The State of Things

On November 26, 1996, a group of housekeepers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill settled a lawsuit with the university that provided the workers with increased wages, improved career training and education programs and more transparent communication with university administrators. The settlement was the culmination of a movement led by the UNC Housekeeper's Association. The group's efforts follow a legacy of activism by workers at UNC-CH . Host Frank Stasio talks with Al McSurely

Mandolin Orange 's new album, " Blindfaller ," moves between a haunting warning about politics, allusions to lingering effects of historical wars in the South, and a honky-tonk ode to life on the road.

Wildfires continue to sweep through the Southeastern United States. More than 28,000 fires have burned approximately 1.5 million acres of land in the region so far this year, according to The National Interagency Fire Center . Historically wildfires are a concern predominantly in Western states, but a new series of reports from “Reveal,” a project of The Center for Investigative Reporting, shows that wildfires are becoming bigger and more costly throughout the country. The spread of wildfires is

Many know Mayberry as the idyllic town that was home to the fictional Andy Griffith show. A new film highlights the characters of the true Mayberry: Mount Airy, North Carolina. Filmmaker Bill Hayes, a Mount Airy native, captured the characters and places that make Mount Airy a representation of “Hometown USA.” Despite economic struggles caused by the decline of textile manufacturing, The Real Mayberry continues to thrive and retain its unique character. Host Frank Stasio talks with Hayes,

Comedian Josh Gondelman has earned the nickname the “nicest man in comedy,” for his inherently decent and astute comedic style. But many in that world may also consider him to be one of the luckiest men in the business because comedy writing is part of both his day and night jobs. Gondelman is a writer for the Emmy-Award winning HBO show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” co-authored the book “You Blew It,” and co-created the famous Twitter account “Seinfeld Today.” In addition to all of this

A three-judge panel of a federal court ordered the North Carolina legislature to redraw their district lines and hold a new election next year. The court found 28 of the state house and senate districts were unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered. The decision requires the redrawing of the lines and shortens all the terms of members elected earlier this month to one year. And the controversy over the governor’s race continues as incumbent Pat McCrory refuses to concede despite a nearly 10,000

Forty-five years ago, New York state police raided Attica Prison , a maximum-security institution in a small town in upstate New York. The standoff and takeover led to the deaths of 39 men in what has become known as the "Attica Prison Uprising." Scholar and historian Heather Ann Thompson considers the uprising to be both one of the most important civil rights events of the 20th century and a pivotal moment in criminal justice history. Yet many citizens know little about it. Thompson's new book

Dean Smith is known as a legendary basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His teams won 879 games and two NCAA national championships. But one of Smith's most crowning achievements isn't instilled in a trophy. In 1967, Smith recruited basketball player Charlie Scott, the first African-American scholarship athlete at UNC-CH . It was a seminal act for Smith and furthered his push for civil rights in the South. In the new book, "Game Changers: Dean Smith, Charlie Scott

Putting on running shoes and heading out for a jog is not a straightforward affair for black men. Runner Rendell Smith remembers a white woman who was so scared when she saw him jogging toward her, she dropped her groceries and bolted.

More than 30 years ago, comedian Paula Poundstone hopped on a Greyhound bus and traveled the country performing in small comedy clubs. Over the years, Poundstone rose up through the ranks of comedy and eventually earned her own HBO special. In 1992, she became the first woman to host the White House Correspondents Dinner. Today, she is heard regularly as a panelist on the NPR program " Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! " Poundstone's commentary on politics and pop culture has been a driving force