Lush language abounds in local naturalist’s book about the ‘Wild South’ 
Spring in the South brings a bevy of sights and sounds. In her new book, naturalist and writer Georgann Eubanks chronicles fifteen natural phenomena from across the region that are simultaneously routine and breathtaking. Eubanks talks with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about The Fabulous Ordinary: Discovering the Natural Wonders of the Wild South.
Georgann Eubanks, author of The Fabulous Ordinary: Discovering the Natural Wonders of the Wild South

Duke and UNC among top ten in NPR's College Podcast Challenge 
NPR's College Podcast Challenge will be announcing its grand prize winner later this month and the ten finalists include two Triangle locals–Jordan Phillips, a Duke University student majoring in Public Policy, and Sonia Rao, a recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduate. Due South’s Leoneda Inge talks with them about their podcast topics and shared themes around belonging and community.
Jordan Phillips, Duke University student  
Sonia Rao, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill graduate

How a political power grab led to unprecedented control of funds for sexual abuse survivor programs in NC
A budget move by Republican lawmakers in North Carolina redirected funding for sexual assault victims “away from Democratic-led agencies that had long overseen such money,” ProPublica reports. 
Doug Bock Clark, reporter in ProPublica’s South Unit.

Hummingbird season begins in NC
If you’re a bird watcher or even just someone with a keen eye, you may spot those fast-fluttering wonders – hummingbirds. For those listeners who want to see more hummingbirds - maybe even by attracting them to your backyard or balcony – we have a special guest today.
Susan Campbell, licensed hummingbird bander, lead hummingbird researcher, co-founder of the Cape Fear Bird Observatory

A new initiative aims to archive HBCU radio station history
There are just over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States, and a third of them have radio stations on campus. Today, there’s a massive effort underway to preserve and assess the audio collections at these HBCU radio stations – and to help reformat collections, to keep this history intact for generations to come.
Jocelyn Robinson, Founder and Director of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project 

Who has access to homeownership in North Carolina?
Spring is typically home buying time, but housing affordability concerns combined with general economic uncertainty may mean that even fewer people in the Triangle are looking or able to buy homes. News & Observer real estate journalist Chantal Allam joins co-host Jeff Tiberii to talk about the homeownership gap, the history of restrictive covenants in our region, and who has access to homeownership in North Carolina now.
Chantal Allam, Real Estate Journalist, The Raleigh News & Observer

The Broadside: Hell froze over: Southern hockey is thriving
In the 1990s, professional ice hockey was primed for growth. But the NHL had one major problem: geography. In order to expand its footprint, the sport had to move into unlikely warm weather locations with few existing fans. The league eventually expanded to the Sun Belt with mixed early results. But in North Carolina and other Southern states, the NHL has found success with a radical long-term strategy. They've helped build the next generation of hockey fans almost completely from scratch.

Carolina Hurricanes Coach Rod Brind’Amour
The Carolina Hurricanes are again on the doorstep of a championship. For the past seven years the ‘Canes have been among the most talented, competitive, and feared teams in the National Hockey League. But injuries, and other factors, have thus far kept the Triangle’s major professional sports team from winning its second-ever Stanley Cup. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour is in his seventh season overseeing the team. He talks with Due South about the campaign, hockey’s growth in the south, and some of his proudest moments.
Rod Brind'Amour, head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes 

On the North Carolina News Roundup... Financial markets take a tumble after the president’s latest announcement on tariffs. Some Republicans are pushing back and speaking out. Including North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis who says tariffs could do irreparable harm to North Carolina farmers. Will his overtures make any difference in the ongoing trade wars? Two NC State students have left the country after their visas were revoked by the State Department. The university says no reason was given. And we get a report from San Antonio where Duke faces off in the Final Four. Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with a panel of journalists about those stories and more, on Due South.  

Claudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NC  

Laura Leslie, Capitol Bureau Chief, WRAL  

Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy

Adam Wagner, reporter and editor covering state politics for the North Carolina Newsroom – a new collaborative of the state's public radio stations

Kate Rogerson, sports reporter/anchor for ABC 11 

The Duke men's basketball team plays in the Final Four this weekend and has its sights set on a possible sixth national championship. While the program’s success is clear, its history is complicated.

