Elizabeth Baier

Digital News Editor
  • Elizabeth Baier
    Elizabeth Baier

Elizabeth “Liz” Baier is WUNC’s Digital News Editor. She joined the station in May 2016 after eight year of reporting for Minnesota Public Radio News where she covered everything from demographic changes in rural America, agriculture, the environment and health care. Prior to that, Liz worked for six years as a newspaper reporter in South Florida, both at the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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New Interim Chancellor Named For UNC-Chapel Hill

By • Feb 6, 2019
The Old Well and flowers on the campus of UNC- Chapel Hill.
Brian Batista / For WUNC

The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill has a new interim chancellor.

UNC Board Of Governors To End Chancellor Folt's Tenure In Chapel Hill By Jan. 31

By , Lisa Philip & • Jan 15, 2019
A photo take on Jan. 15, 2019 shows the site of the former Silent Sam statue and pedestal. University officials removed the pedestal last night.
David Brower / WUNC

Updated 2:45 p.m.

The University of North Carolina's Board of Governors on Tuesday voted to make UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt's resignation effective Jan. 31. She had planned on stepping down after spring graduation.

UNC-CH Leader Announces Plan To Remove Confederate Pedestal

By , & • Jan 14, 2019
Graduate student Lindsay Ayling speaks to a couple dozens activists about outgoing Chancellor Carol Folt's decision to remove the Silent Sam pedestal from campus.
Rusty Jacobs / WUNC

Updated at 8:30 p.m.

North Carolina's flagship public university plans to remove the pedestal where a now-toppled Confederate statue once stood on a main campus quad, its chancellor said Monday.

Board of Governors Rejects Plan To Build History Center To House Silent Sam

By , & • Dec 14, 2018
Protesters crowd around the entrance of the UNC Center for Leadership Development where the Board of Governors will meet this morning to discuss the fate of a controversial Confederate monument known as Silent Sam.
Jason deBruyn / WUNC

Updated 3:20 p.m.

The board overseeing North Carolina's public universities has rejected the UNC Trustees' plan for a center to house a Confederate statue known as Silent Sam on the Chapel Hill campus.

Wintry Storm Ices Roads Across Much Of NC And US Southeast

By , , & • Dec 9, 2018
Madeline Moore throws snowballs Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Greensboro, N.C.
Lynn Hey / For WUNC

Updated 12:25 p.m. | Dec. 10, 2018

North Carolina has seen a year's worth of snow in little more than a day, according to Governor Roy Cooper.

UNC Leaders Recommend $5.3M History Center To House Silent Sam

By Lisa Philip & • Dec 3, 2018
A photo take on December 2, 2018 shows barricades surrounding the pedestal where the Silent Sam statue once stood.
Alex Kolyer / For WUNC

Updated 1:10 p.m.

Officials with the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees have approved a plan to recommend a new on-campus history center to house Silent Sam, the Confederate monument that was toppled by protesters earlier this year.

2018 Midterm Election: Voters Across The State Head To The Polls

By & • Nov 6, 2018
The entrance of the Brown Recreation Center in Greensboro as voters prepared to cast a ballot in this year's Midterm Elections.
Naomi Prioleau / WUNC

Updated at 7:15 p.m.

Voting hours will be extended at precinct sites in two North Carolina counties.

UNC To Resume Normal Operations After Water Main Break

By & • Nov 5, 2018
The Old Well and flowers on the campus of UNC- Chapel Hill.
Brian Batista / For WUNC

Updated 7:25 p.m. | Nov. 6, 2018

The Orange Water and Sewage Authority has lifted a boil water advisory for most of its Chapel Hill and Carrboro customers, according to a press release.

Customers in three Carrboro locations have been directly notified that they still must boil water before consuming it.

Margaret Spellings Resigns As Head of UNC System

By , Lisa Philip & • Oct 25, 2018
UNC System President Margaret Spellings has resigned as president of the University of North Carolina.
Lisa Philip / WUNC

Updated at 1:52 p.m. |Oct. 26, 2018

Margaret Spellings - a former education secretary to President George W. Bush - has resigned as president of the University of North Carolina.

One Month, Two Hurricanes. Life In A Shelter Is The New Norm For Hundreds In NC.

By • Oct 15, 2018
Jordan Denoia, 21, moved to Wilmington in August to work as a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home. She lost her job after the storm and has lived in a Red Cross shelter since September 20.
Elizabeth Baier / WUNC

Tammy Short and her family moved to Wilmington from Gastonia three weeks before Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina. She had landed a job at a tourist shop; her 25-year-old son had found work at a local diner. They were living at the Carolina Beach Campground while they figured out their next steps in their new city.

