On the North Carolina News Roundup... It’s the end of the month, which means it’s day 31 of a federal government shutdown - barring an eleventh-hour development, this shutdown means the 1.4 million North Carolina recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are going to lose benefits. Also, the latest redistricting legal challenge, health insurance premiums are set to rise for many across our state, and a horrific crime in Johnston County. Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of journalists cover the week in NC news. Mary Helen Moore, reporter for Axios Raleigh Gary Robertson, statehouse reporter, Associated Press Sarah Michels, staff writer specializing in coverage of North Carolina politics and elections, Carolina Public Press Bryan Anderson, freelance reporter, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter Reuben Jones, Washington reporter covering North Carolina, Spectrum News

0:01:00 Party affiliation in North Carolina continues to shift away from Democrats Across the past few decades there has been a major reduction in the number of registered Democrats in our state. Political scientist Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University talks to Jeff Tiberii about his recent article in The Assembly “Democrats Are Losing Members in N.C. But Are the Republicans Gaining?” Christopher A. Cooper, Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor and Director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy, Western Carolina University 0:13:00 Can a theory about Southern politics help explain American politics? North Carolina State University professor Irwin Morris talks about his new book, Partisan Places: Movers and Stayers Across America. Irwin Morris, William T. Kretzer Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Executive Director of the School of Public and International Affairs, North Carolina State University 0:33:00 Why Mecklenburg County leaders now love the sales tax Municipal officials have an array of options for raising money to fund city and county projects. Property tax increases. Bond referendums. And, the sales tax. Longtime Charlotte Observer reporter Jim Morrill digs into why Mecklenburg County officials have been favoring the sales tax in recent decades. Jim Morrill, was a reporter at The Charlotte Observer for almost 40 years, and wrote the new story “Why Politicians Learned to Love the Sales Tax” for The Assembly

0:01:00 Videri Chocolate Factory faces tariff challenges Since opening in Raleigh in 2011, Videri Chocolate Factory has experienced success and popularity as a small boutique chocolate business. The company, known for its organic, imported ingredients, has seen economic strain in recent years, following a surge in cocoa prices. Tariffs imposed in 2025 have further exacerbated those financial challenges. Sam Ratto, founder of Videri Chocolate Factory 0:13:00 Paula Poundstone on being polite and political Comedian Paula Poundstone returns to Due South for a conversation about finding humor in challenging times, engaging politics onstage and trimming down her overweight rescue cat Larry. Her current tour makes stops in Asheville on October 31 and Greensboro on November 1. Paula Poundstone, humorist, author, regular contributor to NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and host of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone 0:33:00 The Death Faire returns to Pittsboro for its 10th annual celebration of death, love and grief For ten years, Pittsboro has been home to the Death Faire, one of the only annual celebrations of death, loss and grief in the country. Leoneda Inge talks to founder Tami Schwerin and faire organizer Cathy Brooksie Edwards about the history of the gathering, its purpose and its reach. Tami Schwerin is the founder of the Death Faire, a re-developer of The Plant in Pittsboro and the author of the new book, “Welcome to the Death Faire: Love, Loss and Healing in a Small Southern Town” Cathy Brooksie Edwards is the founder of Heart-2-Heart-N-C, a nonprofit  dedicated to end-of-life and grief journey support

0:01:00 Duke University finds itself in Trump's crosshairs, even after dropping "DEI" When he was a Duke University student, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller was politically outspoken. And he didn’t hold back on what he thought about his “Leftist University…” as he called it in his column for The Duke Chronicle.  A look at Miller's possible influence and the Trump administration's targeting of Duke, despite its efforts ramping down some so-called DEI efforts. Patel shared reporting from his story, "Duke Was Paring Back its Diversity Programs. Trump Targeted It Anyway." Vimal Patel, Higher Education reporter at The New York Times 0:13:00 Due South's Leoneda Inge speaks with a journalist who helped free an innocent man convicted of a 1985 double murder in Georgia An award-winning investigative reporter digs into a shocking double murder in Georgia, eventually freeing a man who was wrongfully imprisoned, but not without stirring up trouble and even putting himself into danger. The story is told in his new book The Man No One Believed. Joshua Sharpe, author The Man No One Believed: The untold story of the Georgia Church Murders is also a print and audio journalist and editor 0:33:00 ‘The Devil’s Done Come Back’ in a new anthology of Southern ghost tales A new anthology collects short stories from 15 writers across the state, just in time for spooky season. The Devil’s Done Come Back: New Ghost Stories from North Carolina explores what is uniquely unsettling and intriguing about Southern storytelling. Ed Southern, author, executive director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, editor of the new anthology, The Devil’s Done Come Back: New Ghost Tales from North Carolina

