October 17, 2014 -
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether a strict voter ID law that opponents say is racially discriminatory will be enforced during this year's election in Texas.
October 9, 2014 -
With judicial public financing gone in North Carolina, would-be judges must chase campaign money -- a process that has some experts calling for reform while leaving voters leery of a politicized judiciary.
October 3, 2014 -
The Fourth Circuit Court's decision blocking two provisions of the state's restrictive 2013 voting law ahead of the November election is an important victory for voting rights advocates. But North Carolina is now appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has already proven reluctant to allow changes to voting laws so close to the election.
September 23, 2014 -
With voter registration deadlines looming in many states, a network of more than 2,000 groups launches an initiative to sign up voters for November.
September 15, 2014 -
A study by researchers at five universities found contamination of drinking water in Texas and Pennsylvania from gas drilling operations. The authors say it wasn't fracking per se that caused the contamination but faulty gas well construction -- though they note that fracking could potentially affect well integrity.
August 29, 2014 -
The Texas League of Young Voters heads to federal court next week to make the case that the state's voter ID law, which recognizes gun licenses but not student IDs for verifying identity at the polls, violates the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
August 15, 2014 -
A federal program to transfer Defense Department gear to local law enforcement has led to police even in small communities looking like an occupying military force. It's now under scrutiny because of shocking scenes of police violence that unfolded this week in Missouri following an officer's deadly shooting of an unarmed black teen -- and it's also caused problems across the South.
August 7, 2014 -
A national coalition of young racial justice organizers has launched a public education campaign to change how young people think about voting and boost turnout for this year's election. The #KnowYourPower campaign will use social media to reach millennials, the demographic cohort whose starting birth year is usually identified as 1982.
June 23, 2014 -
A new report looks at industrial pollution releases into the nation's rivers and finds that waterways across the South face especially toxic contamination -- and would benefit from efforts to strengthen the Clean Water Act.
June 19, 2014 -
Today marks the holiday that commemorates the day in 1865 that slaves in Texas were finally set free. We celebrate with a song to honor the occasion by jazz great Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, "Juneteenth Jamboree."
