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These days it feels like there is no simple way to beat the heat. And our new climate reality means we need to take new and more serious precautions to protect ourselves and our neighbors from its health impacts. Dr. Lauren E. Siewny joins Leoneda Inge to talk about concerning signs to look out for and how to best handle this steamy summer weather that just won’t let up.

Dr. Lauren Siewny, Medical Director of the Duke University Hospital Emergency Department, and an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

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Heat impacts us all, especially during these dog days – and nights – of summer. But some people are impacted more than others due to circumstances including outdoor work, chronic illness, or living in a neighborhood more prone to the impacts of extreme heat. Two environment researchers talk to Jeff Tiberii about the heat challenges facing both urban and rural regions, tips for navigating the heat when running the AC at full blast isn’t an option, and about community-driven approaches to help protect us all.

Angel Hsu, Director, Data-Driven EnviroLab; and Associate Professor of Public Policy and Environment, Ecology and Energy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ashley Ward, Director, Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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Summer crops suffer under unusually dry harvest season

NC Cooperative Extension agriculture agent Mart Bumgarner joins Due South to discuss the impact of a months-long drought on summer crops across the state.

Mart Bumgarner, Agriculture and Horticulture Extension Agent serving Orange County, North Carolina with the N.C. Cooperative Extension

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How ‘Our State’ magazine covers ‘100 North Carolinas’

Leoneda Inge speaks to the editor-in-chief of Our State magazine about the history and future of the publication.

Elizabeth Hudson, editor-in-chief, Our State

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How to choose the perfect summer tomato in North Carolina

Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii talk to personal chef and local farmers market volunteer Claudia Sanders about the art of the tomato sandwich and how to tell when a tomato is perfectly vine-ripened.

Claudia Sanders, personal chef and volunteer at local farmers markets

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‘The Big Recount’ – 25 Years Later

One of the most memorable and messy presidential elections in United States history was decided 25 years ago. The battle between Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee and Republican George W. Bush of Texas, was fought and won in the South – in Florida. (This HBCU 101 radio diary presentation is a

finalist, for a “Salute to Excellence Award” by the National Association of Black Journalists.)

Kara Palmer Smith, a 2000 graduate of Florida A&M University. She reported on the 2000 presidential election

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International Black Theatre Festival takes over Winston-Salem

Leoneda Inge takes a look at this year’s International Black Theatre Festival. Hosted biannually in Winston-Salem, the historic gathering features more than 100 performances, film screenings and a star-studded gala.

Brittany Giles-Jones, Managing Director, North Carolina Black Repertory Company

Chester Gregory, Broadway actor and singer

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The Broadside: The modern Graveyard of the Atlantic

The waters surrounding North Carolina’s Outer Banks are so treacherous that they’re known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. They’ve claimed everything from Blackbeard’s pirate ship to German U-boats. And that dark legacy continues today. Oregon Inlet, a narrow gap near Roanoke Island, is one of the deadliest waterways in the United States. But it’s also an economic lifeline for a small industrial fishing community who must traverse it.

Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly

Molly Trivelpeice, education curator at The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

This week on North Carolina’s News Roundup... 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to open a detention center in Hertford County. The recently passed state budget bill includes child welfare regulations with the “Dominique Moody Safety Act.” In Charlotte, two women detained during Operation Charlotte’s Web seek over $2.5 million in damages. Remains of two fallen Fort Bragg soldiers killed in Iranian attack return to the U.S. 

Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis on those and other stories from the week.

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC News

Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Danielle Battaglia, congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer

Ely Portillo, executive editor, WFAE in Charlotte

Eduardo Medina, reporter for The New York Times based in Durham, covering the South

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A non-profit based in Asheville is leading the charge to find and return items lost during flooding from Hurricane Helene. BPR reporter Laura Hackett shares sounds and stories from volunteers scavenging and returning things to their rightful owners.

Laura Hackett, Helene Recovery Reporter at BPR

• Laura Hackett's story for BPR: The things Hurricane Helene carried away — and the woman trying to return them

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'Islands in the Sky' shares first-person stories of people who experienced the tragedy of Helene in western North Carolina. The crowd-funded anthology puts narrators with award-winning comic artists to tell their stories.

