bored or uncomfortable and try to resist while actively engaged, but slip once their attention drifts. Asked who they're texting during class, students most often named their parents — a finding Prinstein said surprised him enough that he texted his own daughter about it before catching himself.

"We kind of forget that we have the skill of getting a text and then ignoring it until we're out of our meeting," he said. "But the kids don't."

The effects extend beyond the student holding the phone, Prinstein said. Research shows a student who spends class time on YouTube or TikTok scores lower on standardized tests such as the AP exam — and so does the student sitting near them, a phenomenon he called a secondhand screen effect. He said the same distraction shows up with school-issued laptops, which many students use for gaming and streaming rather than classwork, and that teachers report the enforcement burden contributes to stress and attrition; a study his team conducted in Canada found teacher stress dropped and retention improved after a phone ban was imposed from the top down rather than left to individual teachers to police.

Citing a separate national study of more than 10,000 children across roughly 20 sites, Prinstein said children with the heaviest and increasing social media use scored lower on every measure tested, including impulsivity, reading, memory, processing speed, vocabulary and a composite measure of academic functioning.

Prinstein devoted a significant portion of his remarks to artificial intelligence, which he said is now the subject of three emerging strands of research: chatbots exacerbating existing mental health risks, chatbots fostering false intimacy and trust, and the displacement of human relationships and parental interaction. He referenced accounts of chatbots encouraging users toward self-harm and urging them to keep the conversations secret from their families, and cases of chatbots telling users their ideas were groundbreaking and that skepticism from others amounted to a conspiracy against them.

Citing a paper his team submitted for publication this past week, Prinstein said 65% of children in the North Carolina middle school sample reported interacting with chatbots regularly, and that his data show roughly one student per classroom describes an AI chatbot as their friend and prefers talking to it over talking to another person. He said the more adolescents use AI chatbots as companions, the more loneliness they report over the following six months. About 18% of students introduced to chatbots in school said they use them for things they wouldn't tell a teacher, he said.

Prinstein criticized the design of commercial chatbots directly, objecting to their use of humanlike language such as claiming to feel emotions or to be "thinking" while a response loads.

"They're not people. They're computers. We should refer to them that way," he said, arguing that chatbots' tendency to affirm and flatter users rather than offer constructive feedback runs counter to how psychologists, teachers and healthy relationships are supposed to function.

"Sycophancy is not what we need for childhood," he said.

Prinstein urged the council to recommend that schools set academic deadlines no later than 9 p.m. rather than midnight, arguing that late homework deadlines keep students on devices later into the night regardless of whether they're doing schoolwork. He described bringing digital media literacy presentations to middle and high schools across the Triangle and elsewhere, including an exercise in which students look up the privacy policies of the apps they use and learn what data those apps collect and sell. He said students are often stunned to learn how much of their information — browsing history, payment methods, contacts — is being monetized. Prinstein said the American Psychological Association has published health advisories summarizing the research on social media and AI, and offered to share testimony his team has submitted to other states considering similar legislation.

The council, which Stein created by executive order last year to develop school safety and well-being policy, met at the Juvenile Justice Center in Raleigh.

A Legacy of Artistry: The Biennial Meeting of the International Black Theatre Festival

Jheri Hardaway — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:26:00 +0000

By Jheri Hardaway

Staff Writer

Winston-Salem, NC - The landscape of American performing arts was forever changed when the “Marvtastic” Larry Leon Hamlin founded the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NC Black Rep). As the first professional Black theatre company in the state, NC Black Rep established a vital platform for creative expression and cultural preservation. Central to its mission is a steadfast commitment to exposing diverse audiences to the profound depth of Black theatre classics while simultaneously nurturing the development of groundbreaking new works.

Hamlin created a festival in 1989 in Winston-Salem, N.C., aimed at bringing together theater companies to learn from and support one another. Today, this legacy is most vibrantly realized through the company’s flagship outreach program, the International Black Theatre Festival (IBTF). Serving as the premier biennial gathering for the global theatre community, the IBTF continues to set the benchmark for sustaining and celebrating Black theatre excellence on an international scale. Playwright Baba David D. Wright held a reading of his play Sango, on Thursday evening. He shared, “I've been coming here since 1989. I'm always excited to be here. I have a play read here every year if I don't have a production up.

I'm a sound designer as well.”

Wright, Brooklyn, NY-based, has been a Yoruba priest for 35 years. An artful and insightful man with roots in North Carolina, Wright lives for drama, “I was born in Brooklyn. In the People's Republic of Brooklyn, the second largest Caribbean island in the world. And that's why I write about people.” He shared details about his play, “Sango is the orisha of Thunder Enlightenment, and justice.” The reading of Sango, was dark and winding, with pivotal lines like “let the one who opened this door close it” or even “he who asks the way does not lose his way.” Many memorable lines and moments made Sango a thoughtful and emotionally interactive reading.

NC Black Rep is dedicated to producing one world premiere play each season, which assists in staying true to the company’s goal of discovering and nurturing the next generation of great African American writers. NC Black Rep’s Teen Theatre Ensemble (TTE) training program was created to provide professional theatre training for young emerging artists between the ages of 13 – 19 who are serious about developing their craft. The company’s Living Room Theatre reading series is free to the public and targets underserved members of the community who may not otherwise have access or the means to enjoy live theatre, and whose stories are often marginalized by society.

As we walked the vendors' spaces in the convention center, different participating area theatres, and the downtown Marriott host location, many writers and celebrities mingled with the people. We were able to connect with actor Dorien Wilson, known widely for his role as Professor Stanley Oglevee on the UPN sitcom The Parkers, and countless other popular Black sitcoms, even an appearance on Friends. Wilson was excited to be a part of the festival and happy to speak with us, sharing, “I grew up in the theater, and there's no greater training ground than being on that stage and live performance. Anything can go wrong, and it does. So this is not like television and film where you can have another take. But just to be here and to be supportive of us doing our thing, and to be acknowledged for the work that we do. So many times we're overlooked, not given the accolades, and there are so many incredible talents here.”

We asked how often Wilson has attended the festival, “I think this is the sixth year that I've actually performed and been here.

But I also co-hosted, I think, in 2015. It's really important. And I love bringing her, 'cause she gets to see you all.” Dorien pointed to his beautiful wife, “We've been married for 40 years. We have a 40-year-old daughter.” Connecting with Dorien Wilson and other creators was a highlight of my first International Black Theatre Festival. See you all in two years!

Kratom and the Impacts

Jheri Hardaway — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 03:24:00 +0000

By Jheri Hardaway

Staff Writer

Sitting on display in local gas stations, smoke shops, and corner markets right next to energy drinks and candy bars, you’ll find Kratom. National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported that people report using kratom to “alleviate pain, to address symptoms of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, to help stop or reduce opioid or other substance use, and to manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings related to opioids and other drugs.”

Packaged as colorful gummies, energy shots, or herbal teas, it is aggressively marketed as an all-natural remedy for stress, pain, and fatigue. To the average consumer, it appears harmless, just another wellness supplement on a crowded shelf. Kratom is dangerous, an unregulated psychoactive substance derived from a Southeast Asian tree (Mitragyna speciosa), according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. While proponents frame it as a gentle herbal aid, public health officials, medical toxicologists, and federal regulatory agencies warn that kratom acts on the body’s opioid receptors, posing serious risks of addiction, organ toxicity, and severe physical harm.

One of the greatest misconceptions surrounding kratom is that because it comes from a plant, it is inherently safe. Kratom leaves contain active compounds, primarily mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). In lower doses, these alkaloids produce a stimulant-like effect, increasing heart rate and alertness. At higher doses, however, they bind directly to the brain’s opioid receptors. The result is a sedative effect that mimics classic opioids like morphine or prescription painkillers. Because it acts on these same pathways, long-term or heavy use of kratom can lead to physical dependence and addiction. Users who attempt to quit often suffer severe withdrawal symptoms, including intense anxiety, depression, and irritability, severe muscle aches and body tremors, insomnia, restlessness, and gastrointestinal distress.

A local family shared their experience, “Addiction doesn’t just affect the person using the drug. It affects the entire family. Watching my 32-year-old son become addicted to kratom has been heartbreaking. It changed his personality, and his body became so dependent on it that he would shake and go through painful withdrawals if he didn’t have it. What makes it even more concerning is how easy it is to buy. He can get it at vape shops and even convenience stores. Families like ours are left watching someone we love become trapped by a product that’s marketed as if it’s harmless.”

While marketed for general wellness, health records tell a much more dangerous story. Poison control centers across the United States regularly receive calls regarding kratom exposures. Clinical reports link the substance to a wide array of adverse physical and neurological events, including dangerously slow breathing, elevated heart rate (tachycardia), and erratic blood pressure. Neurological side effects like confusion, hallucinations, extreme agitation, and even grand mal seizures have been reported. Physicians have documented instances of acute liver injury and failure directly linked to kratom consumption, characterized by jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, and abdominal pain.

Adding to the inherent pharmacological risks is a total lack of regulatory oversight. The FDA has not approved kratom for any medical use or as a legitimate dietary supplement. Because kratom is largely manufactured outside standard regulatory safeguards, product purity varies wildly. Independent testing and federal surveillance of commercial kratom products have repeatedly revealed contamination, as some samples have tested positive for dangerous heavy metals, including lead and nickel, as well as bacterial pathogens like Salmonella. Some suppliers have been caught lacing products with synthetic compounds, prescription narcotics, or illegal drugs to artificially boost potency. There has also been deceptive labeling. Consumers rarely know how much active alkaloid they are ingesting per dose due to inconsistent or nonexistent third-party testing.

Several states and municipalities have stepped in to restrict or completely ban the sale of kratom and high-potency 7-OH products, inconsistent laws leave millions exposed to easily accessible harm. With kratom displayed alongside ordinary snacks and convenience items, consumers will remain susceptible to the dangerous illusion that "natural" means safe. Uncovering the truth about kratom requires clear, evidence-based education: it is a potent, addictive, and largely unregulated drug disguised as everyday wellness. Without stricter federal oversight and heightened public awareness, vulnerable individuals seeking relief will continue to fall prey to a chemical trap waiting at the corner store.

