Children of immigrants are often asked to interpret for their parents, a task that can get particularly complicated in health care settings. For members of North Carolina’s Hmong community, there may be additional complications. As WUNC’s Eli Chen and WFAE’s Layna Hong write in their recent report about aging Hmong immigrants seeking health care in North Carolina, “[m]any English terms don’t exist in Hmong, such as diabetes and cancer.” 

Eli and Layna join co-host Jeff Tiberii to talk about the story they co-reported called "As Hmong immigrants in NC get older, their adult children shoulder the labor of interpretation." They are also joined by Sendra Yang, who has interpreted for her father at many of his doctors appointments. Sendra also helped start an organization called North Carolina Hmong Women Association, Inc.

Politicians, parents and pundits have lots of opinions about how to solve mental health problems affecting nearly every campus. In this conversation, students themselves share their perspective of what they and their classmates are facing.

These students work at the nine college newspapers in North Carolina partnered together to create The Mental Health Collaborative, a series of stories about campus mental health.

Guests

On the North Carolina News Roundup…

The state has a $1 billion surplus, and the governor wants more in the way of raises for teachers and state employees and less for private school vouchers. With the Republican-led legislature gaveling in this week, do the Democratic Governor Cooper's requests have much of a chance?

Meanwhile, the state treasurer continues to pressure drug makers for better prices on obesity medication.

And the Carolina Hurricanes are back in the playoffs. Spring hockey in the Triangle included a wild comeback this week.

Join Jeff Tiberii and a panel of reporters for context and analysis of the week’s news.

Guests

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Gary Robertson, Statehouse Reporter, Associated Press

Mary Helen Moore, Durham Reporter, The News & Observer

In her first standup tour in six years, Kathy Griffin jokes about the hardest times in her life. She chats with co-host Leoneda Inge in advance of her Durham, NC tour stop on May 5. North Carolina State University professor Kelly Oten tells co-hosts Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii about the sights and sounds to expect as 13-year cicadas emerge in the Triangle area and beyond.

As warm weather emerges in North Carolina, so do the snakes. A reptile expert tells us how to observe — and enjoy — snakes from afar. Then, an emergency medicine doctor tells us what to do if you’re bitten by a venomous snake: first, stay calm, and second, seek medical care.

If your nose is getting stuffy, you’re not alone. About one-fourth of Americans have seasonal allergies. And mid-April is usually the height of spring allergy season for central North Carolina, and into the Triangle.

Bekah Brunstetter has written for shows like Maid on Netflix and NBC’s This is Us. Most recently, she wrote for the Broadway musical adaptation of The Notebook. She discusses the debut of her Lysistrata adaptation, The Game, at Playmakers Repertory Theater in Chapel Hill.

Guests
Robert Bardon, Associate Dean, NC State University College of Natural Resources
Dr. Edwin Kim, Division Chief, UNC Pediatric Allergy & Immunology

Bekah Brunstetter, playwright

In honor of Earth Day 2024, co-host Leoneda Inge chats with Dr. Jack Kurki-Fox of NC State University about microplastics pollution; State Climatologist Dr. Kathie Dello to talk about climate change in NC; and Charles Welch of the Duke Lemur Center about lemur conservation. 

On the North Carolina News Roundup… DEI and the BOG – a University of North Carolina Board of Governors committee votes to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at all 17 campuses. The head of the North Carolina State Board of Elections tells lawmakers that county boards need more help. And, big business in the Tar Heel state: updates on Amazon's facility in Johnston County, and VinFast's facility in Chatham County. 

Later in the hour, a conversation about why and how medical marijuana will soon be sold on the land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and why the effort has gained so much attention.

Some Republican-led states have accepted federal funding for a program that will make getting food during the summer easier for children on free and reduced price lunch, others use it as political football.

Families that qualify will receive $40 per month for the three summer months per child. It will be paid out in a lump sum through electronic benefits (EBT). Learn more about "SUN Bucks" or "Summer EBT" here: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks 

And, 

Guests:
-Katrina Shealy, Republican South Carolina State Senator

-Tamara Baker, Project & Communications Director at the Carolina Hunger Initiative

-Madhu Vulimiri, Deputy Director of the Division of Child and Family Well-Being at NCDHHS

-Bekah Brunstetter, playwright with a new adaptation of Lysistrata titled "The Game" debuting at Playmakers Repertory Theater in Chapel Hill.

Show Notes:
Here's the Op-Ed Sen. Shealy co-wrote with Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson.
-https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/gov-mcmaster-sc-legislature-summer-ebt-program/article_6807914a-cb71-11ee-a39f-5b488d7b1a17.html

WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell joins Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii for a preview of the North Carolina General Assembly’s upcoming session. Hummingbird researcher Susan Campbell shares tips for spotting and attracting the smallest bird in North America. In a new "About Dad Time," writer Michael Venutolo-Mantovani shares his family's experience with pregnancy loss.