Carolina Connection

Carolina Connection

Carolina Connection is the radio newsmagazine produced by students in the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Carolina Connection is heard Saturday mornings at 8:30 on WCHL 97.9 FM and 1360 AM — Chapel Hill’s news/talk radio station. The program is available online at www.carolinaconnection.org.

Episodes

Carolina Connection – Dec. 6, 2025

December 6, 2025 • 26 mins
College can be stressful for any student, but it’s especially challenging for those facing food insecurity. An initiative from the school of social work provides a new student mental health resource. AI is changing the job market for both applicants and employers. UNC’s men basketball team is full of new faces - creating mixed feelings among fans. An English professor holds unconventional office hours to promote poetry- on the bask...
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Carolina Connection podcast: UNC beekeepers collect honey to fight hunger

December 5, 2025 • 8 mins
Emmy Berger and Maddie Policastro break down the buzz around UNC’s Beekeeping Club and its “Honey for Hunger Initiative." The club processed and bottled more than 200 pounds of honey, and every dollar from sales goes straight to the Carolina Cupboard campus food pantry. While tabling in the Pit, the beekeepers have already raised nearly six thousand dollars, and sales will keep rolling out over the next few weeks. 39) Emmy headed...
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Carolina Connection podcast: Not everybody is enchanted with a planned Disney-themed neighborhood in Pittsboro

November 25, 2025 • 7 mins
Disney is building a new residential community in Pittsboro called Asteria. While it won’t be a theme park, Disney says the community will feature Disney branding and amenities run by Disney cast members, such as a wellness and recreation center, restaurant, and a community garden. With home sales expected in 2027, the project is getting renewed focus from local officials … and from environmental groups. On this edition of the C...
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Carolina Connection podcast: A local group is creating community through an ancient art

November 22, 2025 • 8 mins
On this edition of Carolina Cast, host Maddie Policastro and reporter Gracie Durham dive into the local club, the Chapel Hill Woodturners. The club operates out of a workshop on Old Greensboro Road, where we found that the group is doing more than just shaping wood … they’re building community, bringing together people from all walks of life to create, teach, and give back.
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Carolina Connection – Nov. 22, 2025

November 22, 2025 • 27 mins
Local residents react as federal immigration officers arrive in the Triangle, detaining people outside stores, at construction sites, and elsewhere. We hear from a UNC student who fears for the safety of his family, his community, and himself. Durham parents stand watch outside schools in case immigration officers arrive. Political leaders argue for and against the law enforcement operation, while a UNC legal scholar discusses the ...
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Carolina Connection – Nov. 15, 2025

November 15, 2025 • 26 mins
Students are bracing to pay more to attend UNC after the Board of Trustees approves the first tuition increase in years. Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in New York City’s mayoral race is inspiring Muslims in Chapel Hill.  A lot of people at UNC are trying to fight food insecurity - and so are some tiny insects. Dancers on campus say they don't have enough places to pirouette or tap. People are going to DIx Park in Raleigh to see tro...
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Carolina Connection – Nov. 8, 2025

November 8, 2025 • 26 mins
Food pantries are overwhelmed as the Trump Administration holds back SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. Democrats had a surprisingly strong election this week, but a political expert warns against drawing long-term conclusions from the results. UNC has limited access to a lounge that students of color have used for over fifty years - leaving some feeling alienated.  UNC's schools of library science and data science are m...
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Carolina Connection podcast: Giant trolls in Dix Park spread a message about nature and sustainability

November 7, 2025 • 12 mins
On the latest edition of the Carolina Connection podcast, Maddie Policastro and Marguerite Stouse dive into a new art installation in Raleigh’s Dix Park. Thomas Dambo and his massive wooden trolls have invaded the park, spreading their mission of sustainability and community through the Triangle. Dambo is an international recycled material artist and has recruited local volunteers in building these five wooden trolls.  Marguerite t...
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Carolina Connection – Nov. 1, 2025

November 1, 2025 • 26 mins
Hurricane Melissa hits close to home for a UNC student with family in Jamaica. Citing thousands of dollars of squirrel damage to homes and vehicles, residents of a Durham subdivision want the city to regulate wildlife feeders. But the mayor says a proposed ordinance goes too far. Now that college athletes are getting paid, a UNC business class is helping them learn to save and spend wisely. Duke Chapel is commemorating Day of the D...
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Carolina Connection – Oct. 25, 2025