“Mutual aid” is a phrase that received renewed attention during the Covid-19 pandemic. But the United States has a long history of mutual aid. Leoneda Inge talks with two scholars about some of that history, and explores how mutual aid has been deeply intertwined with the social, political and economic lives of Black Southerners.  Then, Jeff Tiberii talks with two helpers with Triangle Mutual Aid about their responses to recent disasters like Chantal and Helene, and how those efforts go beyond traditional volunteering. Guests Blair LM Kelley, President and Director, National Humanities Center; author of Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class Tyesha Maddox, Associate Professor, Department of African and African American Studies, Fordham University Virgo, co-founder and helper, Triangle Mutual Aid Heather Hall, helper, Triangle Mutual Aid

On the North Carolina News Roundup... The state legislature was back in Raleigh to once again redraw Congressional districts, this time at the request of President Donald Trump. And while Republicans all agreed to create another GOP safe seat, things got tense between the House and Senate as talks broke down again over the state budget and Medicaid funding. And outside the legislative building, Governor Josh Stein unveiled a new workforce training program with help from a major aviation company. Guest host Colin Campbell and a panel of journalists cover the week in NC news. Guests Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy  Lynn Bonner, investigative reporter, NC Newsline Zachery Eanes, Axios Raleigh  Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief the Raleigh News & Observer

1:00 Amid government shutdown and growing need, food banks are under strain As food insecurity increases across the 34 counties that the Central and Eastern North Carolina Food Bank serves, funding is decreasing and federal food insecurity tracking has also ended at the USDA. Jason Kanawati Stephany joins us to discuss the long-term impact of these strains on food bank resources. Jason Kanawati Stephany, Vice President of Communications & Public Policy of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 13:00 Western North Carolina counties are exhausting their annual budgets, awaiting promised federal funds The federal government has barely covered 10 percent of Helene damage in North Carolina, according to Gov. Josh Stein’s Hurricane Helene Relief Federal Funding Request. County and state governments have maxed out their contributions to relief and repair, awaiting reimbursements from FEMA. Those reimbursements are currently delayed, in part due to bureaucratic red tape. Brady Dennis, national environmental reporter, The Washington Post 33:00 Creative costumes aren’t just for crafters Leoneda Inge talks with two sustainability advocates about leaning into your creative Halloween spirit to make your own Halloween costume this year. Evie Dallmann, student and “Sustainability Steward,” North Carolina State University Heather Anne, Interim Executive Director, The Scrap Exchange

0:01:00 North Carolina redistricting updateAs a new measure to redraw North Carolina’s Congressional map moves through the state legislature, Due South checks in with political science professor Chris Cooper to learn the latest and discuss the context surrounding the redistricting effort. Guest Chris Cooper, Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University 0:13:00 'Tales from the Haunted South' author casts light on ghost tour industryGhost tours can be spooky and fun. But they can also perpetuate damaging narratives. Dr. Tiya Miles researched ghost tours from Charleston to New Orleans for her bookTales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era. Miles talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about the ghost tour industry in the South and explores the ways many tours have peddled in racist and misogynistic tropes. She also says these tours have the power to reveal important and often untold Southern history, but only when the stories are told with nuance and care. (This interview previously aired on October 28, 2024.) Guest Tiya A. Miles, Michael Garvey Professor of History, Harvard University

