Nicole Campbell

Although some regard the United States Postal Service as a beloved American icon, technological developments and budget concerns have taken a toll on the institution. Recent funding issues, competition and the rise of email have transformed the postal service into an endangered species. Thousands of post offices have closed their doors in the last three years. 

  

The list of nationally-acclaimed rap artists from North Carolina is getting longer each year. The rise of Little Brother, Rapsody, 9th Wonder, and J. Cole, has solidified our state's place on the map of rap history. North Carolina's latest rap incarnation is Raleigh's King Mez. His newest album "Long Live The King," is helping him emerge from a more underground rap scene. 

  

Sports say a lot about a city, state, or nation. Joshua Nadel’s new book explores the place of soccer in Latin America, and how it's influenced national identity in a post-colonial world. Nadel is the author of “Fútbol!: Why Soccer Matters in Latin America” (University Press of Florida; 2014) and a professor of Latin American and Caribbean History at North Carolina Central University. 

  

North Carolina's primary elections were a big deal both in and out of the state this year. National organizations and outside groups spent a lot on some of the state’s contests. We will sit down with a roundtable of experts to discuss the primary election results. 

  

With days full of physical assessments, patient advocacy, connecting with patients' families, and communicating with physicians, a nurse’s work is never done. And when a hospital is understaffed or under-resourced, nurses take on more patients and extra shifts. 

    

Sculptures are often the trademark of a place:  Chicago has Cloud Gate, Indianapolis has LOVE and Durham has the Bronze Bull. Sculpture can truly embody a city.

This week the Bull City Sculpture Show comes to Durham, displaying 12 national works across the city.

The show is presented by Liberty Arts, a non-profit foundry and 3-D sculpture studio in Durham.

Erika Sherman was a preteen when she started running an early BBS or electronic Bulletin Board System from her bedroom. When she was 17, she received a drum machine and was invited to join the Detroit techno group, Ectomorph. Erika was a born technophile. Today, Erika performs primarily as a solo artist; she released her first solo album, Hexagon Cloud, last year. She also founded erika.net, a freeform internet radio station. 

Scientists say in space you cannot hear a sound. But for decades, filmmakers have tried to create the sounds of space. And perhaps they’re onto something. Asheville's Moogfest is hosting a panel "Sounds of Space," that explores both artists and scientists' perspectives on what we can hear in space if we learn to listen. Charles Lindsay, a multimedia artist and the artist in residence at SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, and Eric McDougall, founder and principal of Black Ink San Francisco, are part of the panel. 

The number of female business-owners in the United States is strikingly low, but the number of couples going into business together is rising. However, a new study shows that when married women go into business with their husbands, they are less likely to maintain a leadership role. Howard Aldrich is a professor and chair of the sociology department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

    

    

The North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission has finalized their recommendations on fracking in the state to the General Assembly. Critics argue the commission needs more time as the health effects of fracking are unknown. In addition, the state commission tasked with deciding the methods of Jordan Lake clean-up remains undecided on next steps. And Governor McCrory proposes legislation to close or convert the state’s 33 coal ash ponds. 

  

When Mazen Hamad talks with his brother over internet chat, he can see through the open window of his brother’s living room. On the screen, Mazen sees bombs raining down outside of his brother's apartment in his home country of Syria. Dr. Mazen Hamad narrowly escaped the Hama Massacre more than 30 years ago; today he supports the Syrian revolution from North Carolina.

  

When Li-Young Lee's parents received a classical education in China, they memorized dozens of poems. As a child, he heard his parents playfully recite poem after poem to one another. Today Li-Young Lee draws much of his poetic influence from that same classical Chinese poetry. 

  

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is preparing to hear the appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that struck down Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban in February. The decision could have implications for North Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage. 

    

The sexual assault case against Army General Jeffrey A. Sinclair halted this week when a judge’s review of emails revealed “unlawful command influence” in the rejection of a plea deal in January. The latest development provides an opportunity for Sinclair’s defense team to renegotiate a plea bargain with a new group of military officials. 

    

Before the 20th century, Southern roads were little more than rubble and dirt. Traveling from county to county was difficult and state to state was near impossible. The Dixie Highway, constructed in 1915, shifted control and funding of road regulations from local government to state and federal authorities. 

After losing control of the legislature and the governor’s mansion, the North Carolina Democratic Party is looking to regroup. This week, interim executive director Casey Mann was selected for the permanent role. Mann takes the helm as the party struggles with internal division about its direction. 

In many black churches, women do the administrative work, raise funds, and educate the congregation's children. It is rare to find black women in higher leadership roles like preachers and pastors. Eboni Marshall Turman is the director of black church studies at Duke Divinity School, and author of Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church, and the Council of Chalcedon (Palgrave Macmillan; 2013). 

    

Army General Jeffrey A. Sinclair's sexual assault trial began yesterday. General Sinclair is one of the highest ranking military officers to be tried by jury. The case comes just as legislation to address sexual assault in the military goes before the Senate for a vote.

  

Of the 16 films debuting at the Sundance Film Festival this year, only three were created by women. Alice Fest 2014, a festival at Durham’s Full Frame Theater, seeks to offer female perspectives in a male-dominated industry. The festival showcases short films and developing films by women with a particular emphasis on films about women's lives.

  

In his 27 years as Wake County’s District Attorney, Colon Willoughby has prosecuted everything from high-profile murder cases to corruption in state government. For Willoughby, integrity and impartiality are vital components of the role. 

  

 When we see The Democratic Republic of Congo on the nightly news, we see scenes of bloody conflict . Rarely do we hear from the people of Congo themselves. The Congolese arts organization Yole!Africa has a new project, Art On The Frontline, to promote the work of Congolese filmmakers and musicians. 

    

Most Americans think of rats as nuisances to be trapped and destroyed. But in Tanzania, giant pouched rats use their acute sense of smell to detect landmines and other explosives. Dr. Danielle Lee is an animal behavior scientist based at Oklahoma State University and she researches the African giant pouched rat. 

  

This week, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, DENR, is testing fish tissue in the Dan River for contamination from the Duke Energy coal ash spill earlier this month.  The Southern Environmental Law Center claims they warned Duke Energy and DENR of a potential spill last year. 

  

The idea that the world is getting faster is fairly common claim but what does that really mean?  How does our perception of time affect our bodies and our communities? Sarah Sharma, professor of media and cultural studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examines how labor changes the way people experience time. 

    

Emilio Vicente says he ran for student body president at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill because he wanted to give a voice to the voiceless at his school. But as gay, undocumented Latino student, Emilio gained national attention. He recently lost the race to fellow student Andrew Powell.

    

In 2010, Jenifer Ringer starred as the sugar plum fairy in the New York City Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. And when a New York Times dance critic insinuated in a review of the performance that Jenifer was overweight, she responded.  Her recent book Dancing Through It: My Journey in The Ballet talks about how she overcame that criticism and her struggle with health and weight (Penguin/2014).