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2025

Carolina Connection – Dec. 6, 2025

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 basketball court.

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Carolina Connection podcast: UNC beekeepers collect honey to fight hunger

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 straight to the hives for a closer look at the art of beekeeping. even suiting up to get a firsthand experience with the UNC bee colony tucked inside Battle Grove.

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Carolina Connection podcast: Not everybody is enchanted with a planned Disney-themed neighborhood in Pittsboro

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 Carolina Connection podcast, Brooks Stevenson joins host Maddie Policastro to talk about the reaction to Asteria.

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Carolina Connection podcast: A local group is creating community through an ancient art

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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2025

Carolina Connection – Nov. 22, 2025

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 constitutional ramifications. Also this week, UNC graduate students say low stipends are forcing them to take on jobs outside the classroom.  And as many students prepare to head home for Thanksgiving, others are stuck on campus with limited food options. 

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2025

Carolina Connection – Nov. 15, 2025

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 trolls made from trash.

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2025

Carolina Connection – Nov. 8, 2025

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 merging – leading to concerns that the library side will be overshadowed. A local group is trying to build community through woodturning. 

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Carolina Connection podcast: Giant trolls in Dix Park spread a message about nature and sustainability

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 took to the park to understand the community Dambo fosters, and she got a first hand experience of what building these whimsical creatures looks like.

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2025

Carolina Connection – Nov. 1, 2025

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 Dead. A former UNC post-doc has won an award for photographing something that can barely be seen at all. UNC Pauper Players puts its own spin on the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

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2025

Carolina Connection – Oct. 25, 2025

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.