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North Carolina is one of several states to prosecute voters for trying to vote when they do not realize they are not eligible to do so due to a felony conviction, according to the report. (Adobe Stock)

NC, US found lagging in voting rights for justice-impacted

A new report highlighted how the U.S. compares globally in disenfranchising people based on criminal convictions. The study analyzed 136 countries …

North Carolina is home to 934,604 small businesses. (Adobe Stock)

North Carolina businesses fear effects of 'bathroom bill'

North Carolina's business community is alarmed after Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson praised the controversial House Bill 2, known as the "Bathroom Bill," at …

According to data from Best Colleges, nearly half of states in the U.S. have either proposed anti-DEI legislation or could be in the process of drafting it. (Adobe Stock)

Students unite to defend DEI initiatives

Conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion are on the rise as lawmakers propose bills to restrict or ban DEI in state-funded institutions…

According to research from the Brennan Center, if the voter participation gap had not existed in 2020, 9 million more ballots would have been cast. (Adobe Stock)

Southern groups mobilize to empower voters, protect democracy

Southern groups are mobilizing to protect democracy and empower voters to address the issues that impact their communities, including in North …

The lawsuit claims the officers' conduct violates the Fourth Amendment, amounts to assault and battery, or at least negligence, and ultimitely is what caused the wrongful death of Darryl Tyree Williams. (Adobe Stock)

Lawsuit seeks justice for NC man's death in police custody

Three attorneys are joining forces to seek justice for a North Carolina family. At a news conference, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump - along with …

In a statement on its website, Emancipate North Carolina said it

Advocates stand with NC Justice Earls during investigation

Numerous groups are showing support for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls as an investigation moves forward following her comments rega…

El Departamento de Instrucci�n P�blica de Carolina del Norte recibi� recientemente $17 millones en subvenciones del Departamento de Educaci�n de EE. UU. para ayudar a abordar las necesidades de salud mental de los estudiantes. (Adobe Stock)

Fundación apoya esfuerzos comunitarios para frenar disparidades raciales en NC

Una organización en Carolina del Norte encuentra maneras de ayudar a revertir las disparidades raciales en el estado, y sigue el ejemplo del Dr…

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction was recently awarded $17 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education to help address student mental health needs. (Adobe Stock)

Foundation Funds Grassroots Efforts to Curb NC Racial Disparities

Following the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - honored today for his civil rights work - one organization in North Carolina is finding ways …

Agricultural producers of color own over 73 million acres of farmland and rent or lease more than 21 million acres of farmland, according to a 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Push to Reform Food Sector Through BIPOC, Immigrant-Owned Cooperatives

As more farm and food cooperatives pop up across North Carolina, advocates say they are creating a new model for food distribution and landownership …

Observers say in the past several years, the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association has had an increasingly heavy hand in crafting state policies related to policing and criminal justice. (Adobe Stock)

A Powerful Lobby Shaped NC’s Newest Body-Camera Law

By Mandy Locke and Danielle Battaglia Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan Reporting for the Gaston Gazette -North Carolina News Service Members of…

Research from 2016 found that when police were equipped with cameras during a test period, use of force incidents and citizen complaints shrank by 50% and 90%. (Adobe Stock)">

Critics: NC Courts Have “Wide Discretion” on BodyCam Footage Release

Under a 2016 law, footage from cameras worn by North Carolina police officers can only be released through court order. But critics say the process …

In 2017, 29,500 abortions were provided in North Carolina, although not all abortions that occurred in the state were provided to state residents, according to the Guttmacher Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Texas Abortion Ban

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Supreme Court said it will hear oral arguments next Monday related to a controversial Texas abortion law. For now, the state's …

Michael Watkins of Raleigh spent six months in prison for felony breaking and entering in 1988 and the next three decades getting his life on track. He earned a bachelor's degree last year at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. (Michael Watkins)

Formerly Incarcerated Face Barriers to Normalcy

By Herbert L. White, Reporting for the the Charlotte Post Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Michael …

Saichelle McNeill of Charlotte (right, with daughter J'Nai) served 27 months in federal prison. Upon release, she endured rejection when she applied for jobs in laundry services, before launching Washroom Laundry. (Courtesy Saichelle McNeill/The Charlotte Post)

Formerly Incarcerated NC Woman Built Her Own Small Business

By Ashley Mahoney, Reporting for the the Charlotte Post Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When Saichelle …

According to FBI data, U.S. law enforcement agencies made an estimated 1,558,862 drug related arrests in 2019. (Adobe Stock)

NC Faith Leaders Call Out "Failed" Drug Policy

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - As activists mark more than 100 days of protest since the April 21 death of Andrew Brown Junior - killed outside his Elizabeth …

North Carolina activist Kathy Greggs was arrested at the state's General Assembly for attempting to make a public comment on the state budget. (Steven Whitsitt)

