George Floyd

Alexander Pridgen of Greenville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 15 months at a hearing Monday in federal court in New Bern, after pleading guilty to destruction of government property for throwing a brick through a courthouse window during a protest over George Floyd's death.

Prosecutors were asking for the former police officer to be sentenced to a 30-year prison term. The defense attorney called for probation and time already served.

Committee officials who give out the prestigious prize in journalism and the arts said Frazier's recording highlighted "the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quests for truth and justice."

Some of the week's top stories: The Charlotte area looks back on the year since George Floyd was killed by police, North Carolina marks 1 million COVID-19 cases as residents mark the first holiday weekend with no major restrictions, and a three-part special examines the impact of the pandemic on a local elementary school.

Last summer, protests erupted in Charlotte after the murder of George Floyd. Now, roughly one year later, two Black Charlotte residents are turning that protest into politics by running for City Council.

Negotiators on Capitol Hill continue to work on a police overhaul bill named after Floyd, which President Biden had hoped to sign by now.

"If it weren't for my video, the world wouldn't have known the truth. I own that," says Frazier, who was 17 at the time. "It made me realize how dangerous it is to be Black in America."

We asked two scholars who have spent decades studying empathy and bias to discuss what they've seen in the past year. They offer their view of what has changed — and what has not.

About two weeks after the death of George Floyd, artists filled a stretch of South Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte with vibrant, kaleidoscopic letters spelling out "Black Lives Matter." Nearly a year later, the mural is fading, but artists who worked on the mural say its legacy will endure for years.

Prosecutors accuse the former officer and others of using excessive force and violating George Floyd's rights. The rare federal charges follow state charges in a trial in which Chauvin was convicted.