North Carolina has a long history of sea narratives: chapbooks that chronicled brave captains, daring crews, and the adventures and mishaps that befell them on the open water. In this episode of Storm Stories, we continue that tradition by talking with Captain John Mallete about one of his most harrowing experiences: sailing through the 2003…
Read MoreWhat does health look like in a rural community? In Columbus County, North Carolina, it looks like a long drive to specialized medical care. It looks like a neighbor sleeping outside in freezing weather. It looks like local leaders building trust, sharing information, and finding ways to help people live longer, healthier lives. In this…
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Poet Delthea Simmons had a license, a car on its last legs, and a hometown she loved. What she didn't have was reliable transportation—so she organized her shopping, her work, and eventually her exit from Wilmington around rideshare apps. In this episode, Shoresides asks whether her story is part of a pattern. Lyft driver Jace…
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Across the country, communities are confronting a new challenge: what happens when the growing demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure collides with local concerns about land, water, energy and quality of life? North Carolina is at the center of that debate, with at least 20 proposed data center projects across the state. In Edgecombe County, residents…
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Agriculture contributes billions of dollars to North Carolina’s economy and helps put food on tables across the country. Yet many of the workers who plant, harvest and process that food face barriers to healthcare, emergency information, language access and other resources that help communities thrive. In southeastern North Carolina, farm work is woven into everyday…
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Across this series, we’ve explored the stories told about rural communities. This episode examines how rural health is framed — and what those narratives reveal about who belongs, who gets overlooked, and who gets blamed. Sociolinguist Julie Sweetland of the FrameWorks Institute explains how language shapes public understanding of health, responsibility, and community, and why…
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Public health depends on science. But science alone doesn’t build trust. In rural eastern North Carolina, trust is shaped by lived experience — by whether systems have shown up, whether care is accessible, and whether people feel heard. This week on Rural Narratives, we look at trusted messengers: the neighbors, providers, community health workers, and…
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Health is often talked about as a matter of personal choice. But the truth is, our well-being is shaped by much more than individual decisions — it depends on what resources are nearby, which institutions are supported, and what kinds of help people can count on close to home. This week, producer Rend Smith talks…
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Black communities have long been central to rural life in the South, helping shape the culture, economy and civic life of the places they call home. In North Carolina, nearly half of Black residents live in rural counties, reflecting a history that reaches back to the founding of the country and continues to influence where…
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Inclement weather exposes our transportation options—and where we most need to go. In the case of Wilmington, NC, as winter storm Gianna hit, data showed residents used the Lyft ride-share app to meet some of their most critical emergency needs. In this episode, Shoresides talks with Sarah Conlisk of Lyft about the data and how…
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