More than a dozen former employees say understaffing at Brynn Marr Hospital contributes to what they describe as a dangerous place for patients and employees. Hospital officials say allegations of violence, sexual assaults, overmedication and lack of mental health therapy are unfounded.

Former employees say short-staffed NC psych hospital rife with violence, abuse

Brynn Marr Hospital

It's that time of year when your child will be taking end-of-grade tests or EOGs. What are EOGs and how can you help them be better prepared?

End-of-grade tests: Everything you need to know about these annual exams

Student testing 

All assets associated with the tag: celebration\

Celebration\ Coverage

The Wake Forest Garden Club celebrates its 100th anniversary this weekend. It could have died out early on when Wake Forest College, now the university, left town in the mid-50s, but the club rebounded and helped re-energize the community.  

ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS PROJECT. TORRE, PRETTY GARDENS AND SEE BEAUTIFUL ART FRIDAY AND SATURDAY IN WAKE FOREST REGARDING OUR TOUR CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF THE WAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB. THAT'S WHERE WE FIND OUR TAR HEEL TRAVELER TONIGHT, SCOTT MASON TELLS THE FASCINATING STORY. WOMEN WHO PRESERVED FOR GENERATIONS. >> WE ARE LEAVING. >> ALWAYS WE THAT WE LOVE THESE GARDENS. I MEAN, THERE WAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB HAS ALWAYS TENDED THAT. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? SUSIE? SUSIE PAUL WAS A FOUNDER OF THE GARDEN CLUB IN 1924, REALLY IT WAS LADIES WEARING GLOVES AND HATS AND DRESSES AND HEELS. >> BACK IN THE DAY THAT THEY DID SOME PHENOMENAL THINGS WHEN THEY BUILT THE HIGHWAY, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE STREET BEHIND US. MAIN STREET. THERE ARE NO TREES. THERE WAS A NURSE. HAHA. AND SO THE GARDEN CLUB STEPPED IN AND THEY STARTED PLANTING TREES. THE GARDEN CLUB ALSO RESCUED AN 18 20 RESIDENTS. WHAT WOULD HAVE BECOME A BAD HOUSE? I WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN DESTROYED. THIS IS ACTUALLY A PICTURE OF THE DAY THAT IT WAS HAPPENING THAT DAY. THE GARDEN CLUB HAD THE HOUSE MOVE, GOT HALF MY TELL WHERE IT SITS TODAY. THIS HOUSE IS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THE HOUSE IS NOW A MUSEUM. THIS WAS THE START OF WAKE FOREST COLLEGE. WAS THIS BUILDING WAKE FOREST COLLEGE LATER CALLED WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY USED TO BE HERE IN WAKE FOREST. THE COLLEGE BECAME THE TOWN. THE TOWN BLOSSOM AROUND THE COLLEGE. YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. THAT'S RIGHT. >> IF YOU'RE IN DOWNTOWN WITH FOR US, THERE ARE 2 OR 3 MOVIE THEATERS. >> THERE'S A BOWLING ALLEY, ALL KINDS OF RESTAURANTS AND THEN OVERNIGHT. >> THAT THEY WERE GONE. THE COLLEGE MOVED 100 MILES AWAY TO WINSTON-SALEM IN 1956. IT WAS DEVASTATING LIKE RIPPING THE ROOF. >> HOW ABOUT DRIVING? >> WITH A GARDEN CLUB. MOST OF THE MEMBERS WERE PROFESSORS, WIVES, IT DECIMATED THE MEMBERSHIP, BUT THEY DIDN'T STOP. THEY NURTURED A WHOLE NEW LEGACY AND WE'VE REPLANTED IN. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WITH THE GUARDS. LOTS OF GENERATIONS. MY MOTHER WAS IN THIS GARDEN CLUB AND NOT TO REMEMBER WHEN THERE WERE NO PLANS HERE AT ALL. IT WAS JUST A SHELL OF A HOUSE THAT CALVIN JONES POUNDS. THAT'S A SYMBOL IS. AND YEAH, IT TRULY IS. AND I WOULD ATTRIBUTE A LOT OF THE PRESERVATION AND THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THIS AREA TO THE GARDEN CLUB AND THE WORK >> AND YEAH, I THINK HE WE DID EVERYTHING. GUESS WHAT? >> THE WEEDS COME BACK. BUT SO DO THE MEMBERS OF THE WAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO THE FABRIC OF THIS TOWN SERVICE TO YOUR COMMUNITY JUST IS. >> THE MOST REWARDING THING YOU CAN DO WHAT I KIND GROUP DOING. NICE WORK. THE THE WAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB IS MARKING ITS ONE 100TH YEAR. >> WITH A GARDEN AND OUR TOUR, IT WILL BE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AND YOU CAN BUY

Tar Heel Traveler: Wake Forest Garden Club celebrates its 100th anniversary

This weekend in New Bern offers fun activities for all ages and interests. Whether you're seeking a festive St. Patrick's Day celebration, a historical adventure, or a chance to support local artisans, New Bern has something for you.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, history & art in New Bern this weekend

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, history, and art in New Bern this weekend

UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina Performing Arts will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Next Level, a hip-hop cultural diplomacy program, on Friday.


