NC Now | 2016 UNC-TV

Artist Damian Stamer uses his brush to blend childhood memories into evocative works of art. Researchers use motion capture cameras to study how the body heals. A media arts program inspires students to learn & grow. Plus a wild & crazy sport binds these athletes together as a team & a community.

Endurance Seafood relies on a family foundation as it works to maintain its business in difficult times. Scientists study the mystery of Carolina Bays. Jerry Darnell man forges a career in traditional blacksmithing. Big Spoon Roasters makes big business out of its tasty nut butters. And life is peachy for life-long farmer Garrett Johnson.

Jeff Smith rides along with an air ambulance crew. Frank Graff learns how the EPA is monitoring our air to keep us healthy. Erica Starke-Knight meets a family with a long history of traditional boatbuilding. And John Litschke takes us to a family farm that draws on its heritage while working toward a more sustainable future.

Joe Kwon, the high-energy cellist for the North Carolina grown, American folk rock band, The Avett Brothers talks about music, family, friends, & food. Researchers at RTI are developing fuel from plants. Urban Ministries of Wake County planted a garden to supplement their food bank. And pre-teen Kenzie Hinson of Goldsboro started a food pantry to help people in her community.

Filmmaker Dawn Dreyer creates an animated documentary Bipolar Girl Rules the World about coping with mental illness. Researchers develop a substance that's harder than diamonds & cheaper to make. A weaving studio recycles scrap material into products that are sold to support area charities. And Pop Ferguson & his son Clyde work to preserve & promote traditional blues music.

Kings Restaurant in Kinston is a favorite among locals & tourists alike. A Charlotte engineering firm is working to bring electricity to areas in need. Former system president Tom Ross is the 2016 University Award recipient. Plus a woodcarver uses traditional techniques in making hand-carved bowls.

UNC Charlotte researchers track the Zika Virus. Western Carolina University speech pathologist Dr. David Shapiro receives the 2016 O. Max Gardner Award. Britt Boyette of Wilson makes beautiful instruments at his Salem Street Drum Company. Duke Chapel reopens after a year-long restoration project.

The NCSU 1983 National Championship basketball team, known as the "Cardiac Pack," is celebrated at the White House. The LIFT program shows families that Learning Is Fun Together. A new high-tech marine research tool is at work along our coast. History is preserved at the Alamance Battleground Center. Plus Campground Kathy has spent her career serving guests at Carowinds' Camp Wilderness.

The NCSU 1983 National Championship basketball team, known as the "Cardiac Pack," is celebrated at the White House. The LIFT program shows families that Learning Is Fun Together. A new high-tech marine research tool is at work along our coast. History is preserved at the Alamance Battleground Center. Plus Campground Kathy has spent her career serving guests at Carowinds' Camp Wilderness.

Singer John Lewis is energizing nursing homes & senior care facilities all over Charlotte. New studies show seniors with hearing loss may be a greater risk of dementia. Paws 4 People trains service dogs for children and veterans. Goat Lady Dairy is NC’s largest & oldest goat cheese creamery in the state with a strong family legacy.

Purple Heart Homes helps wounded veterans purchase, manage, & adapt homes to aid them in their lives after service. A group of High Point University students made an amazing discovery while stargazing. Tim Gardner is makes world renowned banjos with traditional techniques. Eustace Conway promotes NC heritage & simple living on his Turtle Island Preserve.

Glass artist Ronnie Hughes' delicate wildflowers are world renowned. Scientists study why habits are formed & how to change bad habitual behavior. A women's group formed around a unique need - roof repair. Opera singer Elvira Green shares her skills & experience as an artist in residence at NCCU.

Veteran MSG John Masson shares his experiences as an ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation. Dominican Republic native Jay Bastardo brings his American dream to life in Greenville. Researchers study the science of sweat & hygiene. Zahra Harvey teaches aerial fitness for exercise & fun. Musician Jennifer Curtis uses her violin to work through & share life-changing events.

NCSU's Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi is recognized with an O Max Gardner Award. Kelley McHenry brings the topic of fetal surgery to the Tar Heel state with a profile of one family that underwent the procedure at UNC Hospital. And author Kim Church talks about her new book.

The Eastern United States' mightiest tree, the oak, is in decline, possibly due to over-harvesting or climate change. Whatever the cause, scientists are trying to find ways to reverse this decline. Watch U.S. Forest Service researchers use fire to give young oaks room to grow in the North Carolina mountains.

Grammy award-winning music producer Bill Szymczyk catapulted the careers of BB King, Joe Walsh, and The Eagles, and many others. We go behind the scenes with Bill at his North Carolina home to hear from the man with the Midas touch.

The FIRST Robotics championship puts STEM education to use in a competitive environment. The US Forest Service studies the oak trees of Western NC. Legendary record producer Bill Szymczyk looks back over his storied career. Plus the Kindred Spirit Mailbox has collected the thoughts & dreams of visitors for three decades & counting.

The FIRST Robotics championship puts STEM education to use in a competitive environment. The US Forest Service studies the oak trees of Western NC. Legendary record producer Bill Szymczyk looks back over his storied career. Plus the Kindred Spirit Mailbox has collected the thoughts & dreams of visitors for three decades & counting.

When you've been through war, it's sometimes hard to readjust to life back home. Finding those friendly ears, with a common experience can be difficult, but some are finding that friendship over a cup of coffee and donuts.

Beau's Coffee in Wilmington is drawing customers from far & wide with its unique & inspirational business model. Fishermen find inspiration & renewal in the spring tradition of the running of the Shad. Shannon Williams of Charlotte inspires others as he overcomes blindness to achieve his goals. And mother Bonita Scarlett finds comfort remembering her son through the things he left behind.

