Shawn Wen

Dipika Kohli married her college sweetheart on New Year's Day in 2001.   The two eloped in Japan, his home country, then moved to Ireland to start life in a place unfamiliar to both of them. In doing so, she boldly walked away from the hopes her parents had for her.

Ai Weiwei is a prominent Chinese contemporary artist who gets press attention for his politics as much as for his art work.

The American Tobacco Factory shut down manufacturing in Durham in 1987. For years this space sat idle and deteriorating.

Pam Gutlon owns Outsider Art & Collectibles in Durham, but her work is beyond bringing artists and their paintings into her gallery.

Some people brag about how little sleep they need to function, but sleep disorders and the problems they cause are getting a lot more attention these days.  Are we actually suffering from an epidemic of sleep deprivation or do we just know more about this mysterious process of absent consciousness?

The Ancient Celts told stories to each other through song. They had chants for battle and mourning dirges when their heroes fell. Raleigh-based musician James Olin Oden says the contemporary Celtic music scene is alive and well.

How do older adults maintain healthy, sustainable lives? How does the community they live in come into play? These questions reach into the spheres of urban planning, development policy, and public policy. Kendra Heatwole-Shank explored these ideas and more by keeping track of some seniors with the help of GPS technology.

On the Appalachian Trail, there’s a phenomenon that hikers call “trail magic.” It refers to acts of kindness and generosity that take place between strangers on the trail. Joe Liles was the happy recipient of many forms of trail magic when he hiked in 2009. It was a sort of karmic return for his lifelong work as an educator, an artist, an activist, and a curious traveler. Liles, a retired teacher, joins host Frank Stasio to talk about his career in the classroom and his efforts to promote local art and preservation of American Indian culture.

Andy Griffith died earlier this month at his home on Roanoke Island, NC at age 86. Griffith was a native son of North Carolina, who proudly brought a tender vision of Southern culture to the masses through television. His portrayal of a wise and honest country lawman on “The Andy Griffith Show” won many hearts.

More than a year ago, evidence started to go missing from the Asheville Police Department. The city council commissioned an audit of the evidence room to investigate the extent of the lost items. Though the audit was completed months ago, the District Attorney's office refuses to release it. Now five news organizations in Western North Carolina have banded together to sue the city of Asheville and the Buncombe County district attorney's office for the release of the audit.