The Goodson Blogson

Over the weekend, Hurricane Helene devastated more than 600 miles of the southeastern United States, from the Gulf Coast of Florida through Tennessee ( NYTimes: Mapping the Destruction ). Western North Carolina was hit especially hard with flooding, landslides, and collapsing highways and bridges, leaving the mountain region inaccessible and impassable from all directions. DriveNC.gov maintains a map of current road closures, warning that "All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed and non-emergency travel is prohibited." Widespread power outages and shortages of food and water have followed in the wake of the storm. While aid has begun to reach the region, recovery and repairs will be a slow and difficult process, and the full impact of the destruction is not yet known. The Asheville Citizen-Times and The Assembly NC have temporarily suspended their paywalls for hurricane-related coverage. If you are able to help, agencies are seeking monetary contr

September 17 is Constitution Day , commemorating the 1787 signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia. The National Archives and Records Administration, which houses the original document, maintains a page for America's Founding Documents: The Constitution of the United States with a transcription and historical background about the document and its signing. (Constitution Day shares the September 17 holiday with Citizenship Day , an occasion often marked by naturalization ceremonies across the country. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service offers a sample citizenship test on its website: can you achieve a passing score?) As always, you can pick up a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution at the library service desk, while supplies last. You might also want to take a look at the thousands of resources in the Duke Libraries Catalog on constitutional law and interpretation. Some recent highlights from the print and electronic collections: Elie Mystal, Allow Me

The Goodson Law Library, in partnership with the Duke University Libraries, now offers campus-wide access to The Assembly , an award-winning news source focused on North Carolina politics, government, and other issues affecting the state. Full-text access is currently automatic from the Duke University IP range or through the “Library Resources” group of the Duke VPN . A link with access instructions is available at the Legal Databases & Links page. The Assembly launched in 2021 and maintains bureaus in the Triangle, Fayetteville, Wilmington, and Greensboro. In the local area, a partnership with Indyweek brings selected stories to the biweekly free paper. The site offers newsletters for statewide and regional coverage as well as The Docket , a weekly email on state court activity. For help with accessing The Assembly , or for questions about the other news resources you can access at Duke University and Duke Law , be sure to Ask a Librarian .