The Voice of the Black Community
State & National
| Big splashes unlikely as NC lawmakers start 2015 session |
| Saturday, January 24, 2015 |
| RALEIGH – The General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday following a two-week hiatus from opening-day ceremonies to get down to passing legislation for the next two years. The third consecutive Republican-led legislature seems more content with measured governing rather than making splashes with early-session legislation as in 2011 and 2013. Still, GOP |
| State courts head into the budget session stripped |
| Thursday, January 22, 2015 |
| About this time last year, John Smith, the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, approached state lawmakers, hat in hand, with modest requests for court funding. His budget had been slashed repeatedly since the recession, and Smith knew it would likely be a target once again as the General Assembly went into the short session. The court |
| What’s at stake for North Carolina’s public schools? |
| Thursday, January 22, 2015 |
| As members of the North Carolina General Assembly make their way back to Raleigh last week for the 2015 legislative session, many have education at the top of their agendas, which is no surprise given that the lion’s share of the state budget is devoted to public schools. After years of frozen salaries, the busy 2014 session saw large pay bumps for |
| Calls to end corporate influence in elections |
| Tuesday, January 20, 2015 |
| RALEIGH – Protest events are planned around the nation Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Citizens United ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling removed limits on the amount of money an independent organization can spend on political campaigns. The result, said Adam Sotak, statewide campaigns organizer for Democracy North Carolina, |
| Obama proposes tuition-free community college plan |
| Monday, January 12, 2015 |
| KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — President Barack Obama on Friday proposed to bring the cost of two years of community college “down to zero” for all Americans, an ambitious nationwide plan based on a popular Tennessee program signed into law by that state’s Republican governor. However, the idea and its $60 billion federal price tag over 10 |
| Elected black Republicans not expected to be a plus for the community |
| Friday, January 9, 2015 |
| WASHINGTON – Black Republicans made history during the midterm elections in November by winning in Texas, South Carolina and Texas. But political analysts wonder if the victories will have any long-term impact on the future of the GOP in the black community. Traditionally, black candidates running for elected offices not only need a large black |
| Sickle cell trait related to kidney disease |
| Friday, January 9, 2015 |
| African-Americans who carry the sickle cell gene face up to a twofold risk increase for chronic kidney disease, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. The outlined findings in a published paper of the journal include data from nearly 16,000 people. The sickle cell gene carries potential for the hereditary disease sickle cell anemia, |
