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2026

Carolina Connection – Apr. 18, 2026

A North Carolina death row inmate works with a UNC music professor to produce an album. Media organizations sue to force UNC to release the findings of its seven-month investigation into the School of Civic Life and Leadership. The curator of Coker Arboretum is trying to help plants through the drought and has some advice for your garden, too. A group of people goes to RDU not to catch flights, but to watch them. North Carolina boys may soon be able to play a new official high school sport – volleyball.

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Carolina Connection podcast: Redefining refugee realities

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees live under tarps, tin scraps, and spare sheets of wood they’ve found in the heart of New Delhi, India. They fight the unforgiving heat, inconsistent water supplies, and the threat of deportation to Myanmar, where they fled brutal violence. A United Nations report has recognized the Myanmar army’s campaign against the country’s Rohingya minority as genocide.

While Indian officials have expressed their support for the people of Myanmar, the Rohingya’s future is uncertain as human rights experts warn that a lack of legal protection and rights granted by the Indian government jeopardizes their safety.

Gowri Abhinanda traveled to New Delhi to gather this report for the Carolina Connection podcast: “Redefining refugee realities.”

Dumbbells, plates, and a bench in a gym.
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Carolina Connection podcast: Young men are increasingly obsessed with ‘bulking up’

Eating disorders are typically stereotyped as a girl thing, but boys and men struggle with an obsession over gaining muscle and bulking up – sometimes referred to as “bigorexia.” Research shows nearly a third of teen boys in the U.S. report trying to gain weight … and about a quarter report taking supplements, steroids, or eating more. Rachel Moody reports in this edition of the Carolina Connection podcast.

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2026

Carolina Connection – Apr. 11, 2026

A new men’s basketball coach comes to Carolina, joining his daughter, a student athlete, as a Tar Heel. The April Fools’ satire edition of the Daily Tar Heel wasn’t funny to a lot of people on campus and around the country. Several of the newspaper’s staff members have resigned after readers complained the satire was insensitive to marginalized communities. North Carolina has a special reason to celebrate the first mission to carry people to the moon in over 50 years. And you’ve heard about a family man; now UNC has a family ram.

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Carolina Connection podcast: NIL in women’s non revenue sports

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities are reshaping what it means to be a student athlete. But not every sport is benefiting in the same way. As NIL continues to evolve, women in non-revenue sports are finding that success in the marketplace often depends less on performance in competition, and more on the personal brands they build online.

Zoe Behrendt, a non-revenue female athlete herself, discuss the situation with host Reyna Drake.

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2026

Carolina Connection – Mar. 28, 2026

After a Chapel Hill bar was charged in connection with a second fatal car wreck, a former employee speaks out. The firing of Hubert Davis as Carolina’s men’s basketball coach may end the program’s long connection to Dean Smith and usher in a new culture. Artists reimagine noise pollution through an installation in the Coker Arboretum. Triangle residents find community through fixing broken devices. A walking tour around campus marks generations of women’s history. UNC grad and soccer legend Carla Overbeck helped transform women’s sports. 

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Carolina Connection podcast: UNC Health adds new limits to gender-affirming care

Patients can no longer receive gender affirming care at UNC Health if they’re under the age of 19. This limit exceeds North Carolina state law, which only bans these treatments for minors — or those under 18. Now, doctors and patients at the Triangle’s largest health system are adapting to the new regulation.

Carolina Connection’s Alice Scott discusses the new restrictions with host Anthony Guerra-Flores.

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2026

Carolina Connection – Mar. 14, 2026

Climate activists say they’re still hopeful despite the Trump Administration’s attacks on environmental regulations. After a fatal crash, a Chapel Hill nightclub is being investigated for serving underage customers – the same nightclub that faced similar charges two years ago. The North Carolina Zoo prepares to welcome visitors and animals to a new Asia exhibit. A local sanctuary allows visitors to cuddle their stress away with cows. 

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Carolina Connection podcast: New UNC policies spark concerns about academic freedom and faculty safety

UNC faculty have raised concerns about academic freedom and their rights after three new policies were implemented that change the rules on classroom procedure.

One policy, which allowed University administrators to record classrooms without instructor knowledge, was recently scrapped by the Chancellor after faculty pushback. Other policies remain in effect, including a new systemwide academic freedom policy, and a decision by UNC System President Peter Hans that declared syllabi to be public records.

Carolina Connection’s Alice Scott joined Anthony Guerra-Flores to discuss the controversies.

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2026

Carolina Connection – Mar. 7, 2026

Fourth District Congresswoman Valerie Foushee’s slim victory highlights tensions in the Democratic party. The war in the Middle East has left people at UNC feeling the weight of the conflict. Experts say rising gas prices are closely related to the Middle East conflict. Students return from Milan, where they helped document the Winter Olympics. A controversial artist demonstrates the power of printmaking as political expression.