0:01:00

Several school districts have changed their calendars so school will be out on Friday, clearing the way for educators to attend the march in Raleigh.

It’s organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators, which says the goal is to demand more spending on education.

Liz will be joining Due South's NC News Roundup on Friday live from Raleigh where she'll be covering the march.

Liz Schlemmer, is the K-12 Education Reporter at WUNC News

0:08:35

“The Creative Lives of Educators” is now on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It features original artwork by educators from across the state, and poses the question: “How do educators make space for creative practices in their life outside of teaching?”

Leoneda Inge speaks with two art teachers about having their work on display at the NCMA, how they hone their craft, and the joy of sharing the creative process with students. And both share the deeper meaning and significance behind their paintings.

Brandi Criscitiello, is the art teacher at White Oak High School in Jacksonville, NC. Criscitiello’s piece is “The Heartbeat of America” 1968 El Camino, acrylic on wood with cedar frame.

Quintin Neal, teaches at Bugg Elementary School in Wake County. Neal’s piece is “Life in Bloom-Sunflower.”

It's the last week to see this exhibit, so check it out soon https://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/the-creative-lives-of-educators/.

0:23:51

Comedian Paula Poundstone returns to Due South for a conversation about finding humor in challenging times, engaging politics onstage and trimming down her overweight rescue cat Larry.

(This Due South encore conversation originally aired October 29,2025.)

Paula Poundstone, humorist, author, regular contributor to NPR’s WaitWait…Don’tTell Me! and host of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone

This encore edition of Due South originally aired in April 2024.

As the weather warms, many animals emerge — including snakes. Co-host Leoneda Inge talks with a reptile conservation biologist to find out where snakes are likely to be, how they behave and how to love them from afar.

Jeff Hall, reptile conservation biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Then, what to do if you are bit by a venomous snake? Our guest today says first, stay calm, and then seek medical care.

The number of deaths associated with snake bites in the U.S. is relatively low, in part because of access to anti-venom — but the treatment is expensive. Dr. Charles Gerardo is working on a cheaper, more accessible way to treat snake bite. He talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about how to respond to a snake bite now – and how that treatment might change in the future.

Charles J. Gerardo, MD, MHS, Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine and Professor, Emergency Medicine & Global Health, Duke University

The General Assembly is back in session and lawmakers still face a budget impasse. A deal was reached on closing the $319 million Medicaid shortfall – it includes immigration checks and work requirement provisions. 

And, what does the future looks like for a proposed property tax referendum? Plus, a playoff update on those Canes. We’ll cover all that and more on this week’s North Carolina News Roundup.

Claudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NC

Mary Helen Moore, Reporter, Axios Raleigh

Bryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter

0:01:00

Sarah Vowell was an early contributor to This American Life, before she became a voice actor, and the author of several books. She speaks with Leoneda Inge ahead of an event for Durham County Library on April 23.

Sarah Vowell, author, former longtime contributor to This American Life, voice actor for Violet in the Disney animated series The Incredibles.

Vowell speaks Thursday, April 23. Details here: https://durhamcountylibrary.libcal.com/event/16470004

0:25:36

The NCYTE has been going strong for more than 40 years. Jeff Tiberii speaks with the current Artistic Director, who was once a member of the ensemble herself, about the history of the ensemble, and how she intends to keep it growing.

Emily Shoemaker, Artistic Director of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble

Find details about the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble's performance on April 25 here: https://www.ncyte.org/up-next

0:01:00

A new memoir pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to study at the nation’s top culinary school, the Culinary Institute of America. Trinidad native food writer Brigid Washington talks about her time as a student at NC State, the role that Raleigh played in her culinary career and working with the James Beard Foundation.

She'll be discussing and signing her new book, Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef on April 28 at Quail Ridge Books. 

Brigid Washington, food writer, vice chair of the James Beard Foundation Journalism Committee and author of the new memoir, Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef

0:23:00

Alonzo Bodden is a comedy veteran with more than 20 years in the stand-up game. A frequent guest on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, Bodden got his start in aviation before pivoting to a career in humor. (This Due South encore conversation originally aired December 17,2025.)

Alonzo Bodden, stand-up comedian and actor

0:01:00

Recycling has been around a long time and faces relatively little pushback compared to more politically-charged sustainability efforts. Still, recycling has its obstacles, including that it's hard to know what's recyclable and what's not. As Bianca Howard of Wake County Solid Waste Management Division says, "there is nothing intuitive about recycling."

