Carolina Curious

The nicknames of the cities of the Triad generally don't take much thought to understand. But the source of Greensboro's moniker, "The Gate City," may be a little less clear.

Listener Matthew Fedel asks: "Winston-Salem has a railroad running through it that's fallen into neglect. Why couldn't it be used as a commuter route, and what's the history of railroads in this area?" As WFDD's David Ford recently discovered, railroads built the Twin City, and could soon help shape it again.

[Correction: this morning, we misidentified the acronym for PART. It is Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation.]

Morning Edition host and self-appointed blinker crusader Neal Charnoff explores the question in our latest edition of Carolina Curious. 

Since our series Carolina Curious began, we've received a wide range of questions.

For the latest in our Carolina Curious series, listener and newly-minted teacher Madelyn Rindal wants to know: “How has the North Carolina Public School System changed in the last decade and how does it compare to our neighboring states?”

In North Carolina, the only place you can buy liquor is the ABC store. Long-time Winston-Salem resident and self-professed bourbon lover George Kayiales is convinced that prices are higher here because there's no competition. For this edition of Carolina Curious, WFDD takes a “spirit”ed look at his question.

Spend even a little time driving around the Camel City, and you'll see 13th-century mythic heroes. Everywhere. Robin Hood. Little John. Maid Marian. Even Friar Tuck. WFDD's Sean Bueter aims to find the answer.