By Freda Freeman, reporting for the Charlotte Post
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Marquee Yarborough, 30, of Zebulon, is working each day to be a better father for his three children: Ja'Zaivin, 7, Nevaeh, also 7, and Ja'Kye, 5. One way he's doing that is through fatherhood programs run by the Family Resource Center South Atlantic.

Yarborough was incarcerated when he found out about the Family Resource Center's Day 2 Day Dads program through other inmates who recommended he sign up for the classes. Released on bail in September, after serving 26 months, he continues to take classes.

Yarborough, who shares joint custody of his children with their mothers, said he wants to be a steady presence in their lives. "I said I'm going to take this class serious and really be there for my kids. Growing up, I didn't have a father figure in my life, so by me having three kids, I was away a lot because I was working so much and then the jail thing happened, so it was like I'm missing too much time with my kids," he said.

The Family Resource Center, which is based in Raleigh, has provided support services for families in 15 counties, primarily in eastern North Carolina, and the Triangle Area, for 25 years. In addition to the Day 2 Day Dads program, the organization holds annual fatherhood conferences with workshops and featured speakers.

"We provide fatherhood programs, we work with families who have children with special needs, we work with middle and high school students on bullying and provide sexual avoidance education, we help parents of preschoolers prepare for school readiness, we help families with juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system," said Derrick Byrd, a co-founder and executive director.

FRCSA received a five-year $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources in 2015 to establish Day 2 Day Dads, serving Wake, Durham, and Edgecombe counties. Although the grant ended in September, FRCSA, which receives state and federal funding, will continue to provide the program, with support from Wake County Human Services.

"There is such a void when it comes to programs that are specific to dads, so we were very excited because we were the only ones in North Carolina to receive a grant to be able to institutionalize some infrastructure that would be available to dads throughout the Triangle Area. Throughout the years, we've been able to provide a number of different services to dads. We've served close to a thousand fathers in five years," Byrd said.

Day 2 Day Dads, which is free, is based on a 12-session curriculum that includes Inside Out Dad for fathers who are or have been incarcerated; 24/7 Dad for fathers in the community; Love Notes for young fathers ages 16 to 24; and Strengthening Families Program for fathers and their families.

The program also provides information about domestic and family violence, teen dating violence, child abuse and neglect, child support, visitation, job readiness skills, and job placement assistance. There are group sessions, one-on-one training, and a fatherhood support group that meets monthly.

"We talk about many different topics in the curriculum. We talk about what it means to be a man, co-parenting, grief and loss and anger, child and adolescent development, men's health," Byrd said. "One of the things we've found is that usually by the fourth session the guys are really engaged and into it. What it does is help to create a very safe space for men and fathers to be able to share and understand that they are not alone in some of the challenges and barriers that they are experiencing.

"The program has three goals. One is to really strengthen their relationships with their children and with their family, to be economically stable and financially able to support their children and family, and we want them to really have a better sense of themselves, to see how they've grown or what are some of the things they're still struggling with."

Byrd said fathers appreciate that the program is specifically designed for them.

"It's just everyday dads who are trying to make it and are just looking for some support and understanding of what it is they're going through and not be pigeonholed into a packaged parenting program that doesn't necessarily speak to their needs. Many parenting programs are maternally centered, they speak to moms, not necessarily dads," he said.

Yarborough said the classes are helping him improve his parenting skills and learn how to relate to each child individually.

"I've learned we're all going to make mistakes in life. Your kids are going to always look up to you, they're going to always be there watching the things that you do, so it made me reevaluate myself. I kind of turned everything that was a negative into a positive," he said.

Yarborough hopes his children see he's trying to be a better father for them.

"They have a father who's going to be there and do whatever it takes to put a smile on their faces. Whatever they do in life, I'm going to be there to support them," he said.

Yarborough recommends the program to other fathers who may be struggling or facing challenges.

"I advise everybody that's a father, if you're having any problems, go to that class. The people there are really willing to help you no matter what issues you have," he said.

FRCSA will hold its annual NC Fatherhood Conference on June 19. The virtual conference is from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with speakers, workshops, and Father of the Year recognition. Youth over 13 may attend.

For more information, go to ncfatherhood.com or frcsa.org.

This story was produced with original reporting from Freda Freeman for the Charlotte Post, with support from the Pulitzer Center.


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Groups fighting for a free and fair judicial system are speaking out against violence, threats and insults targeting judges in Indiana and across the country.

The number of threats spiked nationally earlier this year as President Donald Trump and his allies condemned jurists who blocked administration policies. The Indiana Supreme Court Security Committee oversees court security strategies. In 2024, 214 judicial officers reported they or their family members had received threats.

Paul Kiesel, attorney and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit Speak up for Justice, said these threats have far-reaching effects.

"The problem is, there's a lot of rhetoric about our judges," Kiesel pointed out. "We need to address it by all of us recognizing the importance of our justice system, and not getting on a bandwagon to start attacking our judges simply because we don't like their decisions."

