Due South

By Jeff Tiberii, Leoneda IngeNews

Due South episodes

March 18The Avett Brothers' bassist on new book about John Quincy Adams. Local govt slow on public records requests
0:01:00
Local governments across NC can be slow to respond to public record requests. Why that matters.
Local government agencies in North Carolina are required by state law to provide public records ‘as promptly as possible.’ But the speed with which those requests are fulfilled varies widely across the state. Why that matters for public information, transparency, and government accountability.
Laura Lee, Editorial Director, NC Local
Related:
State law says public records have to be provided 'as promptly as possible.' What does that actually mean?

0:13:00
John Quincy Adams as a ticket to understanding our current moment in American history
The Avett Brothers’ bassist Bob Crawford has a unique side gig — he’s a historian. And in his first book, Crawford pens a biography of one-term President John Quincy Adams.
Bob Crawford, longtime bassist for The Avett Brothers and author of the new biography America's Founding Son.

0:33:00
Thomas Dambo's giant trolls move in to Raleigh's Dix Park
Danish artist and activist Thomas Dambo’s new public exhibition of giant trolls has been installed at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh.
The five trolls are strategically hidden in the woods and meant to be stumbled upon by wanderers and nature-lovers. It is the largest Dambo installation of its kind in North America.
This Due South encore conversation originally aired November 3, 2025.
Ruffin Hall, CEO and president, Dix Park Conservancy
Find more details about visiting the Dix Park troll installation here: https://dorotheadixpark.org/trolls
51 min
March 17Vaccines and public health: voices from Asheville, Nashville and the Triangle
0:01:00
Yet another reason measles can spread — it can be hard to identify
An update on the spread of measles in the Carolinas, and how communities in western North Carolina are trying to cope with the confusion – even in a hospital.
Andrew Jones, Rural Health Reporter, KFF Health News
Related: Andrew Jones’ article for KFF Health News is ‘‘Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before"

0:13:00
HBCU leader Dr. James Hildreth on medical research funding cuts, vaccines and community health
Dr. James Hildreth is an infectious disease expert and HBCU leader. He also served on the FDA Vaccine advisory committee that reviewed COVID-19 vaccines and on former President Biden’s Health Equity Task Force. Hildreth talks with Leoneda Inge about the past, present and future of vaccines.
Dr. James Hildreth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Meharry Medical College

0:33:00
Coping with changing guidance on vaccines
Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with a pediatrician and medical historian about vaccines, vaccine hesitancy and addressing parents’ confusion and concerns. (This interview originally aired February 2, 2026)
Dr. Jeffrey Baker, practicing pediatrician, a Professor of Pediatrics and History, and the Director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine
51 min
March 16 Low public school enrollment; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Rodney Trice; Tayari Jones' 'Kin'
0:01:00
Public school enrollment is down across the state. Are school closures imminent?
Public school enrollment is down across the state. Due South checks in with WUNC News education reporter Liz Schlemmer, regarding causes for the steady decline and one school district’s decision to address under-enrollment by closing one school in the next two years.
Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC News

0:13:00
CHCCS Superintendent Rodney N. Trice talks budget issues, lower enrollment and possible school closures
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools superintendent Rodney Trice joins Due South to discuss waning enrollment, budget challenges and a possible elementary school closure by 2027.
Rodney N. Trice, 28thSuperintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

0:33:00
In ‘Kin,’ Tayari Jones takes readers on an odyssey through the Jim Crow South
Tayari Jones’ fifth novel, Kin, explores a lifelong friendship between two women on drastically different paths in life. Jones tells Due South about her inspiration and her Southern roots.(This Due South encore edition originally aired February 16, 2026)
Tayari Jones, professor of English and creative writing at Emory University and author of the new novel, Kin
51 min
March 13 NC News Roundup: Update on Berger/Page primary; VP Vance visits Rocky Mount; NC military connections to Iran war
On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup....
The longstanding state budget stalemate gets a dusting as the Governor and legislative Republicans spar over spending. Vice President Vance is set to touch down in Rocky Mount. And the impacts to service members in NC from the war in Iran so far.
Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis from those and other stories from the week.
Danielle Battaglia, reports on Congress for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer
Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief for WUNC News
Claudia Rivera Cotto, Politics Reporter for Enlace Latino NC
Jay Price, military reporter, WUNC News
Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief The News & Observer, and host of the Under the Dome podcast
51 min
March 12 Adult smoking rates down in NC, but youth vaping among highest in nation. Plus, the Dedicated Men of Zion.
0:01:00
North Carolina tobacco use updates and youth vaping
Smoking among adults in North Carolina has dropped below the national average, but our state ranks in the top ten in the country for e-cigarette use among young people. Three experts weigh in on the gains and the big problems still facing North Carolina when it comes to tobacco use.
Kim Bayha, Cessation Director for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch within the Chronic Disease and Injury Section of NC Division of Public Health, Department of Health & Human Services.
Sally Herndon, former head of Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, NC Division of Public Health
Tricia Howard, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Child and Adolescence Behavioral Health at Duke Health
0:33:00
A live performance by The Dedicated Men of Zion
The Eastern North Carolina-based band, The Dedicated Men of Zion, discuss and perform songs from their latest album, Coming Up Through the Years.
Anthony “Amp” Daniels, band leader
Antwan Daniels, Tyjon Harris and Jahiem Daniels, band members
Emmanuel Thomas, keyboardist
51 min
March 11 New book explores Lady Bird Johnson's 1964 whistle stop campaign tour; Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
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Shannon McKenna Schmidt explores the history of Lady Bird Johnson's 1964 whistle stop campaign tour
In 1964, Lady Bird Johnson became the first First Lady to take a prominent role in campaigning for her husband’s presidential election. Her whistle stop tour on a train called the Lady Bird Special traveled through eight Southern states, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. We talk to the author of a new book about Johnson’s tour, “You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her.”
Shannon McKenna Schmidt, historical researcher and author of “You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her”