TO THE LAND. >> THIS FRIDAY, AN EVENT IN CHAPEL HILL MARKS 10 YEARS OF AN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY PROGRAM FUNDED BY THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS KIND OF BORING. BUT IF YOU LISTEN CLOSER, YOU'LL HEAR SOMETHING SPECIAL. THIS ISN'T A BALLROOM FULL OF STUFFY POLITICIANS IN SUITS. NO. THE MAIN PRESENTERS AT THIS EVENT. WELL, THEY SPEAK FOR >> AND ON THE MIC, SENEGALESE WRAPPER ON THE FLOOR, A CHILEAN BREAK DANCER, A NIGERIAN GRAFFITI ARTIST AND MORE EVERYONE WITH HER SING FOR FRIDAY'S EVENT AT CAROLINA PERFORMING ARTS. THEY'RE CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF HIP-HOP DIPLOMACY. YES, HIP-HOP DIPLOMACY, UNC MUSIC PROFESSOR CREATED THE PROGRAM WHICH HE CALLS THE NEXT LEVEL OKAY. I KNOW I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. IS THIS BLAZER WEARING VANILLA STYLE NEWS LADY REALLY ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT HIP-HOP? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU EXPECTED RIGHT? BUT THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. IT'S TAKING SOMETHING YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, LIKE HIP-HOP INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OR A NEWS STORY AND TURNING THE TABLES. AND SPEAKING OF WHICH THIS IS VIDEO FROM NEXT LEVELS TRIP TO ETHIOPIA IN TWENTY-TWENTY HIP-HOP ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING 5 FROM THE U.S. CAME TOGETHER TO COLLABORATE IN MUSIC AND AND WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES. IT'S CALLED HIP-HOP DIPLOMACY BECAUSE MUSIC GROUNDS. THE CONVERSATION. THE RHYTHM OF IT ALL GIVES WAY TO TOUGHER TOPICS LIKE WAR CONFLICT, TRANSFORMATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. HERE'S HOW THE FOUNDER OF THE PROGRAM DESCRIBES IT. SO IN FACT, HIP HOP IS HAS IT. WELL, JUST TO PUT IT BLUNTLY HAS A STRONGER, BETTER APPROVAL RATING. THEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DOES. >> SO PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT'S AMERICAN AND IT'S A WAY TO CONNECT WITH US IN A WAY THAT'S MORE POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE THEN SAY ARGUING ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY SINCE STARTING NEXT OUR CATS IS ENGAGED. DOZENS OF ARTISTS FROM THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD AND BROUGHT HIP-HOP DIPLOMACY TO MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE TO THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT. >> AZERBAIJAN, INDONESIA, NIGERIA, TAIWAN, BOLIVIA, HUNDREDS MORE OCHO NEPAL, PROVE YOU'VE GOT TO EGYPT, BANGLADESH, THE LIST GOES ON. THERE'S A REASON THEY CHOOSE HAVE POPPED THE GENRE SPANS 99 LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS MORE THAN 96,000 OF THE MOST LISTENED TO MUSICIANS WORLDWIDE. OUR RAP AND HIP-HOP ARTISTS. MARK KATZ SAYS THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS SO FAR. YOU KNOW, USING ART AND CULTURE TO STRENGTHEN TIES AROUND THE WORLD REALLY ISN'T NEW. THE IDEA TO ACTUALLY DATES BACK TO THE 1930'S AND WAS A TOOL USED TO FIGHT THE COLD WAR. WE ARMSTRONG WAS AMERICA'S JAZZ AMBASSADOR. HE TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD REPRESENTING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. TIME MAGAZINE WROTE AN ARTICLE HOW THE U.S. USED TO JAZZ AS A COLD WAR SECRET WEAPON, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY WAS CODIFY WHEN CONGRESS PASSED THE INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE ACT OF  MORE THAN 70 YEARS LATER, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY HAS TAKEN ON A NUMBER OF FORMS. AND THANKS TO UNC MUSIC PROFESSOR MARK REALLY IMPORTANT TO CONNECT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY'RE THE NEXT LEADERS THERE THAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS. >> SO TO DEVELOP GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND TO HAVE THEM THINK WARMLY IN POSITIVELY ABOUT THE U.S. IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE IT MEANS HAVING FUTURE ALLIES IN FUTURE FRIENDS. I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE RAPPER. I SHOWED YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF ALL OF THIS. SHE'S ACTUALLY A PRODUCT OF THE PROGRAM. HER NAME IS TO SUSPEND IRAQ. >> IMPRESSIVE RAPPER FROM SENEGAL. SHE'S HAD A FEW TOURS OF HIP-HOP DIPLOMACY AND I ASKED HER WHAT SHE THINKS ABOUT USING HIP-HOP AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. I MEET THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. WE TALK ABOUT ABOUT A LOT ABOUT RUSSIA. I MEAN, LADY FROM WE TALK A LOT ABOUT. >> INDIA AND AND LIKE. >> THESE THOSE THINGS YOU LIKE A SCHOOL. YOU KNOW. >> AND IT'S IT'S REALLY AMAZING PROGRAM. AND I AM. >> I FEEL I FEEL GRATEFUL. IT'S AWESOME INTO SAID TELLS ME THAT BECAUSE OF NEXT LEVEL, SHE REALLY HAS A MEANINGFUL POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES THAT SHE REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE HAD BEFORE THIS PROGRAM REALLY IS SIMPLE. WHEN YOU BOIL IT DOWN TO BECAUSE ART AND MUSIC JUST TRANSCENDS CULTURE, TRANSCENDS ALL THE BORDERS AND THE DIFFERENT. >> POLITICAL VIEWS THAT PEOPLE HAVE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE TO CONNECT. SO THEY'VE GOT THE CELEBRATION HAPPENING TOMORROW