After NC Activist is Denied Attorney, Calls for Wake County Magistrate Reforms

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Protestors are raising concerns about how they're being treated by Wake County magistrates after a member of the North Carolina …

A new Gallup survey shows more than 60% of Americans say they know

Juneteenth Declared National Holiday, Amidst Progress, Upheaval

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Juneteenth National Independence Day is now an official holiday, after President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday, approved by both …

An Urban Indian Health Institute study found only 116 of more than 5,000 cases of murdered or missing Native women were logged into the U.S. Department of Justice's nationwide database. (Adobe Stock)

Unsolved: Hundreds of Cases of Missing, Murdered Indigenous NC Women

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina families and advocacy groups are rallying virtually to highlight how poor data collection, lack of prosecution and …

Legislative maps of areas such as Charlotte are changing because of a surge in population growth. (Adobe Stock)

Census Delay Could Pose Problems for Fair NC Redistricting

RALEIGH, N.C. - Every ten years, states use the census to redraw congressional and state legislative districts, but delays in the release of 2020 …

Formerly incarcerated individuals are quarantining at a motel in Durham, but some say they're being detained beyond the two-week period. (Adobe Stock)

NC 'COVID Motel' May Pose Problems for Re-Entering Citizens

DURHAM, N.C. - Attorneys are seeking answers from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety about its pilot program that houses men being …

After the killing of George Floyd last summer sparked nationwide protests, 58% of Americans say major changes are needed to make policing better, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

NC Task Force Offers Police-Reform Recommendations

RALEIGH, N.C. - A statewide task force appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper has released a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at ending racism in the …

North Carolina voters stand in line to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting. (Adobe Stock)

NC Churches Team Up to Provide Transportation to Polls

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Faith leaders are ramping up efforts to help voters cast their ballots before the polls close, and hundreds will be serving as …

North Carolina is one of the largest users of the H-2A guest worker program, employing between 14,000 and 17,000 H-2A migrant workers annually. (Adobe Stock)

Farm Workers' Union Calls for Suspension of Labor Contractors' Licenses

RALEIGH, N.C. - A farm workers' union wants the U.S. Department of Labor to suspend its H-2A Labor Contractor program. Farm labor contractors often …

Police in Washington block a road to the White House during recent protests after the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd. (Adobe Stock)

Examining Southern Policing’s Origins in Slavery

RALEIGH, N.C. - Modern day police departments in the southern United States can be directly traced to the institution of slavery, some 300 years ago…

Immigrant college graduates in the class of 2020 missed traditional graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Immigrant College Grads Celebrate Resiliency, Look to Uncertain Future

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's first generation immigrant college grads have missed out on rite-of-passage graduation ceremonies, and many now are …

Katina Locklear (pictured) of Robeson County, N.C. was murdered in 2018. The case remains unsolved. (Jane Jacobs)

As Number of Missing Native Women Grows, Who is Keeping Track?

PEMBROKE, N.C. -- Jane Jacobs of New Hanover County says every day she wakes up feeling like it's Dec. 20, 2018, the day her 46-year-old sister…

More than 30 years ago, the North Carolina Persons with Disabilities Protection Act became law. It says people with disabilities should have the opportunity to live independently. (Adobe Stock)

NC to Overhaul Community Living Program for People with Disabilities

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina isn't offering enough community-based supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to …

In the case Batson v. Kentucky, a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision made it illegal to exclude jurors on the basis of race. (Adobe Stock)<br />

NC Supreme Court Considers Racial Discrimination in Jury Box

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The North Carolina Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in the cases of Cory Bennett of Sampson County and Cedric Hobbs of …

More than 6 million people voted in the 2016 North Carolina presidential primary elections. (Adobe Stock)

Blocked ID Law May Still Influence NC Primary Turnout

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolinians will not have to show photo identification to vote in the upcoming primary election. A federal judge in Greensboro …

Civil rights groups are challenging the judicial system's use of cash bail in Alamance County. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />

Three Plaintiffs, ACLU Challenge Cash Bail System in Alamance County

GRAHAM, N. C. - The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people being …

Johnston (County) Regional Airport, where planes involved in a CIA secret rendition program took off between 2001 and 2006. (North Carolina Stop Torture Now)

Amazon's 'The Report' Raises Questions about NC's Role in CIA Torture

RALEIGH, N.C. – A pre-release screening of the upcoming film "The Report" will be held in Raleigh this coming Saturday. The film, starring …

More than 3,000 people currently are being held in solitary confinement in North Carolina's state prisons. (Adobe Stock)

Lawsuit Challenges NC State Prisons' Use of Solitary Confinement

RALEIGH, N.C. — Four plaintiffs and the ACLU of North Carolina have filed a class-action lawsuit in a Wake County Superior Court against the …

