Due South

Fewer WWII soldiers' remains are being accepted by close relatives.

The remains of one of the final victims of the Pearl Harbor bombing have been identified and brought to North Carolina. 

Neil Frye was 20 years old, and serving as a Mess Attendant 3rd Class in the Navy on the U.S.S. West Virginia. For eight decades, his relatives wanted final confirmation that Frye died, but until recently his remains had not been identified.

Jay Price, Military reporter for WUNC and The American Homefront Project

Author Kathy Reichs on her forensic anthropology career, hit TV show 'Bones' and her new novel

The Fox television drama "Bones" ran from 2005 to 2017 - the longest drama in the network’s history. Our guest today was a producer on the show - and the writer who inspired it.

In fact, she’s the basis for one of the main characters - Temperance Brennan. "Tempe," as she's known, is based on both the life and novels of Kathy Reichs. Reichs is a forensic anthropologist who's spent much of her career at UNC Charlotte. In addition to her academic research, she has penned 23 novels in the Temperance Brennan Series.

Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist, professor emerita in the Department of Anthropology at UNC Charlotte. "Fire and Bones" is the 23rd novel in the Temperance Brennan series.

On the North Carolina News Roundup... 

Flooding from Chantal will have lasting impacts. More vetoes from the governor... which ones are likely to result in overrides? And, we’ll hear about whether new toll roads are coming to Wake County. 

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

Guests

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Gary Robertson, statehouse reporter, Associated Press

Lexi Solomon, reporter, The News & Observer

The results of a federal trial on legislative and congressional district maps in North Carolina will determine whether the GOP’s efforts to redraw district lines in 2023 were lawfully partisan or illegally discriminatory. The trial wrapped on July and a verdict is pending. Jeff Tiberii talks to Paul Garber, who has covered the trial for WFDD. 

As a midsize city with rapid population growth and surging housing costs, Charlotte is a city to study, when it comes to affordable housing solutions. Historian Tom Hanchett’s new book takes a look at the history of public housing in Charlotte, from the 1940s to the present and talks to Jeff Tiberii about what the city can teach other midsize urban areas about addressing growing housing needs. Guest: Tom Hanchett, historian, author of Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City's History Tells Us about America's Pressing Problem 

Author, filmmaker and comedian W. Kamau Bell is known for taking on difficult topics. He’s on tour with his stand-up show “Who’s With Me?” and will be performing this Saturday at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. Bell spoke with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his wide-ranging career, their shared Alabama roots, and parenting during these times. Guest: W. Kamau Bell, author, filmmaker and comedian 

How the Durham Bulls beat the heat 

If there are two things you can count on this time of year – it's baseball and the heat. Leoneda talks with Durham Bulls Interim General Manager Chrystal Rowe about how athletes and fans are beating the heat this summer.

Chrystal Rowe, Interim General Manager of the Durham Bulls

Roy Wood Jr. on 'Road to Rickwood' and the civil rights legacy of the Birmingham baseball field

Roy Wood Jr. hosts the podcast “Road to Rickwood” about the Birmingham, Alabama baseball field that saw it all when it comes to the American Civil Rights Movement. He talks to co-host Leoneda Inge about the history that unfolded at Rickwood, the oldest ballpark in the United States, and what it was like to be at Rickwood when he heard that the great Willie Mays, who got his professional start at the storied field, had passed away. *encore edition*

Roy Wood, Jr., comedian, former correspondent for The Daily Show, host of 'Road to Rickwood'

‘Bull Durham’ writer/director on adapting his famous movie for the stage - with music! 

It’s an adaptation of the classic 1988 movie starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon that follows a season of losses before the Bulls turn it around. With songs, specially-made jerseys, and an all-star cast, they’re shooting to make it to the Big Leagues – Broadway. 

Ron Shelton, writer and director of ‘Bull Durham’ the movie, and he adapted the screenplay for the musical with music and lyrics by Susan Werner.

Lauren Kennedy Brady, actress and singer who’s performed on Broadway. She’s the Executive Director of Theatre Raleigh, and a producer on the musical. 

Wilkes County ‘Recovery Court’ funding sliced

Recovery Court is a tool in the justice system for nonviolent drug offenses. In many places, including some in North Carolina, it’s a way to offer “services, treatment and the potential to avoid prison.” A plan for a recovery court in Wilkes County was set to go forward with federal funding, until the Trump White House rescinded it.

Geoff Hing, data reporter The Marshall Project

Community-based opioid treatment program Project Lazarus

Opioid deaths appear to be on a downward trend in the U.S. for the first time in a decade. One community model has been trying to address the crisis from the ground up in Wilkes County, NC. Its leader shares stories of what they’ve tried to accomplish and discusses how the nonprofit was supposed to partner with state and local municipal governing bodies on a drug court before the Trump White House rescinded funding.