0:01:00 The latest free speech culture war? Whether a class syllabus is a public record Universities in the UNC system have been asked to disclose course materials via public records requests from a right-wing think tank. But two of the universities don’t agree on whether the materials should be public record. Leaders’ decisions could shape how so-called “DEI” initiatives on campus are targeted. Brianna Atkinson, Higher Education reporter for WUNC 0:13:00 John T. Edge searches for home, after trying to find it in Southern food A new memoir from the southern food historian delves into the personal. It’s about the stories, and the lies, he was told as a white boy growing up in Georgia — in the 1960s and 70s. But "House of Smoke" doesn't just refer to a difficult home and childhood Edge grew up in. It also represents the barbecue spots his father took him on roadtrips too. And the places he's gone over the years with his son. John T. Edge, is author of the new memoir “House of Smoke: A Southerner goes searching for home.” Edge helped found the Southern Foodways Alliance, and is the author of “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.” He also writes and hosts the television show TrueSouth, and writes a column for Garden & Gun. 0:33:00 A Duke professor remembers Jane Goodall Jane Goodall’s passing earlier this month prompted tributes from all over the world honoring her work as a primatologist, anthropologist and conservationist. The impact has been felt here in the Triangle as well. Duke University housed Goodall’s extensive archives, including observations and complete life histories of the more than 200 chimpanzees she dedicated her career to studying. Anne Pusey, James B. Duke Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology, studied under Goodall and managed the Jane Goodall Institute Research Center when it was at Duke. She talks to Due South’s Jeff Tiberii about what she learned from Goodall and about the special link Goodall had to our region. (An excerpt from this interview originally aired October 9, 2025) Anne Pusey, the James B. Duke Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University

0:01:00 HBCU 101: Campus Safety Edition In response to an uptick in campus and campus-related shootings during homecoming season, HBCUs across the country are implementing heightened safety measures. North Carolina A&T State University is one of them. This move comes following a shooting a homecoming party in 2022 and 2025 shootings at Jackson State University, Alcorn State University and South Carolina State University. Kani'ya Davis, fall 2025 daily news intern at WUNC. She’s also a senior journalism student at North Carolina A&T State University 0:13:00 In ‘Afterlives of the Plantation,’ a scholar explores Black agricultural history after slavery A new book tracks the history of the Southern plantation to post-Emancipation academic, professional and artistic tracks for Black Americans. Jarvis C. McInnis, Duke assistant professor of English joins us to discuss Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global South. Jarvis C. McInnis, Associate Professor of English, Duke University, author of Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South 0:33:00 NC Symphony music director Carlos Miguel Prieto talks about family, musical influences and music education Conductor and 6th music director of the North Carolina Symphony Carlos Miguel Prieto joins Due South to discuss his life, career, commitment to music education and the 2025-2026 symphony season. Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor and music director, North Carolina Symphony

On the North Carolina News Roundup... North Carolina is joining the recent redistricting efforts we’ve seen across the country. We take a look at NC Republicans’ plans to try to pick up another Congressional seat. Then, we turn to the Triad to check in on a funding shortfall at one of the state’s largest school districts. How 2.5 million North Carolina residents had $6.5 billion in medical debt wiped out. Those stories, plus how the ongoing shutdown continues to be felt in North Carolina, on this week’s North Carolina News Roundup. Guests Adam Wagner, reporter/editor covering state politics for the North Carolina Newsroom Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer Claudia Rivera Cotto, political reporter, Enlace Latino NC Amy Diaz, education reporter, WFDD

0:01:00 The NC State Fair returns to Raleigh   The 2025 NC State Fair will debut new rides, a rodeo and 88 new foods. NC State Fair director Kent Yelvertson joins us to discuss what attendees can expect this year. Kent Yelverton, NC State Fair director 0:07:00 McBride Concessions celebrates 93 years of family-owned fair concessions Since 1932, McBride Concessions has been traveling to fairs in North Carolina, offering grilled meats, vegetables and other foods. The company was the first to bring smoked turkey legs to the North Carolina State Fair in 1932. Bess McBride Brinkley, VP of McBride Concessions 0:22:00 Raleigh’s beloved Howling Cow ice cream got its start at the State Fair If you go to the State Fair in Raleigh, you’ll find NC State students scooping Howling Cow Ice Cream — just like they have for some 50 years now. Hear the story behind the ice cream company’s development from the university's agriculture school into a sweet sensation. Carl Hollifield, Director, Dairy Enterprise System at N.C. State University

