The Standard Podcast

Juneteenth is not a partisan talking point; it is a hard‑won moment of delayed but real freedom that Republicans fought to secure and Union soldiers finally enforced in Galveston, Texas. In this conversation, I sit down with Immanuel Jarvis of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina to unpack the real history behind Juneteenth, the Republican role in emancipation, and why modern Democr...

Iranian American author and former faith prisoner Marziyeh (Marzi) Amirizadeh joins host Reuel Sample to share her powerful journey from childhood indoctrination under Iran’s Islamic regime to a radical encounter with Jesus Christ and an unmerited sentence in Evin Prison. She describes growing up under a system that taught children to hate America and Israel, her deep spiritual questions, her conv...

The Standard Podcast sits down with Carolina Beach mom and Lifewise Academy steering committee chair Alissa Sivils to talk about bringing Bible-based character education back into New Hanover County’s public schools during the regular school day. She explains how Lifewise operates legally off-campus with parent opt-in and private funding, why the program is exploding across more than 30 states, an...

Dr. Amy Dunning joins host Reuel Sample to introduce her candidacy for the New Hanover County Board of Education, tracing her journey from small-town Rockingham County to middle-school math teacher, master’s graduate, and PhD in education focused on how teachers conduct whole-class math discussions. She explains how discovering the limits of rote, algorithm-based math instruction pushed her toward...

District Attorney Jason Smith discusses his first year leading the DA’s office for New Hanover and Pender Counties, taking over after Ben David’s resignation and then winning the 2024 special election while already looking ahead to being on the ballot again in 2026. He outlines his background as a 24‑year lawyer and 15‑year prosecutor, his “lead from the front” approach shaped by military service,...

The Wilmington Standard Podcast debuts with Episode 1 featuring Richard Collier , fresh off his run for Wilmington City Council and bringing decades of engineering and planning experience to the conversation. Host Reuel Sample , Editor in Chief of The Wilmington Standard, sets the stage by highlighting New Hanover County’s explosive growth and Wilmington’s status as a destination city. Together, t...