Shoresides

North Carolina’s Black Belt is a cluster of northeastern counties known for its rich soil and history. And now, it’s the site of one of the most enduring issues in the state: redistricting. 

But this isn’t the first time that the region has been redistricted to disenfranchise Black voters.

In this episode, we go back to the turn of the 20th century, when white supremacists dismantled “The Black Second,” or North Carolina’s first majority-Black congressional district. This event would set up a century-long struggle between Black voters and those in power who sought to disenfranchise them — a struggle happening to this day. 

Shoresides talked to two eastern North Carolinians. David Cecelski is a historian and storyteller from Carteret County who has written countless works on coastal NC. James Williams Jr. is a retired lawyer who grew up in the Black Belt — Plymouth, to be exact — during the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights Movement. 

This is the first part of a series on redistricting in eastern North Carolina. 

Host / Producer: Layna Hong

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When a million-dollar beach house in the Outer Banks collapses into the surf, it looks like a sudden disaster. But for the people who study coastal risk, it’s anything but. In this episode, we talk with Travis Klondike of NC State’s Coastal Dynamics Design Lab about why.

Links:

Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (CDDL) at North Carolina State University

https://design.ncsu.edu/research/coastal-dynamics-design-lab/

Five homes lost in a day highlight the growing cost of inaction on NC erosion

https://www.wral.com/weather/5-homes-lost-nc-outer-banks-erosion-october-2025/20481590/An 

Photo taken May 10, 2022, showing portion of a collapsed house and debris in the ocean and on the beach at 24265 Ocean Drive, Rodanthe. (NPS Photo)

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Wilmington’s trees are disappearing faster than they can be replaced. In this episode Shoresides talks with Executive Director Isabel Shepherd of the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees about what’s driving the loss and how their new Code & Canopy report lays out a path forward.

Helpful Links

Alliance for Cape Fear Trees — Code & Canopy Report

https://www.allianceforcapefeartrees.com

New Hanover County Tree Canopy Assessment

https://www.nhcgov.com/2839/Technical-Reports-Survey-Results

World's Largest Christmas Tree

https://www.saltmagazinenc.com/o-christmas-tree/

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As the effects of H.R. 1 ripple across the country, North Carolinians are feeling the strain of new SNAP work requirements and a month-long government shutdown. In this episode of Shoresides, host Nicolas Magrino speaks with Emily Kraft and Andrea Cherry of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina about how policy uncertainty is reshaping the state’s hunger relief network. Kraft and Cherry describe rising demand, shrinking food supplies, and the growing fear among residents—especially in Latino and veteran communities—about applying for help. As food banks scramble to fill the gap left by federal cuts, they’re also finding renewed strength in collaboration, reminding us that community care doesn’t end when resources do.

Key Resources

1. Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (Wilmington Branch)

1000 Greenfield Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 · Phone: 910-251-1465  

• Serves five counties in the Cape Fear region including New Hanover.  
• Offers a “No-Cost Market on Greenfield” at the Wilmington location (days and hours listed on their website).  
• Also supports SNAP/FNS outreach and benefits information.

2. NourishNC

3606 Market Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 · Phone: 910-465-0995 (or via website)  

• Focused on supplemental food assistance for children and families in New Hanover County.  
• Programs include: Backpack Program (weekend meals for children), Market on Market (grocery-style choice model), Mobile Market, Food Farmacy.  

3. New Hanover County Department of Social Services – Food & Nutrition Services (SNAP/FNS)

1650 Greenfield Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 · Phone: 910-798-3500 (Option 4)  

• Manages the federal SNAP (Food & Nutrition Services) program for the county.  
• Offers online, phone, mail, or in-person application options.  

4. Local Food Pantry Network

The county provides a publicly available “Food Resource List” featuring many pantries, soup kitchens and mobile / community distribution sites in New Hanover County.  

• Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard – 315 Red Cross Street, Wilmington. Wed & Sat, 12 pm-3 pm.  
• Bethany Presbyterian Church Pantry – 2237 Castle Hayne Rd, Wilmington. Wed 1pm-4pm.  
• Bread for Life Senior Pantry – 108 North Kerr Ave Suites K1&K2, Wilmington. Seniors 60+.  

