February 2026 Archives

Carolina Connection – Feb. 21, 2026

February 21, 2026 Editor

A Triangle community is limiting its use of lights and sirens on EMS vehicles to reduce ambulance accidents. Doctors say vaccine hesitancy is one of the causes of this year’s active flu season. A local Black History Month event remembers the past by encouraging action today. As Name Image and Likeness reshapes college athletics, some players in less prominent sports are building their own brands. North Carolina is in a severe drought and this month’s rain – and snow – isn’t helping much. The Triangle rings in the year of the fire horse with Lunar New Year celebrations.

Carolina Connection Podcast: A UNC alum has a viral hit with an anti-ICE protest song

February 20, 2026 Henry Nicholls and Reyna Drake

Henry Nicholls and Reyna Drake profile Joseph Terrell and his new viral anti-ICE song, “Genuine American Hero.” The song has almost four million views on TikTok. Terrell is a UNC alum and gained fame through his former band, Mipso.

Henry, who talked with Joseph Terrell, discusses the song’s meaning, the intersection of folk music and political protest, and the importance of social media to the growth of protesting.

Doctors say the state’s low vaccination rate is making the flu more common and more severe

February 20, 2026 Anthony Guerra-Flores

North Carolina has reported more than 200 flu-related deaths this season. Experts say vaccine hesitancy is playing a role.

A Black History Month event remembers the past by promoting Black-owned businesses today

February 20, 2026 Alice Scott

The Community Spend Week was put on through a partnership with The Town of Carrboro, the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro and the Black Business Alliance.

NIL deals are becoming more common in non-revenue sports, but take various forms

February 20, 2026 Zoe Behrendt

UNC athletes with Name, Image, and Likeness deals have found that their social media presence often drives opportunity more than their athletic performance does.

Lunar New Year celebrations feature food, song, dance, and more

February 20, 2026 Lauren Mallett

February 17th marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Members of the Asian community, students at UNC, and people across the Triangle have begun celebrations to ring in the new year.

The Triangle is now in a state of ‘severe drought,’ and relief may not be coming soon

February 20, 2026 Reyna Drake

While drought conditions have persisted since around mid-August, the Triangle reached the threshold of “severe drought” designation according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Carolina Connection – Feb. 14, 2026

February 14, 2026 Editor

Faculty members worry a new UNC System policy could cause a chilling effect within the classroom. President Trump’s repeal of greenhouse gas regulations will likely bring legal challenges. Chapel Hill businesses continue to reopen after Tropical Storm Chantal, but some are worried about future flooding. “Bulking up” can become an obsession for young men with body dysmorphia disorder. An unlikely mother-daughter duo is reshaping the culture of the UNC gymnastics team. A UNC alumnus uses social media as a new way to connect through protest songs. A Durham museum shines a spotlight on tubas.

Some professors fear that the UNC System’s new academic freedom policy is too restrictive

February 13, 2026 Alice Scott

The Board of Governors is set to vote on a policy to define academic freedom for its constituent institutions. A previous definition was endorsed by the System’s Faculty Assembly, but the most recent version has edits that worry some faculty.

As flooded businesses re-open after Chantel, some owners worry about the next big storm

February 13, 2026 Allison Helms

When tropical storm Chantal hit Chapel Hill in July 2025, many business owners did not expect the devastation that would hit their storefronts. Now, some people in town are worried about future floods.