Due South

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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 2025 his remains had not been identified. 

This Due South encore conversation originally aired in April 2025.

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

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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 two dozen novels in the Temperance Brennan Series.

She sits down with Leoneda Inge to talk about her career, latest novel, "Fire and Bones," and what it was like adapting her work for television.

This Due South encore conversation originally aired in September 2024.

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.

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There’s a move to grow competitive soccer at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The HBCU Football Club (FC) Classic kicked things off in Durham. This World Cup season – amplifying world class soccer at Black colleges.

Raymond Brooks - HBCU FC, Director of Digital Development

Emma Brown - Virginia State University Women's Soccer Team

Tatiana Ward - Virginia State University Women's Soccer Team

Jacky Fulu Kiazayadioko - Shaw University Men's Soccer Team

0:13:00

The game of cricket is rapidly gaining popularity across the US. But if you want to see what the future of the sport in America might look like, you need to visit a field next to an airport in the town of Morrisville, North Carolina.

This episode of The Broadside originally published on June 27, 2024, during the 2024 Cricket T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the United States. It was hosted by Anisa Khalifa, produced and edited by Charlie Shelton-Ormond, Jerad Walker.

0:33:00

Tank and the Bangas have come a long way since their 2017 NPR Tiny Desk performance. Now, with a Grammy award in hand, the group has been on several creative journeys. Their most recent album “The Last Balloon” was released this spring and will mark the start of a new musical era for the group. Tank and the Bangas sit down with Leoneda Inge ahead of their performance in Carrboro at Cat’s Cradle on June 20.

Tarriona “Tank” Ball, of Tank and the Bangas

Norman Spence, of Tank and the Bangas

On the NC News Roundup...

State budget negotiations plod along, surveillance by law enforcement at some retail stores may surprise you, and the Canes' quest for the Cup continues in exciting fashion.

Adam Wagner, reporter/editor covering state politics for the North Carolina Newsroom

Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Reuben Jones,Washington reporter covering North Carolina

Nathan Collins, investigative reporter at The News & Observer

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Last summer break, colleges and universities were in a precarious position, facing big federal funding cuts and threats to programs associated with diversity, equity and inclusion.

Due South's Leoneda Inge checks in WUNC News Higher Education Reporter Brianna Atkinson to find out if the biggest threats to Triangle area colleges actually became reality. And if not, what challenges, or opportunities, are on horizon.

Brianna Atkinson, Higher Education Reporter, WUNC News

0:13:00

Chris O'Riordan-Adjah knows a lot about higher education. In addition to earning two bachelor's degrees, two master’s degrees, and a PhD in Civil Engineering, he’s also taught at a range of colleges, including a large 4-year university, small college, and community college. And he wants to share his knowledge with those embarking on college — or thinking about it. “Professor Chris” talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about his book "Getting the Most Out of Your College Experience."
(This conversation originally aired June 23, 2025.)

Chris O'Riordan-Adjah, author of "Getting the Most Out of Your College Experience"; Dean of Building, Engineering and Skills Technology Division, Durham Technical Community College

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After months of speculation and deliberation, the final decision about a school closure in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system was made last week. Glenwood Elementary School will shut down in Fall 2027. Jeff Tiberii talks with CHCCS superintendent Dr. Rodney Trice about the decision and what comes next for students, families and the district.

Rodney N. Trice, Superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

0:13:00

From teacher pay debates to enrollment drops to budget crises, it’s been yet another challenging year for school systems across our region. As the traditional public school year wraps up, we check in with two education reporters to update us on the latest news and unpack some trends across districts.

Liz Schlemmer, Education Reporter, WUNC News

Amy Diaz, Education Reporter, WFDD

0:33:00

If you're a food lover traveling on I-40 to your summer getaway, the journey might now be as exciting as the destination. Food journalist Hanna Raskin has created a restaurant guide titled “I-40 Exit Strategy,” which explores the tantalizing flavors that can be found just off the interstate.

Hanna Raskin, author of I-40 Exit Strategy , founder and editor of The Food Section

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A new book explores legacy of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms

Historian Bill Link’s new book "Jesse Helms: Modern Conservatism and the Politics of Opposition" explores the connection between the career and legacy of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms and the current political landscape.

William A. Link, historian, author of Jesse Helms: Modern Conservatism and the Politics of Opposition

0:33:00

‘Scene of Radio’ returns with 8th podcast season on the state of news media 

The hit historical podcast, Scene on Radio, is back with its 8th season, “The News.” The series takes a deep dive on the evolution of local and national media landscapes. Due South talks to host and producer John Biewen and co-host Chenjerai Kumanyika about their work on the new season and future of news consumption in America.

John Biewen, creator and host, Scene on Radio

Chenjerai Kumanyika, professor, podcast creator, and co-host, Scene on Radio

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HBO's hit murder mystery series, The White Lotus, perked Southerners' ears with their third season. North Carolinians have found their Southern drawls prominently featured – but how authentic are the actors’ portrayals of Chapel Hill and Durham accents? We consult a local sociolinguist for answers.

Walt Wolfram, William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor of English at North Carolina State University and the director of the North Carolina Language and Life Project

This segment originally aired in 2025.

0:33:00

This time, the authors were joined by a fourth-generation Ocracoke resident and another language expert to take an even deeper dive on the culture and evolution of the accent.

The book is called Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue. It includes QR codes with audio from people speaking with the accent, and with people sharing their experiences being asked by tourists to "speak" so they can hear it.

Candy Gaskill is a coauthor and lifelong resident of Ocracoke.

Jeffrey Reaser is an English professor at North Carolina State University, and the inaugural Walt Wolfram Distinguished Professorship in Sociolinguistics.

Walt Wolfram has been a William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English at NCSU. Wolfram announced his retirement in 2026.

They co-authored the book Talkin’ Tar Heel.

At the end of the first segment is a short clip of the song "Charlie Mason Pogie Boat." It's about a ship that wrecked just off Ocracoke Island. On the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album "Between the Sound and the Sea: Music of the North Carolina Outer Banks."

On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup… 

One local school board votes to close an elementary school. Will state lawmakers mandate a new nuclear plant? And the ‘Canes, locked in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis from those and other stories from the week.

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Claudia Rivera Cotto,Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NC

Bryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter

Danielle Battaglia, congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer

Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC News

The name “Murdaugh” became known across the country, and even the world, in 2021 when Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found dead on their family estate in South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh, husband to Maggie and father to Paul, was eventually convicted of killing them.

In May 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the double murder convictions, and a new trial date has yet to be set. Leoneda Inge talks to Wall Street Journal reporter Valerie Bauerlein about the latest developments.

Later in the hour, we revisit a conversation with Bauerlein about her book "The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty."

Valerie Bauerlein, reporter, The Wall Street Journal and author of The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty

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A conversation with journalist Abraham Kenmore, who recently wrote a piece for Indy Week titled “A Year After Federal Job Cuts, Workers in the Triangle Are Still Picking Up the Pieces.”

Abraham Kenmore, freelance journalist

0:13:00

A downward trend in public school enrollment coupled with conservative state spending across the last 15 years has left some districts facing difficult financial decisions. In Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools this could soon mean one fewer elementary school.

Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC News

0:33:00

The National Black Bear Festival returns to Plymouth, NC for its 12th year on June 5-6. 

Jeff Tiberii talks to founder and director Tom Harrison about North Carolina’s massive black bear population and what to expect from this year’s festivities.

Tom Harrison, founder, director, National Black Bear Festival, director, Washington County Tourism