2019

After Hurricane Dorian hit the N.C. coast, some UNC students had the safety of their families on their minds. Some students were evacuated from the Institute of Marine Sciences in the Outer Banks. It’s been seven years since UNC student Faith Hedgepeth was found dead in her apartment, and the crime remains unsolved. UNC has begun looking for a new chancellor. Mack Brown begins a new football tradition on campus. A lost emu has been roaming Orange and Chatham counties. 

UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell resigns after an investiation confirms she used racially insensitive language and forced students to play hurt. Seniors reflect on what it’s like to graduate from UNC during a very tumultuous year. In a Carolina Connection interview, Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz talks about rebuilding trust on campus. Democratic Presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke campaigns at UNC. Rural communities look to foster mental health on farms. “Elevator Queen” Cherie Berry ends her 20-year run as the state’s Labor Commissioner. Some people fear bugs, but the insects serve important roles in the ecosystem.

Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz says he’s “heartbroken and deeply offended” by the performance of a Palestinian rapper that included anti-Semitic language. UNC’s police chief announces his retirement weeks after UNC’s administration announced an investigation of police behavior. UNC students reach out to help Bennett College, a Greensboro school that’s in danger of losing its accreditation. Mental health issues are common – but rarely talked about – among farmers. State officials issue a warning about graduation and prom photos: Don’t take them on railroad tracks.

Police are looking for two people accused of vandalizing statues on UNC’s campus; officials say at least one suspect is associated with a Confederate group. UNC suspends the women’s basketball coaching staff pending an investigation to “assess the culture” of the team. Evening parking on campus no longer will be free. A member of the first Palestinian hip-hop group performed at UNC; some criticized his comments as anti-Semitic. There’s a school in Orange County for people who want to keep bees. A local DJ uses his platform to help others get started.

Five UNC students face charges for tampering with smoke detectors, and Chapel Hill’s fire chief says it’s not unusual. UNC responds after police failed to arrest a Confederate protester who carried a gun on campus. The Durham-Orange light rail project is dead, leaving questions about what’s next for mass transit. Some UNC students get kicked out of their homes because of a town ordinance many aren’t aware of. One Carolina Connection reporter traveled to Colombia as millions of migrants from Venezuela immigrate to the country. UNC’s men’s basketball season ends with an upset loss to Auburn. Some students fight back against toxic social media … with the help of their dogs.

A community coalition aims to reduce high-risk drinking in Chapel Hill. No stranger to controversy, former UNC Chancellor Carol Folt will take over the University of Southern California amid the college admissions scandal. A Silent Sam protester carries a gun on campus, and some are angry that he wasn’t arrested. Black female students lack access to salon services in Chapel Hill, so they turn to one another. The UNC men’s basketball team gives fans a slight scare against Iona. Everything is free at the Really, Really Free Market in Carrboro.

There are new questions about North Carolina’s controversial voter ID law and whether student IDs will be accepted at the polls. The decision determining the future of Silent Sam is delayed – again. A UNC study suggests an Obama-era federal rule now taking effect could reduce the gender pay gap. Filmmakers are showing movies in unexpected places. Police warn Carolina basketball fans about counterfeit basketball tickets. Robertson Scholars attend both UNC and Duke. But which team do they root for?

Nine Chapel Hill activists are honored with a permanent marker for their roles in the Civil Rights Movement. Students lead a summit to help people fighting homelessness and poverty. We explore why restaurants keep closing on Franklin Street. UNC students express their frustration with changes to the basketball ticketing system. One student group aims to tackle the national problem of menstrual equity. UNC’s Latinx community gets its own center after more than a decade of asking for one. One UNC junior balances running two businesses with his obligations as a full-time student.

The UNC School of Dentistry gets a big gift … and a new name. Immigration officers have made their presence known in the Triangle, creating concern for some UNC students. A local salon is reducing waste one haircut at a time. UNC alumni remember a time in the ’70s when students gathered to smoke pot. Chapel Hill searches for a compromise between developers and residents of a mobile home park. One couple aims to promote mindfulness and wellness through sound.

UNC elects a new student body president, but low voter turnout suggests many people on campus don’t care about student government. Students lobby to remove a white supremacist’s name from a campus building. UNC-Wilmington continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Local police departments struggle to recruit new officers. A popular UNC class teaches students about death and dying. Some college students are so addicted to their phones that they send texts while they’re asleep.