0:01:00 Duke Basketball’s Kara Lawson tapped to coach Team USA The Duke Basketball program has long been associated with Olympic success. Coach K oversaw three American teams that finished atop the podium. Now, a different Blue Devil leader is readying for international play. Friend of the program Mitch Northam provides all the important details. Mitchell Northam, senior writer at SB Nation 0:08:23 A generation of performers returns to Durham to celebrate 25th anniversary of arts nonprofit This weekend, a local institution celebrates 25 years of dance, drama and music. Walltown Children’s Theatre, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and inspiring children from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to explore the performing arts, plans a full weekend of activities honoring the quarter century anniversary, including a showcase at the Carolina Theatre on Saturday night. Due South’s Leoneda Inge will be at the showcase event, featuring country music star Rissi Palmer. Today, Leoneda talks to the executive director of Walltown Children’s Theatre about the organization’s enduring impact on the Durham arts scene. Cara Williams, Executive Director, Walltown Children’s Theatre 0:23:38 Previewing 'Cinderella' at the North Carolina Opera  Jules Massenet’s opera, Cinderella, makes its company debut at NC Opera on October 17. Leoneda Inge talks to two principal performers in the show about differences between how Cinderella is presented in Massenet’s production and how audiences more commonly recognize the fairy tale. Nicole Cabell, soprano and star; and Lucia Bradford, mezzo soprano and principal performer, NC Opera’s Cinderella

0:01:00 NC job growth is slow, even while unemployment rates hold steady. Just like the national economy.What the state’s most recent job numbers say about growth, and how North Carolina’s economy is doing while much of the U.S. is in a holding pattern from the global trade war. (This conversation originally aired September 23, 2025.) Michael Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at NC State University 0:08:00 ‘Navigate Your K-12 Options,’ WUNC live event explores education in the TriangleThe school year is well under way, but that won’t keep parents from thinking about what next year might hold for their kids. From traditional public schools, to magnet schools, charter schools and private schools, the educational landscape can be dizzying. Last month, WUNC held a live event at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh called “Navigate Your K-12 Options” — part of WUNC’s Education 101 series to better understand education in North Carolina. Due South presents excerpts from that event moderated by WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer and featuring parent panelists whose kids attend different types of Triangle area schools. Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC Sarah Keiger, parent and founder of Triangle School Consulting Keisha Leonard, parent and parent liaison for Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina Marie Dexter, parent and president of the Wake County PTA Council

0:01:00 A reporter debrief on Medicaid changes in NC   Today, we’re focused on health care. First, Medicaid – the most expansive health care program in America. It has 72 million recipients. Nearly one in four North Carolinians is on Medicaid – primarily people who are living with lower incomes, as well as individuals with disabilities, and children. The program has always operated on thin margins, and now those margins are now even more fragile due to a reimbursement rate cut that took effect last week. We learn more from NC Health News reporter Jaymie Baxley. Jaymie Baxley, reporter focused on Medicaid and rural health at NC Health News 0:13:00 A NC family fights for mental health care, but even after two suicide attempts, their claims were denied We’re joined by ProPublica reporter Duaa Eldeib to talk about her recent article entitled ‘Just Let Me Die’ - After insurance repeatedly denied a couple’s claims, one psychiatrist was their last hope. It’s a story about mental health, the failures of insurance companies, and the efforts of a determined wife – and one psychiatrist – to help a man who was near death. Duaa Eldeib, reporter focused on health care and racial inequity at ProPublica 0:33:00 A Winston-Salem mom on how Medicaid has been crucial for her son's care Jeff Tiberii talks with someone directly impacted by the federal and state cuts to Medicaid. Rachel Roth Aldhizer is a mom of five. Her four-year-old son, David, has profound brain abnormalities. Medicaid has been a vital service for David and the Aldhizer family. But changes to the health care program are already being felt in their Winston-Salem home. Rachel Roth Aldhizer, Winston-Salem mom, her op-ed I’m a Conservative. My Disabled Son Needs Medicaid to Live. was published in The New York Times.

On the NC News Roundup… State Representative Cecil Brockman faces bipartisan calls for resignation, amid arrest on criminal charges. UNC Football coach Bill Belichick finds himself at the center of controversy, as the team’s season gets off to a floundering start. Sen. Thom Tillis challenges National Guard deployment Guests Pat Welter, sports reporter, WRAL Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh Nathan Collins, investigative reporter, The News & Observer Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy

0:01:00 After her passing, Jane Goodall’s connection to Duke University lives on Jane Goodall’s passing earlier this month prompted tributes from all over the world honoring her work as a primatologist, anthropologist and conversationalist. The impact has been felt here in the Triangle as well. Duke University housed Goodall’s extensive archives, including observations and complete life histories of the more than 200 chimpanzees she dedicated her career to studying.  Professor Anne Pusey, right, with anthropologist Jane Goodall (3024x2274, AR: 1.3298153034300793) Anne Pusey, James B. Duke Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology, studied under Goodall and managed the Jane Goodall Institute Research Center when it was at Duke. She talks to Due South’s Jeff Tiberii about what she learned from Goodall and about the special link Goodall had to our region. Anne Pusey, James B. Duke Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University 0:08:00 Chef Vivian Howard explores everyday cooking questions in ‘Kitchen Curious’ Chef Vivian Howard returns to television in a new food variety show on PBS. “Kitchen Curious” tackles the everyday questions both novices and seasoned cooks face in the kitchen. Leoneda Inge talks to Howard about returning to television after years away, reimagining her work as a restaurateur and what to expect from the first season of her new show. Vivian Howard, award-winning cookbook author, TV personality, chef and restaurateur

0:01:00 ‘Remembering Blood’ conference in Durham aims to reimagine menopause Menopause is not quite the taboo subject it once was, but many are just beginning to talk about it frankly. Others have been talking about menopause for a long time, how it impacts historically marginalized communities, and how to reframe our thinking on menopause, not as an ending but as a “portal.” This weekend, that portal will be centered here in Durham at a conference called Iranti Ẹ̀jẹ̀: Remembering Blood. Due South’s Leoneda Inge speaks with conference organizer Omisade Burney-Scott and conference speaker Sonya Renee Taylor. Omisade Burney-Scott, Founder, The BlackGirls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause Sonya Renee Taylor, Founder, The Body Is Not an Apology 0:23:45 North Carolina foliage forecast with the 'Fall Color Guy’ The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and leaves across the region are beginning to change from green to brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. Due South’s Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii talk with Appalachian State University biology professor Howard “Howie” Neufeld, also known as the “Fall Color Guy,” about his fall foliage forecast, and when and where North Carolina leaf peekers are likely to get the best views. This conversation originally aired September 18, 2025. Howard “Howie” Neufeld, biology professor, Appalachian State University

0:01:00 Data centers could raise power bills in North Carolina The massive homes for computer servers, cloud storage and artificial intelligence are in high demand. A recent analysis from NC State University and Carnegie Mellon University projects the rising number of data centers is likely to increase electric bills by an average of 8% nationally by the end of the decade. This conversation originally aired September 16, 2025. Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh 0:08:04 The surprising story of apples in the South Jeff Tiberii sits down with Diane Flynt, author of “Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South,” to discuss the long and curious history of Southern apple growth and extinction. This conversation originally aired November 21, 2023. Diane Flynt, author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived and founder of Foggy Ridge Cider in Dugspur, VA 0:23:35 With parents in the South, W. Kamau Bell gets it Author, filmmaker and comedian W. Kamau Bell is known for taking on difficult topics. Bell spoke with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his wide-ranging career, their shared Alabama roots, and parenting during these times. This conversation originally aired July 10, 2025.  W. Kamau Bell, author, filmmaker and comedian

0:01:00 A year after an Asheville restaurant was destroyed by Helene, not much has changed The co-owners of Gourmand, a French rotisserie, struck out to open a stand-alone restaurant in Asheville’s River Arts District. But before they could open, Hurricane Helene ruined everything. The co-owners are still making food. And still waiting for their restaurant to be service-ready. Peyton Barrell and Katie Grabach, co-owners of Gourmand, a French Rotisserie restaurant that was set to open in Asheville’s River Arts District before Hurricane Helene 0:13:00 The Biltmore Estate, a major tourism destination in WNC, works to bounce back post-Helene The Biltmore Estate in Asheville is the largest privately-owned home in the country. The majestic manse welcomes countless visitors each year, but since sustaining significant damage after Helene, the Biltmore has had to work tirelessly to restore its grounds. Leoneda Inge talks to Chase Pickering, Vice President, Biltmore House Guest Experience & Operations, and fifth-generation Vanderbilt, about the work it’s taken to bounce back. Chase Pickering, Vice President, Biltmore House Guest Experience & Operations, and fifth-generation Vanderbilt 0:33:00 Asheville leaders want visitors, not just ‘volun-tourists’ Parts of Asheville and the surrounding areas are still recovering, one year after Hurricane Helene. But others, like downtown, are already making a comeback. Leoneda Inge talks with Vic Isley of Explore Asheville about the area's recovery efforts and message to visitors. Vic Isley, President and CEO of Explore Asheville