The State of Things

Yesterday evening, the North Carolina Senate and House leaders reached an agreement over how to spend and raise state funds. The compromise deal lays out a 3.3 percent increase in teacher pay for the coming year, and raises pay for most other state employees by $1,000.

In May 1862, Robert Smalls became a Union hero overnight when he stole a Confederate steamer from the Charleston harbor. Smalls had been enslaved his whole life and decided to free himself and his family by stealing the Planter and piloting it to the Union fleet outside Charleston, South Carolina.

Soul food has been a culinary tradition for centuries. While it remains an important source of community for many African-Americans, the way certain soul foods are prepared can increase chances of cancer and other health issues . In his documentary “ Soul Food Junkies ” (2012), filmmaker Byron Hurt examines his family’s history with soul food and the impact of the cuisine’s traditions.

Thomas Barrack is a real estate mogul and President Donald Trump’s good friend. He built a housing empire by swooping in and purchasing foreclosed homes during the recession.

Becky Holmes grew up eating the bread and processed foods her family could get from food pantries. They struggled with obesity, mental illness and other ailments that made Becky realize what you eat matters. She vowed to break the cycle of poverty and be the one to give back.

Most fact-checkers aim to stay out of politics. But the way in which partisan news sites use fact-checking is a different story. A study from the Duke Reporter’s Lab says there is a partisan divide over how fact-checking is referenced in liberal and conservative news sites.

“Everyone’s a little bit racist,” according to the characters in the musical “Avenue Q.” The humorous show stars humans and puppets who are grappling with the realities of being imperfect adults in an imperfect world. It involves drinking, harsh language and nude puppets. Raleigh Little Theatre brings the show to the stage with a performance featuring a local cast and original puppets.

Raleigh-based singer-songwriter Kate Rhudy picked up a violin when she was just a kid. She spent her childhood at fiddler’s conventions and regularly played folk music at home with her family. Now she has channeled her reflections on relationships, romance, and life on the road in her debut album “Rock N’ Roll Ain’t For Me.”

This August communities across the United States will witness a total solar eclipse for the first time almost 100 years. This event is both a visual spectacle for sky watchers and a significant scientific event.

With the rise of a competitive market for personal gene testing, the tool is becoming more available and affordable to the public. People can now swab their cheek, send the sample off to a lab, and wait patiently for a private company with a massive gene database to tell them where in the world their genes are from. But what do these tests reveal about personal identity and what do they imply about race?