The Gerrymandering Showdown

Five words in the state constitution are at the core of a disagreement among judges about gerrymandering in North Carolina. Now the state Supreme Court, in a case with national implications, will decide if districts that might distort the will of the people can be considered free.

Local News in Chatham County

In the state’s journalism circles, there are a handful of publishers and outlets that really stand out as innovative. The Chatham News + Record, serving the small but growing Chatham County community just west of the Triangle, is one of them. So when CN+R’s editor Bill Horner III tweeted about a special section in this… Continue reading Local News in Chatham County

How the Fall of NC Mutual Hurt Black America

Cover Photo: The NC Mutual Building in Durham. // Photo by Matt Robinson

The last remaining Black insurance firm in the U.S., which is based in downtown Durham, will disappear this year. Its demise reflects the decline of an era of Black capitalism that supported African-American upward mobility.

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Cover Photo: Protesters march before stopping at the home of Andrew Brown Jr., Sunday, May 2, 2021, in Elizabeth City, N.C. // Chris Day, The Daily Advance via AP

While state legislators in North Carolina were able to find common ground and approve police reform bills, members of the U.S. Congress couldn’t get beyond their differences. The contrast shows what can be good—and bad—about politics in our divided era.