Good morning Qcity! Thank goodness it’s Friday. What are your weekend plans? Be sure to check out Toni’s picks in her weekly column “On the Town with Toni.”

The weatherman says today will be another beautiful day around Charlotte. The forecast is calling for sunshine and highs in the mid 60s.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Student defends his rights

Does the sight of a Confederate flag hanging from a front porch or proudly displayed across the front of a pick up truck offend you? Several students, parents and some faculty members at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort took offense when a student, Byron Thomas, hung the flag in his dorm room as a symbol of his southern pride. Thomas says he’s well within his rights to do so and those who are offended are simply misinformed. Oh yeah, he’s also black.

Here’s what he said:

My college has forced me to take down my Confederate flag because they say that I was violating a "Racism Code". The flag has been up for the last two months and there were no problems about it, but now they want to say that I am violating a code. They cannot do this to me. This is a public college and I have my right to freedom of speech. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are on my side and I have an attorney. If the housing department does not allow me to put my flag back up after they receive the letter, a huge lawsuit will take place because the housing department is violating my right to freedom of speech. I'm Black, not African-American and I don't see the Confederate flag as a racist symbol!!!

Watch and discuss.

QUESTION: Should the flag come down?
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Honey, we need to talk

Today would be a great day to be a fly on the wall in Herman Cain’s household. After the latest accusations against the Republican presidential candidate from a woman who claims she and he had a 13-year extramarital affair came out this week, Cain told his senior staff that he would need to reassess his political campaign. He’s told reporters the decision to stay in the race or throw in the towel would rest on his wife of more than 40 years - Gloria. He says the two have not spoken face to face since his alleged mistress took her story public, and today is the day that talk is expected to go down. Sources close to the Cain family say his marriage has been rocky for years. Reportedly, his wife is well aware of his roaming eye and the two have lived in separate residences over the years. They say Gloria Cain is upset that her husband’s constant need for attention has thrust her into the national spotlight and turned her life upside down. (Read more) 
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Military canines diagnosed with mental health disorder

Many of us have heard stories of soldiers coming home from war suffering from mental illnesses - suffering flashbacks, breaks from reality and displaying symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now, more military dogs are being diagnosed with PTSD as well. Canines play a major role in war these days - sniffing out mines, tracking down enemy fighters and clearing buildings. Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base said the mental strain of combat affects them nearly as much as it does their human counterparts. (Read more) 
 

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