Fred Wells Brason II, President and CEO of Project Lazarus, a community focused non-profit with the goal of preventing opioid overdose

Coastal NC is a hot zone for shark tooth hunting

For keen-eyed observers on the Carolina coast, there are unexpected treasures to be found, right on the shoreline. The North Carolina coast is a fossil hot zone, and fossil shark teeth are not an uncommon find. Beachcomber and author Ashley Oliphant joins Due South to share tips for finding shark teeth and shells on the beach. *encore edition*

Ashley Oliphant, author of Shark Teeth Hunting in the Carolinas

Chantal's damage and aftermath in North Carolina
Flash flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal caused evacuations and water rescues in several NC counties. We get an update from a National Weather Service meteorologist.
Dan Leins, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh

Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century
The Raleigh News and Observer has a complicated and consequential history in North Carolina. The story of the N&O – or the “Nuisance & Disturber” as some called it over the years – is also the story of the family that owned and ran the paper from the late 1800s to the end of the 20th century. And about how the News & Observer didn’t just report on politics, but also shaped politics, for generations of North Carolinians. Rob Christensen, a former political columnist for the News and Observer, talks with Leoneda Inge about his new book, Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century. *encore edition*
Rob Christensen, former political columnist for the News and Observer in Raleigh, author of Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century

Repair Café NC fixes broken household items, while building skills and community
As prices on many goods rise, are you more likely to try to fix broken household items rather than buy something new? Don Fick, founder and organizer of Repair Café NC, has been helping people fix lamps, clocks, toys, and even furniture for almost a decade. Don joins Due South’s Jeff Tiberii to talk about how Repair Cafe works to make things work once again – and helps build skills, and community, along the way. *encore edition*
Don Fick, Founder and Organizer, Repair Café NC 

0:01:00

Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence?
May 20, 1775, is a date you may recognize from the North Carolina state flag. It represents what was supposedly the first declaration of independence made by any of the 13 colonies involved in the American Revolution. That date was added more than a century ago, but its authenticity was first contested by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This conversation originally aired on May 20, 2025.
Scott Syfert, author of ‘The First Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775'

0:13:00

First residential Black beach town invigorates history through annual jazz fest
Since the late 1940s, when Ocean City was formed as a beach community where Black residents were afforded opportunities to purchase land and homes, the town’s founders and residents have worked to preserve its unique history. One way this is being done is through an annual jazz festival, meant to generate much-needed revenue for the community.
Kenneth Chestnut Sr., Ocean City historian, son of town founder

0:33:00

The Broadside: The other Declaration of Independence
July 4th, 1776, is arguably the most important date in American history. That's when citizens of the colonies declared total independence from Great Britain for the very first time. But what if it wasn’t the first? This week, we travel down the rabbit hole of North Carolina’s Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

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.

Brad Panovich, WCNC chief meteorologist

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.

Laura Sullivan, NPR investigative correspondent

Broadway star J. Harrison Ghee on their Fayetteville roots and making Tony history

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.

J. Harrison Ghee, Tony and Grammy Award winner performer and musician, special guest at the 2025 DPAC Rising Star Awards

This hour of Due South originally aired on June 4, 2024

This encore episode first aired in Sep. 2024

Hampton Roads young residents leaving in droves, report finds potential solutions

A lack of job opportunities, and a high cost of housing, are just two of the reasons young residents are leaving the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. A local reporter explains the data, and the potential solutions local leaders are trying. *encore edition*

Ryan Murphy, WHRO’s business and growth reporter

More people moving to urban NC than rural areas in recent decades

Most people who move to North Carolina are moving to cities and the coast. But there are more stories to hear — about the rural towns, cities and regions in our state. A long-time North Carolinian, and demographer, helps us understand the long-term trends in our shifting population. *encore edition*

Nathan Dollar, director of Carolina Demography and a native of Wilson, North Carolina

Princeville, NC's mayor on the challenge of ‘outmigration’

Leaders of small cities and towns use grassroots efforts to maintain populations against the trend of ‘urbanization.’ We talk with one small town mayor in North Carolina - the mayor of Princeville - about the challenges of residents moving out of town, or 'outmigration.' *encore edition*

Bobbie Jones, Mayor of Princeville, North Carolina for 14 years

(This encore episode originally aired December 18, 2024)

Triangle restaurateur follows simple rule: 'respect the ingredient'

If you live in the Triangle and eat at local restaurants, you’ve likely indulged your palate at one of Giorgios Bakatsias’ cafes, bistros, or tavernas.

Giorgios’ restaurant empire dots the region’s culinary landscape, from Chapel Hill to Durham to Raleigh to Wake Forest, and in recent years even expanding out to Wilmington.

And after more than four decades in the business, the eatery entrepreneur does not seem inclined to slow his pace anytime soon. He talks with Leoneda Inge about his culinary journey from Greece to Durham.

A conversation with James Chappel, author of 'Golden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age'

What’s your vision of how you’ll spend your “golden years”? While the specifics differ from person to person, there may be something distinctly American about our society’s framing of aging, how our expectations around aging have evolved, and how that vision is being reimagined in the current economic and social landscape.

From the social movements underpinning Social Security and Medicare to the hit TV show "The Golden Girls," James Chappel takes Due South on a journey through American aging, and what the future of aging in our country might look like. His new book is Golden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age.