Tested: Recent Episodes
North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC
Tested is a hard look at how North Carolina and its neighbors face the day's challenges. Hosted by journalists Dave DeWitt and Leoneda Inge. Produced at North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC.
During a Sunday morning in Wilson, NC, Chris Breslin was standing on a pitcher’s mound at his son’s little league game when he heard three sounds close by he’d never heard before. Then everybody on the field hit the ground.
During a Sunday morning in Wilson, NC, Chris Breslin was standing on a pitcher’s mound at his son’s little league game when he heard three sounds close by he’d never heard before. Then everybody on the field hit the ground.
Teachers are leaving in large numbers in some North Carolina school districts. They say they’ve been working with low pay and high expectations for years. But when the pandemic put their routines on pause, they had time to think about their priorities.
This month marks 67 years since Emmett Till was brutally lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Activists in North Carolina are joining the calls for authorities to serve a nearly 70-year-old arrest warrant against the woman who accused him.
In this rebroadcast from January 18, 2022, Howard Dudley and Joe Neff, former investigative reporter for the News & Observer, recount Dudley’s wrongful conviction.
In May, an explosive report on sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy in the Southern Baptist Convention made national headlines. Now, survivors of abuse and their advocates are continuing to question what this means for one of the country’s largest Christian denominations. Host Anisa Khalifa talks with Jules Woodson, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, and Kate Shellnut, senior news editor at Christianity Today magazine.
Darryl Hunt spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The people who wrote about and read about his case in the papers were stunned at Hunt’s willingness to forgive the people in a system that had failed him so miserably. But while many had heard about his grace and humility, few knew that Hunt was quietly suffering.
Public school teachers are leaving their careers at what appear to be alarming rates; one in five in Durham Public Schools and higher-than-normal rates in Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Wake.
A notable number of North Carolina public school teachers are leaving. In Durham, one in five educators is departing, and other local districts are experiencing higher than usual turnover. On this episode of Tested, we’re featuring the Politics Podcast from WUNC, which recently spoke with several teachers about their reasons for leaving the classroom, while others explain why they have stayed.
In this rebroadcast from February 15, 2022, host Leoneda Inge talks with Tara Roberts, explorer with National Geographic, about Roberts work diving and documenting the wreckage of slave ships. Special thanks to National Geographic for providing some of this episode’s audio.
On June 30, 2009, in Greenville, N.C., two men were shot and killed outside a nightclub. Murder charges against James Richardson relied heavily on a surveillance video. But evidence that has come to light since then casts doubt on his conviction. Host Will Michaels speaks with Pam Kelley, a freelance journalist who recently wrote about the case for The Assembly.
In this rebroadcast from February 10, 2022, host Jason deBruyn speaks with Louise Vincent with N.C. Survivors Union and Michelle Mathis with Olive Branch Ministries about how test strips and other harm reduction strategies could save lives.
As Anita Rao’s home state becomes the nearest safe provider for millions of people, she's observing how abortion providers in North Carolina are preparing for the spike in demand. She reconnects with one of them, Dr. Rathika Nimalendran, who has been providing access to abortions in North Carolina for years, to talk about what action she's taking in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In this rebroadcast from February 1, 2022, host Anisa Khalifa takes a look into who bans books, why, and what kind of impact it has on our communities.
WUNC health and data reporter Jason deBruyn talks with Claire Donnelly, health reporter for WFAE, about abortion policy in North Carolina and what lies ahead in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling.
Part this episode contains audio from WRAL
Host Lindsay Foster Thomas showcases WUNC military reporter Jay Price’s recent story about the seminal court case Keys v Carolina Coach Co, and the work of middle school social studies teacher Rodney Pierce in amplifying Keys’ legacy.
Leoneda Inge hears from Black farmers in the Triangle about their perseverance to bounce back during the pandemic and help the Black agricultural community.
Recreational and commercial fishermen in North Carolina have a lot of questions about plans for offshore wind farms. But the technology is new to the United States, and there are not a lot of answers yet.
In the 1940s, thousands of the first Black Marines trained at a segregated base called Montford Point. Now, a project is underway to make sure their legacy survives.
Charlie Shelton-Ormond talks with Jay Price, WUNC military reporter, about the Marine Corps effort to protect the buildings at Montford Point and preserve the first Black Marines’ legacy.
Leoneda Inge reflects on her son's recent college graduation and speaks with Rebecca Stallworth Inge about being celebrated as the oldest graduate at Shaw University in the Class of 2022
For folks who live on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, keeping up with storm patterns is a pretty common routine. But in recent years, keeping a watchful eye on the horizon has meant bracing for more severe damage to the coast.
This year’s primary elections in North Carolina were supposed to be in March. But a group of voters challenged the latest round of redistricting in court, arguing Republicans gave themselves an illegal partisan advantage. Now the new maps are in place, and the elections are set. They just need candidates.
There's been a lot of talk about the political ramifications of the U.S. Supreme Court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, but we wanted to explore what the decision would mean for women's health, particularly in North Carolina.
In North Carolina, local social service departments are able to skirt hiring standards set by the state. In some cases, an unqualified director and lack of oversight have severely affected families' wellbeing.
You may recognize some of the big names in gospel music like Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams, but these stars follow in the wake of the Queen of Gospel: Durham-native Pastor Shirley Caesar.
Life is getting back to normal. But some doctors estimate that 30% of people who contracted the coronavirus will experience symptoms associated with "long-COVID." Some have had to drastically change their lives to deal with these symptoms, and doctors are still learning about how to treat these patients.
Teacher turnover. Burnout. Short-staffed schools. After two years in a pandemic, for many people, life is getting back to normal. But schools are not back to normal.
Among aficionados and fans of bluegrass, it's generally accepted that this quintessentially American genre of music was born in Nashville, Tennessee and was introduced by Earl Scruggs. But it's Kentuckian Bill Monroe who is known as the "Father of Bluegrass," not Scruggs. And just before Monroe went to the Grand Ole Opry, in 1939, he was performing regularly for a live 15-minute show called Mountain Music Time on WWNC, in Asheville, North Carolina.
It was one year ago that sheriff’s deputies in Pasquotank County shot and killed Andrew Brown, Junior in Elizabeth City. Today, the small town in eastern North Carolina is at a crossroads. Elizabeth City and its surrounding community are on the brink of local elections that could determine which road they take.