October 25, 2025 • 24 mins
North Carolina's congressional districts get even more gerrymandered. Protesters say truth and public service at UNC are under attack. Skateboarders on campus say they have no place to shred. At UNC and Duke hospitals, an atypical therapy is helping patients. UNC students can get their hair cut in the Pit… for free. It's time for the annual appearance of pumpkin spice ... in seemingly every beverage we drink.
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Carolina Connection – Oct. 11, 2025

October 11, 2025 • 27 mins
UNC's annual First Amendment Day takes on new meaning this year as people on campus and around the country say their rights are threatened.  Losses on the field and controversies off the field lead to questions about Bill Belichick's future at UNC. Online gamers are often exposed to extremist content, but some say the community should work together to challenge harmful beliefs. North Carolina's first Buc-ee’s is coming in Mebane, b...
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Carolina Connection – Oct. 4, 2025

October 4, 2025 • 27 mins
UNC reinstates a controversial professor after investigating him for alleged "advocacy of politically motivated violence." The investigation concluded that Professor Dwayne Dixon posed no threat and violated no university policies. The UNC Dental School pays tribute to student Deah Barakat, ten years after he, his wife, and his sister in law were murdered in a case that many consider a hate crime. Oxfam America ranks North Carolina...
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Carolina Connection – Sep. 27, 2025

September 27, 2025 • 26 mins
This is Hispanic Heritage Month, but celebrations feel different this year because of the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown. Some campus organizations fear losing their identities because UNC has banned DEI. Coffee houses are taking a financial hit due to President Trump's tariffs. Nature and art are coming together this fall at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. The Chapel Hill music scene gets jazzier. More than a ye...
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Carolina Connection – Sep. 20, 2025

September 20, 2025 • 27 mins
Schools across North Carolina are restricting cell phones in the classroom to comply with a new state ban. UNC considers an incentive plan to encourage employees to retire. Student organizations adjust to tighter budgets. It's Muscadine season, and we step through a local farm for a history of North Carolina's official state fruit. In PlayMakers' latest production, "The Royale," boxing is a metaphor for the psychological fight agai...
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Carolina Connection – Sep. 13, 2025

September 13, 2025 • 26 mins
Colleagues honor the life of late Professor Zijie Yan with a new memorial on campus. Computer science students worry about AI impacting their future. A local puppeteer group is back on stage after tropical storm Chantal destroyed much of their warehouse. Amateur and professional poets have a new place to workshop. The hiring of Bill Belichick has changed the football game day experience - for better or worse. 
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Carolina Connection podcast: Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship leads to legal challenges and uncertainty

April 30, 2025 • 10 mins
One of President Trump's first executive orders upon taking office seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are undocumented or who are in the U.S. on temporary status. Federal courts temporarily blocked the order, after a series of lawsuits challenged it as a violation of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The case is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Carolina Connection's Gowr...
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Carolina Connection – Apr. 26, 2025

April 26, 2025 • 29 mins
Facing multiple lawsuits, The Trump Administration has restored the status of many international students who lost their visas, including at least five at UNC. Researchers at UNC say lifesaving studies are under threat due to federal funding cuts. Employers expect to hire fewer graduating seniors this year, and the class of 2025 is feeling the effects. Spiking property values in the Triangle could make it harder for residents of tr...
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Carolina Connection – Apr. 12, 2025

April 12, 2025 • 29 mins
Triangle college students react to the State Department’s termination of international students’ visas. A North Carolina Senate bill could further restrict DEI in higher education. State health agencies across the U.S. lost billions of dollars in funding, and that’s threatened many programs in North Carolina.  UNC is renovating some dorms, which could make it harder to find campus housing. And people take a swing at  history - and ...
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Carolina Connection podcast: How bargain stores fund a Republican megadonor’s political spending

April 8, 2025 • 9 mins
Businessman Art Pope - who recently acquired more than 200 Big Lots stores, manages a discount store empire that also includes such chains as Roses and Maxway. But Pope also is arguably the fuel for the N.C. Republican Party. Madeleine Ahmadi reports for the Carolina Connection podcast.
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Carolina Connection podcast: Raw milk popularity surges as experts warn of health risks

April 7, 2025 • 9 mins
Farmers and advocates say unpasteurized milk is healthier. But many doctors warn the risk of bacterial contamination outweighs any potential benefits. And some raw milk drinkers have learned that lesson the hard way. Sarah Ellis reports for the Carolina Connection podcast.
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