We meet one of top-ranked wheelchair tennis players in the world, but the incredible thing is 15-year-old Conner Stroud also plays #2 seed on his able-bodied high school tennis team at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. Conner was born without hip joints, ankles, femurs, or knees, but that doesn't stop him from being ranked the #1 junior wheelchair tennis player in the US & #9 in the world.

When police officers are called to a crisis situation, the hope is to talk the suspect out. When the suspect is a military veteran suffering from PTSD, traditional training is not always good enough. Now local police are training other North Carolina agencies a new option for solving these situations.

Growing up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Presley Barker developed a respect and appreciation for Bluegrass and old time music by listening to Doc Watson on the radio. He started his own music career at the age of seven. In just a few short years he has progressed to performing on stage with the IBMA All Stars.

Since WWII, every president has designated March as Red Cross Month. In recognition of this, we profile 12 year Red Cross volunteer, Darryll Maddux, Wake County Disaster Action Team Coordinator.

Rutherfordton's Conner Stroud is the US junior wheelchair tennis champion. The Apex Police Department's Veterans in Crisis program teaches law enforcement ways to respond to veterans in crisis situations. Red Cross Disaster Assistance Teams provide relief & support to communities in need. Researchers study the impact of chemicals in society. And 11 year-old Presley Barker is a guitar prodigy.

Historic Tayloe Hospital served 3 generations in Washington, NC from the early 1900's. Now the Georgian inspired brick building is home to Beth & Chris Collier of design company vanCollier. The couple restored the boarded up building to create their home & design studios. Both Beth & Chris have family ties to the hospital including Chris' grandfather & great-grandfather who were surgeons there.

With 9 golf courses, a spa, & over a thousand acres of land to manage, Bob Farren shoulders a big project at Pinehurst. As Head Superintendent, he is responsible for keeping the resort "green" both visually & environmentally, & helping it maintain its position as a top destination for tourists & sporting evenats alike.

The Alamance Makers Guild works to cultivate an interest in Making. From 3-D printing to sewing, from music to math, the guild encourages all comers that they can Make something special to bring to their communities.

Chris & Beth Collier restored the Historic Tayloe Hospital into a home that also houses their business. The Alamance Makers Guild brings creative people together to exchange & develop ideas. Researchers at the NC Zoo use both high & low tech methods to track wildlife around the world. And Pinehurst's Head Superintendent keeps the resort green both visually & ecologically.

Gabe Eng-Goetz' Runaway Clothing line promotes his hometown of Durham. High Point University students design a tool for NASA to use in space. Waxhaw-based JAARS preserves world-wide languages in their Museum of the Alphabet. A Durham musician showcases the history of big brass in his tuba museum. Plus retired players & afficianados take to the plate in the Senior Baseball League.

NASCAR has been a major part of the sporting community in North Carolina. In fact, many of the racing teams call our state home. For 33 years one of the sport's leading sponsors was based in Winston-Salem. Jeff Smith gets behind the wheel for a drive through the history of The Race for the Cup.

North Carolina’s own Phillip Riggs can now add Grammy award winner to his list of accomplishments. The NC School of Science and Math teacher was selected out of 4,500 nominees across the country to receive the 2016 Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award for his significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education.

Since 1952 the Newton Grove Drug Company has been more than a pharmacy to its small town home. For decades it has served as a town centerpiece & community gathering place. Three generations of the Williford family have served Newton Grove as town pharmacists & still do today. The soda fountain & hand-dipped ice cream are still served, & every customer is still treated as one of the family.

Watch researchers at the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center in Asheville use computers and graphics to model future land use and climate.

The family pharmacy, Newton Grove Drug Company, is the heart of its community. Researchers study climate change & its impacts on the community at large. The Winston Cup Museum showcases the history of the NASCAR community. NC School of Science & Math teacher Phillip Riggs' work in the community earned him the 2016 Music Educator of the Year Grammy Award.

Former business analyst Kimberly Thigpen traded in her banking spreadsheets for essential oils and natural butters. What started out as a part-time effort to help her husband find relief from an uncomfortable skin disease, has turned into a thriving business.

Figure skating has been a part of Ginny Braswell's life since she was a kid. Now she teaches pre-k children how to get on the ice and find a love for skating. Ice skating took Braswell to the World’s competition in Massachusetts and it provided her an escape when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Christel Ellsberg, Raleigh Denim’s 82-year-old pattern-maker is one of kind in the industry. The importance of pattern-makers within the fashion industry is often overlooked. The designer receives all the fanfare, but it’s the pattern-maker who creates the minutely calibrated stencils around which fabric is cut—thus translating the designer’s visions into actual wearable garments.

Joslin Simms lost her son Rayburn ten years ago and his killer has never been found. She went into a tailspin after her son's death, but she has recently found solace in writing. Photographer Justin Cook and Joslin now collaborate on articles and art installations..

Raleigh Denim's Chris Ellsburg is the heart & talent behind the popular jean brand. Business is bubbling over at The Bath Place in Rocky Mount where Kim Thigpen's all-natural soaps are a top seller. Classroom teacher Ginny Braswell uses ice skating as therapy, exercise, & fun. And photographer Justin Cook works with mother Joslin Simms to create an evocative memoir of those lost to gun violence.

Jennifer Roberts graduated on a Morehead Scholarship from UNC Chapel Hill and now is the mayor of the largest city in North Carolina. As a student athlete in high school and college she learned to not be afraid of strong, healthy competition and to never give up.

You might say it started with childhood dreams to play drums in the band and now Britt Boyette handcrafts beautiful snare drums at his Salem Street Drum Company shop in Wilson, NC. The construction is unique and sometimes he uses reclaimed wood from an old tobacco barn or farm house that lends a unique sound and character beloved by world-renowned drummers and collectors alike.