State Auditor Continues Uncovering Financial Mismanagement Across NC

Jordan Meadows — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:10:00 +0000

State Auditor Dave Boliek compared the economic cost of the state’s inefficient DMV to the damage brought by Hurricane Helene, and called for a similarly extensive response on Monday, August 4, 2025. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

By: Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said his office uncovered a growing pattern of financial mismanagement across municipalities and public institutions statewide, with a series of audits revealing issues ranging from weak oversight to potential criminal activity.

Speaking during a July Council of State meeting, Boliek said his office has already been involved with “dozens of municipalities of varying sizes that are experiencing financial distress,” citing high-profile cases and emphasizing that similar concerns are emerging across the state.

One of the most detailed and closely watched investigations centers on the Town of Cary, where a sweeping investigative report released in mid-July found more than $1 million in questionable and, in some cases, extravagant spending tied to former Town Manager Sean Stegall. The report, which spans thousands of pages, examined procurement card use, council expenditures, and broader financial management practices after complaints of alleged misconduct.

Auditors reviewed tens of thousands of transactions and interviewed both current and former employees and elected officials. Boliek described the findings as “public dollars being thrown around carelessly while taxes are being raised only creates distrust in government,” and that it “brings a true accounting of where tax dollars go in Cary.”

The audit revealed that Cary issued 828 government purchasing cards—about 62% of its workforce—far exceeding the roughly 16% average among similarly sized municipalities like Charlotte and Raleigh.

Between January 2024 and December 2025 alone, those cards were used in more than 60,000 transactions totaling $24.2 million. Auditors found that many purchases lacked proper documentation or a clear public purpose, with more than $100,000 in transactions missing itemized receipts or any supporting records. Among the most scrutinized expenses were $65,653 paid to a ghostwriter for a book about Stegall, $86,000 for a video tied to a town retreat that included a staff dance performance, and an additional $35,000 for a documentary about that same video. Other spending included a $3,419 stay at a penthouse hotel, high-end meals, transportation costs, and even Ray-Ban sunglasses for council members. In one instance, $37,301 in graduate tuition was paid on behalf of a council-member before being reimbursed.

Boliek noted that some of the most expensive expenditures were approved at the staff level without council awareness.

“That $86,000 was town staff approved, so the council wasn’t aware,” he said, adding, “We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about whether that’s a return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”

The fallout from the Cary audit has sparked debate about accountability, with town leaders largely attributing responsibility to Stegall, who resigned in late 2025 after nearly a decade in the role. A separate report commissioned by the town pointed to increased risk associated with long-tenured leadership and weaknesses in oversight systems.

The Cary Town Council is expected to continue addressing the issue in upcoming meetings, particularly one in late August.

In Rocky Mount, a 257-page performance audit revealed a dramatic 78% drop in the city’s cash and investment balances—from roughly $100 million to $21.8 million over two years—while spending increased sharply. Personnel costs rose 27%, capital spending jumped 153%, and millions were spent on projects that either exceeded budgets or failed to materialize, including $17.2 million for a proposed casino development.

Boliek said the report uncovered “red flag after red flag,” including poor hiring decisions and a lack of financial oversight that allowed problems to persist unchecked.

Other audits have identified serious issues across the state, including at North Carolina A&T State University, where more than $700,000 in financial aid was improperly distributed to individuals connected to staff without clear criteria, prompting referrals to prosecutors and state investigators. In Forsyth County Schools, auditors found a $46 million deficit along with “severe weaknesses” such as unrecorded expenditures and failures to reconcile accounts. And a statewide audit also found that the Department of Health and Human Services failed to properly track $138.8 million in federal awards to counties, raising concerns about accountability at the state level.

In Pilot Mountain, NC, Boliek said on-site investigative work contributed to the indictment of a former town manager, while in Zebulon, auditors identified significant internal control weaknesses. In the tiny town of Speed, NC, the auditor has even recommended potential dissolution due to fraud risks and a lack of financial management systems.

Boliek emphasized that his office is also expanding oversight efforts moving forward. Upcoming audits will examine the North Carolina Education Lottery, voter-approved general obligation bond spending over the past six years, and operations within the UNC system, including faculty workloads and vacancy management. He also noted that about five municipalities or entities are currently under active investigation for potential criminal activity.

Hayti Heritage Center Announces 2026–27 Season

The Carolinian — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:57:00 +0000

DURHAM— Hayti Heritage Center, housed in the sanctuary of a former St. Joseph's AME Church dating to 1891, today announced its 2026–27 season of performances, literary events, and free community gatherings under the theme “Planted in Legacy. Always in Bloom.” The season runs from August 2026 through May 2027 and refl ects what curators describe as “cross-pollination”: the meeting of tradition and transformation, elders and newcomers, the deeply local and the nationally celebrated.

The season opens with the free, day-long Hayti Business Expo on Saturday, August 8, spotlighting more than 70 Black-owned businesses, and continues each Thursday in September with the outdoor Steps@Hayti dance parties. From there, programming moves indoors to the center's landmark performance hall for a run of concerts, conversations, and premieres.

“This building was built to hold us. Hold us in joy, in revelry, in our questioning and in our grief. It is the living embodiment of the power of community. And so it remains. Our artistic expressions have always called our name and brought us together. And we aim to continue in that tradition this season,” said Monét Noelle Marshall, Interim Artistic Director of Hayti Heritage Center.

2026–27 Season Highlights

Black Business Expo: August 8, 2026 | Free, full-day expo featuring more than 70 Black-owned businesses.
Steps@Hayti: Thursdays throughout September 2026 | Free outdoor dance parties.
Phonte Coleman: Speakerbox: September 18, 2026 | The Grammy-nominated Durham native and Litt le Brother member opens the Speakerbox, a new songs-and-stories series.
John Holiday: October 1, 2026 | One of today's most acclaimed countertenors performs live.
YahZarah: October 10, 2026 | The fi ve-octave vocalist returns to the city that fi rst embraced her.
Amaryn Olmeda: November 6, 2026 | Teenage violinist with Carnegie Hall and Deutsche Grammophon credentials.
Eagle Aggie Gospel Classic: November 14, 2026 | NCCU vs. NC A&T meet in a gospel showcase.
The Sistering: Speakerbox: December 4, 2026 | Durham jazz vocalists Lenora Zenzalai Helm Hammonds, Lois Deloatch, Nnenna Freelon, and Kate McGarry share the songs they love and the stories behind them
Etienne Charles' Creole Christmas: December 8, 2026 | A holiday concert rooted in Caribbean and Creole musical traditions.
Kwanzaa Celebration: December 26, 2026 | Free, full-day community celebration.
Gas Giants by Pierce Freelon: March 12–13, 2027 | A world-premiere show for young audiences blending imagination, biology, and science.
Our Ancestors Were Messy Live: March 26, 2027 | A DJ-driven, myth-busting look at North Carolina history.
Frankie Lee III: April 23–24, 2027 | World premiere of a Hayti-commissioned contemporary dance work rooted in the Triangle.
Golden Hour: Thursdays in May 2027 | A jazz-and-poetry series.
Cracked: Pleasure & Prose with Deesha Philyaw and Kennedy Ryan: May 19, 2027 | Two acclaimed Black women authors in conversation about desire, freedom, and the page.

Season subscriptions, which grant access to every ticketed event for a single price, are on sale now, along with individual event tickets and a monthly sustainer program that helps fund the center's free public programming, including the Expo, the outdoor dance parties, Kwanzaa, and youth masterclasses.

NASCAR Debuts First Delta Sigma Theta-Themed Show Car In Charlotte

Judaea Ingram — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:45:00 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Draped in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.'s signature crimson and cream colors, adorned with strands of pearls and the founding year "1913" across its doors, NASCAR's first-ever Delta Sigma Theta-themed show car turned heads at the sorority's 2026 South Atlantic Regional Conference in Charlotte.

The custom vehicle marked the first activation of its kind between NASCAR and a Divine Nine organization. Designed by Camilla Wilkins-Bowens, a NASCAR NEXT intern and Louisiana State University student who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta, the show car celebrated the sorority's rich history while introducing thousands of conference attendees to the world of motorsports.

According to Watch The Yard, the initiative was made possible through the NASCAR NEXT Internship Program, which provides students with opportunities to work on high-profile projects and community engagement initiatives across the country. The debut also reflects NASCAR's continued efforts to connect with new audiences through partnerships that extend beyond the racetrack while highlighting the contributions of emerging young professionals within the sport.

Throughout the conference, attendees gathered around the custom stock car, posed for photos and tested their driving skills on NASCAR racing simulators. The activation marked the first time NASCAR brought an interactive motorsports experience to a Divine Nine event, exposing thousands of Delta Sigma Theta members to the sport in a new way.

The vehicle itself paid tribute to the sorority's history and traditions. Along with prominently featuring the founding year "1913," the design incorporated pearl accents around the body of the car, the South Atlantic Regional Conference emblem on the rear quarter panel and the phrase, "Deltas REIGN in the Queen City," across the rear deck in recognition of both the conference and its Charlotte host city.

Additional design elements honored the conference's leadership, with the names of Regional Director Dr. Demetria M. Lucas and Regional Representative Mission R. Mosley displayed on the side of the vehicle alongside the sorority's Greek letters, ΔΣΘ. While customized to celebrate Delta Sigma Theta, the car retained the unmistakable look of a NASCAR stock car, complete with Goodyear racing tires, aerodynamic styling and a race-ready spoiler.

For Wilkins-Bowens, the project represented an opportunity to bridge two worlds. As both a NASCAR intern and a Delta Sigma Theta soror, she was uniquely positioned to create a design that honored the organization's legacy while showcasing the possibilities available to students pursuing careers in motorsports.

Founded Jan. 13, 1913, on the campus of Howard University by 22 collegiate women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. has grown into the largest sorority within the National Pan-Hellenic Council, commonly known as the Divine Nine. Today, the organization has more than 350,000 initiated members and more than 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters throughout the United States and internationally, with chapters spanning Canada, Japan, Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica, West Africa, Southern Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea.

