Due South

On the North Carolina News Roundup... New election rules could make rejecting ballots easier in North Carolina, but will they be on pause until after the mid-terms? The new Meta settlement sends hundreds of millions of dollars to North Carolina — what could it mean for our state and our kids? A state senator from the Outer Banks announces an early retirement. And space traveler Christina Koch make...

0:01:00 NBA star and Durham native welcomes students back to school with 3rd annual backpack giveaway Trey Murphy III, forward with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans and Durham native, recently hosted his third annual Back to School Community Bash in partnership with Durham Parks and Recreation. Leoneda Inge visited the event and spoke with Murphy and with attendees. Trey Murphy III , NBA player, Dur...

College football is back! This weekend, players take to the gridiron to open the season for a sport that is seeing a lot of change. From the transfer portal, NIL agreements for athletes, media rights for conferences, to the potential for Congress to have their say in college athletics; the storylines for this season go beyond the gridiron.  Demetri Ravanos , columnist, Awful Announcing and podcast...

0:01:00 Mahalia Jackson’s civil rights legacy takes center stage in new book A new biography explores the underreported civil rights legacy of legendary gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson. The co-authors discuss Jackson's rise from humble beginnings in Louisiana to superstardom, crossover success and civil rights movement prominence.  The authors will be in conversation on August 27 in dow...

0:01:00 Residential and school segregation are closely linked For nearly a century, residential segregation and school segregation have been closely linked. It began with the founding of the Federal Housing Administration, ongoing efforts by housing developers and well-meaning parents hoping to provide the best possible education for their small children.   Leoneda Inge talks with Karen Benjamin,...

On this week's North Carolina News Roundup, the Board of Elections finalizes early voting plans in disputed districts, ending open polls on Sundays in some counties. Elon University releases a new poll that shows wide support for former governor Roy Cooper in the upcoming U.S. Senate race. And while youth violence is on the rise across the state, law enforcement and community stakeholders seek sol...

0:01:00 “HBCU 101 – Housing Crunch!” North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro is expecting its largest student body in school history this fall – topping 16,000 students. The HBCU has steadily grown for the last 12 years and securing housing for students who want and need to live on campus remains a challenge. In July, NCAT opened its first new residence hall in more than 20 years. St...

0:01:00 There's no predicting the impact of prediction markets Prediction markets are new, largely unregulated, and they seem to be everywhere. Jeff Tiberii talks with Professor Michelle L. Malkin, who leads ECU’s Gambling Research & Policy Initiative, about how quickly they’ve taken hold and what steps are needed to mitigate the negative consequences of these online gambling markets. Michelle...

0:01:00 The health impacts of heat These days it feels like there is no simple way to beat the heat. And our new climate reality means we need to take new and more serious precautions to protect ourselves and our neighbors from its health impacts. Dr. Lauren E. Siewny joins Leoneda Inge to talk about concerning signs to look out for and how to best handle this steamy summer weather that just won’t...

0:01:00 Pioneering scientist Joseph L. Graves Jr.’s new book tackles the racial life expectancy gap A recent book from North Carolina A&T biology professor Joseph L. Graves, Jr. interprets the gap in life expectancy between Black and white Americans and debunks the misconception that race can dictate disease prevalence. (This interview originally aired December 8, 2025.) Joseph L. Graves, Jr....

Today on the Friday News Roundup, we learn more about state lawmaker Jennifer Balkcom, the new congressional candidate whose name will appear on the ballot this fall in western North Carolina after Republican Chuck Edwards backed out of the race for NC-11. Also, UNC proposes a LLC to manage and maximize athletics revenue. And, now that the Hurricanes have sold out their season tickets, what does t...

0:01:00 North Carolina’s jails are facing an overcrowding crisis. Here’s why. More than one-third of North Carolina’s nearly 100 jails have exceeded capacity at some point since January 2026. Nineteen of those jails have been overcrowded every single month of this year. Luke Woollard of Disability Rights NC joins Due South to discuss the growing impact of overcrowding. Luke Woollard , attorney for...

