CC Podcast

CarolinaCast: 126 years later, the Town of Carrboro has erected a historical marker to mark the site of a lynching

In 1898, an 18-year-old Black man was killed by a mob of white men near the present day intersection of Old Greensboro Road and Hatch Road. Now, 126 years later, the Town of Carrboro has unveiled a historical marker in honor of his life.

In this edition of the Carolina Connection podcast, Jessica Simmons talks with Lorelai Sykes about the lynching of Manly McCauley, the reaction from the community, and the importance of memorializing negative parts of our past.

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2024

Carolina Connection – Apr. 5, 2024

UNC plans to increase security by adding license plate readers across campus but privacy advocates are concerned. Apps like YikYak may soon be banned on campus WiFi. UNC housekeepers demand higher pay and lower parking fees. Chapel Hill’s public library has been nominated for a national award. The state wants to banish the invasive and infamous Bradford Pear tree.

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2024

Carolina Connection – Mar. 23, 2024

An alcohol-related car accident that killed a UNC sophomore in January has led to ten arrests, including six students. It’s also changing the way some students think about underage drinking. UNC extends its admission deadline because of delays in federal financial aid. Three months after former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz’ departure, the search for a new chancellor is underway. Activists want Chapel Hill to rename Cameron Avenue, which is named after a slave owner.  Can AI help you fill out a winning NCAA basketball bracket?

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2024

Carolina Connection – Mar. 9, 2024

Super Tuesday is over and in North Carolina, students and other voters are evaluating President Biden. Sudanese students are calling attention to the civil war in their country. The newest member of the UNC Police force has a wagging tail and a golden coat. The Tar Heels and the Blue Devils men’s basketball teams meet one last time before the ACC Tournament. One of the hottest commodities on campus? Free frogs made of yarn. 

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2024

Carolina Connection – Mar. 2, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris visits Durham to promote the Biden Administration’s initiatives to help minority and women-owned businesses. Sports betting is coming to North Carolina, but you won’t see ads on college campuses. A new student group is working to fight food insecurity, with the help of Greek Life. UNC’s decision to move spring commencement from Sunday morning to Saturday night is affecting students, parents and restaurants. A roller derby team in Apex is providing a sense of community to its players.

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2024

Carolina Connection – Feb. 24, 2024

Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts discusses his first month at Carolina, the state’s political environment, campus safety, and other issues. Will state leaders punish the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for refusing to follow a state law concerning LGBTQ+ students? Some UNC faculty members are encouraging students to use artificial intelligence in their classes. Animal shelters in the Triangle are overcrowded. Some changes have come to the traditional art of Contra dancing.

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2024

Carolina Connection – Feb. 10, 2023

A new effort in Greensboro gives homeless people a safe place to live in their cars. The national FAFSA fiasco is delaying university financial aid. Some UNC students confront their toxic relationship with social media. The alcoholic beverage mead is making a resurgence. Miss America’s Teen of 2024 is planning to enroll at UNC. Students share their mixed feelings around Valentine’s Day.

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2024

Carolina Connection – Feb. 3, 2024

A UNC clinic is helping patients cope with the lasting symptoms of long COVID. The government is working to bring high speed internet access to more than a million North Carolina homes. Sports betting is already popular in North Carolina, but now it will become legal. Artists express what the future of Blackness holds in their creations and for their communities. Chapel Hill businesses are preparing for a busy night as the Tar Heel Mens Basketball team prepares to tip off against Duke.

CC Podcast

CarolinaCast: The ‘cultural currency’ of Taylor Swift

Time magazine has named Taylor Swift its “Person of the Year” for 2023, and the Washington Post and Research company QuestionPro found that she was responsible for nearly $4.6 billion in consumer spending in the U.S. But there’s more to Swift than her music. For some fans, she represents a new concept of modern femininity, in which women can talk about their emotions, wear glitter, be hurt by a breakup, and still be strong, financially literate, politically influential, and unapologetic about their accomplishments.

On this edition of CarolinaCast, Samatha Hoffman talks with Sierra Pfeifer about the Swift phenomenon.

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2023

Carolina Connection – Dec. 2, 2023

UNC students are navigating the emotional toll of the Israel-Hamas war. As Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz considers a job as president at Michigan State University, UNC reacts to his potential departure. The Town Council rejects a proposal for what would have been the tallest residential building in Chapel Hill. Ph.D. students at UNC and NC State work to save birds from window collisions. College students spend thousands of dollars on Taylor Swift.