Hurricane Florence wiped all that away.

Deadly Storm Drenches The Carolinas, Surges And Flooding To Continue

By , , , & • Sep 14, 2018
Crews with the NYC Emergency Management perform water rescues in River Bend, N.C., after Hurricane Florence on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018.
Courtesy of NYC Emergency Management

Updated at 4:45 p.m.

Florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but surges and flooding are expected to continue as it lashes South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.

Hurricane Florence Begins Days Of Rain, Wind Across Carolinas

By , , & • Sep 13, 2018
Sand bags surround homes on North Topsail Beach, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, as Hurricane Florence threatens the coast.
Chuck Burton / AP

Updated 5 p.m. | Sept. 13, 2018

Hurricane Florence's leading edge battered the Carolina coast Thursday, bending trees and shooting frothy sea water over streets on the Outer Banks, as the hulking storm closed in with 105 mph (165 kph) winds for a drenching siege that could last all weekend.

Silent Sam Supporters, Opponents Face Off At Latest Protest

By & • Sep 8, 2018
New Confederate States of America members pray at the fallen Silent Sam statue as protesters continue to chant against them on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018.
Naomi Prioleau / WUNC

Updated 9:30 p.m. | Sept. 8, 2018

A protest of the Confederate-era monument known as Silent Sam on the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus led to injuries and the arrest of some protesters Saturday afternoon.

Silent Sam Supporters Gather While Opponents Hold “Dance Party” At Site Of Fallen Statue

By , & • Aug 30, 2018
A few dozen neo-Confederate protesters faced off with a few hundred dancing demonstrators at the site of the toppled Silent Sam statue at UNC- Chapel Hill on Aug. 30, 2018.
Rusty Jacobs / WUNC

Updated 8:30 a.m. | August 31, 2018

The torn-down Silent Sam monument was the site of dueling protests Thursday night. About 50 members of a neo-Confederate group were greeted by several hundred counterprotesters on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. 

UNC Board Of Governors: UNC Leaders Have Until Nov. 15 To Decide Fate Of Silent Sam

By Lisa Philip, & • Aug 28, 2018
The pedestal of the Silent Sam statue without the Confederate monument on Tuesday, August 21, 2018.
Elizabeth Baier / WUNC

Updated 2:55 p.m. | Aug. 28, 2018

The Board of Trustees at UNC- Chapel Hill has until November 15 to decide the fate of Silent Sam, a Confederate monument that was recently toppled by protesters.

NC Historical Commission Agrees To Keep 3 Confederate Monuments On Capitol Grounds, Reinterpret Them

By , & • Aug 22, 2018
The Women of the Confederacy monument was a gift to the state by Confederate veteran Col. Ashley Horne, and was unveiled in June 1914. It was the wish of Colonel Horne to recognize the suffering and hardship faced by women during this tragic period.
Jason deBruyn / WUNC

Updated 12:05 p.m. | August 22, 2018

The North Carolina historical commission has agreed to keep three Confederate monuments on Capitol grounds.

Tornado Cleanup And Recovery Underway In Greensboro

By , , & • Apr 16, 2018
Mary Carelock sits on the porch of her home on East Bessemer Avenue with her daughter. She was enjoying the rain on her porch Sunday evening when the tornado struck. Her house was destroyed.
Naomi Prioleau / WUNC

Updated 10:13 a.m. | April 17, 2018

Mary Carelock was enjoying a rainy Sunday evening on her front porch on East Bessemer Avenue. Then in a matter of minutes, everything changed.

North Carolina Students, Allies March For Gun Control Laws

By , Lisa Philip & • Mar 24, 2018
Thousands of people march down Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, March 24, 2018 in support of gun control.
Alex Kolyer / For WUNC

High school students and allies seeking stronger gun control laws in North Carolina following last month's Florida school shooting are walking through downtown Raleigh in solidarity with a similar weekend rally in Washington.

Snow, Wintry Mix Headed To North Carolina

By & • Mar 12, 2018
File photo of a Chapel Hill municipal truck spraying ant-icing on the streets in anticipation of an expected January 2018 hard freeze. Forecasters are calling for more winter weather across the state this evening.
Jay Price / WUNC

Updated 2:50 p.m., March 12 

Spring is little more than a week away but most of North Carolina is getting another blast of snow and sleet before winter ends.