0:01:00 A higher education update As colleges get ready for students to arrive on campus for the fall semester, Leoneda Inge talks with higher education reporter Brianna Atkinson about some of the biggest issues confronting higher education institutions — including federal research funding, DEI, and enrollment. Brianna Atkinson , Higher Education Reporter, WUNC News 0:13:00 Countdown to college: n...

0:01:00 Part One: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson Jeff Jackson has been the state's so-called Top Cop, in statewide office for more than eighteen months now. A former prosecutor, four-term state senator, and member of Congress, Jackson, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, is North Carolina's 51st Attorney General. His tasks are far-reaching, from oversight of data centers to elections...

0:01:00 Some communities still rebuilding, a year after Chantal flooding hit Chapel Hill When Tropical Storm "Chantal" hit Chapel Hill, Carrboro and surrounding communities on July 5, 2025, no one could have imagined the impact of the flood and how long it would take to recover — especially residents who were caught in the storm's dangerous conditions. We check in on communities and businesses a y...

This week on the North Carolina News Roundup...  Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards drops his reelection campaign after a House Ethics Committee recommended censure over harassment allegations. The NC House stops development for a liquor warehouse after a planning dispute goes public. And a hemp bill is paused as protesters call for different regulations. Meanwhile, the North Carolina General Assembly...

0:01:00 Unemployment rates remain low in NC, creating challenges for job seekers and recent graduates Increasing inflation, AI in the workplace, and low confidence in the job market. Due South talks with economists to see what is going right in North Carolina’s economy and what to keep an eye on. Plus, updates on tech changes and layoffs. Michael Walden , William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Profes...

0:01:00 Gauging the public’s attitudes toward political violence As we head into the 2026 midterm election season, many North Carolinians are concerned about the threat of political violence. Polling shows that voters expect some kind of political violence to occur before November. Host Jeff Tiberii looks at the phenomenon and the public’s attitudes toward political violence. Dr. Michael Bitzer ,...

0:01:00 Bestselling Southern novelist Tayari Jones talks with Leoneda Inge at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill One book, and one author, who has again made an impact on the literary world in 2026 is "Kin" - by Tayari Jones. "Kin" has gotten a lot of attention – it was an "Oprah's Book Club" selection, a New York Times Book Club choice, and Due South got the chance to dig deep into what makes Tayari Jo...

0:01:00  The do's and don'ts of municipal recycling   Recycling has been around a long time and faces relatively little pushback compared to more politically-charged sustainability efforts. Still, recycling has its obstacles, including that it can be hard to know what's recyclable and what's not. As Bianca Howard of Wake County Solid Waste Management Division says, "there is nothing intuitive abou...

Sen. Thom Tillis continues to hold out support for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. How a Supreme Court ruling could help Michael Whatley in the Senate race. The North Carolina legislature debates changes to the new state budget. And updates on the WakeMed merger with Atrium.  Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis on those and other stories...

0:01:00 The Black Army private who wouldn’t move to the back of the bus Sarah Keys Evans became an unwitting Civil Rights activist when she refused to give up her seat for a white Marine. She was on a bus that had crossed state lines into North Carolina, where in 1952, she was told to move to the back of the bus.  In recent years, her story has become better known, partly thanks to a new book she...

0:01:00 The health impacts of heat These days it feels like there is no simple way to beat the heat. And our new climate reality means we need to take new and more serious precautions to protect ourselves and our neighbors from its health impacts. Dr. Lauren E. Siewny joins Leoneda Inge to talk about concerning signs to look out for and how to best handle this steamy summer weather that just won’t...

0:01:00 Summer crops suffer under unusually dry harvest season NC Cooperative Extension agriculture agent Mart Bumgarner joins Due South to discuss the impact of a months-long drought on summer crops across the state. Mart Bumgarner, Agriculture and Horticulture Extension Agent serving Orange County, North Carolina with the N.C. Cooperative Extension 0:13:00 How ‘Our State’ magazine covers ‘100 No...

0:01:00 ‘The Big Recount’ – 25 Years Later One of the most memorable and messy presidential elections in United States history was decided 25 years ago. The battle between Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee and Republican George W. Bush of Texas, was fought and won in the South – in Florida. (This HBCU 101 radio diary presentation is a finalist, for a “Salute to Excellence Award” by the National Associ...