Archive for December, 2004

Capitol/Terrenoire/Food

Thursday, December 16th, 2004

Capitol Update: Host Melinda Penkava talks with Capitol Reporter Laura Leslie (WUNC, Chapel Hill, NC) about electronic voting, the newly elected Speaker of the House, and North Carolina’s new laws for 2005. (12:00)

David Terrenoire: Host Melinda Penkava talks with Durham, NC-based writer, David Terrenoire about his mystery, “Beneath A Panamanian Moon” (Thomas Dunne Books/St.Martin’s Minotaur/2005). The main character, John Harper, is a retired spy who is reluctantly drawn back into the biz. Terrenoire will be reading at Quail Ridge Books/Raleigh on January 27th, 2005 at 7pm. (20:00)

Eating Out And Staying In: In our weekend look ahead host Melinda Penkava speaks with food writer and Savuer Magazine Senior Editor Kelly Alexander about where to eat if you’re in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area this weekend, what cookies to bake as holiday gifts, and quick desserts for holiday parties. And, Matt Pennachi joins Melinda with his recommendaitons for “alternative” holiday movies to rent and watch on video and dvd. (17:00)

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Guest Workers

Wednesday, December 15th, 2004

Guest Workers: North Carolina employs the largest number of H-2A or “guest” workers in the country. In September, a union representing guest workers signed a contract with the North Carolina Growers Association, making agriculture the first industry to unionize guest workers. Host Melinda Penkava talks with Charlie Thompson, director of undergraduate education at the Center for Documentary Studies; Stan Eure, President of the North Carolina Growers Association; Baldemar Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee; and Tim Funk, Washington Correspondent for the Charlotte Observer, about farmers reactions to the signing of the contract. Listener Call-In. (59:00) (CP)

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Small Magazines

Tuesday, December 14th, 2004

Magazine Industry: Media conglomerates continue to expand and local coverage is harder to find, but there is still one place where the little guy is holding his own: niche publishing. Host Melinda Penkava holds a roundtable discussion with the editors of four magazines based in North Carolina: Chris Phillips, editor and publisher of Backstreets; Jon Phillips, editor and co-founder of Bookmarks; Taj Forer, co-editor of Daylight; and Julie Bradford, editor of All About Beer. Listener call-in. (53:00)

Enforcing the Dresscode: Regular commentator Kenneth Dobyns describes the rather awkward position he is put in as a teacher in the Johnston County School system having to enforce the dress code. (6:00)

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Coastal Habitat Protection Plan/Big Boy Henry

Monday, December 13th, 2004

Coastal Habitat Protection Plan: Commercial fishermen and commercial developers are at odds over solutions to problems affecting coastal waters and the fish that live in them. A plan written by the marine fisheries commission offers some solutions, but implementation will not be easy. Melinda Penkava hosts a conversation on the future of North Carolina’s coastal habitat. (32:00) (CP)

Big Boy Henry: Legendary blues musician Richard “Big Boy” Henry died last Sunday at his home in Beaufort. Joining us to talk about the life and the music of Big Boy Henry are Wayne Martin, folklife director at the North Carolina Arts Council; and Lightnin’ Wells, a friend and fellow musician. (13:00) (CP)

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Special Forces/Whistlestop

Friday, December 10th, 2004

Special Forces: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has stated that a smaller, more mobile army is the wave of the future. Other experts say a diffusion of the special forces will weaken that particular sector of the armed forces. Host Rusty Jacobs examines the history and the future of the special forces with: John Duvall, director of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Craig Marks: retired special forces officer; Linda Robinson, author of “Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of Special Forces” (PublicAffairs/2004); and Andrew Bacevich, retired army colonel and professor of international relations at Boston University. (32:00)

Whistlestop at Company Shops Station: The story of how the North Carolina Railroad was built and what it has meant tt the state is being celebrated in a new exhibit called Whistlestop at Company Shops in Burlington. Host Rusty Jacobs talks with the exhibit’s designer and fabricator, Peter Ruocchio, and Walter Turner, historian at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. (12:00)

Remembering Larry Brown: Tom Rankin, the Director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and a good friend of Mississippi writer Larry Brown, offers an honest and heart-felt essay about Brown’s sudden passing earlier this month. (5:00)

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