April 26, 2021 -
A bill to raise North Carolina's minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour has been reintroduced in the state legislature. Among those calling for its passage are certified nursing assistants including Cummie Davis of Chapel Hill, who writes about her experience trying to survive on poverty-level pay while doing an essential job.
April 23, 2021 -
The three Republican co-chairs of the North Carolina Senate elections committee have introduced legislation to restrict absentee voting by mail following a presidential election in which it was used heavily by Democratic voters. Duke Energy is among the top contributors to all three sponsors — one of whom is a former company executive.
April 22, 2021 -
Delayed census results, GOP control of Southern legislatures, and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act could lead to unfair new legislative and congressional election maps across the region, according to a new report from the nonprofit RepresentUs. Voting rights advocates say the solution lies in Congress passing the For the People Act.
April 22, 2021 -
A Mississippi city challenged a medical marijuana amendment that was overwhelmingly approved by the state's voters last year because of how the signatures to put it on the ballot were counted. A ruling in its favor would also end a new campaign to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions, along with any future amendment efforts.
April 21, 2021 -
Amid an unprecedented onslaught of legislation to restrict voting nationwide, legislatures across the South have also taken up measures that would make voting easier — and some of them have already passed into law.
April 20, 2021 -
Georgia lawmakers passed a slew of voting restrictions last month that put an especially heavy burden on young and Black people. The best hope to ensure the survival of democracy is for Congress to pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
April 16, 2021 -
Virginia-based Valley Proteins is one of the largest U.S. rendering companies, turning slaughterhouse waste like blood and bones into profits. Buoyed by the unionizing efforts of Amazon workers in Alabama, the company's drivers are organizing in North Carolina — and they've already won concessions.