The Charlotte debut represented more than the unveiling of a custom race car. It highlighted the intersection of Black Greek excellence, student leadership and one of the nation's most recognizable sports organizations. By placing a Delta Sigma Theta-themed show car at the center of one of the sorority's largest regional gatherings, NASCAR celebrated the organization's legacy while continuing its efforts to broaden the sport's reach through meaningful community partnerships.

Before Trump, Some States Had Already Ended Affirmative Action For Contractors

The Carolinian — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:50:00 +0000

Arian Simone, left, and Ayana Parsons of the foundation The Fearless Fund saw their grant program for Black women entrepreneurs affected after the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action.

Ben Rosa

University of Michigan

President Donald Trump made headlines early in his second term when he ordered that affirmative action programs be dismantled. Less noticed was the fact that quite a few states had already eliminated such preferences for contractors, in some cases years ago.

This record can now provide some answers as to how businesses owned and operated by underrepresented groups actually fare after these measures take effect.

I’m an economist who has researched the consequences of state bans on affirmative action, and I found a mixed picture with some surprising conclusions. Notably, these measures did reduce the average head count among minority- and women-owned contractors. But in general, they didn’t push these companies to close shop.

This research is important not just because affirmative action is so politically sensitive. It matters because of the vast amount of money at stake: The U.S. spends about 10% of its gross domestic product on federal and state contractors, buying everything from pencils to new missile systems.

For decades, the government often sought to support businesses owned and operated by minorities and women through affirmative action at the federal and state levels.

But in more recent years, pushback against affirmative action and closely related diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has prompted some states to eliminate such practices, including in contracting. Among the most recent cases was Indiana, whose attorney general pronounced in July 2026 those preferences were unconstitutional.

I looked at the nine states that had banned affirmative action in contracting as of 2020 – covering 114,000 employers – and measured how affected companies adjusted their operations. One key finding is that they sharply reduced their workforce. Five years after a ban, these businesses had about 11% fewer workers than their counterparts who were not minority- or women-owned.

Black-owned businesses were the most affected, cutting their workforce by about 19%. For context, that number exceeds even the early COVID-19 layoffs. The largest minority- and women-owned businesses also had significant reductions, by roughly 13%.

These bans also dampened the formation of new businesses, reducing the annual average number of startups by 35 in states with bans. But there’s no evidence they put minority- and women-owned contractors out of business.

A regional breakdown shows that metropolitan counties saw the largest relative decrease in the size of affected businesses. And states with smaller minority populations saw less of an effect on company size. Altogether, these results suggest that these bans didn’t have uniform effects, even within states.

One conclusion may be less intuitive: These bans didn’t play a role in whether affected contractors went out of business. In fact, companies owned by minorities and women were less likely to go under after a ban than other companies.

This result may seem puzzling at first. One would expect higher rates of exiting from the contracting business than before, especially since affected businesses also became smaller.

But I found statewide bans did lead to the equivalent of a roughly 9% drop in long-run productivity. Bans also equated to a 10% decline in the value of companies, regardless of whether they were sold off.

In short, although affected contractors were no more likely to close shop, banning affirmative action led them to downsize relative to companies that were not owned by minorities and women. And the drop in their employee head count corresponded to a decline in productivity, likely driven by reduced contracting opportunities.

These changes in states, and now at the federal level, make it all the more important to understand how banning affirmative action has impacted underrepresented businesses so policymakers know what to expect going forward.

Many questions still need to be answered. Although my study looked at how underrepresented contractors respond after these bans, researchers still don’t have good estimates of how many contract dollars these businesses lost, except in more isolated cases.

Furthermore, the changes at the federal level still need to be researched. While past legal cases have limited how practitioners have applied affirmative action, attempts to eliminate it at the federal level are very recent. Further research is needed to fully understand the scope of these changes.

South African Prisons Open Art Galleries To Showcase Inmates’ Work

The Carolinian — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 12:30:00 +0000

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — When most people think of prison, they picture steel bars, locked gates and lost freedom. But at a correctional facility in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, visitors are greeted by something unexpected: an art gallery.

The exhibition of inmates’ artwork is part of the country’s effort to reduce repeat offending through rehabilitation programs behind bars. The Department of Correctional Services has opened nine prison arts-and-crafts galleries since 2023, aiming to help inmates develop skills, earn income and prepare for life after release.

Inside Leeuwkop Correctional Facility, artwork created by 34 inmates is on display for visitors, offering a glimpse into stories of culture, memory and personal transformation in a country struggling with one of the world’s highest crime rates. Inmates also have chances to see each other’s work.

“I get a peaceful and healed mindset when I do my art,” one inmate, Freddy Mongkoai, told The Associated Press. “It encourages me to be strong and present. I can focus, so it gives me peace of mind.”

Mongkoai, 51, has served nearly two years of a 12-year sentence for murder after taking part in an act described as vigilante justice. He joined the prison’s art program in October. Since then, he has experimented with painting and papier-mâché sculpture.

His latest piece is a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy.

Officials say repeat offenders contribute to overcrowding

Estimates of recidivism rates in South Africa vary from source to source, depending on how repeat offending is defined, reaching as high as 95%.

South African prisons are notorious for high levels of violence due to overcrowding, gang activities, administrative failures and underfunding. Correctional officials say repeat offenders contribute significantly to the overcrowding.

Against that backdrop, the correctional department says programs such as the arts and craft initiative can help reduce reoffending.

“As they leave here to serve parole and finish their sentences, this is the most effective way of making it a point that they don’t do crime again,” said Makgothi Thobakgale, national commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services.

The Leeuwkop gallery showcases different levels of artistic experience and offers insight into the lives of the artists. They range from Mongkoai’s striking grayscale portrait of a woman carrying firewood on her head and a baby on her back to a simple pencil drawing bearing the message “STOP GBV,” referring to South Africa’s soaring levels of gender-based violence.

‘It reminds me of my childhood’

Mongkoai said the work, one of his favorites, reflects a childhood story about a woman believed to live on the moon, part of the folklore that influenced his upbringing in Limpopo province.

“The elders would tell us that there is a woman carrying firewood on her head and a baby on her back, while being followed by a dog, on the moon,” he said. “That is my favorite because it reminds me of my childhood.”

Inmates frequently create artwork focused on the theme of home and family, according to Unathi Mahlati, a senior program officer at Just Detention International-South Africa, which has partnered with the correctional department on the program since 2024.

She said the program is designed to be therapeutic rather than formal art therapy, which is clinical and conducted by a licensed physician. Participation is voluntary and focuses on helping inmates reflect on their thoughts, feelings and needs rather than on artistic ability.

“A lot of them have experienced a lot of trauma before coming into the facilities, but there’s not a lot of services for them to process and metabolize that trauma,” Mahlati said. “We emphasize that it’s not about skill. It’s a creative expression to process trauma.”

Correctional facilities have an environment that is “very rigid and very dogmatic,” Mahlati said. “So we give people a chance to just be.”

One inmate dreams of running a gallery

Artwork produced through the program is sold to the public. Prices range from about 50 rand ($3) to more than 2,000 rand ($120), depending on the piece’s size and complexity.

Officials say proceeds are used to replenish art supplies and provide stipends to participating inmates, who traditionally have chances to make money by working in places like orchards and dairy farms, and training to make items like furniture, uniforms and baked goods.

Their artwork is also regularly displayed at major South African events, including the Comrades Marathon Expo and the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, giving inmates opportunities to reach wider audiences.

“For them to also see that this can be a way of living, it helps because now they are able to manage their own finances, albeit at a small scale,” said Thobakgale, the commissioner.

For Mongkoai, the goal is grander for when he leaves prison.

“My dream is to have my own gallery,” he said.

Black Business Month Celebrates NC’s Legacy Of Entrepreneurship

Judaea Ingram — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:45:00 +0000

By Judaea Ingram

Special To The Carolinian

RALEIGH, N.C. — From neighborhood markets to award-winning restaurants, Black-owned businesses have long been a cornerstone of North Carolina's economy and culture. As August marks Black Business Month, communities across the state are recognizing the entrepreneurs whose businesses continue to create jobs, preserve culture and invest in local neighborhoods.

Black Business Month, established in 2004 by historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan Sr., highlights the contributions of Black entrepreneurs while encouraging consumers to support Black-owned businesses year-round. The annual observance also draws attention to the opportunities and challenges facing Black business owners as they continue to build wealth and strengthen local economies.

North Carolina has a rich history of Black entrepreneurship dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when thriving Black business districts emerged in cities such as Durham, Wilmington and Raleigh. Areas like Durham's historic Hayti community became centers of Black-owned banks, insurance companies, restaurants and retail shops, demonstrating the resilience and innovation of Black entrepreneurs despite segregation and limited economic opportunities.

That entrepreneurial spirit continues today through businesses that have become staples in their communities.

In Raleigh, Black Friday Market has grown into more than a retail space. The marketplace serves as a hub where shoppers can discover products from Black-owned brands and small businesses while providing entrepreneurs with increased visibility and opportunities to connect with customers. By bringing dozens of vendors together under one roof, the market has become a destination that celebrates Black creativity, commerce and community.

In Durham, Saltbox Seafood Joint has earned national recognition for its fresh seafood and simple coastal menu inspired by North Carolina fishing traditions. Founded by chef Ricky Moore, the restaurant has become one of the state's most celebrated dining destinations, earning accolades while showcasing the flavors and culture of the North Carolina coast.

Businesses like Black Friday Market and Saltbox Seafood Joint demonstrate the diversity of Black entrepreneurship across North Carolina. While one creates opportunities for emerging small business owners through retail and community partnerships, the other has transformed locally sourced seafood into an award-winning culinary experience recognized far beyond the Triangle.

Supporting Black-owned businesses extends beyond a single month. Every purchase helps create jobs, strengthen neighborhoods and circulate dollars within local communities. Many Black-owned businesses also give back through mentorship, charitable initiatives and partnerships with schools, churches and nonprofit organizations.

