0:01:00

Fast-growing Fuquay-Varina has requested to pull water from the Cape Fear River – and not return it. Communities from Fayetteville down to Wilmington object. Reporter Paul Woolverton talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about the request, the dispute and the stakes for the municipalities, and the people, that would be impacted.

Paul Woolverton, Senior Reporter, City View

0:13:00

Forecasting the local weather is challenging enough, but what about predicting the climate outlook for an entire state? That’s the task of Corey Davis, an assistant state climatologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office. He joins Due South to talk about what to expect this winter, and how he turns prediction into a playful practice.

Corey Davis, Assistant North Carolina State Climatologist and editor of the State Climate office’s Climate Blog

0:33:00

Frasier firs, which represent the vast majority of Christmas trees grown in North Carolina, face a lot of threats during their ten-year growing cycle, especially from climate change.

Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with North Carolina State University assistant professor Justin Whitehill, who runs the NC State Christmas Tree Genetics Program, about his efforts to grow trees that can be harvested sooner, hold onto carbon more efficiently and look more like the “perfect Christmas tree”– with a goal to benefit growers, consumers and the environment. (This Due South encore conversation first aired April 10, 2024.)

Justin Whitehill, Assistant Professor and Christmas Tree Genetics Program Lead, North Carolina State University