Eli Chen 陳歆

Six hours after Louisville Public Media lost $376,000 in annual funding, it held an emergency pledge drive.

In a post on LinkedIn, the organization’s president and CEO says it raised more than $500,000.

“This is what happens when a community refuses to let something valuable die.”

GWAR's Blothar Rages Against $1.1B Cut To Public Media - Metal Injection Get rid of the Rescissions Act.

🙏 Berzerker Blothar of GWAR has stepped out of the band's usual intergalactic carnage to issue an impassioned plea: Save public media. metalinjection.net/news/gwars-b...

Senate approves cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs The Senate voted to approve a $9 billion rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television.

The Senate approved the Trump administration's $9B rescission package aimed at clawing back money already allocated for public radio and television — a major step toward winding down nearly six decades of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

www.wunc.org/2025-07-17/s...

"Your house can be 20 feet outside of a floodplain, and you're not required to purchase flood insurance, but you still have flood risk," said Helena Garcia, the lead author of the study.

"Katherine Strand stood on the sidewalk outside Winestore, the shop she manages at Eastgate.

'It’s obviously very overwhelming,' she said. 'I don’t know what tomorrow is gonna look like but … come what may I guess.'"

At Rippling Stream Townhomes in Durham, our reporter Jay Price tell us that more than half a dozen units were flooded and several vehicles nearly submerged in the parking lot.

Residents told him firefighters woke them up around 2 a.m. to evacuate them.

Several businesses at Eastgate Crossing in Chapel Hill were badly damaged by Tropical Storm Chantal. Photos by @mattrameyphoto.bsky.social

The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues since yesterday.

When I tell folks about what I do for work, I often get told 1) that they've never met a journalist before & 2) some comment about how they don't trust the news.

Well, let's talk about it! Come to NCAAT's office in Raleigh on Wed 6/25 for a chat about media literacy. Info & registration deets 👇

There's a lot at stake with the White House's rescission request.

Here's what you can do to support @wunc.org if you value the journalism and programming we provide 👇

After I reported the first story, Neo-China's Jordan Wang texted me to share a development: his decision to close the restaurant.

But he actually sounded optimistic. Even though "plan A" to revive his family's restaurant didn't work out, he's looking forward to building a new eatery in its place.

my former deskmate from my st. louis days and one of the most dogged reporters I know - durrie bouscaren brings a special light wherever she goes

awful news, you are a treasure Durrie! take care of yourself

When I first interviewed former CAM Raleigh curator Raj Bunnag in 2023, he seemed like a rising star who was also opening doors for underrepresented artists.

His experiences being removed from an upcoming NCMA show & rejected from a private gallery raises some big questions for artists like him.

My latest @wunc.org: NorthStar's federal grant from South Arts, which managed the NEA funds, made up a third of its budget. The termination of the $130k grant makes it much harder for the org to provide accessible arts programming that has especially served BIPOC & queer folks in Durham.

Scorched Workers Recent deaths are setting off a wake-up call across North Carolina about the harsh conditions outdoor workers face amid rising temperatures and scant workplace protections.

And so great to see that our zine project - a little idea I brought up at a meeting eight months ago get so much mileage! Find copies at CH Public Library, RUMAH and other community centers around the Triangle

As always, access the stories from Scorched Workers here: www.wunc.org/tags/scorche...

Thanks to the folks who came out to last night's @wunc.org event at Epilogue to talk about how outdoor workers need protections from extreme heat!

I learned so much from our guests (see my scrawly drawings pic), including that folks can help dehydrated farmworkers by doing electrolyte runs!

Folks are filing in at Epilogue Books for @wunc.org's Scorched Workers community conversations event tonight! Looking forward to this discussion about extreme heat's impact on outdoor workers

Trump orders end to federal funding for NPR and PBS In an executive order, President Trump directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop funding NPR and PBS, the nation's primary public broadcasters.

President Trump has signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's board of directors to "cease federal funding for NPR and PBS," the nation's primary public broadcasters.

Most of the funds for public media go to local stations.

www.wunc.org/2025-05-02/t...

amazing! I'll have to ask the owner if he still has footage of it

Hi! I reported this story for WUNC and I would *love* to know what their 90s commercials were like

Several small business owners also told me they were dealing with similar issues as Neo-China or that their distributors told them that prices are going up in the coming weeks.

If you are a small business owner in NC impacted by the tariffs, I am interested in hearing from you: elichen@wunc.org.

For @wunc.org, I spoke with Jordan Wang, the owner of Neo-China in Durham.

He's proud of the 35-year-old business his family worked hard to build and wants to continue their legacy. But the U.S. tariff on China have caused inventory costs to spike, which may force him to make tough choices.

Radical cultural collaboration is at the heart of American music and it was on full display at the first annual Biscuits and Banjos Festival!

Let’s take these lessons, community, and joy that we have created this weekend, and bring it back out into the world.

Biscuits & Banjos: an unforgettable weekend of live music, Black culture and joy At the inaugural Biscuits & Banjos festival in Durham, founded by North Carolina’s own Rhiannon Giddens, WUNC music reporter Brian Burns hopped between more than a dozen performances and events. He gi...

WUNC's Brian Burns managed to catch more than a dozen performances and events at this past weekend's Biscuits & Banjos festival in Durham.

Read his recap of stunning live performances, dance parties and celebration of southern Black culture here:

www.wunc.org/wunc-music/2...

The time when the pope (sort of) visited Tick Bite, North Carolina. A tiny community along a dead-end road got a divine flyover a few years ago. The view on the ground is much different, and two decades after he came, one visitor still can't bring himself to leave.

RIP Pope Francis, who once circled Tick Bite, North Carolina in his plane www.ncrabbithole.com/p/the-time-w...

"Since the legislature created the commission in 2007, it has had a hand in exonerating 16 people who altogether spent more than 300 years in prison for crimes they did not commit."

How federal funding supports WUNC ... and what's at risk now Federal funding makes up about 5% of WUNC's budget. That comes out to about $800,000 every year. This funding is vital to bring you the news you rely on every day.

Federal funding makes up about 5% of WUNC's budget. That comes out to about $800,000 every year.

This funding is vital to bring you the news you rely on every day. Read more about that here.

www.wunc.org/2025-04-15/c...

Thanks!! And always great to chat!

How the growth of Asian grocery stores helps diaspora communities find belonging in the Triangle The number of Asian grocery stores and supermarkets in the NC Triangle have grown significantly since the 1990s, reflecting the rapid growth of the Asian population in the area. The stores have also b...

Great story by @elichen.bsky.social #WUNC on Asian grocery stores and shops in the Triangle. How the new tariffs will impact these businesses is a whole other issue, of course. So wonderful that we have a AAPI-in-the-South focused journalist at @wunc.org!
www.wunc.org/race-class-c...

"No one should be deported for free speech, but in the case of Sal, he was a lowkey individual who never attended any protests or wrote about this issue on social media. He minded his business and studied, yet he was targeted for no other reason than that he is an Arab national."