As consumers become increasingly intentional about where they spend their money, Black Business Month serves as a reminder of the lasting impact local businesses have on the communities they serve. From family-owned shops to nationally recognized restaurants, Black entrepreneurs continue to shape North Carolina's economic landscape through innovation, resilience and service.

While August shines a spotlight on these achievements, business owners and advocates hope the recognition inspires residents to support Black-owned businesses throughout the year. For North Carolina, that means continuing a legacy of entrepreneurship that has strengthened communities for generations and ensuring the next generation of Black entrepreneurs has the opportunity to thrive.

Medicaid Work Rule Leaves Homeless People In The Cold

The Carolinian — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:22:00 +0000

KFF HEALTH NEWS - MISSOULA, Mont. — Tywon Pugh has seizures that make it hard to find and keep a job.

"They called me a 'liability to the job site,'" Pugh said, recalling the words of his manager when a seizure cost him his last job at a fast-food restaurant in this western Montana city.

When the 46-year-old lost work in the past, his wife of 10 years covered their rent and he tended to their home until he found another job. But his wife died last year. Soon after, Pugh became homeless. His problem with alcohol became worse, which made managing his seizures more difficult.

"When she died, my whole base was depleted," Pugh said.

Medicaid pays for the prescriptions that keep Pugh's seizures at bay. The government-subsidized health coverage would also pay for an addiction treatment program that Pugh says he has tried to get into, but he was told there's a waitlist.

Pugh's goal has been to get healthy enough to work again. But he's worried about being able to keep the Medicaid coverage he needs to get to that point.

Early embrace of new rules

In the spring, the federal government finalized regulations requiring millions of people who receive Medicaid benefits to prove they're working, volunteering, or going to school to keep their coverage. States have until January to begin those checks. Montana, Arkansas, and Nebraska have already started implementing them.

The Trump administration's federal work requirements exempt certain groups of people: those with disabilities, those older than 64, pregnant people and Native Americans, among others. To receive an exemption, anyone without a clear-cut qualification — such as through their age or disability status — will have to prove they're too sick to work.

But the administration decided that being homeless isn't a medical condition and can't count as an automatic out from having to meet the new requirements. Many conservative policymakers support work requirements, and some states have attempted to implement such rules for years. At least four states — Montana, Arizona, Kentucky and Utah — previously proposed policies that included homelessness as an exemption.

But federal officials have said that's not allowed. In an email to KFF Health News, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services declined to provide a comment on the record. But the agency confirmed that states must stick to the federal government's list of exemptions. Homelessness in the U.S. has increased by 27% from 2013 to 2025, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last year, about 746,000 people were homeless.

Many, like Pugh, qualified for Medicaid, though the number of enrollees who are homeless is difficult to measure. In 2023, 55% of patients who received medical or behavioral health services through one of the nation's roughly 300 Health Care for the Homeless programs were enrolled in Medicaid.

Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of KFF's Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, said the federal regulations are a lot stricter than many states had expected, even those on board with work requirements. (KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.)

"It took everyone by surprise," Tolbert said.

Mehmet Oz, who leads CMS, touted the regulations as a "path to prosperity" during a press conference in June.

"We need to get people to try to work," Oz said. In June, 25 mostly Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration over the regulations, arguing the medical frailty standard would be too hard for enrollees to meet — and for states to assess. The work requirements are projected to increase the number of uninsured people nationwide by more than 5 million by 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Most states will begin to implement the Medicaid work requirements in January 2027.

Montana plans to begin booting Medicaid enrollees from coverage in October 2026 if they can't prove they're in compliance with the work requirement.

"My Medicaid is still active, but when are they gonna cut that off from me?" Pugh said. "I can't get employed. How am I supposed to survive?"

The differences between the states' and federal government's exemption lists don't end with people who are homeless. In Montana, lawmakers also planned to excuse people fleeing domestic violence and caregivers of hospitalized family members — two other groups left off the federal exemption list.

"These are simply parties that, due to a number of conditions, cannot meet those requirements," Republican state Rep. Ed Buttrey said in 2019 when the Montana Legislature passed its first Medicaid work requirement bill. Buttrey did not comment for this article.

Federal officials have said many people who are homeless could fall under another exemption, such as being too sick to work. But, like many states, Montana's system to automatically conduct those checks through existing medical records isn't ready, though health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said it should be in place by October. Anyone not automatically exempted by the state would have 30 days to prove their case.

A possible exemption for health

Pugh might qualify for a pass due to his seizures. But getting to doctor appointments the past year has been hard for him.

The anniversary of his wife's death just passed. Typically, Pugh has to find a new place to sleep outside each night. One night while camping, Pugh lost his wallet and important documents. And with the addiction treatment centers that accept Medicaid patients overbooked, Pugh has had to rely on willpower to avoid drinking.

"I'm taking it one day at a time," he said.

A little over two hours north, in Kalispell, Dustin Goss, a case manager at a homeless shelter called Samaritan House, said Pugh's experience reflects why he's worried that people who qualify for an exemption will get tangled in bureaucratic tape.

"You can't really worry about getting paperwork done when you don't know where you're eating today," Goss said.

Cassidy Kipp, who heads Samaritan House, said once people find shelter and start to stabilize, they typically find work. But even then, meeting the new requirements can be challenging. Clients often start with temporary and informal jobs — such as cleaning out a storage unit — that don't come with a pay stub, Kipp said.

Kaitlyn Bosshardt, a social worker at Partnership Health Center, a health clinic in Missoula, has seen more people priced out of longtime rentals as housing costs outpace people's paychecks. Meanwhile, affordable housing and rental aid are limited.

Partnership Health is one of roughly 1,400 health centers nationwide that receive federal funding to serve patients based on what they can afford — meaning even those who lose Medicaid can receive care. But organizations representing health centers have said if too many patients lose the coverage, some clinics won't be able to fill the financial hole.

The other problem is that these clinics generally don't provide specialty care.

One day in June, as temperatures hovered around 90, Pugh visited Watershed Navigation Center, a refuge run by Partnership for people without steady housing to have a meal or see a doctor. His doctor, Atarah Sidey, told Pugh that the neurology clinic that managed his seizures had dismissed him from their care after he missed three appointments.

She referred Pugh to the other neurologist in town and talked about trying to find treatment for his addiction.

"It's just that if I don't make the effort at changing, it ain't gonna happen and I'm gonna end up found on the side of the road somewhere," Pugh told Sidey.

"You got this, though, Tywon," she responded as Pugh nodded his head. "You can do this."

Pugh has connected with a social worker for help keeping his Medicaid. By late July, he was waiting for space to open at a Missoula addiction treatment center and waiting on responses from two job applications.

In the hard moments, Pugh imagines his wife telling him to stay calm, that things will get better.

"I just don't wanna lose hope in the meantime," he said.

The Unaffiliated Majority: North Carolina’s Independent Voters Rewrite the Political Playbook

Jheri Hardaway — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:11:00 +0000

By Jheri Hardaway

Staff Writer

For decades, North Carolina’s political story was written in shades of deep red and classic blue. A traditional battleground defined by the push and pull between registered Democrats and Republicans. Today, the state's political map is being quietly reconfigured by a different group altogether: the unaffiliated voter. This voter is an unpredictable, often hard-to-read wild card.

Representing nearly 40% of the state’s total electorate, unaffiliated voters have solidified their position as North Carolina's largest voting bloc, outnumbering both registered Democrats and Republicans. New residents, upset youth, and disillusioned older voters fuel this movement. The Old North State has grown from a standard swing state into an uncontrollable loud wild child.

Fast-growing exurbs around the Triangle (Wake, Johnston, and Harnett counties) and the Charlotte metro area (Cabarrus, Union, and Iredell) serve as the epicenter of independent voter growth. In these locations, college-educated professionals and young families are migrating in record numbers, bringing ticket-splitting tendencies that make traditional suburban strongholds increasingly fluid.

According to the latest estimates from The University of North Carolina’s Carolina Demography, North Carolina has about 8 million citizen-voting-age residents, and as of September 28th, 2024, 7.6 million registered voters. Partisan affiliation splits roughly between three groups: unaffiliated, Democrat, and Republican, with a slight lead for unaffiliated. The data reads: 2,886,573 or 38% were registered unaffiliated; 2,413,469 or 32% were registered Democrat; 2,285,377 or 30% were registered Republican; and 72,300 or 0.94% were registered to another party.

Another impactful data point from Carolina Demography states that young voters are more likely to register as unaffiliated than any other age group: 51% of 18-25 year-olds are registered unaffiliated versus 44% of 26-40 year-olds, 35% of 41-65 year-olds, and 27% of voters 66 and older.

As previously reported, there are efforts being put forth to make candidates and citizens pick a side. Revisions to House Bill 958 would require any candidate running in a partisan primary to have been registered with that party for at least a year. An important note: each party’s state executive committee could grant exceptions. This is designed to block efforts like those of Educators on the Ballot and Kate Barr Can’t Win, registered Democrats or unaffiliated voters who switched their registration to Republican to compete in the recent Republican primary. While none came close to winning, the tactic has been circulated widely on social media.

According to Carolina Demography, more than 55% of the state's unaffiliated voters were born outside North Carolina. Relocating from the Northeast, Midwest, and other Southern states, these new residents often leave their previous party affiliations at the state line, choosing to register as unaffiliated while they evaluate local political dynamics.

Under North Carolina law, the state operates a semi-closed primary system. Registered Democrats and Republicans are locked into their respective party ballots. Unaffiliated voters, however, hold a unique privilege: at the polling place, they may request a Democratic, Republican, or nonpartisan primary ballot without altering their independent registration status.

An interesting long-term thought: partisan mapmakers rely heavily on historical voter registration data and primary participation records to build "safe" partisan seats. Looks like the safety found in historic trends is treading water. This dynamic transforms independent voters into key players in primary contests, particularly in low-turnout election cycles.

Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, David Holian confirmed the share of unaffiliated voters has been rising. They now make up the largest single group of registered voters in the state. Holian says that the growth in unaffiliated voting shows a pattern over the years. “It's a sign of what we've increasingly been seeing in American politics, which is that it's sort of this paradox where we have a really increasingly partisan and polarized political space.”

GOP Majority Legislature, State Board Drives Sweeping Election Reforms

Jordan Meadows — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:04:00 +0000

The first protester rises at the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, moments before members of the public are ejected from the auditorium. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

By: Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

Gov. Josh Stein chastised state Republicans at the state Democratic Party's Unity Dinner in Raleigh on Saturday, escalating a months-long feud with GOP lawmakers and Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek over control of the state's voting system.

Gov. Stein argued a 2024 bill stripped the governor's office of its authority to appoint state and county election board members and handed that power to the auditor's office instead. He said Boliek and his former election liaison, Dallas Woodhouse, have used that authority to pressure local election officials into curbing Sunday voting hours and rejecting early voting plans that included certain college campuses.

Stein has said that the new rules "invites the auditor and state board to sow mistrust in our elections."

Sweeping changes to how North Carolinians vote continue moving through the Republican-controlled General Assembly ahead of the November midterms. The state Senate passed two election bills along party lines late last month: House Bill 958, which cleared the chamber 28-13 with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed, and House Bill 834, which passed 42-0. The two bills originated as a single sweeping elections package that passed the House in June before Senate Republicans split it in two.

House Bill 958 would shorten early voting during primary, second primary and runoff elections from 17 days to 10, tighten rules aimed at preventing noncitizens from registering to vote, hand Boliek's office new authority to audit county election systems, and require the state Division of Motor Vehicles to turn over voters' full Social Security numbers to the State Board of Elections. House Bill 834 would extend the window voters have to fix problems with their ballots from three business days after an election to five, and would allow voters to continue using expired driver's licenses as valid photo ID.

Most provisions in both bills would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, meaning they would not apply to this November's general election. House Bill 958 has since cleared the full General Assembly and now awaits action from Stein; a veto would require a three-fifths vote in both chambers to override.

Democratic lawmakers have filed a competing package, House Bill 1246, that would ban the deployment of troops or other armed agents at polling places, increase criminal penalties for harassing voters or poll workers, protect early voting from further cuts, and bar election officials from refusing to certify results without evidence. The bill would also make clear that ballots cannot be thrown out after an election based on new interpretations of the rules — a direct response to the 2024 effort by Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin to challenge more than 60,000 ballots after the fact, an effort a federal judge ultimately ruled unconstitutional.

"Efforts to subvert vote counting and the recognition of election winners are, by definition, destructive to our system of democracy and the rule of law," the bill states. "There can be no government 'of, by and for the people' if officials are dishonest about election results."

Democrats hold the minority in both chambers, and the bill is not expected to receive a vote.

The State Board of Elections has also been busy. At a meeting last month, the board's Republican majority approved on a 3-2 vote the rule change lowering the threshold for county boards to reject a voter's photo ID exemption request from a unanimous vote to a simple majority; the rule takes effect for the midterms and beyond pending approval from the state's Rules Review Commission.

At the same meeting, the board adopted amendments to three existing rules governing discretionary and mandatory recounts, along with a new set of rules dictating how county boards establish buffer zones, electioneering zones and curbside voting areas, and how officials maintain order at polling sites — including a provision letting site volunteers remove any voter, campaigner, candidate or protester they deem too disruptive, which several members of the public have argued comes uncomfortably close to infringing on First Amendment rights.

Those recount and polling-place rules have also been sent to the Rules Review Commission, which is expected to take them up at its Aug. 27 meeting.

Separately, the board voted along party lines to adopt six new rules governing absentee ballots, including a change that would require an unsealed inner ballot envelope to be treated as spoiled rather than resealed by election workers as before.

The State Board of Elections is also taking public comment through Aug. 31 on proposed rules outlining reporting requirements for political party headquarters building funds, along with a proposed rule change on waivers of civil penalties for late campaign finance disclosure reports.

The NC Senate was scheduled to reconvene Wednesday morning.

NCDA&CS Seeks Proposals For Agricultural Research Grants

The Carolinian — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:01:00 +0000

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is requesting proposals for research projects through the North Carolina Agriculture Innovations & Research (NCAIR) grant program. Around $1 million in grant funding is available to support innovative research that strengthens agriculture and the agricultural economy across North Carolina.

Individual research projects are limited to $100,000 each and should address challenges or opportunities facing North Carolina agriculture while demonstrating the potential to create meaningful economic impact.

"North Carolina agriculture continues to evolve, and research plays a critical role in helping farmers meet new challenges and seize new opportunities," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "I’m thankful that our legislators continue to invest in NCAIR so we can fund practical, innovative research that can improve productivity, increase profitability and help ensure our state's agricultural industry remains strong for generations to come."

NCAIR supports a broad range of agricultural research, including but not limited to:

Development of innovative agricultural technologies and production practices.
Research involving new and emerging crops and value-added products.
Crop improvement and genetics.
Agronomic, pest management and postharvest research.
Agricultural and forestry-based bioenergy research.

Projects that strengthen the state's agricultural economy through innovation and commercialization.

While not required, funded projects may utilize one or more of the research stations and field laboratories located across North Carolina that are operated through collaboration between the NCDA&CS Research Stations Division and NC State University.

Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that address significant agricultural needs, include measurable outcomes and demonstrate the potential for economic benefits to North Carolina farmers, agribusinesses or rural communities.

Guidance documents and required forms are available at ncagr.gov/grants/NCAIR. The application process will open Aug. 17; completed applications must be postmarked by Oct. 16.

Questions about research priorities should be directed to Charles Fletcher listed above. For questions about the application process, contact Allison Medlin at Allison.Medlin@ncagr.gov or 919-693-2483.a

Trump Admin Halts Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Redesign

Jordan Meadows — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:58:00 +0000

By: Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

The Trump administration has halted plans to place abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, ending a decade-long effort that began under President Barack Obama’s administration and was revived under President Joe Biden.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last Monday that the department is “not at present” moving forward with the redesign, prompting criticism from Democratic lawmakers who argue the decision abandons years of bipartisan work to recognize one of the nation’s most influential figures in the fight against slavery.

The proposed redesign would have replaced former President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with Tubman, who was born enslaved in Maryland in the early 1820s and later became one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom. Had the redesign been completed, Tubman would have become the first Black American featured on U.S. paper currency.

The effort to place Tubman on the $20 bill began during the Obama administration in 2016, when then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced plans for a major redesign of U.S. currency. The announcement came as part of a broader effort to feature more women and civil rights figures on American money, with the Treasury initially aiming to unveil the new $20 bill in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

However, the redesign stalled during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced in 2019 that the new $20 bill would not be released until at least 2028, citing security concerns and the need for updated anti-counterfeiting technology. Trump himself criticized the move in 2016, calling the decision to replace Jackson “pure political correctness” and arguing that Tubman could instead be placed on another denomination, such as the $2 bill, while Jackson remained on the $20.

The Biden administration sought to revive the effort shortly after taking office. Despite renewed efforts, the redesign was expected to take years. Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen estimated that the new $20 bill would likely not be ready until around 2030 because of the extensive design, testing, and security requirements involved in producing new currency.

Democratic senators are now urging the Trump administration to restart the Tubman project.

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen recently led a group of Democratic senators in a letter to Bessent criticizing the Treasury Department’s decision to abandon the redesign.

“We write to express our deep frustration that the Department of the Treasury is ‘not at present’ planning to move forward with the long-standing effort to place Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill,” the senators wrote.

The senators also questioned why the administration had halted the Tubman redesign while pursuing other currency projects involving President Trump’s likeness.

They pointed to plans for a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump and proposals backed by some Trump allies for a new $250 bill celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary. The push to feature Trump on currency has raised questions because federal law generally prohibits living individuals from appearing on U.S. paper money. The administration has argued that a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump is allowed under a 2020 law signed during Trump’s first term that permits the Treasury secretary to issue coins with designs commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary. The Trump administration has also explored the possibility of creating a $250 bill featuring the president’s image.

Federal law currently prohibits living people from appearing on paper currency, but lawmakers allied with Trump have introduced legislation that would create an exception for the proposed commemorative bill. The Treasury Department has said it is conducting “appropriate planning and due diligence” regarding the proposal.

The administration has also moved toward including Trump’s signature on money.

No new individual has appeared on U.S. paper currency since 1928, when the government began using the portraits currently seen on many bills. Supporters of the Tubman redesign argue that replacing Jackson would better reflect the nation’s history, pointing to Tubman’s role in ending slavery and advancing freedom. Critics of removing Jackson, including Trump during his first term, have argued that changing currency designs should not be driven by political considerations.

The dispute now places two competing visions of American symbolism against each other: one focused on expanding representation in national institutions, and another focused on elevating Trump’s role in commemorating the country’s founding anniversary.

1876 massacre of Black men in SC turned racial terror into political power

The Carolinian — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:55:46 +0000

THE CONVERSATION - As the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, its citizens commemorate a democracy more diverse, free and inclusive than it’s ever been. The path to this milestone was imperfect and paved in blood and suffering. Still, few of the revelers will likely pay heed to the anniversary of another historic event: the 150th anniversary of the July 1876 Hamburg massacre.

The massacre, which took place in Hamburg, South Carolina, began as a dispute between a local Black militia and two white citizens over whether the latter could cross the group’s centennial Fourth of July parade. The militia leader, Doc Adams, was later charged with blocking a public highway.

At his court hearing, Adams was met with a white militia – part of the white supremacist Red Shirts – which then pursued the Black militia on their retreat to their weapons arsenal. After a firefight, the Red Shirts captured several Black militiamen, marched them to a nearby site and executed at least four people.

South Carolina’s Republican governor, Union veteran Daniel Henry Chamberlain, described the event as a “butchery of unoffending and unarmed colored men by a brutal and bloodthirsty mob of white men.” Yet no one was convicted after the attack. In fact, several of the Red Shirts ringleaders would instead rise to the highest offices in the state.