About 44 million Americans collectively owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. (Adobe Stock)

NC Student Loan Debt Reaches Crisis Level

RALEIGH, N.C. – Student loan debt among North Carolina residents has ballooned in the past decade, according to the latest report from the …

In 2014, nearly 90% of North Carolina counties had no clinics that provided abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Study: Black Women May Be Most Affected by NC Abortion Restrictions

RALEIGH, N.C. - Abortion in North Carolina overall is on the decline, but the decrease has been more pronounced among white women than black women…

In 2017 alone, North Carolina courts suspended close to 500,000 licenses for nonpayment of fines. (Jennnbell, Twenty/20)

NC Court Eyes Policy that Revokes Drivers' Licenses for Unpaid Fines

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal court began hearing arguments Wednesday about whether North Carolina's process of notifying drivers that their …

A new poll found that when North Carolina voters considered a range of alternatives to the death penalty, including restitution to victims' families, only 25 percent favored the death penalty. (ACLU)

Criminal Justice Experts Say NC's Death Penalty Should Be Abolished

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Criminal justice experts in North Carolina are calling the death penalty part of a "sordid history" of racial terror…

A poll shows voters across party lines are concerned about racial bias in death-penalty cases; 47 percent voted for Donald Trump and 45 percent for Hillary Clinton in the last presidential election. (Center for Death Penalty Litigation)

Poll: Death Penalty Supporters are the New Minority

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has long been considered a pro-death penalty state, but a first-of-its-kind poll found voters overwhelmingly …

In 2017, the Rev. William Barber created the National Poor People's Campaign, to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s challenge to change what he called

Historic March Focuses on Education in NC

RALEIGH, N.C. – With this year's theme of And a Little Child Shall Lead Them, thousands are expected to gather Saturday at Shaw University in …

A sweeping resolution in the U.S. House would expand access to the polls and limit the influence of money in politics. (North Carolina Council of Churches)

NC Groups Praise New Voting-Rights Bill

RALEIGH, N.C. - The U.S. House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Tuesday on the "For the People Act," which would make it easier for many people to …

A GOP operative is accused of paying self-described drug users in cash to illegally collect absentee ballots from voters in the 9th District. (@1laura/Twenty20)

Voters Demand Answers in NC Election-Fraud Case

BLADENBORO, N.C. - The election-fraud case that has held up certification of the U.S. House race between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan …

UNC administrators have recommended a $5.3 million history center on campus to house the monument nicknamed Silent Sam, with heightened security and an annual operating budget of $800,000. (University of North Carolina)

Confederate Monument's Return to UNC Campus Sparks Outcry

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Advocates and opponents of the Silent Sam statue are making their voices heard after the University of North Carolina …

Rev. William Barber is to be one of the headliners at the rally today in Bicentennial Square in Raleigh. (Poor People's Campaign)

Civil Rights Groups Rally in Raleigh Today Against Voter ID

RALEIGH, N.C. — Hundreds of people are expected to fill the galleries in both houses of the state Legislature for the opening of the lame duck …

Between 2000 and 2016, North Carolina�s Asian-American population grew by 144 percent, the fastest rate among Southern states and the second-fastest in the U.S. (Twenty20)

Asian-American Voters Could Play Key Role in NC Midterms

RALEIGH, N.C. – Asian Americans are one of North Carolina's fastest-growing demographics. At more than 89,000 registered voters, that number …

North Carolina's model for saving the lives of pregnant mothers includes giving them more options for prenatal and postpartum care. (Twenty20)

House Committee Questions Rise in Pregnancy-Related Deaths

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Congress is asking U.S. healthcare systems why more women are dying from pregnancy-related complications, and North …

Report: Obsolete Laws Used to Sentence Most NC Death Row Inmates

RALEIGH, N.C. – In North Carolina, 141 men and women currently face death sentences, making the state home to the sixth-largest death row …

Pictured here is one of the planes allegedly involved in the transport of suspects. (North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture)

Commission Calls on Gov. Cooper, AG to Investigate Torture Allegations

KINSTON, N.C. — This week, a report that details North Carolina's part in torture allegations will be presented in Raleigh. According to …

Gov. Roy Cooper's office has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene in the placement of the amendments on the November ballot. (Shutterstock)

Ballots Stalled After NC Supreme Court Decision

RALEIGH, N.C. – Just what North Carolina's ballots will look like in November remains in question after the state's Supreme Court issued a …

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to decide North Carolina's gerrymandering case, Rucho v. Common Cause, and ordered further review by the lower court. (alphabunny_photos/Flickr)

Ideas to End Gerrymandering, with Help of NC State Assembly

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina continues to litigate the voting district lines drawn following the 2010 Census, and citizen groups want to put …

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PNS Daily Newscast: Afternoon Update - September 18, 2024

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NC: Civil Rights