Tips for Using the Resources

• Call ahead: Hours and distributions can change quickly (especially during crises or disaster-related service shifts).
• Ask about identification or eligibility requirements: Some pantries may ask for proof of residence or ID; many are welcoming and serve all.
• Consider language/immigrant concerns: Especially for Hispanic/Latino communities — many residents may worry about applying for help; outreach coordinators (such as bilingual staff) are available.
• Combine services: SNAP benefits + food pantry + backpack programs for children can be used in tandem.
• Volunteer or donate: Many of these organizations rely on community support and seasonal surges.

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As the holidays approach, sweetpotatoes are finding their way onto tables across America — but nowhere are they more rooted than in North Carolina. For more than half a century, the state has led the nation in sweetpotato production, shaping both its economy and its culture. In this episode, host Layna Hong travels through eastern North Carolina’s fields to uncover why this region is so perfectly suited for the crop, how NC State researchers made it available year-round, and the deep traditions that have grown up around it. Featuring agronomist John Leach, NC Sweetpotato Commission executive director Michelle Grainger, and farmer Kamal Bell of Sankofa Farms.

Music: “Down Where the Sweet Potatoes Grow,” Library of Congress Archives.

Host / Producer: Layna Hong

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Take a slow listen to coastal North Carolina. This Shoresides soundscape moves through ordinary places that shape life along the coast — the surf at Wrightsville Beach, a trawler crossing the Intracoastal, a walk through the pines at Carolina Beach, frogs calling from Greenfield Lake, and the background hum of a favorite local restaurant.

These everyday sounds trace a portrait of place — familiar, shifting, and alive. A moment to pause, listen, and notice the rhythms that surround us.

“A portrait of place — recorded from the sounds we pass every day.”

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Along North Carolina’s coast, shrimping isn’t just an industry — it’s a way of life. This summer, a proposed state ban on shrimp trawling nearly upended that tradition. The measure, added quietly to an unrelated bill, would have outlawed the practice of dragging nets across the sea floor to catch shrimp in the state’s sounds.

When word got out, local fishers pushed back — and won. Now, they’re organizing through the new Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition to make sure their voices are heard in Raleigh.

In this episode, host Nick Magrino speaks with coalition chair Bob Woodard and conservation advocate David Snead about what’s at stake: clean waters, local livelihoods, and the future of an industry that defines coastal North Carolina. Together, they explore how a fight over one bill became a larger debate about science, sustainability, and who gets to shape the future of the state’s seafood economy.

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In this episode of Storm Stories, Shoresides talks with Joe Friday—longtime meteorologist, former director of the National Weather Service—about how staffing shortages and fewer weather balloon launches have recently made forecasts less precise, a  dangerous situation with two hurricanes spinning off our Coasts.

Friday reflects on the pressure on forecasters, the human connections that make emergency warnings work, and why even a small loss in accuracy can mean the difference between safety and risk.

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As more people move to the N.C. coast—and winters grow warmer—human encounters with alligators are on the rise in North Carolina. In this episode, Shoresides speaks with John Henry Harrelson, district wildlife biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, about the challenges of “alligator season,” the launch of the new Gator Wise program, and why keeping gators wild is key to keeping people safe.

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In this episode of Shoresides, we talk with sports-betting expert Steve Bittenbender about the impacts of legal mobile sports betting in North Carolina. We explore what betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings (and their tax dollars) mean for the future of local college basketball teams, like the Seahawks, as well as for residents seeking help with problem gambling.

Steve Bittenbender:

https://www.betcarolina.com/news/north-carolina-tax-hike-proposal

Takayo Siddle Contract:

https://www.wect.com/2025/03/26/siddle-agrees-five-year-contract-extension-with-uncw/#:~:text=WILMINGTON%2C%20N.C.%20(WECT)%20%2D,during%20a%20meeting%20Wednesday%20afternoon.

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