Corey Rogers, an organizer of the 150th anniversary Hamburg commemoration, recently called this massacre “the seminal event that began to change the trajectory of African Americans.” The repression and inequality that would define the next 100 years of U.S. history, in other words, was born at Hamburg.

As a scholar of domestic terrorism, I study the long history of white supremacist and far-right violence in the U.S. My research shows that the Hamburg massacre was not just characteristic of a broader violent moment, but also that the echoes of such violence ring loudly today.

From Hamburg, across the South

According to one estimate, the 12 years of the Reconstruction era, during which the Union attempted to construct a racially diverse democracy in the wake of the Civil War, saw over 2,000 Black citizens murdered in “racial terror lynchings.” Another estimate, from 1895, more starkly claimed that as many as 53,000 Black Americans had been murdered in the 30 years following the Civil War.

By intimidating Black voters and galvanizing white Democrats who sought to undo the results of the Civil War, this violence served to effectively kill Reconstruction and the tangible promises of Black emancipation.

What happened in Hamburg provides a particularly egregious example of such racial terrorism catapulting political triumph. After that tragedy, several of the Red Shirts ringleaders went on to successful political careers, with two of them becoming U.S. senators – one of whom, Benjamin Tillman, also served as South Carolina governor.

As Jenny Heckel, then a Clemson University graduate student, noted in her 2016 master’s thesis, it was “not in spite of the white Carolinians’ participation in the murder of six black men, but because of it, they won election to political offices.”

In South Carolina’s 1876 gubernatorial race, the Democratic candidate, Confederate veteran Wade Hampton III, emerged triumphant and reinstated white supremacy as the fulcrum of state governance. His name had been put forward by former Confederate major general Matthew Butler, who had represented the two white farmers before the Hamburg attack and who himself went on to serve in the U.S. Senate.

In 1895, South Carolina held a constitutional convention, spearheaded by the aforementioned Hamburg massacre ringleader Tillman, and adopted a new constitution that effectively ended the Black vote in the state.

An enduring threat

In the 1890s, renowned abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass said white vigilantes offered three justifications for the lynchings of Black Americans: stamping out alleged race riots, protecting the white vote share and protecting white women from alleged sexual crimes by Black men.

The first two were front and center in the Hamburg massacre. In fact, as Heckel reflected a decade ago, “white Carolinians blamed the black militia for starting the riot, and Southern white newspapers created images of riotous blacks to contest black descriptions.”

Since the massacre, racial violence has had a long echo in the United States. And in many cases, the same justifications elucidated by Douglass remain.

Both the Tulsa race massacre and the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, for instance, were sparked by false accusations of sexual harassment or assault made against young Black men.

The violence persists today. In June 2015, just 150 miles (241 kilometers) from Hamburg, a white supremacist gunman entered the historically Black Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and opened fire, killing nine churchgoers.

In May 2022, a white supremacist killed 10 Black Americans at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York.

Both gunmen made multiple references to the same conspiracy theories Douglass identified, with the Charleston domestic terrorist going as far as to praise segregation as “a defensive measure” while criticizing the “historical lies, exaggerations and myths” of the historical record of slavery and its aftermath.

Still, there are key differences between the attacks at Charleston and Buffalo and their Reconstruction predecessors. The political violence that tainted the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era clashes with traditional definitions of terrorism, which typically targets a power structure that such violence seeks to upend.

Instead, attacks like the one in Hamburg, which sought to proactively protect the rights and power of white Americans – and which were often endorsed by state and local governments – have more in common with genocide and ethnic cleansing. Not only did the scale of the broader violence across the South indicate a campaign to mass-murder an ethnic subgroup for political purposes, but Tillman, perhaps the most infamous of the Hamburg murderers, never denied the attack’s goals.

“We are not sorry for it,” he would proudly recall before the U.S. Senate in 1900. “We of the south have never recognized the right of the negro to govern white men.”

‘A painful duty’

Attempting to commemorate all such anniversaries is an impossible task, simply because of the sheer volume. For example, September marks the 150th anniversary of the Ellenton Riot. In that massacre, Black South Carolinians were systematically hunted throughout their community over an alleged attack on a white elderly woman, which was later proved false. The death toll may have eclipsed 100.

Countless similar incidents have plagued U.S. history.

In my view, to tell the story of America’s founding without referencing these profound scars is akin to deceit, if not complicity. Civil rights leader and journalist Ida B. Wells put it this way in 1895: “It becomes a painful duty … to reproduce a record which shows that a large portion of the American people avow anarchy, condone murder and defy the contempt of civilization.”

Or, as a local retired pastor said of Hamburg commemorations, “We want to keep it burning so people won’t forget what transpired.”

After NC Lawmakers Pull Plug On Civil Legal Aid, Nonprofits Are Left Searching For Solutions

The Carolinian — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:52:00 +0000

NC NEWSLINE - As Democratic lawmakers rose to attack the recent state budget plan put forth by the Republican leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly, they repeatedly brought up a somewhat obscure legal acronym vital to legal aid across the state: IOLTA.

“We put more money into our indigent defense system, and that’s great. It needs it. But it’s come at the expense of IOLTA funding going to legal aid organizations providing important civil legal services to poor people,” said Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, in a July 1 floor speech. “We’re helping poor people over here, and we’re hurting them over here.”

The Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts program has for decades funded civil legal aid services across North Carolina until last year, when Republican lawmakers froze all IOLTA grants over concerns that the money was being used for political purposes.

After passage of the state budget, that freeze has become a complete elimination of future civil legal aid funding through IOLTA — an end to a grant program that legal aid nonprofits have relied on for more than 40 years.

‘This is not the government’s money’

The new budget makes North Carolina the only state in the country that offers neither state funding for legal aid in civil cases nor financial support from IOLTA.

The money that went toward IOLTA’s grant program is generated as interest by pooled legal funds that attorneys are required to hold in trust. The funds, which are overseen by the North Carolina State Bar, are not taxpayer dollars nor are they revenue generated by the state government’s operations.

“This is not public money. This is money that is generated by interest on individual clients’ trust accounts,” said Peter Gilbert, who serves as litigation director for the North Carolina Justice Center. “This is not the government’s money, but they are asserting the right to control the board of it.”

The Justice Center was among the largest recipients of IOLTA funding, receiving a $1 million grant supporting a broad array of legal aid areas, including for housing, employment, public benefits, immigration, and consumer protections.

An April program audit by State Auditor Dave Boliek was unable to identify any instances of misused funds, finding that the program complied with all grant eligibility requirements. Despite this, he called for a massive program overhaul, condemning what he described as a lack of adequate oversight.

“As our audit shows, IOLTA grants are going to organizations with clearly partisan, political agendas,” Boliek said in a statement following the audit report’s release. “With IOLTA’s revenues and grant payments surging, it’s incumbent that the flow of dollars is met with additional scrutiny to ensure proper use.”

Acting on these recommendations, the North Carolina General Assembly eliminated the civil legal aid grants disbursed by IOLTA, leaving in place only grants intended to improve legal administration.

Legal Aid of North Carolina CEO Ashley Campbell said that while her organization and others pushed lawmakers to protect civil legal aid, it was ultimately House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, an attorney himself, who could not be convinced.

“There’s strong bipartisan support for all of Legal Aid’s work, and we know that from the many conversations we’ve had with members on both sides of the aisle over the last two years,” Campbell said. “Ultimately, it was the Speaker who proposed these changes in the bill.”

Hall did not respond to NC Newsline’s request for comment.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, told members of the media on July 1 that members had “serious concerns about how that money was being utilized.”

“The legal aid entities have other sources that they can go to. I think there are some federal dollars that go into that. There are donations that can be made,” he said. “We have another issue that requires additional dollars that provides assistance to folks who can’t afford lawyers, and that is the privately assigned counsel.”

‘You are not eligible’

Beyond the removal of civil legal aid grants, the budget contains several other provisions that by themselves would bar the vast majority of past recipients from future awards, explicitly excluding groups that engage in a wide swath of civil legal matters.

“There are really four independent ways that this bill will cripple civil legal aid in North Carolina,” Gilbert said. “The thing to know about these restrictions is all of the organizations in North Carolina that have received in the past these civil legal aid grants engage in these types of activities.”

The bill creates a new NC IOLTA Board of Trustees made up of four members appointed by the state legislature, two members appointed by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, and three by the council of the State Bar. It appears to eliminate the current board of trustees, which has overseen the funds for decades but which the bill makes no reference to.

Crucially, the bill redirects up to $15 million in IOLTA funds to state-run indigent defense services and up to $2 million to administration of justice grants, which focus on innovations to improve the efficiency of the justice system. It authorizes no funding for civil legal aid.

That leaves out over 90% of past grant recipients. In 2025, the last year IOLTA was permitted to issue awards, more than $11 million went toward civil legal aid, from disability rights and immigrant legal services to preventing domestic violence and expanding access to health care. Just $850,000 was issued in the form of administration of justice grants.

Finally, the budget imposes substantial restrictions on organizations that remain eligible for grants. They cannot perform work related to federal immigration law or transgender health issues. And they are also forbidden from performing any legislative advocacy that does not directly relate to their own existence or funding.

Legal Aid of North Carolina sought to educate legislators on the fact that a large share of their work related to immigration law is aimed at combating human trafficking in cooperation with law enforcement, Campbell said.

“We are going to continue doing that work, but if you engage in any immigration legal work at all, regardless of the type of work, you are not eligible for even the small grants that will now be made,” she said.

Gilbert said the increase in funding to indigent defense services — for which attorneys are only provided in criminal legal matters — in no way makes up for depriving civil legal aid of funding.

“What they’ve done is met their duty under the federal Constitution to fund a criminal defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel,” Gilbert said. “What they’ve done is taken away private money to fund a public purpose that they were constitutionally required to fund already.”

‘We are providing basic needs’

Particularly hard hit will be Legal Aid of North Carolina, IOLTA’s largest grant recipient in 2025 at roughly $6 million. IOLTA had been the nonprofit’s second-largest funding source.

