Carolina Connection

Barbecue is one of the best-known and well liked foods in North Carolina, and many agree that the best way to cook it is over wood. However, wood-cooking BBQ restaurants have been closing rapidly in the past decade.

Undergraduate enrollment rates are decreasing across the country. A UNC program helps first generation college students find community and support on campus. A new UNC study suggests ways to combat child neglect. Student app developers promote gender diversity in the tech world. The North Carolina tradition of wood-cooked barbeque is declining, but some small businesses are determined not to let the fire die.

Nearly a year since UNC canceled the showing of the controversial photography exhibition “Tarred Healing,” the photos are on display at the National Civil Rights Museum.

On this edition of "Carolina Cast," photographer Cornell Watson joins Carolina Connection's Lorelai Skyes to discuss Tarred Healing and the controversy.

North Carolina legislators reach an agreement on Medicaid expansion, which could have profound effects on UNC hospitals, rural healthcare, and 600,000 uninsured North Carolinians. A shortage of Adderall is causing hardship for people with ADHD. A proposed new state law would require businesses to accept cash. Older students at UNC face unique challenges. The men's basketball team nears the end of a disappointing season.

Students at a 32-hour demonstration demand better campus accessibility. Online bus tracking slowly returns to Chapel Hill after more than a year. The term “Latinx” faces scrutiny by the communities it's used to describe. A hack-a-thon promotes gender diversity in STEM fields. The UNC-Duke game has some seniors feeling fury rather than Carolina fever because it’s now even harder to get tickets.

UNC housekeepers are demanding better pay after they received a raise last year that they’re calling “disrespectful.” Some students say they would avoid rooming with somebody who doesn't share their political views. UNC researchers are learning more about traumatic lung injuries associated with vaping. Bus driver shortages leave elementary through high school students without a reliable way to get to school. UNC grads go back to high school to help underrepresented students on their paths to college.

One of Chapel Hill’s most consistent problems is a lack of affordable housing for students and residents alike. But it’s not a new issue. In this edition of CarolinaCast, Will Christensen and Lorelai Sykes discuss the history of racial discrimination in the housing market and recent initiatives to make housing more inclusive in the area

The Republican-controlled N.C. Senate passed a controversial bill related to parental influence over gender, sexuality, and the public school curriculum. Chapel Hill’s Turkish community raises money after catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. UNC makes mental health care more convenient. Artificial intelligence blurs the line between the work of students and computers. UNC's new women's field hockey team reflects on her first week. Hundreds of runners wolfed down donuts for the annual Krispy Kreme challenge.

UNC plans a new School of Civic Life and Leadership to balance what some see as liberal bias on campus. A UNC lab is working to reduce the number of laced drugs on the streets. Governor Cooper bans TikTok on state-owned devices, but students haven’t stopped scrolling. UNC graduate Erin Matson will be the next field hockey coach– at age 22. A class brings storytelling to the School of Information and Library Science. UNC's "Hugs and Pups" group has stopped giving hugs because of health concerns, but it's still spreading a positive message.

Though UNC has been mask-optional for about a year, some students and faculty remain concerned about COVID-19. Inflation has started to fall, but local businesses still are feeling the pinch of higher prices.  The lunar new year ushers in celebrations and community across campus. A disputed local photography exhibit moves to the National Civil Rights Museum. A Genius Grant recipient leaves students starstruck. Bird watching hobbyists play a crucial role in conservation efforts.