It was one year ago that sheriff’s deputies in Pasquotank County shot and killed Andrew Brown, Jr. The deputies were trying to serve arrest warrants on drug charges. They repeatedly fired into Brown’s car as he tried to steer it away from his home in Elizabeth City, N.C. Over the next two episodes of Tested, we'll take you down Highway 17 to where Elizabeth City stands one year later.
Anyone who’s been to the Outer Banks knows that it’s windy out there. Like, really windy. That wind might be rough for beachgoers or kayakers, but it's great for producing electricity through offshore wind farms.
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group native to Myanmar, have suffered decades of ethnic cleansing by the country's government. Five years after a deadly peak in violence, the United Stated has finally declared it genocide. But what will this mean for the Rohingya, often called the most persecuted group in the world?
Darryl Hunt spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The people who wrote about and read about his case in the papers were stunned at Hunt’s willingness to forgive the people in a system that had failed him so miserably. But while many had heard about his grace and humility, few knew that Hunt was quietly suffering.
Through a one-person play, North Carolina actor and playwright Mike Wiley has taken the story of Emmett Till across the world. Now, his play carries an even deeper resonance in the wake of the recent Emmett Till Antilynching Act.
Education reporter Liz Schlemmer joins host Anisa Khalifa to discuss what happened when a Black cultural center at UNC-Chapel Hill canceled the exhibition of a Black artist. Cornell Watson, who created a photo series about Black life at UNC-CH for the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, describes the experience as censorship.
Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn has garnered a lot of attention for himself, mostly as a full-throated supporter of Donald Trump and a rabble rouser at hard-right political rallies. But a group of voters recently sought to prevent him from running again.
The Market House in Fayetteville has been a pillar of public discussion for generations. Today, the city continues to grapple with the presence and purpose of the historical landmark.
Depending on where you live, your community may have ended its mandate to wear a mask in public. But the pandemic isn't over and vulnerable people can still get sick or die. So what is our responsibility to the greater good?
A century or so ago, in Winston-Salem, racial segregation was in full force. Black people in the city were not allowed to live in certain areas, eat in certain places, and the city's trolley system did not extend into Black neighborhoods. That last reality sparked a vital solution: Safe Bus – a Black-owned and operated transportation system. WFDD’s David Ford recounts the remarkable story of Safe Bus.
Leoneda Inge reports on the new Black Carolinians Speak project from the African American Heritage Commission and the State Archives, which documents the pandemic stories of African Americans in North Carolina.
In 1992, Eva Clayton became the first Black woman from North Carolina elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Now, at 87 years old, Clayton is keeping her finger on the pulse of North Carolina politics.
It’s been more than three years since Marcus Smith died at the hands of police officers in Greensboro. Now, his family is coming to the end of a long and arduous road after a settlement with the City of Greensboro.
More than 150 years after the emancipation of slavery in America, a team of dedicated scuba divers is busy excavating and restoring wreckage from slave ships that sank across the Middle Passage.
Extremely potent substances like fentanyl and xylazine have flooded the illegal drug market, causing a major increase in overdose ER visits and deaths. Harm reduction policies could help reverse that trend.
In the South, sports betting is largely illegal, but since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide ban, more states are joining the pool. North Carolina could be next.
The “Pharaoh of Fabulosity” was an unstoppable force of fashion. André Leon Talley’s influence branched across the globe during his illustrious career – one that began in his hometown of Durham, N.C.
Across the nation, we've seen a spike in book challenges and bans in both school and public libraries in the last six months, mostly targeting books that center race and LGBT identity. At the end of 2021, Wake County had its own high-profile censorship controversy.
At this point in the pandemic, health care workers across the country are arguably under more pressure than ever. Some are getting sick themselves or burning out and leaving. But there are signs that COVID trends could turn for the better soon.
As a major redistricting cases lands before the North Carolina supreme court, calls are growing louder for some justices to recuse themselves. Today on Tested, we are highlighting an episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast in which three former state judges talk about the issue of recusal - and the importance of judicial independence.
Electric vehicles are getting more popular, but North Carolina is still well short of Gov. Roy Cooper's goal of having 1.25 million EVs on the road by 2030. What would it take to get there?
Howard Dudley spent nearly 24 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. Now his long journey toward justice has reached new heights
Host Will Michaels gets an update on the Omicron surge from WUNC reporter Jason deBruyn, and then explores how the state is responding with Kody Kinsley, the new secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The last year continued to bring deep-seated issues of systemic racism and inequality to the surface. Oh, and there was also a pandemic. But despite its challenges, 2021 still had cause for celebration.
Nearly 20,000 North Carolinians have died of complications from COVID-19. Among them are caregivers; people whom others - including their children - depended on for their own health and safety, but who were fatally sickened by a relentless virus.
Tested takes a look back at the year in military stories from North Carolina, including the end of the nation's longest war.
Tested takes a look back at what happened this year in environmental news in North Carolina.
A year-end-sports review typically revolves around remembering the highs and lows of what happened on a field, or a court, or a pitch, but this year, the most compelling and noteworthy sports events in North Carolina happened when two men in their 70s decided to make some life changes.
Tested takes another look back at the year in Politics in North Carolina. On this episode: redistricting.
Host Dave DeWitt talks to Celeste Gracia, WUNC's environment reporter, and David Boraks, climate reporter at WFAE, about the wood pellet industry in North Carolina.
People moving from one residence to another is up nationwide by about 3 percent. But in hot markets, like many across North Carolina, moving rates are up well into the double digits.
Durham County plans to build a new youth detention center for an estimated 30 million dollars. But people in the community are skeptical about more dollars being put toward detainment for juveniles.
Host Dave DeWitt looks back at Dr. Mandy Cohen's legacy as North Carolina's DHHS Secretary - and what's next in the pandemic - with WUNC Health Reporter Jason deBruyn.
As teacher vacancies continue to create problems, public schools in North Carolina are having a particularly hard time filling positions for special education.
Today on Tested, we introduce to our listeners the fantastic new podcast from WUNC: Me & My Muslim Friends
Nearly seven decades after a Black Army private named Sarah Keys helped end discrimination on interstate buses, North Carolina is recognizing her nearly-forgotten civil rights case.
Annual reports for university endowments are starting to come in and, in many cases, are indicating impressive gains in the last year. So what are universities' responsibility and parameters for using this money after a year of budget cuts?
Host Will Michaels digs deep into the North Carolina state budget to unpack what's really in it for education and health care with WUNC reporters Liz Schlemmer and Jason deBruyn.
WUNC's Jeff Tiberii, Rusty Jacobs, and Will Michaels dissect the proposed North Carolina state budget.
When counties consider building or expanding a jail, are they adequately weighing the potential benefits with the long term costs?
COVID-19 booster shots and starting to become widely available in North Carolina. Meanwhile, doses for young children have been released, and about 40 percent of the state's population remains unvaccinated.
The $5.5 billion North Carolina schools got in COVID relief funds is the single highest boost to K-12 funding in state history. But there are rules on how they can spend it and challenges in getting some projects off the ground.
In early November, lawmakers at the General Assembly passed the latest version of congressional and state legislative voting maps. But as legislators deliberated over district lines, they used data that included a group who are counted, despite being barred from the ballot box.
Host Dave DeWitt speaks with Kyle Villemain, the Editor In Chief of The Assembly, about his profile of UNC System President Peter Hans.
On April 21, 2021, deputies with the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office shot and killed 42-year old Andrew Brown, Jr., an unarmed Black man, in Elizabeth City, N.C. Six months later, have any law enforcement policies changed?
Host Dave DeWitt checks in on the very latest in North Carolina redistricting with WUNC political reporter Rusty Jacobs
The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro has administered first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to 33 of its animals.
Most people want nothing to do with rats. They're pests, vermin with voracious appetites. But they're also clever, adaptable and so pervasive around the world, it's easy to forget that, in most places, rats are an invasive species.
Most childcare facilities operate around parents and guardians who work some version of a 9-5 job. But not all. With help from our friends at the podcast Embodied, we learn about 24-hour childcare providers who answer the call, and the diversity of needs, for parents who travel or clock in on second and third shift schedules. | Power the future of public radio with a contribution at wunc.org/give.
Meet the newest podcast in WUNC's on-demand portfolio: Me & My Muslim Friends. The show explores nuances of identity within Muslim communities across the nation and the world. In this episode, host Yasmin Bendaas discusses a population of Muslims that is underrepresented in mainstream portrayals of Islam — Latinx converts to the faith. | Power the future of public radio with a contribution at wunc.org/give.
WUNC's Kamaya Truitt talks with Mitchell Silver, former city planner for Raleigh, about the city's growth in the last decade, and how policies like zoning laws influence that community growth.
The North Carolina Watchdog Reporting Network examined COVID-19 policies in North Carolina’s school districts as we approach two months into this new year. And they found wide disparities in the way that districts across the state are choosing to protect their students.
In this crossover episode, the WUNC Politics Podcast presents part one in a four-part series examining redistricting in North Carolina.
The Raleigh city council is considering a change to its zoning laws that would open the doors for more corner stores across the city.
Pauli Murray was ahead of her time. The Durham-based activist was a tireless hero for social justice, a battle-ready solider against racism and sexism, and a spiritual mentor for today's justice advocates.
The longleaf pine is an iconic tree species in North Carolina. It once covered 90 million acres across the Southeastern U.S.
By all measures, 2020 was an extraordinary election year. Record-setting voter turnout, a tsunami-like surge in mail-in ballots and deep partisan rancor - all amid a global pandemic. These factors posed unprecedented challenges for elections officials across North Carolina and the country. In many places, private donations helped pay for things like hand sanitizer and other support efforts. Host Rusty Jacobs looks at a proposed law that would stop private donations like this, and at the deeper issues of how we run elections in the US.
Unvaccinated Covid-19 patients have flooded hospitals around North Carolina. Because of the surge, many vaccinated patients who go to the hospital needing treatment for non-Covid-19 illnesses feel they aren't getting the same level of care they would normally get. Host Jason deBruyn looks at the ethics of triaging vaccinated and unvaccinated patients - something health providers and health ethicists are having to hash out in real time.
As COVID continues to inundate Robeson County, health officials and local leaders are working tirelessly to get more Lumbee tribal members vaccinated.
As of Sept. 14, Robeson County had the lowest vaccination rate in North Carolina with less than one-third of the population fully vaccinated.
On this episode of Tested, we’re featuring a special from the podcast "Me and My Muslim Friends." It’s a show produced in partnership with WUNC that tells nuanced stories about the Muslim American experience.
In their last two weeks in the country, U.S. troops evacuated more than 123,000 people out of Afghanistan. The process has been called “two weeks of chaos and 20 years of war.”
Dr. Whitney Robinson, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology/UNC Gillings School of Public Health, speaks about how she is personally and professional navigating the pandemic.
Now that classes are back in session in North Carolina schools, how do they respond to a new phase of the global pandemic in which we know a lot more about the virus, including the fact that it can still spread so quickly especially among children?
Reporters from WUNC's Youth Reporting Institute share their experience in the program this summer.
For many small business owners, PPP loans from the federal government were a lifesaver. That Paycheck Protection Program money was right on time and picture perfect for a lot of people... a lot of white people. Many Black and Hispanic businesses didn’t get paid that way.
Health care is notoriously expensive in the United States. And it’s often the patient’s responsibility not just to pay, but to make sure they aren’t paying too much. But where do those numbers come from? And how would you know if you’re paying too much?
As the heat of summer lingers and the pandemic hits another peak, many North Carolinians are considering one more "staycation" before school begins.
Host Dave DeWitt speaks with Rose Hoban, editor and founder of North Carolina Health News, about how we should feel toward those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated, the efforts to increase North Carolina's vaccination rate, and why some of them might still work.
Which beats, melodies and voices eased the pain of the pandemic for you? Host Leoneda Inge explores the power of music to help us maintain our mental health in trying times. | Love this podcast? Support it today with a donation to wunc.org/give.
Frustrated business owners are scrambling to find people to fill positions they lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to revive their businesses, but our favorite spots just don’t have the workforce they did before COVID. And many of those who are returning to these generally low-paying, high-traffic jobs are afraid of going back to work they now see as high-risk, and maybe not worth it.
Host Charlie Shelton Ormond looks at the tragic case of Marcus Smith with his family members, and examines the use of hog-tying as a restraint tactic used by some law enforcement agencies with Joe Neff, reporter for the Marshall Project.
North Carolina's Republican-led legislature soon will start the decennial redistricting process. One question is, will they look back on a decade's worth of litigation to carve a path towards fairer political maps or to gain as much political advantage as possible before courts take up the inevitable lawsuits?
America’s Favorite Drive. That’s what the National Park Service calls the Blue Ridge Parkway, and they have the numbers to back it up: 14 million visitors in 2020. But like the rest of the South through which it winds, the Blue Ridge Parkway wasn’t always welcoming - or even accessible - to all of America.
Decades before Nikole Hannah-Jones' tenure battle with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made national headlines, another Black scholar was slighted by UNC, inspiring a brave decision to hold the university accountable. | Support this show with a donation at wunc.org/give.
Host Leoneda Inge speaks with James Williams, the retired public defender for Orange and Chatham Counties, and Kimberly Probolus, a fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, about where Confederate Monuments in North Carolina have been taken down, where they still stand, and how these symbols of hate stand in the way of an honest reckoning with systemic white supremacy in the South.
Host Rusty Jacobs talks to two North Carolina lawmakers about GOP-backed legislation that would eliminate a three-day grace period for counting mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day. Democrats and voting rights advocates say Republicans are pushing a false narrative about election fraud.
Whenever signs exist that a child is being abused or neglected, it’s a social worker’s job to determine whether it’s best to step in and remove that child from their home.But the likelihood a child is removed from their home varies depending on where they live in North Carolina.
The North Carolina General Assembly is months away from finishing the state budget for the next two years, but the state Senate has unveiled its proposal. WUNC's Jeff Tiberii outlines the Senate's priorities and explains why there may not be a budget before the end of the year, let alone the fiscal year.
Some faculty of color at UNC Chapel Hill have resigned amid the UNC Board of Trustees' refusal to give tenure to acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. But they say their departures are the result of years' worth of marginalization by university administrators.
When broken down by county, North Carolina's vaccination rate against Covid ranges from "not bad" to pretty awful.
Host Leoneda Inge marks Juneteenth with two guests: Joseph McGill, the founder of the Slave Dwelling Project and the history and culture coordinator at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston; and Kevin Jones, a master barber in Wendell, about the importance of Black fatherhood.
Like many businesses, independent live music venues in North Carolina and across the country are emerging from restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But they're still waiting on much needed federal assistance.
The major health care program that serves low-income and disabled North Carolinians is getting a major overhaul on July 1. But some Medicaid beneficiaries are frustrated and confused about what their care will look like after the transformation.
The bridge over the Oregon Inlet on North Carolina's Outer Banks is vital to the residents of Hatteras Island, so it's hard to imagine there was a time when there were serious disagreements about building the bridge in the first place.
A multimillion dollar jail expansion proposal in Haywood County is causing a rift within the community and raising questions about the importance of rehabilitation and the effectiveness of incarceration.
Host Kamaya Truitt examines the ongoing push to rethink the role of school resource officers in North Carolina’s public schools.
Trevon Logan, distinguished Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University, talks about some of the origins of contemporary Black names in the United States.
Host Naomi Prioleau checks in with Prince and Laurette Mushunju about their experience emigrating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how they are trying to bring family members to the U.S. We also hear from Megan Shepard, the director of Church World Service in Greensboro, about the organization's efforts to help refugees land on their feet when they come to the Triad.
Host Dave DeWitt speaks with WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer about the ongoing tenure controversy involving Nikole Hannah-Jones and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Host Rebecca Martinez explores the history and impact of racist housing covenants, and spotlights a new effort to uncover them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can ditch their facemasks, for the most part. But some are still uneasy about taking it off in public and others are confused about exceptions to the rules.
Host Rusty Jacobs discusses proposed changes to North Carolina's anti-riot statute with activists, lawmakers, business owners and a civil liberties advocate.
Host Dave DeWitt speaks with WUNC's Will Michaels, who is in Elizabeth City, about District Attorney Andrew Womble's rationale for not prosecuting the deputies who shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr.
A company with roots in a Duke University lab is developing implantable human tissue right here in Research Triangle Park. Humacyte is led by co-founder and chief executive Dr. Laura Niklason, who says this is a first-of-its kind breakthrough that could save thousands of limbs from amputation, improve care for patients on hemodialysis, and more. Host Jason deBruyn explains the potential health breakthrough and talks with Niklason about the company's history and future.
For decades, states and the federal government have funded Historically Black Colleges and Universities at rates much lower than historically white schools. Those funders – public and private – are just beginning to see the systemic racism built into how we pay for colleges, and small steps are being taken to right past wrongs. Host Dave DeWitt speaks with Liz Schlemmer, WUNC's education reporter, about that history, and how one school – North Carolina A&T State University – is setting fundraising records, and how administrators and advocates hope to build on recent successes.
May 12, 1996, was Graduation Day and Mothers' Day at UNC-Chapel Hill. It was tragically disrupted by an early morning fire that killed five students at the Phi Gamma Delta house on Cameron Avenue.Host Will Michaels talks with Dan Jones, the former Chapel Hill Fire Chief who had been pushing for safety upgrades in Greek housing; Ben Eubanks, a Phi Gamma Delta brother who escaped the fire; and Bonnie Woodruff, who lost her son Ben Woodruff in the fire.
Host Rebecca Martinez speaks with Durham artist Marcella Zibguo Camara about her decision to get in on the #BlackVanlife movement.
Host Leoneda Inge talks with Professor Elan Hope of NC State University about her research of youth activism, and how racism has prompted young people to act.
Host Rusty Jacobs looks at what voters changing their Republican and Democratic party affiliations means for future elections in North Carolina and the South.
Host Charlie Shelton-Ormond examines the protocols of U.S. Marshals and how the federal agency is able to sidestep transparency.
After a year when it was hard not to get the blues, something to sing about: Host Leoneda Inge checks in on some older musicians whose health and income struggled with venues closed and gatherings prohibited. She talks with Tim Duffy and Brittany Anderson of The Music Maker Relief Foundation about finding ways to support artists during an unprecedented time. Plus, an exclusive performance by Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen. | Check out the Freight Train Blues Virtual Music Series at wunc.org/events.
The global pandemic gave us so many reasons to feel like giving up. So, when Charlotte-based journalist Sarah Delia went to work telling the story of COVID-19 in her community, she decided to focus on tales of resilience. Guest host Rebecca Martinez talks to Delia about her podcast Still Here from WFAE. | Keep up with WUNC's podcasts and the latest news on Twitter @wunc.
Host Leoneda Inge discusses the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause and its influence on vaccine messaging within communities of color in North Carolina. | Support this show with a donation to wunc.org/give.
Host Dave DeWitt talks to WUNC reporter Jason deBruyn about the recommendations from the governor's Task Force on Racial Equity in Criminal Justice — and the criticisms of them.
An episode from WUNC's special audio series, Pauli, which explores chapters in the fascinating life of social justice activist Pauli Murray. | Learn more at wunc.org/pauli.
Host Dave DeWitt shares an episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast that explores the controversy over K-12 social studies curriculum in North Carolina. | Follow the show on Twitter @wunc.
Host Leoneda Inge introduces listeners to The ARC of Justice, a special audio series from WUNC and the podcast Ways & Means, which examines the role of the U.S. government in creating the racial wealth gap between white and Black Americans. | Follow Leoneda on Twitter @leonedainge.
Host Dave DeWitt talks to Touro College’s Dean of Health Sciences Louis Primavera about the identity issues that come with retirement.
Lunch counters were some of the most well-known settings for desegregation efforts during the Civil Rights era. But in Asheville, that battle also played out on a municipal golf course. Host Leoneda Inge talks with golfer Billy Gardenhight, and Paul Bonesteel, director of a new documentary about the course called "Muni."
Host Dave DeWitt talks to three reporters about the people they profiled as part of the pandemic obituary series The Lives Lost.
Host Leoneda Inge remembers the life and legacy of Irving Pressley McPhail and his influence on St. Augustine’s University and higher education.
Host Dave DeWitt discusses efforts along the North Carolina coast to assess sea level rise and mitigate the impact of beach erosion.
Host Leoneda Inge discusses the recent shooting in the Atlanta area and the rise of anti-Asian violence and harassment during the pandemic.
Guest host Charlie Shelton-Ormond discusses how social media has facilitated an influx in personal connections, activism and misinformation during the pandemic.
Host Leoneda Inge reflects on where she was as COVID-19 started spreading in the U.S. and talks to experts about making travel plans in a pandemic.
Host Dave DeWitt looks back at the last year with WUNC general assignment reporter Will Michaels.
The pandemic tanked small businesses at an alarming rate. Entrepreneurs of color were hit hardest. Carolina Small Business Development Fund President and CEO Kevin Dick tells host Leonede Inge about what is being done to help small businesses stay afloat during the crisis. Plus, Tina Travis founded Errand Girl concierge service during the last recession, and has grown and adapted the business ever since.
COVID cases are dropping and vaccine doses are becoming more plentiful. Scientists are even working on a pill that could prevent future coronavirus pandemics. But Lisa Gralinski of the UNC Department of Epidemiology reminds host Dave DeWitt that this pandemic is not over yet.
In 1898, the elected government in Wilmington, N.C. was overthrown by white supremacists who sought to undermine Black progress. The impact of the violent insurrection still lingers in the city today and illuminates existing national political tensions. In this special episode, Phoebe Judge, host of the podcast “Criminal,” shares that show's exploration into events that led to the violence and its aftermath.
As educators become eligible for the vaccine, some school districts are reopening for in-person learning. The move is forcing families and educators to grapple with what’s possible to ensure health and safety inside the classroom. Host Dave DeWitt talks with James Hopkins, principal of Lakewood Elementary in Durham, about the transition to in-person learning. Plus, two North Carolina teachers share how they are coping with the road ahead.
The waitlist for a COVID vaccine can be long, and there isn't enough to go around. So some people are finding ways to jump the line. Host Leoneda Inge talks with Benjamin Money of the NC Department of Health and Human Services and WUNC Data Reporter Jason deBruyn about attempts to promote and protect equity in the vaccine distribution process.
The COVID crisis has not only stalled the visa application process for immigrants in the U.S., it's made returning home an uncertain option when many borders are closed. Host Dave DeWitt and producer Rebecca Martinez tell a story about Nicolas Duchamp, a world-class flute player from France who hoped to gain permanent residency in the U.S.
The pandemic has made it hard for singles to find romance, and for couples to keep it alive. Host Leoneda Inge interviews couples therapist Mary Hinson about how partners can reconnect after a bit too much time together. Plus, Laura Stassi introduces "Dating While Gray," the latest addition to the WUNC podcast family.
Governments are trying to develop a pattern of COVID-19 vaccine distribution that satisfies a variety of interested parties. Meredith College Religious and Ethical Studies Professor Steve Benko tells host Dave DeWitt that the most efficient system isn’t always the most equitable.
Pauli Murray was a powerhouse for social justice. She worked tirelessly as a lawyer, an activist, a poet, and a priest to push for racial equality and gender rights, and influenced the likes of Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
J.G. de Roulhac Hamilton’s name has marked an academic building on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus for decades, a testament to his impact as a historian of the American South in the 20th century. But beneath his cloak of academic legitimacy, Hamilton was a white supremacist.
Pauli Murray isn't a completely unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement. She isn't exactly a household name either. Her brand of fighting for racial justice is defined by speaking truth to power, a tireless effort and a deep imagining of what was possible for a Black queer Southern woman during the Jim Crow era. Get to know the poet, priest and powerhouse for change on Pauli, a new podcast from WUNC.
The pandemic has shuttered traditional performing arts venues, but many artists have been inspired to create new shows to entertain the public while educating audiences about health disparities.
Free and reduced-price school lunch programs are designed to guarantee meals for students who experience food insecurity at home. But now that many kids are learning remotely, meals aren't always making their way to the mouths for which they are intended.
Retired Four-Star Army Gen. Lloyd Austin will be the first Black U.S. secretary of defense. Host Leoneda Inge talks about what this historic appointment might mean for troops and veterans of color with David Chrisinger, an expert on white supremacy in the military, and Mary Tobin of the West Point Women's alumni association who mentors young Black officers.
It’s been a year since the coronavirus began spreading in the U.S. and it shows no sign of slowing down. Tim Sheahan is a coronavirus researcher and assistant professor of epidemiology at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. He tells host Dave DeWitt about the relentless workload that comes with an unforgiving pandemic.
Many African Americans have a healthy skepticism of a racist health care system. Now Black health professionals have an uphill battle to promote the COVID vaccine.
Five people died after President Trump incited rioters to storm the U.S. Capitol. North Carolina Central University Law Professor Irving Joyner tells host Dave DeWitt that what happens next will help define this moment in our history.
The deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol evokes memories of the only successful coup d'état on American soil, more than a century ago, when the government was overthrown in Wilmington, NC. Host Leoneda Inge talks with historians Jim Leloudis and Bob Korstad, co-authors of "Fragile Democracy," about how today's political landscape is haunted by ghosts of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre. Plus, Grammy Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens reflects on why the events of 1898 inspire her artistically.
It may feel like COVID-19 has been with us for eons, but there is still a lot we don't know yet about its potential effects on our health. Host Dave DeWitt asks Dr. Colin Smith of Duke University Medical Center about a small, but growing, number of cases of severe psychosis associated with the virus.
Host Leoneda Inge rings in the new year with astrologer Tali Edut and asks what the stars have in store for 2021. Plus poet and cultural historian Darrell Stover shares his favorite Kwanzaa principle.
Host Dave DeWitt wraps nine months of Tested podcasts with a look at COVID-19 in North Carolina then and now with the show's first guest: Rose Hoban of North Carolina Health News.
This special episode is a gift from the team at Tested to you, the listener, with hopes for a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year.
The rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is offering hope for an end to the pandemic. But for some who have had COVID-19, ridding themselves of the virus’s aftereffects still feels a ways off.
Early public health messaging around COVID-19 widened a communication gap between officials and North Carolina's Spanish speakers. In this episode, we hear about efforts to bridge the divide from Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi, director of health equity at Duke's Department of Family Medicine, and Eliazar Posada of El Centro Hispano.
The pandemic has only added to the obstacles immigrants in the U.S. face. Volatile federal policies, growing fees, and information gaps are some of what is keeping more people from obtaining American citizenship.
COVID-19 cases are spiking in rural areas, where hospitals have been dwindling over the past 15 years. Host Dave DeWitt learns more about the impact from Mark Holmes of the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. Plus, reports from the mountains, and an update from Gov. Roy Cooper.
A mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but choosing which mask to wear isn’t always about protecting oneself from the virus. It's a decision that can also affect the likelihood of encountering racial profiling.
COVID-19 has taken the lives of more than 5,000 North Carolinians, and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services estimates the disease has increased the state's death rate by 5%.
You may still be full from all you ate off this year's holiday menu, but now's a perfect time to think about food — especially what certain gastrointestinal responses can tell us about our bodies. Some of those responses might surprise you, as our gut health is even connected to our brain in fascinating ways.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans not to travel this Thanksgiving as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise nationwide. That means many of us are rethinking a holiday that is grounded in sharing platters of food with family and friends.
Any other year, Americans would be gearing up for the big Thanksgiving travel weekend; traffic jams and long lines at the airport would just be a reality of life. But TSA is quiet at Raleigh Durham International Airport, where the pandemic has cut air travel by two-thirds. Tested host Leoneda Inge talks with passengers and an RDU spokesperson about the changed travel landscape.
The pandemic promises to claim many more lives as we head into winter. But, in one of our nation's most dismal times, we have elected a president who is poised to make science a factor in decision-making about this public health crisis.
North Carolina is seeing record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations, and Black and Latinx people continue to make up a disproportionate share of them. Without a vaccine, public health experts say testing is a key tool for keeping COVID at bay, and strengthening access to testing in underserved communities remains a necessity. It's a compelling enough argument to convince host Leoneda Inge to get tested herself.
Robeson County has been frequently inundated by hurricanes and flooding. When COVID-19 hit that community, it hit it hard. As its residents navigated recent crises, they were also squarely situated on the presidential campaign trail this election season. President Donald Trump and Presidential-elect Joe Biden singled out the uniquely diverse rural county for political canvassing.
The race for president may still be too close to call in North Carolina, nevertheless Election Day did provide conclusions for a number of key races in the state. Republicans are set to maintain control of both chambers of the General Assembly while the Democratic governor keeps his office.
As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations trend upward in nearly every region of the country, health experts are sounding the alarm for a surge in the coming winter months. But some people on the frontlines say the surge in North Carolina is already here.
Young voters, ages 18 to 30, are coming out in big numbers in the lead-up to Election Day. North Carolina ranks in the top states for early ballots cast by young voters, as Millennials and Generation Z look to make their voices heard this election season.
One week to go before Election Day 2020 and the votes continue to pour in by the millions. Behind every ballot cast is a voter wielding the pen and filling in the bubbles for who they want to see in office.
Thousands of teachers in North Carolina are currently faced with a difficult choice: go back to teaching in-person class, or continue to teach virtually and minimize their risk of exposure to Covid. But, in truth, it's not even really their decision — at least, not entirely.
There's a fall tradition that plays a significant role in the lives of historically Black college and university graduates across the nation: homecoming. These events are centered around a football game, sure, but the matchup on the field is no match for the fellowship that takes place as alumni, family and friends gather on campus for a unique kind of annual reunion.
North Carolina is again home to the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the nation's history. During this 2020 election cycle, billions of dollars will flow through the somewhat mysterious apparatus of campaign finance.
Dr. Dave Hostler has seen his fair share of challenges in the medical field. As an Army pulmonary and critical care doctor, he has served in multiple intensive care units, was the brigade surgeon for the 82nd Airborne, and treated service members in combat zones overseas. But he says his recent work providing care to COVID patients at an overwhelmed civilian hospital in McAllen, TX was his most challenging experience.
Virtual learning has changed almost everything about the classroom experience in North Carolina, but implicit racial biases remain as a hindrance to students' education. Microaggressions and discriminatory behavior from teachers and other classmates can have detrimental effects on students of color, especially young children in preschool.
Early voting starts this week in North Carolina, and the pandemic has forced many people to re-think how they’re casting their ballots. As accounts trickle in of voters across the country navigating hurdles with early and mail-in voting, concerns persist over how ballots will be counted, and if this election will be fair and accurate.
Political polling isn’t a crystal ball into election outcomes this November, but it is a useful tool to help us understand where certain groups of voters stand in a given point in time.
The Greensboro City Council passed a resolution this week that officially apologizes for the police’s role in a tragedy often referred to as the “Greensboro Massacre.” On November 3, 1979, members of the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party shot and killed five activists and injured many others during an anti-Klan demonstration. Now, 41 years later, the city is trying to make amends with an apology and an annual scholarship dedicated to the victims.
Democrats seeking to transform the landscape of North Carolina politics must take back the state House.
The three Ws — wash your hands, wear a mask and watch your distance — are our best bets for warding off COVID-19 until we have one thing: a vaccine. A vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Moderna is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials at UNC-Chapel Hill.
African American churches have long been more than just a place to pray. They have served as spaces to organize and advance civil rights, and in the lead up to the election, some churches are continuing the legacy by boosting voter education.
With more than one million deaths worldwide, it can feel nearly impossible to fully grasp the toll COVID-19 has taken across the globe. The consistent stress of the pandemic, and an ever-increasing death count can sometimes be too much for our brains to comprehend.
North Carolina's ballot stretches well beyond the top of the ticket. One big question looming in 2020 is whether Democrats will regain control of at least one chamber of the General Assembly, or if Republicans will hang on to the reins with their simple majority.
With the 2020 U.S. census deadline approaching, North Carolina lags behind its Southern neighbors in its count. Only about 62% of households in the state have responded to the census, and experts say at least 400,000 more households need to be counted to get the most accurate response.
North Carolina has 13 congressional districts, though only one race is likely to be particularly close this fall. After a judicial panel determined the old map illegally favored Republicans and the boundaries were redrawn last year, the 8th District is now a competitive outlier.
When a COVID-19 outbreak hits a community, one of the first responses is to perform contact tracing to pinpoint the outbreak's origin and inform people at risk to quarantine. But defenses against the virus can only go so far without consistent support from the public.
When Lanisha Jones went to vote in the 2016 election, she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. She thought she was simply exercising her right to vote. But in 2019, the district attorney in Hoke County charged her with voting illegally because at the time she was still on probation from a felony conviction.
When Lanisha Jones went to vote in the 2016 election, she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. She thought she was simply exercising her right to vote. But in 2019, the district attorney in Hoke County charged her with voting illegally because at the time she was still on probation from a felony conviction.
North Carolina has been in some version of a statewide shutdown for nearly six months. Throughout that time, COVID-19 has demanded a never-ending list of challenges and risks, especially for communities of color. Since the beginning of the pandemic, African Americans have accounted for a disproportionate number of coronavirus-related deaths due to long-standing systemic racial health disparities.
With Election Day less than two months away, candidates are in full force on the campaign trail trying to woo voters. But what message are they crafting to appeal to their constituents? When it comes to talking about race, politicians have used coded language to conjure racist stereotypes for decades. The technique is called “dog whistle politics.”
As COVID-19 cases climb at many colleges and universities in North Carolina, schools are maintaining dashboards to track and present different data and terminology. But are the dashboards enough of a resource to keep students and faculty informed about the virus on their campus?
Tourism in North Carolina has been hit hard by COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, the state has suffered an estimated loss of $6.8 billion in travel spending revenue, according to a report by Visit NC. With lower visitation numbers and limited capacities in public spaces, tourist destinations across the state have had to adjust to the challenging circumstance.
As universities wrestle with a semester upended by COVID-19, college athletes in the ACC are being asked to stay on campus and get ready for their upcoming seasons.
Hundreds of thousands of North Carolina renters are at risk of being forced out of their homes now that government moratoriums on evictions have expired. Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper announced new grant programs to help people pay their rent and utilities, but many will need to see relief sooner than later as housing payments continue to pile up.
Some of North Carolina’s key COVID-19 metrics are trending slightly downward, but that doesn’t mean the pandemic is close to being over.
Names of Confederates, segregationists, and white supremacists on campus and government buildings have captured most of the public’s attention when it comes to how institutions are reckoning with structural racism. However, several prisons across the South also bear the names of problematic figures, or former plantations.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Monday that it will be moving all undergraduate classes online after the university reported 130 new positive COVID-19 cases among students and multiple clusters of cases.
Sen. Kamala Harris’s historic nomination as Joe Biden’s pick for vice president is a clear marker of Black women’s longstanding political influence. Black women have been a backbone in politics for decades, from helping organize campaigns to upholding democratic ideals, to now achieving a spot on a national party’s ticket.
There are now more than 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina, as a result of more than 2 million conducted tests. But testing is not the only method to determine the prevalence of the virus in a community.
While most historically Black colleges and universities in North Carolina are welcoming students back to campus this month, some small, private institutions are offering only virtual instruction this fall.
After pivoting to virtual instruction in the spring, colleges and universities are now taking different approaches to try to keep students and faculty safe as a new semester gets underway.
For many white people who are recognizing their privilege and complacency around systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death, turning acknowledgement into an action plan to dismantle racism remains a challenge.
The pandemic hasn’t halted much traffic for summer vacationers in some areas of the North Carolina coast. In June, Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Dare County saw its largest number of visitors in nearly 20 years. But even as people come from states with higher COVID numbers, Dare County’s health department has mostly been able to keep COVID under control.
For workers across the country, the pandemic has brought to the surface longstanding issues around lack of stability and support in the workplace. Earlier this week, demonstrators gathered in downtown Durham, North Carolina to advocate for a $15 minimum wage as a part of the national rally called “Strike for Black Lives.” The event was just one example of how employees across multiple industries have felt underpaid and undervalued by their employers.
The World Health Organization reports there are more than 150 vaccines for COVID-19 in various stages of development. But how do you ensure that everybody is fairly represented in clinical research trials, especially when people of color are dying at higher rates from the virus?
What will happen in the fall? It’s a question that’s burning in the minds of parents, teachers and students since schools were closed in March. On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper announced schools will be allowed to reopen for both in-person and remote learning with safety protocols in place. Meanwhile, parents are faced with the difficulty of determining what will be best for their child’s health and education in the upcoming semester.
The personal loss of a loved one leads host Leoneda Inge to reflect deeply on the recent experience of saying goodbye during the pandemic.
After months of socially distant play dates, remote learning and unplanned Fortnite marathons, families have done their very best to find a “new normal” during the pandemic. Throughout all the stress and uncertainty, families are staying resilient, creative and connected.
Confederate monuments, memorials, and names on buildings are coming down across the South. In the last month, many of the region's long standing symbols have been stripped, from the Mississippi state flag to a statue of Stonewall Jackson in Richmond, Virginia.
North Carolina residents have lived under various rules and policies throughout the gradual reopening, and last week Governor Roy Cooper added a new one to the list: a statewide mandate to wear face coverings.
As Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations continue to endure a disproportionate number of COVID-19-related deaths, state and local health departments are working to increase access to testing and other health care services for communities of color.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reports three clusters of COVID-19 at childcare centers across North Carolina. A “cluster” is defined as five or more cases, with links between cases, at a licensed or regulated childcare facility.
As state officials continue to heed the call for social distancing and face coverings, researchers and health experts have been busy examining the trends and forecasting possible scenarios for the pandemic’s future.
The next phase of North Carolina’s gradual reopening is in jeopardy as many of the state’s health trends continue to move in the wrong direction. Hospitalizations on average are on the rise, while 1,154 people have died from the virus.
There have been more than 700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than a dozen outbreaks at state correctional facilities. Five inmates at state prisons and one person on prison staff have died from the virus.
Since the start of Phase 2, some of the state’s key COVID-19 metrics haven’t been trending in the ways North Carolina’s leaders had hoped. On Tuesday the number of hospitalizations hit a new high, with the state Department of Health and Human Services reporting 774 people in the hospital with COVID-19. This peak comes after North Carolina also saw its single highest day of new cases reported over the weekend.
The demographic breakdown of COVID-19 cases remains a grim reminder of rampant racial health disparities in our nation. For black and Latinx communities especially, the consequences of longstanding gaps in healthcare have been intensified by the pandemic.
In the past week, protests have taken place throughout North Carolina, and across the country, in response to the death of George Floyd. Floyd, who was born in North Carolina, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis last week. In a video, Floyd can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” while the officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Two heads of state clashed this week after President Trump put Governor Roy Cooper in the crosshairs of his active, and now partially fact-checked, Twitter account. Trump threatened to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if Cooper couldn’t guarantee full capacity for the event in August.
The main objective of the all the stay-at-home orders was to flatten the curve and make sure hospitals across the state didn’t become overrun. That has so far been successful in North Carolina. But, as "stay-at-home" becomes "safer-at-home," there’s been a spike in cases, percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations. Meanwhile, hospitals and health care workers in other states have seen a greater surge, and are now seeing a greater decline.
Once North Carolina’s gradual reopening shifts into Phase 2 Friday afternoon, more places like restaurants, salons, and pools will be given the green light to open up again.
Governor Roy Cooper is considering an ease on more restrictions, as the date approaches for the planned move into Phase 2 of North Carolina's gradual reopening.
Since the onset of the pandemic, nursing homes have been hotspots for the virus. As congregate living spaces, COVID-19 can spread quickly among its residents, posing serious risks to people 65 and older.
As people return to North Carolina's stores and parks during Phase 1 of the gradual reopening, there are growing concerns about the health and safety of workers at meat and poultry processing plants across the state.
Phase 1 begins today in North Carolina. Retail stores and state parks can resume operations, with some changes to try to ensure public health.
In making the decision on when to reopen North Carolina's economy, Gov. Roy Cooper says he is being guided by one thing: Data.
It's National Nurses' Day. And this year, nurses - and all medical professionals - have certainly earned a little extra recognition.
Governor Roy Cooper's Phase One Reopening plan begins Friday. The announcement came after Dr. Mandy Cohen, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said the COVID-19 data trends in North Carolina are "stable."
The National Multifamily Housing Council reported last month that nearly one-third of apartment renters in the country had not paid their rent in April. The numbers were slightly better in North Carolina, but they are on track to be worse this month. Gov. Roy Cooper signed two emergency funding bills today that could help, but the pandemic has forced tenants and landlords to come up with answers mostly on the fly.
Governor Roy Cooper is eyeing next weekend for a move into the first phase of re-opening the North Carolina economy, even as the key metrics and trends on COVID-19 in the state offer mixed messages.
There's perhaps never been a time where effective and accurate science communication has been more crucial. It's become, quite frankly, life and death for tens of thousands of people.
It's been another busy day in Raleigh as state lawmakers try to shape and support North Carolina's recovery from COVID-19, and decide how much money they will have and where to spend it.
As they did last week, several hundred protestors marched in Raleigh today, calling for the state to be "re-opened" immediately.
Our state's educational institutions have been turned upside down by the pandemic. School buildings are empty, and resources are evaporating.
Governor Roy Cooper today announced that public school facilities in North Carolina would stay closed through the end of the academic year. It came a day after he announced a three-stage plan to re-open the state, when specific benchmarks are reached.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper extended his stay-at-home order until May 8. He also laid out a more specific, three-phase plan for re-opening North Carolina's economy.
About 21% of the people who live in North Carolina are African-American, but black people make up 39% of COVID-19 cases in the state - and 37% of the deaths.
Governor Roy Cooper says he is still weighing goals and will make a plan about what needs to happen before re-opening areas of the state.
Bevin Strickland is a nurse and doctoral student a UNC Greensboro. She's 47 years old, and a single mother of three.
To this point in the pandemic response, political partisanship hasn't been a major issue in North Carolina.
It's been the subject of intense research and modeling by renowned experts, and a favorite parlor game for the rest of us: When will we hit "The Peak?"
Years from now, our kids will likely write essays about this pandemic. Right now, some of those future high school and college kids are busy learning their ABCs at home. But if their parents are essential workers, they might still need to rely on their local child care facility - that is, if it's still open.
The pandemic is exposing weaknesses and inequities throughout our society and systems. Some are simply annoying, like hackers jumping into our Zoom calls, but others have serious consequences, like employer-based health-care, when so many are losing jobs and need coverage more than ever.
The numbers for today are in, and they are both grim, and a little hopeful. As of Monday, 86 people have now died in North Carolina, but the number of hospitalizations has dropped by about 15% since Saturday.
Even if the term is unfamiliar, the situation probably isn't. If you've ever lived in a college dormitory, you've been in a congregate living situation… where you live side-by-side with other people, maybe sharing bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and various public spaces.
In a conference call on March 16, President Donald Trump told governors it should try to get ventilators and other life-saving equipment on their own.
Predicting how the COVID-19 pandemic will play out in North Carolina is a difficult task. Yesterday, some of the state's best minds from Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and RTI crunched the data and offered up their best prediction for what hospitals could expect.
Hospital administrators across North Carolina are planning for every scenario they might face during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to UNC Health officials, one of those contingency plans is what to do if half of their providers get sick with COVID-19.
North Carolina's largest city is also the first serious outbreak of COVID-19 in the state. Hospitalizations there are increasing rapidly, and officials are preparing to be overrun.
We all have a role to play in this pandemic. For the majority of us, it's to stay home, stay away from others, and do our best to manage our lives through the next few weeks of social distancing.
It's hard to know what, exactly, to expect here. Is North Carolina going to be like New York? Or New Orleans? Will we see our hospitals overrun?
These are unprecedented times for school administrators, educators, students, and parents.
On CNN over the weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci brought up some frightening numbers, including that the country can expect 100,000-200,000 deaths due to COVID-19. Proportionally, that would mean between 3,000-6,000 people would die in North Carolina.
The United States has overtaken China, Italy, and every other country in the world in the number of documented COVID-19 cases. It's a dubious and troubling honor, to be sure. And it caps a week unlike any before it, around the globe and here in North Carolina.
Meet host Dave DeWitt on a quick guided tour of what to expect from WUNC's first-ever daily podcast.