Indiana judges, court staff and law enforcement are embracing training programs to address courtroom violence and emergencies, including threat prevention, response, and de-escalation techniques. Remote meetings are scheduled more often to lessen disruptions at in-person court hearings, particularly those involving children.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has retaliated against multiple law firms involved in his criminal prosecutions and impeachment trials by limiting their government contracts and blocking entry to federal buildings. Several firms sued and won an injunction. Other firms gave in and agreed to pay a large fine.

Kiesel argued when public officials attempt to smear judges, it undermines the rule of law.

"When the Homeland Secretary refers to a judge as an 'idiot' for feeling that individuals in this country are entitled to due process, we begin to denigrate the guardrail that is our justice system," Kiesel contended.

The security price tag for high-profile court cases can add up. Indiana's most recent example, the 2024 murder case of two Delphi Indiana girls, cost taxpayers nearly $720,000.


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By Garrett Bergquist for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

Mentors who work with troubled youth on Tuesday said a proposed expansion of Marion County’s curfew might work but only if it’s combined with both enforcement and a place for children to go.

On Monday night, city-county councilors introduced a draft ordinance that would extend curfew hours for children under 18. Anyone under age 15 could not be in a public place anytime after 9 p.m., a change from the current 11 p.m. Children ages 15 to 17 could be in public places until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. the rest of the week. The curfew for all ages would run until 5 a.m. The policy would apply throughout Marion County.

Kareem Hines, the founder of the New Breed of Youth mentoring and youth development program, said young people he’s talked to are still processing the trauma from the shooting early Saturday morning that killed two teens and wounded five others. He said the extended curfew hours should be enforced but the approach should not be punitive.

“These young people need a voice. They need to be heard. They need to be nurtured. I think they need to be cultivated and they need to be loved,” Hines said. “I know that might sound crazy after that mass shooting but if we’re going to round these young people up, I don’t think taking them to a detention center is the answer.”

The language of the ordinance exclude an enforcement mechanism.

Its author, Democratic Councilor Leroy Robinson, said he will consider adding enforcement language during the committee process. Robinson said that language could include fines for parents if their child repeatedly violates curfew or even getting the Marion County prosecutor and civil courts involved for the most serious cases.

The Rev. Charles Harrison of Indy Ten Point Coalition said curfews won’t do any good without an enforcement mechanism. He said the city has tackled the problem of lawless youth downtown before. Each time, he said the solution was a combination of rigorous curfew enforcement and working with community organizations such as churches to give youth a place to go.

“The problem is not just the youth downtown past curfew hours,” he said. “We have also a parenting issue when you have hundreds of unsupervised youth downtown.”

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officials have said the only place they can take young people who violate curfew is the family services center at the Community Justice Campus. Hines and Harrison both said churches and other community organizations could provide IMPD with an alternative. Hines said, even if it’s well past midnight, youth need a place where they can find food, connection or even activities until their parents or guardians can come pick them up.

“Now, I’ve established a connection where I’m loving on them but I’m still requiring them to sit and have a conversation with me over a meal,” Hines said. “You’d be surprised how I can hold a young person accountable over a meal.”

He said such places could even provide transportation home if necessary and then follow up with the child and their family a few days later to find out what else is going on in the child’s life that needs to be addressed.

The council’s next public safety committee hearing is scheduled for July 16, and the full council could vote on the proposal as early as its next meeting, set for Aug. 11.


Garrett Bergquist wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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A new law on the books will help Hoosier renters saddled with an eviction on their record get some relief.

Senate Bill 142, which took effect July 1, includes a provision allowing automatic dismissal of an eviction with some exceptions. Research site Eviction Lab reported nearly 71,000 filings in Indiana in 2024.

Jenny Terry, senior attorney for the nonprofit Indiana Legal services, said the eviction cases most eligible for sealing are those where the tenant never faced a legal judgment resulting in eviction.

"The case is filed as soon as the tenant gets behind in rent," Terry explained. "But whether it's because of rental assistance or just with additional time, the tenant is able to get caught up, and so that case is resolved."

The presence of the legal record on a case is still viewed by some landlords as an eviction even when the tenant did not leave, Terry pointed out. She added it may work against tenants seeking new housing opportunities.

Supporters of the law say an eviction permanently showing on a renter's record has more severe consequences than records of credit card debt or bankruptcy filings, which are deleted after seven years. Terry noted Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, helped move the bill forward amid some backlash.

"There was definitely was some debate about some aspects of the bill as it went through the legislature, but by and large, this was a bipartisan effort," Terry observed. "We were pleased that the next step was able to be taken with regard to this moving eviction sealing forward."

Under the law, new eviction cases will be sealed automatically if they were dismissed, the tenant won the case, or the case was overturned on appeal. Older cases can be sealed upon request if no money is owed or the case involves a matter other than rent and is older than seven years.

Eviction Lab data showed nearly 29,000 eviction filings to date as of June 1, 2025. Anyone needing more information can log on to IndianaLegalServices.org.


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