When the textile mill closed in Kannapolis, NC in 2003, more than 4,000 workers lost their jobs. The effects on the small community outside of Charlotte were devastating.
But investment by a California billionaire began to turn the town from a lost textile center to a biotech research center. But as citizens trade in their genetic information for gift cards, questions remain about the ethics of the research. Host Frank Stasio talks with reporter Amanda Wilson about the changing tides and the effects of those changes in Kannapolis. Her latest article appears in the Pacific Standard. Her work on this project was supported by the Investigative Fund and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
