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The tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers spurred a nationwide reckoning. Police violence – and the systemic racial injustice that plagues so many police forces – spurred protests, ballot measures and legislative action. Floyd’s death also fomented calls to defund the police, first in Minneapolis, then across the…

It’s been a tough year all around, what with the pandemic, contentious election, racial injustices, riots. As if it couldn’t get any worse, violent crime is on the rise. Homicides have risen by an average of 24 percent nationwide. North Carolina is also seeing a sharp spike in homicides. The Queen City alone is on…

Aggressive tax strategies, questionable deductions and mountains of debt: These are just a few of the revelations that came to light in a recent New York Times exposé of Trump’s tax records. The Times obtained two decades of tax returns from a protected source. Trump has long put off releasing the records, claiming they’re wrapped up…

It’s an unusual time in history. Not only are we in the midst of one of the most divisive presidential elections in recent times; we’re also in the middle of a pandemic, the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in over a century. History took an ironic – and perhaps, some would say,…

It’s been an explosive election year, with an impeachment, pandemic, economic freefall, George Floyd, riots and wildfires. The recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg added more fuel to the unfolding political firestorm. Less than two months before the election, one question looms large: Will Republicans succeed in filling her seat with…

The coronavirus pandemic has hit small businesses hard, and many are desperate for funds to keep their doors open. An alphabet soup of financial aid – PPP (Paycheck Protection Program), EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loans) and MSLP (Main Street Lending Program), to name a few – is available through the federal government. During its…

By now, it’s become all too familiar: The disturbing footage of a Black man being brutalized by a white police officer. The public outcry. The rush to judgment. The twists and turns, the newly discovered facts, the endless slogging of accusations that cast doubt on whether we can ever know what really happened. The…

Black attorneys have made enormous contributions to the legal profession in North Carolina. Their stories involve overcoming countless challenges in the pursuit of justice. From a pioneering group of 14 in 1890 to more than a thousand strong today, Black attorneys are part of the backbone of our justice system. The fight for equal opportunities…

The Eastern District of North Carolina finally has a new federal judge on the bench after a record-breaking 14-year vacancy. Richard E. Myers II, a former law professor at UNC, was confirmed in December. Born in Jamaica, he grew up in Wilmington, where he served as a journalist for StarNews before attending law school…

Last week, George Floyd joined dozens of others on the grim roll call of black men needlessly killed by white police officers. Pinned to the ground on his belly for nearly nine minutes, Floyd (who, incidentally, was born in North Carolina) begged for his life. He cried, “I can’t breathe,” at least sixteen times…