Carolina Connection

UNC is facing growing pressure to release its investigation of the internal turmoil within the School of Civic Life and Leadership. Amid backlash against DEI, professors in UNC's Women and Gender Studies department continue to promote open dialogue. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools officials are defending library books with LGBTQ+ content that state lawmakers deem inappropriate. We hear how poetr...

On the latest edition of CarolinaCast, Carolina Connection’s podcast, reporter Lauren Mallett talks with Maddie Policastro about the significance of protests ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. She spoke with protestors and organizers at the recent No Kings protests in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, along with Western Carolina University Professor Christopher Cooper, who studies American politics....

A North Carolina death row inmate works with a UNC music professor to produce an album. Media organizations sue to force UNC to release the findings of its seven-month investigation into the School of Civic Life and Leadership. The curator of Coker Arboretum is trying to help plants through the drought and has some advice for your garden, too. A group of people goes to RDU not to catch flights, bu...

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees live under tarps, tin scraps, and spare sheets of wood they've found in the heart of New Delhi, India. They fight the unforgiving heat, inconsistent water supplies, and the threat of deportation to Myanmar, where they fled brutal violence. A United Nations report has recognized the Myanmar army's campaign against the country's Rohingya minority as genocide. While Indi...

Eating disorders are typically stereotyped as a girl thing, but boys and men struggle with an obsession over gaining muscle and bulking up – sometimes referred to as "bigorexia." Research shows nearly a third of teen boys in the U.S. report trying to gain weight … and about a quarter report taking supplements, steroids, or eating more. Rachel Moody reports in this edition of the Carolina Connectio...

A new men's basketball coach comes to Carolina, joining his daughter, a student athlete, as a Tar Heel. The April Fools’ satire edition of the Daily Tar Heel wasn’t funny to a lot of people on campus and around the country. Several of the newspaper's staff members have resigned after readers complained the satire was insensitive to marginalized communities. North Carolina has a special reason to c...

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities are reshaping what it means to be a student athlete. But not every sport is benefiting in the same way. As NIL continues to evolve, women in non-revenue sports are finding that success in the marketplace often depends less on performance in competition, and more on the personal brands they build online. Zoe Behrendt, a non-revenue female athlete hersel...

After a Chapel Hill bar was charged in connection with a second fatal car wreck, a former employee speaks out. The firing of Hubert Davis as Carolina's men's basketball coach may end the program's long connection to Dean Smith and usher in a new culture. Artists reimagine noise pollution through an installation in the Coker Arboretum. Triangle residents find community through fixing broken devices...

Patients can no longer receive gender affirming care at UNC Health if they’re under the age of 19. This limit exceeds North Carolina state law, which only bans these treatments for minors — or those under 18. Now, doctors and patients at the Triangle’s largest health system are adapting to the new regulation. Carolina Connection's Alice Scott discusses the new restrictions with host Anthony Guerra...

Climate activists say they're still hopeful despite the Trump Administration’s attacks on environmental regulations. After a fatal crash, a Chapel Hill nightclub is being investigated for serving underage customers – the same nightclub that faced similar charges two years ago. The North Carolina Zoo prepares to welcome visitors and animals to a new Asia exhibit. A local sanctuary allows visitors t...

UNC faculty have raised concerns about academic freedom and their rights after three new policies were implemented that change the rules on classroom procedure. One policy, which allowed University administrators to record classrooms without instructor knowledge, was recently scrapped by the Chancellor after faculty pushback. Other policies remain in effect, including a new systemwide academic fre...

Fourth District Congresswoman Valerie Foushee’s slim victory highlights tensions in the Democratic party. The war in the Middle East has left people at UNC feeling the weight of the conflict. Experts say rising gas prices are closely related to the Middle East conflict. Students return from Milan, where they helped document the Winter Olympics. A controversial artist demonstrates the power of prin...

After pushback from faculty, UNC has abruptly reversed a controversial new policy that allowed administrators to record classes with the instructors' knowledge. Tuition is increasing throughout the UNC System. Some North Carolina university students have to make long, treacherous walks to purchase fresh food. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education is considering closing schools. An exhibition...

A Triangle community is limiting its use of lights and sirens on EMS vehicles to reduce ambulance accidents. Doctors say vaccine hesitancy is one of the causes of this year's active flu season. A local Black History Month event remembers the past by encouraging action today. As Name Image and Likeness reshapes college athletics, some players in less prominent sports are building their own brands....

Henry Nicholls and Reyna Drake profile Joseph Terrell and his new viral anti-ICE song, “Genuine American Hero.” The song has almost four million views on TikTok. Terrell is a UNC alum and gained fame through his former band, Mipso.  Henry, who talked with Joseph Terrell, discusses the song’s meaning, the intersection of folk music and political protest, and the importance of social media to the gr...

Faculty members worry a new UNC System policy could cause a chilling effect within the classroom. President Trump's repeal of greenhouse gas regulations will likely bring legal challenges. Chapel Hill businesses continue to reopen after Tropical Storm Chantal, but some are worried about future flooding. "Bulking up" can become an obsession for young men with body dysmorphia disorder. An unlikely m...

College students and Democratic groups are suing state election officials for blocking early voting sites on three North Carolina college campuses. UNC mourns the death of James Spurling, who managed UNC's iconic football stadium and became a local icon himself. Unless Congress acts, most hemp products will become illegal later this year. As UNC and Duke tip off this season’s men’s basketball riva...

After immigration crackdowns in Minnesota, opponents across the Triangle are coming together to speak out. UNC leaders propose deeper budget cuts that some employees fear will mean job cuts. UNC Health is increasing barriers to gender affirming care, reigniting debate over treatment for teens. Business rents are rising in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but some merchants have found creative ways to lim...

College can be stressful for any student, but it’s especially challenging for those facing food insecurity. An initiative from the school of social work provides a new student mental health resource. AI is changing the job market for both applicants and employers. UNC’s men basketball team is full of new faces - creating mixed feelings among fans. An English professor holds unconventional office h...

Emmy Berger and Maddie Policastro break down the buzz around UNC’s Beekeeping Club and its “Honey for Hunger Initiative." The club processed and bottled more than 200 pounds of honey, and every dollar from sales goes straight to the Carolina Cupboard campus food pantry. While tabling in the Pit, the beekeepers have already raised nearly six thousand dollars, and sales will keep rolling out over th...