Campbell, the Legal Aid NC CEO, said in the interview that the organization was forced to announce the closure of nine of its offices because of the 2025 funding freeze, many of them in rural areas, and lay off around 50 employees.

“The biggest concern we have is that this is not a one-time impact,” Campbell said. “The funding was established by our state’s highest court for the purpose of civil legal aid, and it supported civil legal aid for over 40 years.”

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy CEO Larissa Mañón, whose nonprofit received $765,000 to fund legal aid for health care, housing, and immigrant justice, among other areas, said the new law reflects a misunderstanding of what civil legal aid is.

“The actual audit, if you read it, actually shows that all the organizations use the money exactly as intended and all organizations have reporting, have their own audits that they were required to complete as part of their own regulatory processes,” Mañón said. “We are providing basic needs for people who otherwise would be unable to afford them.”

At least some have stepped in to help remedy funding shortfalls. In Goldsboro, for example, Legal Aid of North Carolina was able to keep its office open after announcing a closure because a bipartisan group of county commissioners and the clerk of court rented them a new space for just $1.

Pisgah Legal Services, a western North Carolina nonprofit that received more than $1 million and played a pivotal role in helping low-income residents navigate legal matters related to Hurricane Helene, has also been hit hard.

“We are really hoping to not have to scale things back, but it is a real possibility if we can’t replace funding and replace it pretty quickly,” said Molly Maynard, the nonprofit’s chief program officer. “We had a number of one-time Helene funding sources that kind of filled the gap for us in the immediate aftermath, but that’s obviously not going to happen again in the future.”

Maynard said while some members of the legislature were “great champions” for their work, “it clearly did not help us in the long run.”

“I just worry that there are going to be thousands of people every year who don’t have access to help getting a protective order when they’re facing abuse, getting legal assistance when they’re facing an eviction or foreclosure, accessing really essential public benefits,” she said. “That’s the real impact of this.”

Moral Monday Leader, Activists Arrested In U.S. Senate Office Building

The Carolinian — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:51:00 +0000

NC NEWSLINE - Bishop William Barber and a group of faith leaders were arrested in Washington, D.C., Monday following a demonstration inside the Hart Senate Office Building. Barber and the activists were attempting to meet with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, to voice their opposition to voter suppression and the SAVE America Act.

Earlier in the day, Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach and founder of the Moral Monday movement, held a press conference at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to explain why faith leaders from across the nation are laser-focused on voting rights.

With less than 100 days until the 2026 midterm elections, Barber said Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders will use that time to mobilize 1,000 marches to the polls to encourage early voting and participation in the Nov. 3 elections.

“We will cast a vision for a hundred days of mobilization,” Barber said. “In this moment, we do not need to have a march on Washington. We need a march in the states to change Washington.”

Repairers of the Breach held a series of “public pulpit” events in the nation’s capital this summer, but Barber said faith leaders must now return home to get occasional voters engaged in what is occurring in state legislatures.

“The power is in the states. States can block your living wages. States can make [voter] suppression laws that we’ve already passed over 87 of them, particularly in southern states,” said Barber.

NC Republicans look to add new restrictions

Barber’s focus on the states comes just days after the North Carolina Senate passed a controversial elections bill that will reduce early voting periods during primaries, primary runoffs and special elections from 17 days to 10 days.

House Bill 958 will also require the state auditor to conduct post-election audits of county election systems. The number of audits to be conducted is at the sole discretion of the auditor.

Democrats voiced concerns about another provision in H958 that would use federal databases and information from other states to identify people who have died but remain on the voter rolls. Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg, argued last week that provision could lead to living voters being wrongfully removed, especially amid confusion over similar names.

As the bill heads back to the state House on Tuesday, Republicans have argued that the legislation improves election administration and further enhances security.

Gov. Josh Stein criticized the measure, saying the bill erodes trust by injecting more politics into the State Board of Elections.

Awakening disengaged voters

Repairers of the Breach and partner organizations are developing a plan to reach five million infrequent, low-wage voters and one million Black male voters through texting by their peers and knocking on doors in the coming weeks.

“We’re here because the ballot is sacred,” Rev. Dr. Hanna R. Broome told reporters on Monday.

With the U.S. spending an estimated $1.5 billion per day on the war in Iran, Barber said even infrequent voters know that money could be addressing real issues “rather than being poured down a dark hole in the immoral and illegal war.”

Barber said voters must also be made aware of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Nationwide, more than 4.5 million people are no longer receiving SNAP benefits. According to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, SNAP participation in North Carolina has dropped more than 12% between July 2025 and April 2026.

Starting this October, states will be required to pay a portion of the benefits for the first time in program history. That payment is based on the state’s error rate for SNAP payments.

“How damnable is it to say we got money for war, but we don’t have money for children?” Barber said.

Urban League report says Trump administration is harming Black Americans’ chances at American Dream

The Carolinian — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:51:14 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American Dream may not be dead for many Black Americans, but it is further away than at any point since the Civil Rights Movement, warns a report by the National Urban League.

Released on Thursday, the annual “State of Black America” report grimly describes Black Americans ' economic and political prospects as having worsened due to policy changes from President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

The report contends that the challenges it highlights for Black communities are warning signs for the prosperity of all Americans.

“It may be the focus is us, but the impact is not just us,” said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. “While they have targeted and focused on Black Americans, these attacks are going to impact broadly working Americans, poor Americans, aspirational middle-class Americans, and this is what this report points to.”

Tracing the arc of American history, the Urban League describes Black Americans’ struggle for emancipation from slavery and equal economic and political rights as a gruesome but optimistic part of the American story.

Now, the report says, the Trump administration is at odds with the goals and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, citing the overhaul of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as the president’s focus on overhauling voting laws through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, as examples of rollbacks of long-sought civil rights policies.

The report’s authors offer policy and strategy recommendations for civil rights groups aiming to combat the Trump administration.

“The civil rights community must consolidate its legal resistance and turn courtroom wins into durable policy,” the report says. “The movement must build economic infrastructure that doesn’t depend on the goodwill of any one administration.”

Reached for comment on Thursday, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said Trump was elected with a mandate to change the very policies that the Urban League contends are eroding real opportunity for Black Americans.

“(Diversity, equity and inclusion) ran rampant during the Biden administration, and Americans ultimately paid the price for these destructive policies with a restricted labor pool, higher operational costs, and workforce inefficiencies,” Schuster said. “The Trump administration will always promote equal treatment under the law for every American.”

Report contributors include a potential Democratic presidential contender

This year’s report includes contributions from members of Congress, and policy and legal experts, as well as some media personalities.

U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Raphael Warnock all contributed to the report, as well as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey contributed a video message to the report.

Moore, who is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, submitted an essay focused on closing the racial wealth gap and Black Americans’ history of economic advancement in the face of adversity.

“With wisdom and grit, my mom was able to lift me and my family to a higher rung on the economic ladder. But too often wisdom and grit aren’t enough,” Moore wrote.

He later called closing the racial wealth gap “a matter of moral clarity” but cautioned that “government alone cannot close the racial wealth gap. It’s going to take all of us,” referencing the private sector and civil society.

Report blasts ‘economic assault’ on Black Americans

Whether corporate America and major nonprofits are still willing to participate is an open question. The report condemns the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back diversity initiatives and economic advancement projects in the private sector, and expresses frustration with companies that cooperated with an “economic assault” on Americans, especially Black Americans.

“This has been a campaign of coercion and oppression directed at these institutions who have been out here working hard to, if you will, change America,” Morial said. “The important thing about companies is that every company has not bent the knee. Some may have done some cosmetic changes. Some have been in full and complete retreat.”

The DEI rollbacks are a jarring reversal for the Urban League, which held sway in the Biden White House on economic and social policies. The report lauds President Joe Biden’s administration for signing a sweeping COVID-19 stimulus package, as well as laws supporting minority small businesses and a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“Not every promise was kept, and the current administration is pushing to roll our wins back, but these wins serve as a blueprint for what is possible through sustained advocacy and a clear vision,” the authors write. The agenda, the Urban League declares, was “the most consequential federal investments in Black America since the Great Society.”

The organization and its civil rights allies now find themselves in a strikingly different political environment under the Trump administration.

“Looking at our current political landscape, the calls for racial healing and righting of this nation’s wrongs in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd feel like a fever dream,” the report reads.

But the study also acknowledges that Black Americans have overcome more dire and discriminatory moments.

Latest Black America report is the Urban League’s 50th edition

The Urban League’s inaugural 1976 report on the state of Black America was described by the New York Times at the time as “a profoundly depressing document” that laid out the persistent disparities between the economic outlooks of Black and white Americans, a decade after the Civil Rights Movement’s crowning achievements were signed into law.

The report was established as a response to that year’s State of the Union address by President Gerald R. Ford and the Democratic response, neither of which mentioned the economic outlooks for Black Americans. The report offered policy recommendations on crime, education, housing, social services and general economic policy.

“It is a document that does not attempt to cover up the seriousness of the situation black people find themselves in,” the authors wrote at the time. Several of its recommendations were later taken up by President Jimmy Carter, who was elected to the White House months after the report’s release.

This year’s 50th anniversary document echoes the frustration found in the inaugural report. While Morial acknowledged that the Urban League’s assessments may lead to pessimism, he urged Americans concerned about civil rights and economic progress to respond at the ballot box and with their pocketbooks.

“We cannot be dejected. We cannot be cynical. We must act,” Morial said. “We have to fight to make sure that those that are really trying to kill the essence of the American dream don’t win.”

Global Drone Manufacturer Selects Fayetteville For First U.S. Flagship Manufacturing Facility

The Carolinian — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:39:00 +0000

RALEIGH, N.C.—Governor Josh Stein announced Skyeton, Inc., a manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), will create 162 new jobs in Cumberland County. The company will invest more than $3.1 million in Fayetteville to establish its first flagship manufacturing operation in the United States.

“We’re proud to welcome Skyeton to a state with such a proud military tradition and advanced manufacturing base,” said Governor Josh Stein. “By combining our manufacturing workforce, the skillsets of our transitioning military personnel, a central East Coast location, and a strategic transportation infrastructure, North Carolina continues to rise to the top ranks as the best place to do business, especially in the aerospace and defense sectors.”

