Nonviolent political action had a long and successful history in the 20th Century. When people look back on the great activist leaders, names like Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi may come to mind, but the women who were essential to the civil rights, peace and other movements are often overlooked.

A group of African American residents in Brunswick County have taken their claims of environmental injustice to court. 

The Royal Oak community has a history going back to slavery.  Today, there are about 300 African American residents living in this unincorporated section of Brunswick County.  But their community also houses a waste transfer station, a sewage treatment plant, the animal shelter and the county’s only landfill.  Lewis Dozier is president of the Royal Oak Concerned Citizens Association.

  Governor Bev Perdue and state education officials are touting the state’s improved high school graduation rate  - and criticizing Republicans for making cuts. 

The Carolina Hurricanes are welcoming two new coaches to their staff. Former team captain Rod Brind’Amour and NHL head coach Dave Lewis will be assistant coaches for the team. Brind’Amour was appointed the team’s director of development last year after 20 years as an NHL player. Head Coach Paul Maurice says that year of experience will make Brind’Amour well suited for the job. 

Nick Prueher was bored working at McDonald's the day he discovered one of his life-long passions. He found a hilarious training video for McDonald's janitors, watched it and was hooked. He would spend years collecting all the weird videos he could find, until in 2004, he and his friend Joe Pickett decided to have a festival. The Found Footage Festival has been going strong ever since. It's coming to the Rialto Theatre in Raleigh June 8 at 8 p.m.

Restorative justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes healing rather than punishing. The idea is to repair the harm for everyone involved: the victims, the offenders, and the community. The Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh plays host to the third annual National Conference on Restorative Justice June 8-10 at the Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh. Host Frank Stasio talks about restorative justice with Therese Bartholomew, producer and director of “The Final Gift,” a film about her brother’s murder and her attempt to reconcile with his killer; Howard Zehr, professor of restorative justice at Eastern Mennonite University, and Amy Elliott, co-founder of the Restorative Justice Project in Durham.

North Carolina’s Employment Security Commission is in the process of re-evaluating extended benefits for thousands of residents.  Some jobless residents are getting back payments thanks to an executive order signed by the governor. 

About 47-thousand jobless residents are getting a second look by the E-S-C. That’s after Governor Bev.  Perdue’s executive order, restoring an extended jobless benefits program for the long-term unemployed. Larry Parker is a spokesman for the E-S-C.   He says as soon as they confirm the status of claimants – money is being disbursed right away.

  Governor Bev Perdue is studying the budget plan sent to her over the weekend by the Republican controlled General Assembly. It spends about $500 million less than the budget she proposed. 

Last month, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Durham-Chapel Hill area as the best place in the country for gender equality in the workplace. As one reason, the magazine cited the area’s percentage of highly-educated women. It might seem obvious that the area’s progressive universities are part of the reason… but the truth is, universities are lagging in equal pay for women. 

Nan Keohane was a young, ambitious political science professor at Swarthmore when she got her first taste of gender inequality. 

Patients are spending hundreds of dollars a month for out- of-pocket expenses while they're being treated for cancer - even if they're insured. 

The new study led by Duke researcher Yousuf Zafar queried more than 200 cancer patients - all but a handful were insured and most had prescription coverage. Zafar says he found patients were spending an average of $712 a month on out-of-pocket expenses. And Zafar says 30 percent of patients reported having a significant financial burden as a result of care.