Due South

On the North Carolina News Roundup... President Jimmy Carter is laid to rest. We examine his impact here in North Carolina. The state legislature is back with a new speaker of the House and plans to prioritize disaster recovery. And – will we see any snow? What to expect from the winter storm headed our way. Join WUNC's Colin Campbell, Leoneda Inge, and a panel of reporters for a roundup of the week's news. 

Nick Petro, meteorologist for the National Weather Service

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Sydney Haulenbeek, North Carolina Reporter, Courthouse News Service

Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy

Rob Christensen, former political columnist, News & Observer

Known to some during his time on the 1976 presidential campaign trail as a "New South" moderate, former President James Earl Carter came to the White House as a Washington outsider and strived to learn and manage the work of the office both stateside and abroad. 

But the Nobel Peace Prize winner may be remembered more for his human rights, conflict resolution, and humanitarian efforts post-presidency.

Due South takes a look at the life of Jimmy Carter with a historian who dedicated much of her career to the study of his work.

Editor's note: This conversation originally aired December 18, 2023.

Guest

Dr. Nancy Mitchell, professor of history at North Carolina State University and author of Jimmy Carter in Africa: Race and the Cold War.

Leoneda Inge chats with Laura Belcher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region about President Jimmy Carter's volunteer work; NC State historian Nancy Mitchell discusses President Carter's legacy; standup comedian and author Maria Bamford discusses her mental health advocacy, her long career in comedy and her upcoming standup appearances in Durham and Charlotte. 

How NC Republicans could govern in 2025
Though the GOP lost its supermajority in the state legislature, the party’s priorities will still lead the agenda.
Mitch Kokai, Senior Political Analyst, the John Locke Foundation

Southern Democrats regroup after the election
Some Democratic organizers thought the campaign plan was so bad, they even went rogue to court voters. Maya King's campaign coverage in the South, including in swing states NC and GA, shows what went wrong, and what the party is doing to regroup. NC State Sen. Natalie Murdock shares her own thoughts, and what's next for Democrats in NC.
Maya King, political reporter for the New York Times based in the South
Natalie Murdock, State Senator (Chatham, Durham) and political and coalitions director for Harris for President North Carolina for the 2024 election

Higher education in North Carolina is big business as schools vie for the best and the brightest staff and students. But in 2024, we learned how fragile higher education can be with budget deficits, leadership turnover, war, and politics. Today we take you on a higher ed encore of voices and stories Due South brought you in 2024 – and a glance at what to expect in 2025. 

Leoneda Inge chats with WUNC's higher education reporter Brianna Atkinson about some of the biggest news stories on campus and beyond - from the pro-Palestinian protests at UNC-Chapel Hill to the impact of Helene on campuses across the state. 

2024 saw a major jump in freshmen enrollment at historically Black institutions across the state. We revisit some of the voices from our series 'HBCU 101' including from North Carolina Central University, St. Augustine's University, and Shaw University. 

Finally, a look at the top college sports stories in North Carolina – a little bit of baseball, soccer and a lot of basketball - with WUNC digital producer and sports reporter Mitchell Northam. 

Guests

Brianna Atkinson, Higher Education Reporter at WUNC

Mitchell Northam, Digital News Producer and sports reporter at WUNC

And featuring previous interviews with... 

Michael Bailey, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Transfer Services at North Carolina Central University.

Ariana White, 2023-24 Student Body President at St. Augustine’s University

Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw University

In the summer of 2024, Due South hosted its first-ever live show at Motorco Music Hall in downtown Durham. 

Co-hosts Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii sat down with blues performer Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen to discuss her life and career. 

Then, they were joined on stage by four local award-winning chefs to talk about biscuits, barbecue and business. 

Today we listen back to a special one-hour broadcast of that event. 

This encore edition of Due South originally aired October 30, 2024. 

Guests

Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen and her band, blues singer and entertainer

Ricky Moore, James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, entrepreneur, and author. Chef and owner of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham.

Michael “Mike D” De Los Santos, entrepreneur, purveyor of award-winning barbecue sauces and rubs. Owner of Mike D’s BBQ in East Durham.

Bill Smith, author, chef, recognized by the James Beard Awards as a finalist for Best Chef Southeast in 2009 and 2010. Chef at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill for nearly three decades until his retirement in 2019.

KC Hysmith, food scholar and writer, associate editor, along with Marcie Cohen Ferris, of “Edible North Carolina: A Journey Across a State of Flavor"

Many Americans will swear off alcohol for the month through “Dry January,” but many Southerners already abstain. Two Pew Center researchers on the data, and how the South fits into the national landscape. (This conversation originally aired on Jan 22, 2024.)

Then, it was no surprise to Petey Pablo that he would grow up to be a superstar. "Superstar" was his mother's nickname for him during his childhood in Greenville, NC. After a few rocky years of adolescence and a 6-year prison stint, he would reach rap superstardom in 2001 with his hit single (and enduring North Carolina anthem), "Raise Up." Co-hosts Jeff Tiberii and Leoneda Inge sit down with Petey Pablo to discuss his life, career and how he has managed to stay in the music business for over 20 years. (This conversation originally aired on September 25, 2024.)

Forget Gatorade and a bag of chips – the American South is home to a more advanced style of gas station cuisine. Photographer Kate Medley knew this growing up in Mississippi. And, the Asheville van-life couple behind media production company Authentic Asheville. (encore edition)

When Duke professor Caroline Bruzelius started studying the architecture of Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral in the 1970s, she couldn’t have guessed she’d be asked to help rebuild it.

Guests
Kate Medley, freelance photographer, author and photographer of “Thank You, Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South”

Erin McGrady is one half of Authentic Asheville, and an accomplished photographer, filmmaker and writer

Caroline Bruzelius, Ph.D., art historian and medieval architecture expert, consulted with the team that reconstructed Notre Dame following a fire in 2019

On the North Carolina News Roundup… our 2024 Year-in-Review edition. 

From Helene to the veepstakes... 'power grabs' to expensive elections.... Final Fours to national titles... we reflect on the biggest stories of the year. 

Join Jeff Tiberii and a panel of reporters for context and analysis of the news that shaped North Carolina in 2024.

Guests

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Lucille Sherman, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Mitch Northam, digital producer at WUNC

Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy

Laura Lee, News Director, Blue Ridge Public Radio

And featuring

Benjamin Schachtman, news director, WHQR Wilmington

Zachary Turner, climate reporter, WFAE Charlotte

A North Carolina farm family who lost tens of thousands of Christmas trees to Helene will celebrate their own Christmas with a five-foot "hurricane tree" that's "perfect for us this year."

Then, an excerpt from The Broadside's recent episode "Can we save Christmas (trees)?"

And, we revisit a conversation from spring 2024 about Fraser fir Christmas trees and the threats they face during their ten-year growing cycle, especially from climate change.

Guests

Logan Avery and Graham Avery, manager at Avery Farms

Steve Riley, contributor at The Assembly

Justin Whitehill, Assistant Professor in the College of Natural Resources and Christmas Tree Genetics Program Lead, North Carolina State University