0:33:00
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County seeks to address growing affordable housing needs
Buying a home in Orange County is becoming increasingly prohibitive. Housing prices are on the rise, as wages stagnate. Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is working to address a growing need for affordable housing throughout the county and particularly in Chapel Hill.
This Due South encore conversation originally aired February 23, 2026.
Jennifer Player, president and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
51 min
March 10Can anything stop beachfront homes from collapsing on the Outer Banks? Plus, water resilience across North Carolina.
0:01:00
Water resilience across North Carolina
A conversation with Samantha Mosier of East Carolina University’s Water Resources Center about the biggest water challenges facing each region of our state.
Samantha Mosier, Associate Professor in Department of Political Science and Associate Director of the Water Resources Center, East Carolina University
0:13:00
Can anything stop Outer Banks houses from falling into the ocean?
Last fall, news feeds were inundated with dramatic images and videos of beach houses on the Outer Banks of North Carolina falling into the ocean. Several more structures toppled during winter storm weather earlier this year.
WUNC News’ Colin Campbell took a trip to Buxton to learn more for an episode of "Main Street NC," a special series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. He’s joined by two reporters with deep roots in that community to talk about the immediate and long-term impact of beach erosion and climate change.
Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC News
Catherine Kozak, reporter covering coastal issues for the Coastal Review
Zoe Kane, intern at “Down from DC” and Politics and Journalism student at Wake Forest University
Related:
Colin Campbell’s full podcast episode for "Main Street NC" is titled “Erosion help is on the way for Buxton's disappearing beach, but more challenges loom”
51 min
March 09 Former editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the state of print journalism in the South
0:01:00
The fallout from Epstein’s connections in Higher Education
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to a Duke professor, and other fallout from the latest release of files by the Department of Justice. Leoneda Inge speaks with a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Emmy Martin, reporting intern at The Chronicle of Higher Education, previously Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Tar Heel during the 2023-24 academic year.

0:13:00
AJC Editor discusses the state of print journalism in the South
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Atlanta Journal Constitution editor Cynthia Tucker discusses the fate and future of print journalism, in the wake of her former newspaper going fully digital in late 2025.
Cynthia Tucker, former editorial page editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winner and journalist-in-residence at the University of South Alabama

0:33:00
New North Carolina music with local music journalists
What critics are saying about Fayetteville native J. Cole’s newest album “The Fall-Off,” whether the Triangle’s biggest music festivals will even happen this year, and the state of North Carolina music. Due South's Leoneda Inge speaks with a panel of NC music journalists.
Brian Burns, Music Reporter WUNC News
Ryan Cocca, Founder and Editor of Super Empty, a North Carolina hip-hop outlet
Mir Tolbert, founder of Carolina Waves, a multiplatform outlet about North Carolina music, and the host of the platform’s weekly radio show on K97.5
Read more here about how the city of Fayetteville's relationship with J. Cole has changed over the years. The story is a collaboration between superempty. and The Assembly
51 min
March 06 NC News Roundup: Sen. Thom Tillis' tirade; Berger and Page race far from over; NC primary analysis
On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup... Primary election results, including the latest on the miniscule margin between NC Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page. Senator Thom Tillis sounds off on now-former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. All that and more on the Friday News Roundup.
Adam Wagner, reporter and editor covering state politics for the North Carolina Newsroom
Bryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter
Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer
Eric Bazail-Eimil, national security reporter at POLITICO with a focus on the Department of Homeland Security
51 min
March 05Epstein’s connections to NC and higher ed. Plus, how natural disasters are contributing to a growing mold problem.
0:01:00
The fallout from Epstein’s connections in Higher Education
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to a Duke professor, and other fallout from the latest release of files by the Department of Justice.
Leoneda Inge speaks with a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Emmy Martin, reporting intern at The Chronicle of Higher Education, previously Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Tar Heel during the 2023-24 academic year.
Read Martin's article "'A Moment of Reckoning’: After Epstein, Higher Ed Faces Hard Questions About Its Proximity to Power" here.

0:13:00
Climate change, natural disasters, and a growing mold problem in Western NC
Humidity and heat in the South are creating another housing problem: mold.
Multidisciplinary researchers at Duke University are collaborating to understand mold’s impact on human health.
Two reporters in Asheville have been studying the phenomenon, and how mold is a growing problem. Their article for Grist is titled "A hotter, wetter South is becoming a breeding ground for mold."
Asiya Gusa, microbiologist, Duke Climate and Fungi Research Group (CLIF)
Laura Hackett, Helene Recovery Reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio
Katie Myers, reports on climate change in Appalachia through a partnership between Grist and Blue Ridge Public Radio

0:33:00
Local music roundup with NC music journalists
What critics are saying about Fayetteville native J. Cole’s newest album “The Fall-Off."
Plus, whether the Triangle’s biggest music festivals will even happen this year, and the state of North Carolina music. Due South's Leoneda Inge speaks with a panel of NC music journalists.
Brian Burns, Music Reporter WUNC News
Ryan Cocca, Founder and Editor of Super Empty, a North Carolina hip-hop outlet
Mir.I.Am, founder of Carolina Waves, a multiplatform outlet about North Carolina music, and the host of the platform’s weekly radio show on K97.5
51 min

About Due South

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“Due South” is WUNC News’ weekday current affairs radio program and podcast. Broadcast from the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham, co-hosts Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii put…