The State of Things

Before the University of North Carolina at Greensboro was a thriving liberal arts school filled with rich and diverse voices, it was Woman’s College. When JoAnne Drane stepped foot on the campus in 1956, the school was one of the largest women’s colleges in the country, but it was far from diverse. In fact, she was one of the first two black students.

Alexa Rose was singing before she could talk, but she did not sing or even listen to country music until she was a teenager. She starred in a country-inspired musical theater production, which opened her up to the sounds of the Carter family, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.

As the Trump administration continues to chip away at Obamacare, many public health practitioners are left wondering how the changes will affect their clients. The statewide sexual health non-profit Shift NC has voiced particular concerns about how the administration’s policies could affect underserved teens and adolescents.

Last November, some voters in the small Eastern North Carolina town of Sharpsburg showed up to the polls but were unable to cast ballots. Due to a technical error, the Wilson County Board of Elections only printed 12 ballots for their precinct, even though that precinct has over 200 eligible voters. The mayoral race was decided by three votes, and the man who lost has since successfully challenged the results in court.

The world of academic publishing is all about credibility, and most scholars want to be published in the nation’s most reputable academic journals. But accessing those journals can be very expensive. While large universities can often afford to foot the bill, researchers at smaller colleges, or those in developing countries, may find themselves unable to afford access to the latest scientific research.

There have been more than 10 school shootings in the country so far this year. As the gun debate rages on Capitol Hill, students around the country have taken things into their own hands staging walkouts and protests.

The latest episode of WNYC’s “On The Media” takes a critical look at how the press covers white supremacy and neo-Nazi groups. The episode stemmed from questions reporter Lois Beckett asked herself as she was covering white nationalist rallies for The Guardian.

Ruxandra Guidi is no stranger to deadlines. She has been working as a storyteller and journalist for close to two decades for outlets including NPR, the BBC, National Geographic and The New York Times. But lately she has become increasingly interested in slowing down the reporting process and seeing what happens when she gives herself one month or one year to tell a story, instead of one day or one week.

Since the Valentine’s Day shooting at a Florida high school, President Donald Trump says teachers should be armed. Last week North Carolina State Superintendent Mark Johnson polled teachers around the state about the matter.

Richard Hartshorne, known internationally as “ Dobbs ,” left the classical music world in 2004 to play Bach for audiences who do not usually have access to it. The double bassist founded “ Bach With Verse ,” a non-profit that brings music to audiences that otherwise would not get it. Dobbs has played in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and in prisons around the United States.