North Carolina Cleans Up After Unusually Intense Storm

By , , , Rebecca Martinez & • Jan 16, 2018
Brandon Lemasters, standing, helps a friend change a tire on his SUV on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, in Winston-Salem, after the vehicle slid through a curve on a ice-covered street the day before and hit a curb.
Skip Foreman / AP

Updated 5:45 p.m. | Jan. 18, 2018

Southerners shoveled, scraped and plowed their way Thursday out of a snowy deep freeze that caused a standstill across much of a region accustomed to mild winters.

Icy Conditions Continue In North Carolina After Storm

By , Rebecca Martinez & • Jan 4, 2018
Tom Knott blew snow off the steps and sidewalks around Christ Church in downtown Raleigh. Knott works on the church’s maintenance crew.
Jason deBruyn / WUNC

Updated 8:58 a.m. | Jan. 5, 2018

It's bitterly cold in North Carolina after a storm dumped more than 6 inches of snow in the eastern part of the state.

Voters In Major NC Cities Electing Mayors

By & • Nov 7, 2017
A vote here sign in Chapel Hill
Amy Townsend / WUNC

Voters everywhere from small towns to major cities across North Carolina will select their mayors, city council members, and other local positions on Election Day Tuesday.

Charges Filed Against Man Accused Of Small Explosion On UNC Campus

By & • Nov 6, 2017
An "explosive device" set off on the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill burned one person and set fire to a tree on November 2, 2017.
Matt Couch / WUNC

Updated 12:57 p.m. | November 6, 2017

The man accused of setting fire to an iconic poplar tree at UNC - Chapel Hill has been accused of six felony charges. 

Two Employees Killed In Attempted NC Prison Break

By • Oct 12, 2017
Prison Bars
Michael Coghlan / Flickr Creative Commons

Updated 9:07 a.m., Oct. 13, 2017

Officials say two prison employees were killed and several others injured at the Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City.

No Significant Penalty For UNC In Academic Scandal Case

By & • Oct 12, 2017
The Old Well and flowers on the campus of UNC- Chapel Hill.
Brian Batista / For WUNC

Updated 5:49 p.m., October 13, 2017

An NCAA infractions committee decided it will not punish UNC as it relates to "paper courses" attended by students, including student athletes.

Weakened Irma Will Bring Stormy Weather To Triangle

By Rebecca Martinez, & • Sep 11, 2017
An American flag is torn as Hurricane Irma passes through Naples, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017.
David Goldman / AP

Updated 12:07 p.m., September 11, 2017

Weakening Tropical Storm Irma will bump into a high pressure system in North Carolina later Monday, bringing some stormy weather to the Triangle. But National Weather Service Meteorologist Gail Hartfield says heavy flooding is not likely.

UNC Board Of Governors Bans Civil Rights Center From New Litigation

By Lisa Philip, & • Sep 7, 2017
Supporters of the UNC Center for Civil Rights protest outside of a committee meeting of the UNC Board of Governors meeting on August 1, 2017.
Dave Dewitt / WUNC

Updated at 10:56 a.m., September 8, 2017

The UNC Board of Governors has passed a resolution that bans university-based centers from filing lawsuits. The resolution means the Center for Civil Rights, based at the UNC Chapel Hill Law School, can no longer sue on behalf of low-income and minority clients. 

Two NC Health Groups Announce Plans To Merge

By , & • Aug 31, 2017
UNC Health Care
UNC Health Care / UNC Health Care

Updated 2:43 p.m., August 31, 2017

Two major healthcare organizations in North Carolina are planning a merger. UNC Health Care of Chapel Hill wants to join with Carolinas Health-Care System of Charlotte. 

PHOTOS: Protesters Call For Removal Of Silent Sam Statue At UNC

By • Aug 23, 2017
Police surround a Confederate monument during a protest to remove the statue at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017.
Gerry Broome / AP

Hundreds of people rallied Tuesday night at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill campus in opposition of a Confederate statue known as Silent Sam.

Hundreds Protest On UNC Campus Against Confederate Statue

By , Lisa Philip, & • Aug 22, 2017
A crowd gathered at the 'Silent Sam' statue at UNC - Chapel Hill on Tuesday, August 22, 2017.
Lisa Philip / WUNC

Updated 11:45 a.m., August 23, 2017

Three people are facing charges related to a demonstration against a Confederate statue at the University of North Carolina.

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