October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and North Carolinians are raising awareness about these offenses that negatively affect thousands every year.

Recently, UNC Asheville and Helpmate partnered together in a vigil on the UNCA campus. Survivors shared stories and the Helpmate director talked about finding a path to hope. Names of homicide victims in domestic violence cases from the past year were read aloud in memory.

Since purple is the signifying color of domestic violence awareness, a Greensboro woman is using the color to spread awareness. She dyed her hair a bright purple [...]

This summer, our state passed a law stating that juveniles who are 16 and 17 will no longer be automatically charged as adults for misdemeanors and low-level felonies. We were the last state in the entire country to “raise the age” of juveniles in court, so it’s something that is long overdue.

Unfortunately, this law doesn’t fully go into effect until December 2019 – more than two years from now. So in the meantime, 16- and 17-year-olds can still be charged as adults.

Why Did North Carolina Finally Decide to “Raise the Age”?

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Fires are serious business. Not only can they cause property damage, but fires are also responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths every year.

In 2015, 1,345,500 fires were reported around the United States. These fires caused:

  • $14.3 billion in property damage;
  • 15,700 injuries; and
  • 3,280 deaths.

Taking these numbers into consideration, we can say that one fire injury happened every 34 minutes and one fire death occurred every 2 hours and 40 minutes.

While many fires are accidental, unfortunately some are set deliberately. When that happens, it is called arson.

Recently, 27-year-old [...]

Right now, our country is facing nothing short of an opioid epidemic. How so?

Here are some opioid facts and statistics that might be surprising to you:

  • The leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old is overdosing on drugs, and that death rate continues to increase.
  • Every 24 hours, 78 people die from a drug overdose across the country.
  • Overdoses cost the United States $20 billion in emergency room care as well as $55 billion in other health and social costs.
  • In 2015, right here in North Carolina, there were
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An assault and battery charge is a serious offense, and you could be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony depending upon the circumstances of the supposed crime. Moreover, you are left with a criminal record of violent crime that can compromise many important aspects of your life, including employment, loans, housing, and child custody.

If charged with assault or battery in North Carolina, it is important to be aware of the level of charges you may be facing, and to know what factors could increase or decrease the severity of the offense. [...]