UNC celebrates 10 years of 'Hip Hop Diplomacy'  

Poland welcomes the New Year with a dazzling spectacle of fireworks. 

New Year's celebrations in Warsaw, Poland 

Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday celebration of African-American culture held annually from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, culminating in a communal feast.

BECAUSE THE SUN'S NOT BEATING DOWN AND MELTING THAT ICE. TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF KWANZAA. THE WEEKLONG NONRELIGIOUS CELEBRATION OBSERVING AFRICAN AMERICANS, ANCESTRAL ROOTS. >> THE NAME KWANZAA COMES FROM A SWAHILI PHRASE, MEANING FIRST FRUITS. EACH DAY, THE CELEBRATION HAS ITS OWN PRINCIPAL. TODAY'S IS UNITY. TOMORROW, CREATIVITY, THEN COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY. SELF DETERMINATION FACE AND PURPOSE FOR EACH DAY AND EACH PRINCIPAL. THERE'S A CANDLE ON THE KINARA SIMILAR TO A MENORAH AND HANUKKAH. A CANDLE IS LIT EACH NIGHT ON THE CELEBRATION. THERE ARE SO SEVERAL KWANZAA EVENTS AROUND OUR AREA THIS WEEK. THERE'S A CELEBRATION THIS AFTERNOON TO HATE. I HERITAGE CENTER IN DURHAM. THAT EVENT IS FREE. THE CENTER WILL ACCEPT DONATIONS. THEY'LL BE A CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY, ARTS AND CRAFTS. A PANEL DISCUSSION. THE EVENT RUNS FROM ONE TO 06:00PM. HIS CAUSE OF ENDED KERRY ART CENTER OF THIS FRIDAY. IT RUNS FROM 11:00AM TO 05:00PM ADMISSION. THERE IS FREE. IT WILL FEATURE MUSIC AND STORYTELLING SESSIONS. PLUS A PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHT IN THE 7 PRINCIPLES FROM A CHILD'S PERSPECTIVE. AND THEN ON SATURDAY, IT'S A KWANZAA CELEBRATION IN RALEIGH. IT'S AT THE FRONT OF THE LABOR WORLD CULTURAL CENTER ON LAKE RIDGE DRIVE MORE FOOD MUSIC,

Celebration\ Coverage

Tar Heel Traveler: Wake Forest Garden Club celebrates its 100th anniversary

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, history & art in New Bern this weekend

UNC celebrates 10 years of 'Hip Hop Diplomacy'

New Year's celebrations in Warsaw, Poland

Today is the first day of Kwanazaa