Andrew Aydin, third-generation farmer in western North Carolina, creator of ‘Islands in the Sky: A People’s History of Hurricane Helene’

Nick Filardi, co-author of ‘Ripples’ with his wife Shannon Burcham, in the graphic novel ‘Islands in the Sky: A People’s History of Hurricane Helene’

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When Tropical Storm "Chantal" hit Chapel Hill, Carrboro and surrounding communities on July 5, 2025, no one could have imagined the impact of the flood and how long it would take to recover -- especially residents who were caught in the storm's dangerous conditions. We check in on communities and businesses a year later.

Brighton McConnell, News Director, 97.9 The Hill WCHL & Chapelboro.com

The Wilmington massacre and coup d'état of November 10, 1898 is widely known as the only successful coup in American history. Black elected officials were forced to resign office at gunpoint. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Black Wilmingtonians were killed during a day of premediated white supremacist terror.

New Yorker staff writer Lauren Collins grew up in Wilmington, where the little she learned about November 10, 1898 characterized the bloody day as a "race riot." When she realized she had not been taught anything close to the whole story, she got to work researching and writing about it. The resulting book focuses on four Wilmington families living the legacy of the massacre across the generations. 

Jeff Tiberii speaks with Collins about the long lead up to the Wilmington coup and massacre, and the unending impact on the city and the nation more than a century later.

Lauren Collins, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of They Stole a City: Wilmington’s White Supremacist Coup and the Families Who Live with Its Legacy.

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The Library of NC awards 46 federal grants to public and academic libraries

Leoneda Inge speaks with Catherine Prince, federal programs consultant for the Library of North Carolina, about the history and role of the state library, as well as its allocation of 46 new grants to local public and academic libraries.

Catherine Prince, Library of NC, and our Federal Programs Consultant

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Flyleaf Books shares summer reading recommendations 

Leoneda Inge talks to Flyleaf Books marketing and events manager Maggie Robe about some of this year’s most popular beach and summer reads.

Maggie Robe, marketing and events manager, Flyleaf Books

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Author Amena Brown explains why people should ‘Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl’ 

A new collection of essays by spoken word artist and writer Amena Brown explores the various joyous facets of Black womanhood. Leoneda Inge talks to the author about spending time with her grandmother in North Carolina as a child, celebrating her natural hair and navigating dating and the early days of marriage.

Amena Brown, spoken word artist and author

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The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup is in the history books. Because of all the hype and happenings surrounding the World Cup and soccer, the Queen City, some sports fans, and tourism advocates are looking ahead to another World Cup- the 2031 Women’s World Cup. We hear from one Charlottean who’s pushing for Charlotte to play host city. (A version of this interview first aired June 25, 2026.)

Miller Yoho, Director of Communications and Marketing for Charlotte Sports

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New book explores the 1990s music scene in Chapel Hill

Tom Maxwell was a member of the hit ‘90s swing band The Squirrel Nut Zippers. During that time, he had a unique, insider perspective on the emerging underground music scene in Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas.

He talks to Due South about his new book on the subject. (This interview first aired on May 21, 2024.)

Tom Maxwell, musician and author of “A Really Strange and Wonderful Time: The Chapel Hill Music Scene, 1989 to 1999”

On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup... 

Sen. Thom Tillis tells Todd Blanche to meet with Epstein victims to gain his confirmation vote. The North Carolina Board of Elections is facing major decisions on mail-in voting. And a $10 billion infrastructure backlog for public schools. 

Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis on those and other stories from the week.

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief for WUNC News

Claudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter for Enlace Latino NC

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

Danielle Battaglia, congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer

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Jeff Polish never meant to be a performer. He was supposed to be a professor. But life had other plans. How he came to live storytelling, and how his live show The Monti came to be in 2008 and has evolved over the years.

Jeff Polish, molecular cell biologist better known for his presence as creator and host of The Monti, a live storytelling show and competition in the Research Triangle

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Burch was trained by "foremothers of the American storytelling revival" and has been nominated for a Grammy as a spoken word recording artist. She shares about the growth of formal storytelling, and what she tries to instill when teaching at schools, workshops and conferences.

Milbre Burch, storyteller and playwright who served as the 2025 emcee for the Old North State Story Telling Festival in Cary

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Ray Christian returns, sharing new tales from his life. Including his feature role in a new HBO documentary, “The Man Will Burn.”

Since he last joined Due South, Ray's podcast has won two Signal awards, and three Black podcast awards. 

Plus, Ray tells a one-of-a-kind story based in the gazebo of his home near Boone, NC., and a second story that just might have ended with a serious injury if he hadn't been so quick on his feet...

Ray Christian, host of the PRX podcast What’s Ray Saying. He’s a storyteller, longtime educator at Appalachian State University and an American veteran.