Javier Wallace, a postdoctoral associate at Duke University and a former college athlete, teaches a class at Duke called "Race, Sport & Education: Duke Men’s Basketball." The course delves into the story of CB Claiborne, Duke’s first Black athlete and basketball player, and uses the team's history to explore race in society and education. Wallace talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about Claiborne's story, and also about how Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal are — and are not — changing the opportunities available to college athletes.

Then, Raleigh’s major music festival Dreamville, put on by NC native J. Cole, makes the City of Oaks a party for one last weekend. Due South gets a preview of the festival, artists to watch for, and discusses the impact of Dreamville, as it celebrates its final run. And, a preview of WUNC's coverage of the festival on Instagram and online with Social Media Producer Josh Sullivan and Director of Community Partnerships and Events Kamaya Truitt.

Wildfires in North Carolina
Six months after Helene’s flooding devastated parts of western North Carolina, wildfires have now added to the destruction in the region. While fire officials say the current fires are getting under control, the conditions that led to them are not going away. Jeff Tiberii talks with NC State's Robert Scheller about why wildfires are becoming so common in our state and across the Southeast -- and what the future might hold.
Robert Scheller, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Natural Resources and Professor of Landscape Ecology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University

As black bear population rises in North Carolina, more bear sightings in populated areas
Black bear sightings are up in North Carolina, including in cities and in suburban backyards. Colleen Olfenbuttel of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission joins us to talk about where you might find black bears and what to do if you encounter one.
Colleen Olfenbuttel, Wildlife Biologist, Game and Furbearer Program, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Durham’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival to feature several Southern stories
Documentary film fans in North Carolina have only one place to be when early April rolls around --in Durham for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Festival Co-Director Emily Foster joins Due South’s Leoneda Inge to talk about some of the documentaries at this year’s Full Frame that tell stories from the South.
Emily Foster, Co-Director, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

The foreign correspondent based in China for seven years recently returned to Duke University for a conversation hosted by the Asian Pacific Studies Institute (APSI), and for her class reunion.

Plus, a conversation with Durham County's Tax Administrator breaking down county property revaluations.

And, a Raleigh office space buy up in North Hills reflects commercial real estate industry’s hope.

Guests

Keyar J. Doyle,  Durham County Tax Administrator

Emily Feng, foreign correspondent for NPR who was based in Beijing and Taipei, and author of the new book Let Only Red Flowers Bloom

Zachary Eanes, Reporter for Axios Raleigh and the Axios Raleigh newsletter

Durham County Library welcomes its fifth annual Library Fest during National Library Week, April 6-12.  Leoneda Inge sits down with Sara Stephens, Library Development Officer, to learn more about the festival. Zelda Lockhart. Lockhart is one of the week’s keynote speakers and will be delivering a talk on how to write multigenerational stories. The nonprofit organization, NC Catch, the Black seafood community and researchers have teamed up for a new project called “Recognizing African American Participation in the North Carolina Seafood Industry.” Barbara Garrity-Blake, cultural anthropologist and president of NC Catch, and Captain John Mallette, co-owner of Southern Breeze Seafood Co. in Jacksonville, discuss the project.

Wildfires in the western reaches of our state, a new North Carolina "bathroom bill," a leading state lawmaker steps down, updates on two state immigration bills, and the Duke men's basketball team advances to the Elite Eight.

Due South's Jeff Tiberii is joined by a panel of journalists to talk about all that and more on the North Carolina News Roundup.

Western North Carolina continues to await state and federal funding six months after Helene
Six months after Helene, Gov. Josh Stein has signed into a law a bill that will provide more than a half-million dollars in relief funding. The funding approval comes as a new disaster is further ravaging the region, as Henderson and Polk counties continue to fight wildfires.
Gerard Albert III, Western North Carolina Rural Communities Reporter, Blue Ridge Public Radio

WNC tourism, arts, and restaurant check-in
We turn our attention to Avery County — home to Grandfather Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and several ski resorts — for an update on business recovery and tourism. And we check back in with two activists who are entrenched in the Asheville arts, restaurant, and hospitality industries to talk about the “yes and” of living with both grief AND hope.
Robin Morgan, Executive Director, Avery County Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Tomasin, studio manager of Echo Mountain Recording Studio, Asheville
Jen Hampton, co-chair, Asheville Food and Beverage United, Asheville

Helene debris is causing problems for wildfire fighting
Fire management specialists and landowners tried to clear up debris left over from the hurricane last fall, but some of the brush they didn’t get to is making it hard to fight an ongoing wildfire in Polk County.
Zack Turner, Climate Reporter at WFAE