Initiative to restore Sugarloaf Island
If you summer on the coasts of North Carolina, you may be familiar with Morehead City, a popular port town in Carteret County. But slightly less well-known is the barrier island adjoining the town: Sugarloaf Island. The man-made stretch of land is just off the waterfront and for years has been a draw for tourism. It’s also a layer of protection for the coastline. However, a substantial portion of Sugarloaf Island has eroded over the last few decades. The city hopes that a restoration initiative will reverse the damage.
Celeste Gracia, WUNC environmental reporter

Impact of sea level rise and beach erosion on coastal communities
We head to the coast, where sea levels are rising, buildings falling, as development continues. Coastal geologist Rob Young joins us to discuss rising seas and beach erosion and what, if anything, can be done to lessen the impact in coastal communities.
Robert S. Young, director, Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and professor of Coastal Geology, Western Carolina University

The Broadside: The hunt for a million dollar fish
Marlin fishing helps fuel a billion-dollar recreational saltwater fishing industry. Much of it is situated on the North Carolina coast, which also happens to be the site of one of the oldest and most celebrated fishing competitions in the world – the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. It’s an event filled with high stakes drama, and it continues to grow. But are there enough blue marlin in the ocean for the good times to keep rolling on?
Ashley Bleau, owner of the Sensation
Neal Conoley, author and former head of the North Carolina Aquarium Society
Dr. John Graves, marine biologist and former professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Aaron Barr, first mate of the Never Enough 

Raw milk production and sales remain controversial in North Carolina. After lawmakers rescinded a proposed ban on raw milk sales in May, farmers are hopeful that their business will be able to grow and thrive, despite ongoing safety concerns. Guest: Rob Benor, owner of Benor Farms in Cedar Oak, NC  

Kathleen DuVal’s latest book has been called a “magisterial overview of a thousand years of Native American history.” DuVal’s scholarship on the history of indigenous peoples in America has earned the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History. Guest: Kathleen DuVal, professor of history, UNC Chapel Hill and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America

The federal budget proposal presently before the U.S. Senate would advance much of the President’s domestic agenda. Along with Medicaid cuts, this budget plan would slash food assistance programs and clean energy initiatives, extend tax cuts, and limit income-driven student loan repayment programs. Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent at The News & Observer, joins co-host Jeff Tiberii to explain some of the potential impacts in North Carolina.

Then, "Moral Mondays" were born in North Carolina in 2013, but the movement has taken hold in other states and, in recent weeks, in the nation’s capital. On Monday, June 2nd, several clergy and activists connected with the movement were arrested at the U.S. Capitol while praying and opposing President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” One of the leaders of the Moral Mondays movement is Durham-based writer, preacher and activist Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. He joins Leoneda Inge to talk about the movement then and now.

And, one of Raleigh’s biggest office real estate owners is expanding its portfolio in North Hills. Reporter Zachary Eanes has the latest on that company’s bet that office space in the Capitol is still hot. And how the rapid population growth here is part of the calculation. (This conversation originally aired in April 2025.)

On the North Carolina News Roundup...

As Congress tries to push through a federal budget, some Republicans are already regretting recent votes in support of it. Meanwhile the state legislature is advancing immigration policy seeking to crack down on "sanctuary cities.”

And, Amazon has announced plans to bring hundreds of jobs and invest billions of dollars in Richmond County.

Plus, we check in on Carolina and Duke, both trying to get to the College World Series.

Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with a panel of journalists about those stories and more, on Due South.

Editor's note: This interview first aired in April, 2024. Since then, all the students we spoke to have graduated and worked in media and journalism.

Politicians, parents, and pundits have lots of opinions about how to solve mental health problems affecting nearly every campus.

Leoneda Inge speaks with three journalists who worked on and edited stories for The Mental Health Collaborative, a project with nine NC college newsrooms to focus reporting and share coverage around the issue affecting students at each university.

The Mental Health Collaborative was funded by the Solutions Journalism Network. You can find the project here.

Guests

As hurricane season begins in North Carolina, Due South’s Jeff Tiberii talks to WCNC chief meteorologist Brad Panovich about what may be on the horizon regarding storms this summer. NPR investigative correspondent Laura Sullivan shares her reporting the new PBS documentary, Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning, and what the fateful storm revealed about America’s lack of preparedness for future natural disasters. J. Harrison Ghee is a 2023 Tony Award and 2024 Grammy Award winner for their work in the Broadway musical Some Like It Hot. But they got their start on much humbler, local stages in Fayetteville, NC, where they began their career in musical theater as a student at E.E. Smith High School. They return to NC for this year’s 2025 DPAC Rising Star Awards, honoring the state’s top high school theater performers.

The recent announcement of a new Michelin guide dedicated to the American South has sent a ripple of excitement through several Southern states, including North Carolina. We’ll talk to a member of one of the tourism boards who help to finance the Michelin guide and learn more about the restaurant selection process. *encore edition* Guest: Scott Peacock, director of tourism, marketing and communications for Visit NC. “Audacity in Motion,” an exhibition at Ella West Gallery in downtown Durham, features mixed media explorations of the past and future, with an all-male artist lineup and several artists with deep connections to North Carolina.  *encore edition* Guests: Linda Shropshire, founder and owner of Ella West Gallery and artists Justin Ellis, Steven M. Cozart, and Lamar Whidbee. One of Carolina Ballet’s founding members is wrapping her career as a principal dancer at the end of the 2025 season. Margaret Severin-Hansen began with the company in 1998 and will continue to work as an educator and director for two of its affiliate programs. We talk to her about her long and storied career and her plans for the future. *encore edition*

Jurassic-era climate research
Researchers at Duke University have uncovered information about a major extinction during the Jurassic period that they believe sheds light on how climate change affects our oceans.
Mike Kipp, earth and climate science assistant professor at Duke University

New burrowing dinosaur discovery by NC scientists
Researchers at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NC State University have discovered a new dinosaur species that they believe lived at least some of their lives in underground burrows.
Haviv Avrahami, student at North Carolina State University and first author on the study describing the discovery

Resurrecting extinct species like the wooly mammoth
Colossal Biosciences is a biotech company based in Dallas working to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo. They hope their work will be part of slowing down and reversing the massive extinction that we’re living through currently.
Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and chief science officer of Colossal Biosciences

Editor's note: This Due South encore show originally aired August 15, 2024.

On the North Carolina News Roundup... The Trump administration is joining the battle over voter registrations in NC. State House and Senate leaders will soon begin budget negotiations, and one of the many disagreements involves ferry tolls. Also on the coast, famed chef Vivian Howard opened a new restaurant in Duck. And the state has new rules for fishing flounder. Guest host Colin Campbell talks with a panel of journalists about those stories and more, on Due South. Plus, Leoneda Inge talks with Tonya Council, granddaughter of "Mama Dip."

Mary Helen Moore, reporter, NC Newsroom

Kyle Ingram, politics reporter, The Raleigh News & Observer

Sam Walker, OBX News

Tonya Council, chef, baker, Owner of Tonya’s Cookies & Bakeshop, Tonya’s Cafe, NC Made, and Sweet Tea & Cornbread 

Jonathan Allen, professor of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences and the Director of Graduate Programs for Food Science at North Carolina State University, joins Due South to discuss raw milk and safety testing in North Carolina. Landon Bryant discusses his new book, Bless Your Heart: A Field Guide to All Things Southern. And Ashley Oliphant, author of Shark Teeth Hunting on the Carolina Coast, discusses tips for finding fossilized shark teeth and other shoreline treasures.