6+ day, 5+ hour ago (140+ words) On Thursday and Friday, tune into WUNC for special holiday programming, which include The Splendid Table's Turkey Confidential, Horn of Plenty and Radiolab's The Turducken. WUNC to air special Thanksgiving programs As families and loved ones gather together for the Thanksgiving holiday this week, don't forget to tune in to special programs on WUNC. Turkey Confidential from APM will air on Thursday at 12 p.m. Join Francis Lam from The Splendid Table as he walks through special Thanksgiving rituals and his special food preparation techniques. At 8 p.m. join us for Horn of Plenty, an hour of music and stories focused on the traditions of the holiday. And at 12 p.m. on Friday, tune in for The Turducken. Join Lulu Miller and the Radiolab team for three fun stories that explore quirky traditions connected to Thanksgiving....

2+ week, 2+ day ago (538+ words) In a rare reversal, the full UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees went against a vote by one of its own committees on resident undergraduate tuition. In a 6-5 vote, trustees approved a proposal from UNC-Chapel Hill administration to raise in-state undergraduate tuition by 3%. The board also voted to raise out-of-state tuition by 10% and increase the overall student fee rate by 3%. The decision will lead to a $264 increase in resident tuition and fee costs for the incoming class of 2026. Tuition has been flat for in-state undergraduate students at all of the state's public universities since 2017, due to a directive from the UNC Board of Governors. This year, the UNC BOG decided to let universities raise tuition for the first time since then. Yesterday, the majority of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees' budget and finance committee decided they didn't want to take…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (159+ words) The financial situation of many public school employees in North Carolina is bleak. WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer interviewed several educators as part of a reporting series called "From Politics to Paychecks." The series explores how political decisions are affecting NC educators' finances and families. Liz joins Jeff Tiberii to talk about the educators she met in putting together this series, and about the politics and policies shaping their lives in very significant ways. Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC North Carolina native Mason Deaver's debut novel, I Wish You All the Best, about a teen coming out as non-binary to their parents, is making its way to theatres, after a successful film festival run in 2024. Mason Deaver, designer and novelist The team behind the WUNC podcast has put together an audio walking tour of downtown Durham" with stops at a…...

5+ day, 21+ hour ago (122+ words) State regulators have scheduled public hearings for Duke Energy's 2025 Carbon Plan. The utility filed its resource plan in October. It requests permission to upgrade transmission, build new power plants and implement programs that meet the state's future needs. Duke forecasts an unprecedented increase in energy demand, driven by a rising population, new manufacturing and incoming data centers. The plan charts a course toward carbon neutrality in 2050 but calls for increased emissions for the next decade while extending coal plant operations through 2040. Members of the public may speak at the public witness hearings. Here are the scheduled hearings: Stakeholders will convene in Raleigh on June 9th for an expert witness hearing. You can watch that meeting on YouTube....

1+ week, 5+ day ago (210+ words) The immigrant worker organizing group Siembra NC has a new immigration enforcement app. The initiative comes in response to the border patrol operation in Charlotte. The app, "OJO Obrero" or "look out, workers," tracks ICE movements and actions with the help of community input. Unlike other crowdsourcing apps, like Waze, the reports " indicated on a digital map " are only sightings that have been independently confirmed by Siembra NC moderators. Communications strategist Emanuel Gomez Gonzalez says the app is designed to be a historical record that cuts through the noise. Gonzalez says the data so far has shown that the Department of Homeland Security's operation in Charlotte is targeting workers. "Trying to get themselves to work, that is what we have seen," says Gonzalez. "Videos already coming out of people being questioned at the grocery store about their place of origin,…...

4+ day, 21+ hour ago (203+ words) "Given the scope of the last week in North Carolina, that organization has been moving mountains," he said. "The least we can do is build awareness for them in our network and raise some money for them." Troop says he formed the band about two years ago as a way to speak truth to power and to play social justice focused bluegrass. Since 2021, Troop has been busy touring the country with his other project, the Latingrass duo Larry & Joe, with his partner Larry Bellor'n. Bellor'n is an asylum seeker from Venezuela. With the Truth Machine, Troop says he can get away with more political material. Since forming, the group has played events such as Durham's Earth Day festival and a No Kings protest in High Point. For the show on Saturday, Troop says to expect a joyous celebration. "It's old-school…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (226+ words) Due South's Leoneda Inge is joined by Bishop William J. Barber II, who was born in rural North Carolina and is the leader of the \Moral Mondays\" movement. They discuss his fight for civil rights, voting rights and free speech. Then, Dorthea Dix Park in Raleigh is now home to some gigantic wooden trolls. Bishop Barber on redistricting, voting rights and the legacy of 'Moral Mondays.' Plus, a giant troll exhibition in Raleigh. Bishop Barber on redistricting, voting rights and free speech Due South's Leoneda Inge talks with Moral Mondays" leader Bishop William J. Barber II about voting rights, the origins of the Moral Mondays movement, and Barber's belief that the battle over North Carolina's 1st Congressional District is our Selma." Bishop William J. Barber II, DMin, President of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of The Poor People's campaign, Founding Director of Yale's Center…...

4+ week, 51+ min ago (213+ words) We're entering the second month of the federal shutdown, and there have yet to be any meaningful moves to end it. They may come, though, after Tuesday. NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins us now to explain. Good morning, Domenico. DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey, Ayesha. RASCOE: So Tuesday is Election Day, and there are off-year races in a number of states. What would those results have to look like to change the dynamic as it relates to the shutdown? RASCOE: President Trump isn't on the ballot, but he kind of is. Is he a boost for Republican candidates or a drag? RASCOE: The only House seat on Tuesday's ballot - on Tuesday's ballots is one in Texas being filled in a special election, so we won't see any real changes in the balance of power in that chamber,…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (174+ words) Voting rights activists in Watauga County are seeking an injunction to block the use of the current county election maps in the 2026 election. The request made in federal court is part of a lawsuit challenging a change in the way voters picked members of the Board of Commissioners and Education in 2024. GOP lawmakers approved the redistricting, which led to Republican gains. The Board of Commissioners went from a Democratic majority to entirely Republican. In 2024, voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that included a mixture of district and at-large seats. But the legislature passed another bill keeping the measure from taking effect until 2034. Last month, a group of plaintiffs, including the Watauga County Voting Rights Task Force and Common Cause, sued over the changes. On Monday, the group asked for a preliminary injunction to block the use of the current…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (221+ words) Dozens of Winston-Salem residents gathered on a Waughtown street corner Thursday to protest the federal immigration crackdown that has swept across North Carolina this week. Car horns and whistles sounded as demonstrators waved flags and held signs reading "Your ancestors were immigrants too" and "These are human lives." Organizer Marilyn Lacunza says many community members are in hiding and businesses have shuttered as Border Patrol carves a path through the state. "No one should have to deal with the fear of being attacked just because you're taking your kid to school, or, you know, you're getting them something to eat or just simply putting gas in your car." Lacunza says some residents are volunteering to patrol streets and report any ICE sightings as Border Patrol shifts operations away from Charlotte. The whistles are a nod to that grassroots alert system....