Due South

On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup... the North Carolina Senate passes a $500 million Helene relief bill. Gov. Josh Stein unveils his budget proposal. And more than 200 justices, judges and attorneys called for Jefferson Griffin to end his election lawsuit. Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with a panel of journalists about those stories and more, on Due South.

Guests: Bryan Anderson, reporter, Anderson Alerts newsletter; Colin Campbell, WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief; Liz Schlemmer, WUNC K-12 Education Reporter; Danielle Battaglia, Washington Correspondent, News & Observer/Charlotte Observer

A seasonal allergy forecast as pollen rains down on NC
It’s springtime in North Carolina – flowers are growing, trees are blooming, and people are sneezing. The notorious yellow-green particles of pollen are dusting cars, roads and surfaces everywhere. Robert Bardon, a professor of forestry and environmental resources at NC State, joins Jeff Tiberii to discuss pollen trends, impacts and severity.
Robert Bardon, Associate Dean for Extension, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University  

Local sports reporters talk March Madness
March Madness is ramping up with a smidge of controversy, as critics question UNC men’s basketball’s inclusion in the 2025 NCAA Tournament First Four. A panel of sports reporters weighs in on their odds, as well as the women’s teams. We’ll also check in on Duke men’s and women’s teams’ standings as the most thrilling section of the college basketball season gets underway.
Mitch Northam, digital producer for WUNC and senior writer for Breakaway
Kate Rogerson, sports reporter/anchor for ABC 11
Jack Taylor, sports reporter/anchor for WCCB in Charlotte

‘Shattering the Glass’
Last year’s NCAA women’s basketball championship brought together a dynasty team in the University of South Carolina, and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, already a basketball legend. The game’s popularity is as high as it’s ever been as we approach the 2025 tournament. Historian Pamela Grundy and former sportswriter Susan Shackelford are authors of a revised edition of "Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball.” They join Due South’s Jeff Tiberii to talk about the importance of the women’s college game in this moment, especially here in North Carolina.
Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford, authors of "Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball" (revised edition) 

It's been almost six months since Tropical Storm Helene caused catastrophic flooding and damage in the city of Asheville. In Due South's latest edition of "Meet the Mayors," Leoneda Inge talks to Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer about the logistical and political complexities of leading her city during a time of recovery and rebuilding.

Then, Due South's Jeff Tiberii talks to a Warren County hemp farmer and a North Carolina State University researcher about the challenges and opportunities in transitioning from tobacco to industrial hemp farming.

Listen to more from Due South's occasional series 'Golden Leaf' about tobacco's deep roots in North Carolina.

Secret buildings. Loud electronic hums. You might be closer to a data center than you think. We get the scoop on the energy-needy facilities that make your smartphone go. 

And,  a zoomed-in look at private school vouchers in North Carolina focusing on one county. New Hanover County. 

Plus, the fight over fluoride in NC.

Guests

Brian Gordon, Business & Technology reporter for The News & Observer 

Rachel Keith, Education reporter for WHQR in Wilmington 

Realtor John Wood talks housing prices across the Triangle. Axios reporters Zachery Eanes and Brianna Crane talk with Due South's Jeff Tiberii about "co-buying" and "co-living." USModernist founder and CEO George Smart weighs in on generational changes in attitudes toward modernist homes. 

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

Governor Josh Stein’s State of the State address and the Speaker Destin Hall’s Republican response, the NC Senate votes to ban DEI in public schools, how USDA grant freezes impact a Warren County farmer, and an ACC men's basketball tournament update from Charlotte.

All that and more, on Due South's North Carolina Friday News Roundup with co-host Jeff Tiberii.

Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management professor Lincoln Larson joins Leoneda Inge to explain how budget cuts and layoffs can impact spring and summer travel, tourism dollars, and protected ecosystems. Rev. Jonathan “Jay” Augustine of Pastor of St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal Church in Durham discusses his participation in a 40-day fast from shopping at Target, following DEI policy rollbacks. Emila Sutton, director of Housing and Neighborhoods for the City of Raleigh, discusses a first-of-its-kind pilot program to address unsheltered homelessness.

Doctor Mandy Cohen became a household name in North Carolina after the virus spread to the state. She led the State Department of Health and Human Services from 2017-2021, and went on to become the CDC Director under President Biden.  

Plus, now in its fourth edition, the Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival honors the musician's influence and the genre of Jazz Manouche, also known as "Gypsy Jazz" he created with performances, and workshops at Cat’s Cradle later this month. 

Guests

Dr. Mandy Cohen, former NCDHHS Health Secretary, and CDC Director 

Gabriel Pelli, is a musician, teacher, composer, and he’s the organizer of the Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival. 

From university funding to DEI to deportation policy to Medicaid, a panel of WUNC reporters looks at how Trump 2.0 affects North Carolina and the people who call our state home.

Guests

Brianna Atkinson, Higher Education Reporter, WUNC

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Jay Price, Military Reporter, WUNC

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra, Race, Class & Communities Reporter, WUNC

Liz Schlemmer, Education Reporter, WUNC

Jason deBruyn, Supervising Editor for Digital News, WUNC

Edenton’s Confederate monument still stands, two years after a vote to take it down
A deal to move a Confederate monument in front of the Edenton Town Council fell through. What’s next for the statue, and the lawsuits over its position.
Mechelle Hankerson, News Director at WHRO Public Media 

In “Confederates,” Black women in two eras face the same challenges
Playmakers Repertory Company is staging a new production of Dominique Morrisseau’s satirical drama, Confederates. Leoneda Inge sits down with the director and a principal actor from the play to talk through its themes of race, gender and social empowerment.   Mengwe Wapimewah, actor, Confederates, PlayMakers Repertory Company   Christopher Windom, director, Confederates, PlayMakers Repertory Company  

‘HillmanTok’ online university inspired by NC A&T professor’s TikTok 
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University professor Leah Barlow didn’t set out to inspire the creation of a free, online curated set of lectures called “HillmanTok.” But her TikTok video that helped launch the virtual university  -- named after Hillman College from the TV show “A Different World” -- has now reached 4.5 million views. Barlow talks with Leoneda Inge about why her video resonated for so many in this political moment. 
Leah Barlow, liberal studies professor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University