The Carolinian Newspaper

Ripple Effects Feared From Potential EPA Downsizing

August 18, 2025August 13, 20250

By Will Atwater NC Newsline As the Trump administration keeps pushing to change the focus of scientific research and roll back environmental regulations - moves that critics say favor industry over public health - members of North Carolina's scientific and environmental communities are speaking out. They're raising alarms about the effect of the EPA's stated goal of dismantling its environmental research arm, including the possible closure of its Office of

Government Support Doesn’t Necessarily Make People More Religious

August 17, 2025August 13, 20250

By Brendan Szendro The Conversation The IRS will offer religious congregations more freedom to endorse political candidates without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status, the agency said in a July 2025 court filing. President Donald Trump has previously vowed to abolish the Johnson Amendment, which bars charitable nonprofits from taking part in political campaigns - although the latest move simply reinterprets the rule. Celebrating the change, House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted an

Can Homeownership Improve Health Outcomes?

August 17, 2025August 13, 20250

CDC-The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes "adequate housing" as a basic human right. Housing is among the most important social determinants of health. Homeownership is an essential pathway to economic security, social mobility, stability, generational wealth, and healthy life. Financial assets such as owning a house or land passed down from one generation to the next within families is referred to as generational wealth. Recent research conducted by the

SAU Secures Accreditation: Classes Start September 2, 2025

August 16, 2025August 16, 20250

RALEIGH, NC– Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) announced Friday that it has successfully secured a preliminary injunction to maintain the university’s accreditation, ensuring that classes will begin on September 2, 2025, as scheduled, with SAU remaining a fully accredited institution. The injunction, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on August 14 and granted this week, prevents any disruption to SAU’s accreditation status while the university continues its

Gullah Geechee Elders Work To Preserve Sacred Songs

August 16, 2025August 13, 20250

[caption id="attachment_13259" align="alignnone" width="2000"] "Voices of Gullah" members, Joe Murray, from left, Minnie "Gracie" Gadson, Rosa Murray and Charles "Jojo" Brown, sing Gullah spirituals at the Brick Baptist Church in St. Helena Island, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)[/caption] ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - Minnie "Gracie" Gadson claps her hands and stomps her feet against the floorboards, lifting her voice in a song passed down from her

Local Non-Profit’s Thrift Store Faces Closure, Issues Urgent Appeal for Community Support

August 16, 2025August 13, 20250

By Ms. Jheri Worldwide Staff Writer Hope Connection International, a local faith-based non-profit dedicated to empowering survivors of abuse and addiction, has issued an urgent appeal to the community after being forced to close the Déjà Vu Thrift and Hope Connection thrift store. The store has been closed until further notice due to significant structural issues with its building, putting the organization in a state of crisis. The non-profit is

Free Classroom Supplies for Wake County Teachers

August 15, 2025August 13, 20250

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer North Carolina teachers often spend over $900 of their own money on classroom supplies. To help lighten that burden, WakeEd Partnership, an independent nonprofit working to improve public education, created Tools4Schools, a free classroom supply store serving Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) teachers. Since opening in 2022, Tools4Schools has given away more than $1.6 million worth of new school supplies to WCPSS teachers. In

AI-Powered Private School Arrives In Charlotte & Raleigh

August 15, 2025August 13, 20250

Carolina Public Press - Alpha School, an "AI-powered" private school, is preparing to make its mark on Charlotte and Raleigh this year. North Carolina is part of an expansion into five additional states this fall for the private school company, which currently operates Texas and Florida. It plans to expand into Puerto Rico in 2026. How does the school operate, and what do education experts have to say about it?

States Scramble To Complete Renewable Energy Projects Before Tax Credits Expire

August 15, 2025August 13, 20250

By Alex Brown NC Newsline The abrupt termination of tax credits for clean energy projects is perhaps the most drastic blow that President Donald Trump has struck in his campaign against wind and solar electricity. As states brace for the uncertainty ahead, they are scrambling to get pending projects off the ground before the tax credits expire. "The real opportunities are making sure that the projects in the queue make

Board of Education approves 5-year plan to make NC public schools ‘best in the nation’

August 14, 2025August 13, 20250

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1536"] Students work in a classroom at a Wake County public school. (Photo by Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)[/caption] NC Newsline - The North Carolina State Board of Education has approved a five-year strategic plan to make the state's public schools the best in the nation by 2030. The ambitious plan sets targets across eight key areas for the state's 1.5 million public school students. The "Achieving Educational Excellence"