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Skyeton, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Skyeton Holdings, a global manufacturer of UAS for the defense and commercial sectors. Skyeton has more than 350,000 combat-proven flight hours of its long-endurance Raybird platform for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The company’s expansion will use cutting-edge technologies to design, engineer, manufacture, test, distribute, and support its composite UAS from a 28,500-square-foot production facility.

“Expanding our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina is about more than opening a new facility. It’s about strengthening America’s defense industrial base, creating high-quality American jobs, and delivering combat-proven capabilities closer to the warfighters we exist to serve,” said Rigoberto (Quito) Sáez, CEO of Skyeton, Inc. “North Carolina is the perfect place to call home, and we’re incredibly grateful for the warm reception and tremendous support we’ve received from the State of North Carolina, the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, our congressional delegation, and our mission partners from the Department of War. Together, we’re building the next generation of American unmanned systems and helping ensure our nation’s and partner nations’ warfighters, defenders, and first responders have the capabilities they need when it matters most.”

“North Carolina is a hub for defense innovation and advanced manufacturing,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “With investments in research, industry partnerships, and our world-class colleges and universities, we are creating an environment where innovative companies like Skyeton can support our national security, grow their business, and succeed.”

Although wages will vary by position, the annual average salary for the new positions will be $70,759, which exceeds Cumberland County’s average of $49,382. These new jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.4 million for the region.

A performance-based grant of $500,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help the company expand into North Carolina. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require matching participation from local governments, and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

“This win for Cumberland County and the entire state validates our reputation for attracting innovative companies,” said N.C. Senator Val Applewhite. “The strength of our defense and manufacturing workforce will continue to drive economic growth and position our community to compete for more opportunities like this.”

“Skyeton making its new home near the world’s largest military installation is outstanding news,” said N.C. Representative Frances Jackson. “Fayetteville and the surrounding region offer unparalleled access to the resources, talent, and supply chain networks that fast-growing companies need to thrive."

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the Rural Infrastructure Authority, North Carolina Community College System, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Cumberland County, the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Fayetteville.

TBJ Corridors of Opportunity: How Harnett and Lee Counties Are Navigating Tech, Trade, and Transformation

Jheri Hardaway — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:18:00 +0000

By Jheri Hardaway

Staff Writer

SANFORD, NC - Business leaders, elected officials, and regional developers gathered last Thursday for the Triangle Business Journal’s “Corridors of Opportunity” panel, focusing on the rapid transformation taking place in the Greater Triangle’s southern frontier: Lee and Harnett Counties.

Once defined primarily by manufacturing and agriculture, the region is rapidly transitioning into a high-tech and biomanufacturing hub. However, as escalating land prices and suburban spillover push south from Wake County, local leaders are wrestling with how to balance massive economic recruitment like data centers and life-science facilities with infrastructure capacity, workforce development, and farmland preservation.

Panelists included: Stephen Barrington, Economic Development Director for Harnett County, Harnett County Board of Commissioners Commissioner Barbara McKoy, Donnie Oldham President of Sanford Contractors, Jimmy Randolph CEO of Sanford Growth Alliance, and moderator Ben Tobin the Greater Triangle Reporter for Triangle Business Journal. A starting point of discussion centered on the rise of artificial intelligence and the massive data centers required to power it. Lee and Harnett counties have taken distinctly different policy paths to address data center proposals. While Lee County updated its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to establish clear development standards, Harnett County implemented a temporary one-year moratorium to assess long-term impacts on local utilities, noise, and zoning.

Addressing the county’s deliberate pause, Harnett County Commissioner Barbara McKoy emphasized the importance of ensuring that new industrial models align with community planning rather than rushing into quick approvals. "100% percent of the citizen who came before us said no, wait on data centers. We voted on a one-year moratorium; the citizens of Harnett County wanted to see the effects of data centers. That gives us the time to do the research and get the answers that the citizens need. We need jobs, but people need to think about the environment, their health, and all the things the data centers bring before we agree to say yes to a data center,” noted Commissioner McKoy.

Jimmy Randolph, CEO of the Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA), noted that while data centers are not a primary targeted sector for workforce creation due to lower job counts, their massive capital investment significantly broadens the local tax base. Randolph commended Lee County's joint planning commission for establishing proactive standards that protect residents while keeping the door open for critical digital infrastructure.

While Lee County continues to celebrate major biomanufacturing expansions and the pending arrival of large-scale retail assets, Harnett County is making targeted moves to position itself for high-wage industrial projects.

Harnett County Economic Development Director Steve Barrington detailed the county's strategy of developing "market-ready" product along key transit corridors like Interstate 95 and Highway 87 to stay competitive on a national scale. "Building One, which is a 175,000-square-foot building, is being built. Walls are up, about a mile off I-95," said Steve Barrington. "That puts us in a different ballgame in terms of being able to compete with some of the larger projects that come through EDPNC or come directly," Barrington stressed that having shovel-ready land and speculative flex space is essential to sitting at the table for major corporate relocations. "Going after the big fish, if we can compete for the big fish with the product that we're working on... we have about another five projects coming behind in the earlier stages that will yield up to nearly 900 acres of market-ready product," Barrington added. "If we didn't have the product, we're not at the table. You're simply not going to compete for projects."

Barrington also noted that economic success isn't solely defined by thousands of assembly jobs, highlighting that higher-wage positions and a diversified commercial footprint are essential to supporting the tax base. Local business leaders on the panel provided a grounded look at the physical realities of rapid growth. Donnie Oldham, President of Sanford Contractors, spoke to the lingering challenges facing the construction sector, including rising equipment costs, supply chain lead times, and the squeeze on home affordability. Despite cyclical downturns, Oldham highlighted regional wins, including significant retail momentum and strong public-private workforce partnerships like apprenticeship programs with Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) and local high schools.

Commissioner McKoy also spoke to the impact of collaboration with CCCC, including highlighting the new partnership to train the future workforce at the Harnett Advanced Technology Training Center in Dunn. Additionally, she highlighted the new Cape Fear Valley Hospital and the cancer center. As we look forward, we must also look back to understand how major business decisions have impacted the area. Commissioner McKoy provided an eye-opening perspective as she shared what happened with a major Harnett County employer, Erwin Mills: “Erwin was the denim capital of the world and the plant employed 2,000 employees with the highest wages in the area. When the plant closed, it shut down the community. The economy was hit hard when 2,000 people were put out of work, and that is when we saw a drift in our citizens leaving the county for jobs in surrounding counties. The jobs were not there in Harnett County. That’s why I’m supportive of Steven Barrington and the mission he is on to bring jobs to Harnett County.”

The panel concluded with questions from the audience on a plethora of topics, including the protection of agricultural heritage amid rapid development. In response, local leaders affirmed that land-use plans across both counties continue to incorporate rural preservation strategies to protect working farms, ensuring that the region's oldest industry remains viable alongside its newest.

This was an early but powerful morning packed with insight focused on the future of our economy. Great things are happening in rural North Carolina.

Review: Hadestown Reimagines Greek Mythology

Dominique Heath — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:10:00 +0000

By Dominique Heath

Columnist

For five days, Hadestown stepped off the Broadway stage and onto the big screen, giving moviegoers a rare opportunity to experience the Tony Award-winning musical on the big screen. More than a filmed stage production, Hadestown is a bold reinterpretation of Greek mythology that blends ancient storytelling with the musical traditions of New Orleans, creating a production that feels both timeless and strikingly modern.

The musical intertwines two Greek myths: the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice and the complicated relationship between Hades, ruler of the Underworld, and his wife, Persephone. While the original myths are centuries old, Hadestown places them in a world shaped by jazz, blues, folk, and gospel, proving that great stories can transcend both time and culture.

The New Orleans influence is impossible to ignore. Rather than treating jazz as background music, the production allows it to shape the pace, emotion, and personality of the story. Hermes takes on the role of storyteller, guiding the audience through each chapter with ease, emotion, and flare, while the live band becomes as much a part of the narrative as the actors themselves. The result is a musical that uplifts Black American music.

The choice to tell a Greek myth through the sounds of New Orleans is one of the production's most compelling creative decisions. It demonstrates how stories evolve as they pass through different cultures. The themes of love, loss, hope, and perseverance remain unchanged, but the music gives them a new voice rooted in a city whose artistic legacy has influenced generations of musicians and storytellers.

Beyond its music, Hadestown offers pointed social commentary.

In this retelling, Hades is less of a mythical god and more of an industrial magnate. He builds an empire on labor, convincing workers that the walls surrounding Hadestown exist for their protection. They are promised security, stability, and purpose, but in exchange they surrender their freedom, spending their days working endlessly while slowly forgetting who they are and why they came.

The wall becomes one of the production's strongest symbols. Built under the promise of safety, it ultimately serves to isolate and control the very people it claims to protect. It becomes easy for audiences to interpret and draw parallels to the wall as a commentary on labor, class, politics, and wealth.

At its center, however, Hadestown remains a love story.

Orpheus and Eurydice are not portrayed as flawless heroes. They are two young people trying to build a life together while navigating poverty, uncertainty, and impossible choices. Their relationship feels contemporary because its struggles are familiar. Love alone cannot erase hardship, yet hope continues to drive both characters forward, even when the outcome seems inevitable.

The cast brings that emotional weight to every performance. Each actor fully embraces the production's unique style, balancing humor, heartbreak, and powerful vocals without overshadowing one another. The chemistry among the ensemble and the actors reinforces one of the musical's central messages: no story belongs to a single generation. Each retelling allows new audiences to discover something different.

That may be Hadestown's greatest achievement. Rather than simply adapting Greek mythology for modern audiences, it reimagines it through an American cultural lens while preserving the emotional core that has allowed these stories to endure for thousands of years.

For audiences fortunate enough to catch its limited theatrical release, Hadestown offered more than an evening of entertainment. It demonstrated how music, mythology, and social commentary can come together to create a production that feels just as relevant today as the stories did when they were first told.