When North Carolina summer turns to fall, an old tradition finds new life at the State Fair. In this episode, Shoresides talks with farmer Pat Short to learn about a tobacco stringing contest where participants bundle tobacco leaves onto sticks, in a process that's been an art here for generations. Links and Resources:North Carolina State…
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Send us a text Take a slow listen to coastal North Carolina. This Shoresides soundscape moves through ordinary places that shape life along the coast — the surf at Wrightsville Beach, a trawler crossing the Intracoastal, a walk through the pines at Carolina Beach, frogs calling from Greenfield Lake, and the background hum of a…
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Send us a text Along North Carolina’s coast, shrimping isn’t just an industry — it’s a living tradition that sustains families, communities, and local economies. This summer, that legacy was tested when a proposed state ban on shrimp trawling — added quietly to an unrelated bill — threatened to halt the practice of dragging nets…
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Send us a text In this episode of Storm Stories, Shoresides sits down with **Joe Friday** — veteran meteorologist and former National Weather Service director — to talk about a growing risk in how we forecast storms. Across the U.S., staffing shortages and cuts to weather-balloon launches are degrading forecast precision exactly when two hurricanes…
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Send us a text In this episode of Shoresides, we sit down with sports-betting expert Steve Bittenbender to unpack what legal mobile sports betting now means for North Carolina. We dive into how apps like FanDuel and DraftKings—and the tax revenue they generate—are reshaping the financial landscape for smaller college programs, including the Seahawks. We…
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Send us a text As more people move to North Carolina’s coast — and winters warm across the region — encounters with alligators are increasing. In this episode, **Shoresides** speaks with **John Henry Harrelson**, district wildlife biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, about the challenges of managing “alligator season,” the rollout of the…
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Send us a text What do fishing piers, barber shops, tea rooms, and libraries have in common? They’re all third places: communal spots outside home and work that help us form relationships, strengthen belonging, and stay connected. This summer, a group of young people from Carteret County set out to rediscover those vital spaces. Through…
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Send us a text In this episode of Shoresides, we sit down with **North Carolina State Representative Zack Hawkins** during the final hours of critical budget negotiations. Hawkins discusses a controversial federal proposal that would have blocked state-level AI regulation for ten years — and explains why such preemption drew fierce bipartisan criticism. He warns…
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Send us a text When a false shark sighting shut down Carolina Beach, the ripple effects exposed something deeper: how much our coastal communities rely on the National Weather Service and its communication networks to maintain trust and safety. In this episode, Shoresides sits down with **Stephen Pfaff**, meteorologist-in-charge at NWS Wilmington, to explore the…
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Send us a text After a massive earthquake off Russia triggered a Pacific tsunami, people began asking: could a tsunami reach coastal North Carolina? In this episode of Shoresides, we talk with **Stephen Pfaff**, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office, about how tsunamis form, the real risk (or lack thereof) for our shores,…
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