The State of Things

Daren Wang grew up in an old farmhouse in Town Line, New York, a place that was notable for being the only town north of the Mason-Dixon Line to secede from the Union.

Are school movies enjoyable because they are so relatable? Or do they present the far-fetched, fantastical experiences most bored students only daydream about?

This week the Trump administration hosted an annual summit at the White House for leaders of historically black colleges and universities. The meeting follows an executive order signed in February that moved a federal initiative supporting HBCUs from the Department of Education into the White House.

The U.S. military has been using a virtual reality program to augment therapy for combat veterans returning from war with post-traumatic stress disorder. For the first time that software was made available for use in a theatrical production.

Edwidge Danticat is a renowned Haitian-American writer whose work is rooted in her native country.

Katie Wyatt first fell in in love with classical music when she joined her school’s orchestra in third grade. Wyatt played the viola and appreciated being part of a group that created art together. Wyatt was a military kid, so her family moved around about every four years. But no matter where she lived, Wyatt found a way to plug into her community through music.

Carolina is home to more than 1000 adult care homes – spaces designed to provide shelter and assistance to those living with disabilities and mental health issues. But an in-depth investigation by Carolina Public Press reveals a broken system where oversight for the care homes is inconsistent and shuffled back and forth between state and county agencies.

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted to provide Hurricane Harvey disaster relief, raise the government’s borrowing limit and fund the government for three months.

Kimberly and Michelle Cann grew up playing a range of instruments, including the steel drums of their family’s native West Indies. But it was the piano that gripped both of them and inspired their lifelong commitment to serious musicianship.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Mission Health are going head-to-head over the cost of services for patients in western North Carolina.