3 Chambers Festival coming to coastal region

This is the SHORESIDES Weekly News Roundup.  We look at the top stories impacting the coastal region.  

According to a recent release from the University of North Carolina Wilmington their ,Watson College will introduce a Bachelor of Science degree in Workforce Learning and Development.

The Port City Daily reports that North Carolina Works will host a multi-employer job fair this October 18th from 10- 2. in collaboration with the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board. The in-person event will be held at 1994 South 17th St in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

Cape Fear Community College reports that they have received a 30,000-dollar donation from the Assistance League of Greater Wilmington. The support will provide vital aid for nursing students funding 1,000 dollar scholarships for 30 students, offering them the opportunity to further their education and embark on fulfilling careers in healthcare.

A film about the singer, Joan Baez, I Am A Noise will be screening this October 23rd to 25th at Thalian Hall. The film is an unusually intimate psychological portrait of a legendary folk singer and activist. 

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This is the Shoresides Weekly News Roundup for October 9th, 2023.

We look at the top stories impacting the coastal region.

According to a recent story in the News & Observer the insurance company Nationwide has recently decided not to renew 10,000 insurance policies in Eastern North Carolina.

The Port City Daily reported that Wilmington's rapid population growth is transforming various aspects of the region, including housing, employment, and demographics. According to UNCW's regional economist, Professor Guettabi, the Cape Fear region is experiencing significant growth, with Brunswick County being the fastest-growing in the state, followed by Pender County as the third fastest and New Hanover County as the 14th fastest.

The Shoresides team was recently read a report by American Progress titled  How To Fix Americans’ Diminishing Access to the Coasts. The report highlights the need to protect Americans’ right to work and recreate on the coasts by requiring that publicly funded projects provide and improve public access.

North Carolina State University Profesor Emeritus Mike Walden has recently written about the our states manufacturing section.  He explains that North Carolina has witnessed a significant decline in manufacturing jobs, with almost half of the state's factory jobs disappearing since 1990, but offers some solutions to moving the dial. 

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We speak with documentary filmmaker Chris Everett about his upcoming 3 Chambers festival.  A festival that digs into the intersection of Black culture, hip-hop, martial arts, and anime through by presenting artistic events.  It takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina in October. 

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Loneliness is tough, and it has real consequences for our health and life span.  The pandemic certainly didn’t help with social isolation and broken routines. We went out into New Hanover County, North Carolina to learn how people experience loneliness and what we can do about it.  One thing we learned is that loneliness actually has a physical and neurological impact on your body.  Take a listen and check out some of the helpful tips we share.  

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"Here we are in 2022 and we're still hearing those milestones being made. Yes, it is sad that you still have the firsts still being done. But what's rejoiceful is that it's coming..." Shoresides does a day in the life of a mayor. In this episode, we follow Beaufort, North Carolina Mayor Sharon Harker as she does what she does best. Host Sheresa Elliot and Mayor Harker  dig into what's top of mind for folks in Carteret County and what it means to Mayor Harker to be the first Black mayor of Beaufort.  

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In Carteret County, North Carolina finding affordable housing is getting tougher.  Forty percent of renters and twenty-two percent of households report that they are having a tough time with the rising cost of housing. In this episode, we dig into why there is so little affordable housing in the coastal region and what the future of making a home here is going to look like. We chat with Lynne Griffin, a local realtor who recently helped accomplish the largest survey on housing in our county. And we hear from two county residents on how the shortage is affecting their lives.  While the situation is tough there are steps we can take for affordable housing. 

Sources: Carteret Housing Survey, North Carolina Housing Coalition: Carteret Profile

Solutions: County leaders can take the following actions: 1) Set a goal 2) Policy changes 3) Development assistance 4) Bonds for affordable housing and 5) A home repair and repair prevention program or first time buyer program.

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As a mental health crisis surges nationwide, we examine how folks in the coastal North Carolina county of Carteret are affected. Three local therapists provide us with insights into handling the emotional challenges linked to the pandemic.

Shoresides is a local news podcast by and for Carteret County, North Carolina. Serving the coastal region and beyond.

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Today, producer Brea Hampton takes us back to a COVID-19 vaccine drive that happened in Tabor City, Columbus County in March. She speaks with Ashlei McFadden, who's been aiding vaccination efforts - like the drive in Tabor City. McFadden says that vaccines intended for Tabor City's Black community went to white folks from outside of the area.

In this episode of Shoresides News, Hampton talks to Black leaders across Columbus County - Ashlei McFadden, Curtis Hill, Jeremy Simmons, and Shawn Manor - to help us understand the barriers to equity in vaccination efforts and what they're doing to overcome them.

Produced by Brea Hampton and Laura Bratton in collaboration with Ashlei McFadden, Curtis Hill, Jeremy Simmons, Shawn Manor, and Wallyce Todd.

Music:
Where We Are by Ketsa
I Recall by Blue Dot Sessions

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Shoresides spoke with community organizer and Elizabeth City local Quentin Jackson about what is happening in Elizabeth City as the community  responds to the police killing of Andrew Brown.

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Though unaffiliated with Gullah/Geechee culture, a number of restaurants and food brands in Charleston, South Carolina used their name for decades. This year, several of these businesses finally underwent rebranding.

In 2020, we've heard story after story on mainstream media outlets about businesses, music groups, and other institutions and entities renaming themselves in attempt to remediate the harms of cultural appropriation their brands inflicted. Across the nation, people bid farewell to Uncle Ben's boil-in-bag rice and Aunt Jemima syrup bottles. News cycles often see stories as neatly contained in plots with clear beginnings and ends, but this narrative has a long history rooted in systemic racism and continues to evolve.

In this episode of Shoresides News, producer Kayla Guilliams spoke with Queen Quet, Chieftess and Head-of-State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, and Akuah Page, co-founder of Geechee Experience, a millennial led cultural movement that works to empower the Gullah Geechee community. Quet and Page discuss how they perceive recent efforts to reduce the harms of systemic racism in coastal South Carolina such as rebranding. And, in this era of remediation, demands for reparations, and calls for the removal of oppressive symbols like confederate monuments - they answer a critical question - does replacing symbols go far enough? 

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