This Earth Week on Due South, three waste management experts demystify municipal recycling.

Bianca Howard, Outreach & Marketing Supervisor, Wake County Solid Waste Management Division

Muriel Williman, Senior Assistant Solid Waste Manager, City of Durham Waste Disposal and Recycling Center

Shauna Taylor, customer service representative, Shimar Recycling

Related: Recycling guidelines for Durham, Orange County and Wake County

0:33:00

Bryce Brooks follows the old adages “reduce, reuse, recycle” and “one person’s trash may be another’s treasure.” She’s the co-founder of The ReCollective, a service that collects hard-to-recycle items and finds them new homes, keeping them out of the landfill and supporting local businesses by providing needed materials.

Bryce Brooks, co-founder, The ReCollective

This Due South encore episode originally aired June 25, 2025.

0:01:00

A consistent practice of recycling and reusing materials maintains the state’s recycling infrastructure and stimulates a circular economy. We talk to Matt James of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality about ways to strengthen individual and community recycling practices across the state.

Matt James, Recycling Program Analyst, NC Department of Environmental Quality

0:13:00

When Heather Anne first walked into Durham's The Scrap Exchange, she thought to herself: "I've never been in a place like this before." The organization's dedication to creative reuse of secondhand items, community building, and environmentalism resonated for her, and Heather soon became a Scrap Exchange regular.

She eventually became an employee and led the organization through some changes, but at least one thing remains the same — inside the Scrap’s barrels and bins of leftover fabric, yarn, broken jewelry and "glorious junk" are countless opportunities for someone’s creativity to turn cast off old items into something new.

Heather Anne, former Interim Executive Director at The Scrap Exchange

0:33:00

INDY Week reporter Lena Geller salvaged $6,000 worth of luxury items from Duke students moving out of her apartment complex. She also found that Duke donates and tracks significantly more than similar private universities in the U.S.

Lena Geller, Staff Writer at INDY Week. Read her piece I Salvaged $6,000 of Luxury Items Discarded by Duke Students. Why Did It Make Me Feel So Terrible?

On this week’s NC News Roundup... water restrictions set to go into effect on Monday in Raleigh, severe drought conditions impact more than 20 percent of the state, and a legislative hearing tackles ongoing concerns over Medicaid funding and fraud.

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC News

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer 

Zach Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Sarah Michels, NC elections and statehouse reporter, Carolina Public Press

0:01:00

Data centers are popping up across North Carolina. As some communities welcome them and others consider moratoriums, journalists from BPR, the NC Newsroom, WFAE, and WUNC News explore the data center boom and its impact on our state.

Due South talks with three reporters who worked on the collaborative reporting project “Hyperscale, Hyperspeed: Inside the Data Center Boom Reshaping NC Communities.”

Katie Myers, reports on climate in Appalachia for Blue Ridge Public Radio and Grist

Adam Wagner, Editor and Reporter, NC Newsroom

Zachary Turner, Climate Reporter, WFAE

0:33:00

One of the state’s foremost transportation reporters has the latest on western North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene recovery, updates to potential train and rail projects, and the possible impact an extended blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have on gas prices here.

Richard Stradling, Transportation Reporter, The News & Observer

Related: Read Richard Stradling's articles about federal support for Triangle transit agencies and RDU expansion.

0:01:00

North Carolina’s prisons face a crisis of staffing and funding

North Carolina’s 55 prisons are operating at minimum staffing, in a steep funding deficit. The state’s Department of Adult Correction is in need of an updated budget that accounts for the growing and aging prison population. WUNC News’ Colin Campbell updates Due South on the current state of the carceral system.

Colin Campbell, Capital Bureau Chief, WUNC News

0:13:00

Former inmate and recidivism reduction activist Kerwin Pittman’s journey to success 

Kerwin Pittman spent more than 11 years in the North Carolina prison system. With the support of family, he was able to navigate the re-entry process upon his release, becoming a recidivism reduction activist in the process. Eight years after his release, Pittman has become the first formerly incarcerated person in the United States to purchase a prison campus.

Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc.

0:33:00

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival takes off

Due South speaks with the Co-Festival Director of Full Frame on the legacy of the festival, along with the Southern and North Carolina film selections screening during this year’s fest.

Sadie Tillery, Co-Festival Director and Artistic Director, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival