Due South

0:01:00North Carolina athletes from snowboarding to bobsledding among Winter Olympic hopefuls We are mere weeks away from the Winter Olympics, set for northern Italy. We check in on a North Carolina snowboarder, a bobsledder, and others looking to make a mark on the Games.Josh Sullivan, Social Media Producer, WUNC News0:13:00W. Ralph Eubanks discusses new book ‘When It's Darkness on the Delta’Writer W. Ralph Eubanks takes Due South on a journey over the loamy land of the Mississippi Delta, a place his family once called home. It's a distinctive region known for fertile soil, blues music, and deeply entrenched poverty. It's also a place Eubanks believes holds up a mirror to the South and the country. He talks with co-host Jeff Tiberii about his new book, “When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land.”W. Ralph Eubanks, faculty fellow and writer in residence at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture

0:01:00Flag football gains a foothold in North CarolinaFrom local rec centers and high school football stadiums, all the way to the NCAA and soon the Olympics, flag football seems to be everywhere. Even the NFL is getting in on the action. USA Today reporter Mitchell Northam explains the growing popularity of the sport many simply call “flag.”Mitchell Northam, reporter, USA Today0:13:00Due South’s Most Anticipated Books of Winter/Spring 2026Due South checks in with Flyleaf Books’ Maggie Robe about some of 2026’s most anticipated books.Maggie Robe, marketing and events manager, Flyleaf Books0:33:00Classical pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason performs with NC Symphony Classical pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason joins Due South to discuss her musical family, her debut as a solo performer and her upcoming performances with the North Carolina Symphony Jan. 22-25.Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, classical pianist and performing artist

0:01:00Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, leans into her legacy at The King CenterLeoneda Inge chats with Dr. Bernice King, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, to discuss her family’s legacy, her work as a social justice strategist and the work of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change amid a changing political climate.(This Due South encore edition originally aired August 13,2025.)Dr. Bernice King, strategist, peace advocate and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change0:33:00Durham architect Zena Howard on the Smithsonian museum she helped design — and its moment in the political spotlightThe White House Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” cites content from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) as an example of how the “Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.”The NMAAHC has deep ties to Durham, where the late Phil Freelon, the museum’s architect of record, built his career. Architect Zena Howard worked with Freelon for many years and was senior project manager for building the museum.Howard joins Due South’s Leoneda Inge to reflect on the impact of the NMAAHC and the challenges that it, and many other public spaces focused on history, face today.(This Due South encore edition originally aired April 22,2025.)Zena Howard, Principal and Global Cultural and Civic Practice Chair, Perkins&Will

North Carolina is the only state that didn't pass a budget in 2025, and probably won’t until April, at the earliest. Plus, changes to in-person early voting, a debate over property taxes, and the rest of the week’s biggest stories on our weekly North Carolina News Roundup.Claudia Rivera Cotto, State Political Reporter for Enlace Latino NCGary Robertson, North Carolina Statehouse reporter for the Associated PressBrian Gordon, reports on technology, business and labor for The News & ObserverMary Helen Moore, reporter Axios Raleigh

0:01:00Mental health evaluations for criminal suspectsWRAL’s Paul Specht shares his recent reporting on a dispute between hospitals and sheriffs about where mental health evaluations for criminal suspects should happen.Paul Specht, WRAL state government reporterRelated content: Paul Specht's recent reporting for WRAL: NC lawmakers to probe Raleigh murder case as part of review of state mental health procedures NC hospitals, sheriffs at odds over new mental evaluation procedure for criminal suspects 0:13:002026 New Year’s Resolution: Tressie McMillan CottomPublic scholar, author and UNC-Chapel Hill associate professor Tressie McMillan Cottom joins Due South to share her thoughts about potential societal shifts in 2026 and sociopolitical expectations for the new year.Tressie McMillan Cottom, public scholar, New York Times columnist, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science0:33:00 Comedian Sherri Shepherd returns to the stand-up stage with tour stop in Durham Comedian and daytime talk show host Sherri Shepherd brings her new stand-up comedy routine to Durham on January 17. Leoneda Inge talks to the longtime actress and entertainer about her career and her latest tour.Sherri Shepherd, comedian, Daytime Emmy Award-winning TV personality, actress

0:01:00The first woman to lead North Carolina’s State Employees’ Credit Union on leading the credit union giantThe first woman to head the nation’s second largest credit union talks overcoming failure, learning to lead, and the growth of female representation in banking.Leigh Brady, President and CEO of the North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU)0:33:00How to keep your personal finance New Year's resolutionsEven with the best of intentions, New Year's resolutions can be hard to keep. Especially if they have to do with personal finance. Leoneda Inge speaks with a columnist who answers reader questions and shares ideas for how you can follow through on your financial resolutions.Michelle Singletary, writes the nationally syndicated personal finance column and newsletter called The Color of Money for The Washington Post

0:01:00Michael Regan rebuilt the U.S. EPA with an eye toward environmental justice. Now, he’s watching those efforts get knocked down.Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and North Carolina native Michael Regan started his career at the agency, eventually led North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality, and returned to the EPA for the top job during the Biden administration.Regan joined Due South's Leoneda Inge in our Durham studio for a wide-ranging conversation about his career, his enduring connection to North Carolina's environmental justice movement, and the impact of politics on environmental policy.Michael S. Regan, Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency0:33:00How the Battleship North Carolina got to its home in WilmingtonSixty-five years ago, a state-wide fundraising effort saved a more than 70 million-pound, 700-foot long behemoth of a WWII warship from being scrapped. The USS North Carolina is now a museum in Wilmington, and it would not have made it there without the contributions of thousands of North Carolina children.The museum now has an effort underway to collect the stories of the “kid heroes” who helped save the ship back in 1961.Dr. Jay Martin, Executive Director, Battleship North CarolinaCamille Williams, fundraised as an elementary school student for the 1961 effort

0:01:00At James B. Hunt High School, Gov. Jim Hunt’s legacy enduresEddie Doll, principal of James Baxter Hunt Jr. High School in Wilson, joins Due South to talk about Gov. Jim Hunt’s enduring education legacy.Eddie Doll, principal, James B. Hunt High School0:13:00Gov. Jim Hunt’s legacy as founder of the Institute for Emerging IssuesLeoneda Inge sits down with Anita Brown-Graham, former director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, founded by Gov. Jim Hunt. They discuss the early days of the institute and Gov. Hunt’s impact on intellectual discourse in North Carolina and beyond.Anita Brown-Graham, founder and director of the ncIMPACT Initiative and the Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the UNC School of Government0:33:00The political legacy of Gov. Jim HuntThe state’s longest serving governor, James B. Hunt Jr., has passed away. Longtime political ECU political science professor Tom Eamon joins Due South to discuss Gov. Hunt’s political impact on the state and what today’s politicians can learn from his governance. Dr. Thomas Eamon, professor of political science, East Carolina University

On the North Carolina News Roundup... Elected officials react to the operation in Venezuela, while largely remaining mum on the killing in Minneapolis, as the midterm primary emerges on the horizon. Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of journalists wrap up the first week of 2026, with an ear toward the year to come.Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & ObserverBryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletterZachery Eanes, reporter, Axios RaleighDanielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchy

0:01:00A North Carolina midterm election previewWe're one year into President Trump’s second term and people are already talking about 2028. But the 2026 midterm election, featuring a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in North Carolina, could have major impacts on the political landscape.Due South’s Jeff Tiberii is joined by WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell, as well as two political strategists, to talk about the March primary, and the stakes of November’s midterms – for North Carolina and beyond.Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNCKimberly Reynolds, co-founder and partner at Maven Strategies, former Executive Director, North Carolina Democratic PartyDouglas Heye, Republican strategist and political commentator0:33:00Hillside High School alum marches in 137thannual Rose ParadeHillside High School graduate and former band director Jordan Jones discusses his experience performing at the 2026 Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.Jordan Jones, Hillside High School alumnus, former band director, Hillside High School

0:01:00A Segment: Year in Review: A WUNC reporter recaps the biggest higher education stories of 2025  WUNC reporter Brianna Atkinson joins co-host Leoneda Inge to talk about the biggest higher education stories of 2025.Brianna Atkinson, Higher Education Reporter, WUNC0:13:00B Segment: HBCU 101: Enrollment by the NumbersIn a post-affirmative action landscape, some HBCUs are seeing record high enrollment. North Carolina Central University is one of them. Due South sits down with Dr. Ontario S. Wooden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, to discuss what keeps the university’s enrollment numbers high.Ontario S. Wooden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, North Carolina Central University0:33:00C Segment: As the new year begins, ACA enrollees see significant changes to coverage and costsKFF Health News senior correspondent Julie Appleby joins Due South to discuss the changes to the Affordable Care Act in 2026 and how enrollees will be impacted.Julie Appleby, senior correspondent, KFF Health News

0:01:00Meet the Mayors: Canton’s Zeb Smathers says Helene relief is taking too long, and shares his hopes for 2026Efforts are still underway to rebuild roads, bridges, and parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. The mayor of Canton wants to make sure his town in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is not forgotten. Meet Zeb Smathers – the long-time Mayor of Canton and his fight to make sure his community is rebuilt after Helene.Zeb Smathers, Mayor of Canton since November 2017, attorney at Smathers and Smathers Attorneys At Law0:33:002026 resolutions: thinking big about familyWe’re starting off 2026 with a series of interviews with some of the big thinkers in our own backyard: about their resolutions and community-level solutions to help frame up the new year. First up, a conversation about family formation.Karen Guzzo, family demographer, sociology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and Director of the Carolina Population Center

0:01:00The Big Recount: Covering the 2000 presidential election ballot challengeLeoneda Inge and WFAE’s Steve Harrison talk about their experiences covering the 2000 presidential election ballot challenge. In 2000, Harrison was covering the Bush/Gore election for the Miami Herald. He shares stories from that time and reflects on an event that reshaped American politics 25 years later.Steve Harrison, politics reporter at WFAE-Charlotte’s NPR News Source, and former reporter for the Miami Herald and Charlotte Observer.0:13:00The Big Recount: A political scientist weighs inLeoneda Inge speaks with North Carolina Central University professor Dr. Jarvis Hall about the 25-year anniversary of the Bush/Gore election.Jarvis Hall, associate professor of political science at North Carolina Central University0:33:00The Big Recount: A radio diary from Florida, the center of the political universe, in 2000Leoneda Inge speaks with a former student about her time covering the Bush/Gore election recount in a radio production course at Florida A&M University. Kara Palmer Smith was a FAMU journalism student and radio producer at the time of the 2000 election ballot recount and following legal challenge. She followed the story as her final project in college.Kara Palmer Smith, FAMU journalism student and radio producer at the time of the 2000 election

0:01:00And the South’s first Michelin Stars go to…One North Carolina restaurant in Charlotte has earned one of food’s highest honors. But the Triangle didn’t get completely left off the map. Plus, what the news and various Michelin lists and guides say you should check out in the state and region.Drew Jackson, food and restaurant reporter at The News & Observer0:13:00Celebrity chef and native Southerner Carla Hall launches ‘The Me Menu’Emmy Award-winning chef and cooking show host Carla Hall has teamed up with entrepreneur and executive coach Deb Riegel to launch a new website and program – “The Me Menu” – to help other women find organization, direction and inspiration in middle age.Carla Hall, chef, author and television personalityDeb Riegel, entrepreneur, executive coach and motivational speaker, co-founders of The Me Menu0:33:00Durham's oldest Black-owned restaurant just got a grant from the National Trust for Historic PreservationHow the restaurant leaders will use the $50,000, and how The Chicken Hut fits into Durham history as host to famous and influential Civil Rights leaders.Tre Tapp, second-generation owner of the Chicken Hut

We're taking a short break, but will have new episodes for you again next week!

0:01:00'Santas Just Like Me'Stafford Braxton was working as a photographer with a mall Santa when he noticed a trend: Black families would approach him and ask if there was a Santa their kids could visit who looked more like them. Braxton realized there was a need to fill and "Santas Just Like Me" was born.Braxton talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about getting that business off the ground, the joys and challenges of the work and the persistence it often takes to recruit his Santas.Later in the hour, Warren Keyes and Joe Griffin, also known as Santa Warren and Santa Joe, meet Leoneda in the studio to talk about how they got into their work with "Santas Just Like Me" and what it means to them to be part of this expanding group of Santas from Charlotte to Greensboro to Durham to Raleigh. (This interview originally aired on Dec 6, 2023.)Stafford Braxton, founder of "Santas Just Like Me"Joe Griffin, aka Santa JoeWarren Keyes, aka Santa Warren0:33:00The Lumbee Tribe's long journey to full federal recognitionAfter more than 130 years, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has gained full federal recognition. Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with Sarah Nagem of the Border Belt Independent about that journey. We also hear from three past Due South guests who share their reactions to the news and their hopes for the future of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.Sarah Nagem, editor, Border Belt IndependentBrittany Hunt, Assistant Professor, School of Education at Virginia TechRonny Bell, Fred Eshelman Professor and Chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillRyan Emanuel, Associate Professor, Duke University, and author of On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental JusticeListen to Due South's previous conversations with Brittany Hunt, Ryan Emanuel, and Ronny Bell and his brother Joseph Bell, MD. Dr. Joseph Bell, the first Native American pediatrician in North Carolina, passed away in June.

0:01:00The Big Recount: Covering the 2000 presidential election ballot challengeLeoneda Inge and WFAE’s Steve Harrison talk about their experiences covering the 2000 presidential election ballot challenge. In 2000, Harrison was covering the Bush/Gore election for the Miami Herald. He shares stories from that time and reflects on an event that reshaped American politics 25 years later.Steve Harrison, politics reporter at WFAE-Charlotte’s NPR News Source, and former reporter for the Miami Herald and Charlotte Observer.0:13:00The Big Recount: A political scientist weighs inLeoneda Inge speaks with North Carolina Central University professor Dr. Jarvis Hall about the 25-year anniversary of the Bush/Gore election.Jarvis Hall, associate professor of political science at North Carolina Central University0:33:00The Big Recount: A radio diary from Florida, the center of the political universe, in 2000Leoneda Inge speaks with a former student about her time covering the Bush/Gore election recount in a radio production course at Florida A&M University. Kara Palmer Smith was a FAMU journalism student and radio producer at the time of the 2000 election ballot recount and following legal challenge. She followed the story as her final project in college.Kara Palmer Smith, FAMU journalism student and radio producer at the time of the 2000 election

On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup, we widen our lens to talk about some of the biggest stories of the year: Lumbee recognition, immigration raids, the NC Supreme Court race, redistricting, Chantal and Helene recovery, and no state budget are just a few of the topics covered by co-host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of reporters.Danielle Battaglia, Capitol Hill correspondent, The News & Observer/The Charlotte Observer/McClatchyColin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNCBryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletterClaudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NCDawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

0:01:00Year in Review: WUNC reporters recap biggest stories of the yearFrom data centers to gas pipelines to PFAS, WUNC reporter Celeste Gracia talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about the biggest North Carolina environmental stories of the 2025.Celeste Gracia, Environment Reporter, WUNC0:13:00Duke scholar discusses pipeline of international student-athletes to U.S.Exploitation in sports is nothing new. And when we think about power dynamics, marginalized athletes and missed educational opportunities, we often think of collegiate players. Yet the manipulation of young athletes is not confined just to college campuses. It can permeate into the youth ranks, and impact those arriving from outside America.Javier Wallace is a former athlete and now a postdoctoral associate of African and African American studies at Duke University. Wallace joins co-host Jeff Tiberii to talk about his new book, Basketball Trafficking: Stolen Black Panamanian Dreams.Javier Wallace, postdoctoral associate of African and African American studies, Duke University0:33:00A Politico reporter on the already-present political fallout from recent immigration actions in North CarolinaElena Schneider reports on concerns that congressional and local Republican representatives have, and discusses how North Carolinians’ response could shape the balance of power in Washington.Elena Schneider, a national political reporter, Politico

0:01:00Year in Review: WUNC reporters recap biggest stories of the yearWUNC's Race, Class & Communities Reporter Aaron Sánchez-Guerra talks about immigration raids, the climate of fear felt in many North Carolina communities, and the other big stories he covered in 2025.Aaron Sánchez-Guerra, Race, Class & Communities Reporter, WUNC0:13:00A new investigation by The Assembly finds North Carolina’s “…Lawyers Who Kept Screwing Up”Federal judges repeatedly cited lack of professionalism and timeliness from state lawyers in federal court. Even after repeated efforts for change, judges worry there isn’t a clear mechanism for meaningful consequences that could change the behavior. The state says it doesn’t have enough lawyers, and those it does have are overworked.Jeffrey Billman, is a politics and law reporter for The AssemblyMichael Hewlett, is a criminal justice reporter for The Assembly0:33:00Comedian Alonzo Bodden talks aviation, family and returning to Raleigh for New Year’s EveAlonzo Bodden is a comedy veteran with more than 20 years in the stand-up game. A frequent guest on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, Bodden got his start in aviation before pivoting to a career in humor. He will perform on New Year’s Eve at the Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh.Alonzo Bodden, stand-up comedian and actor