The Story on WUNC

Guest host Phoebe Judge speaks with Jarius Sowells about his time at the University of Texas. He failed his first year and took time off until he felt ready to try again.

Sowells says the African American enrollment at the university is low and needs to be higher, and that affirmative action is necessary.

Phoebe speaks to Sowells as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on a case over racial preferences in admissions by the University of Texas.

Guest host Phoebe Judge speaks with Michael Patrick McDonald, who is covering the Whitey Bulger trial. He grew up in South Boston, where Bulger is a legend.

Also in this show: Haley Morris-Cafiero, an overweight photographer, has been taking photos of people who mock her body; and Kristen Ulmer, who became one of the best skiers in the world because she could not feel fear.

Listen at 1PM and 8PM on WUNC, or online here.

Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello are husband-and-wife opera singers. They talk with Dick about the peculiarity of their relationship, which includes competing to see who can hold the longest notes, and trying to get cast in the same productions so that they can spend time together.

Jason Puracal was working in Nicaragua when he was wrongfully convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime.  He was sentenced to 22 years in one of the worst prisons in the country.  His sister Janis led the charge for his release.

Also in this show, a forensic DNA expert who has devoted himself to using new DNA technology to free the innocent. 

Listen at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., or online here.

William Binney has been working in intelligence since the Cold War. As a cryptomathemetician, he helped create a new surveillance system called Thin Thread. When he discovered Thin Thread was being used to spy on American citizens, he spoke up and eventually left the agency.

In late April, more than 1,100 garment workers were killed when the eight-story Rana Plaza building collapsed. Labor activist Kalpona Akter has come from Bangladesh to attend tomorrow's Walmart shareholders meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she'll try to convince shareholders that Walmart must protect the safety of factory workers.

Plus, as part of his series “People Who Work,” producer Richard Paul brings us an audio portrait of Carmen Costello, who drives a city bus through Washington, D.C. early each morning. 

Jim Stickley is a professional hacker. Companies hire him to attempt to hack into their financial information, and identify weaknesses in their security practices.  He tells Dick that his job isn't all high-tech, and that sometimes he dresses up as a firefighter to access office buildings. 

Also in this show, Cici McNair, a Paris-based private investigator who got her start hiding in bushes, and a man who is obsessively searching for every single Tim Wallach baseball card.

Hear these conversations on The Story's site. 

A Preventive Mastectomy at 31

Except when it isn't.

We check back in with Julia Trigg Crawford who is fighting the TransCanada Corporation as it lays pipe for the XL Pipeline. The digging has begun – in spite of ongoing litigation.

Also in this show, Sandra Steingraber was arrested on Earth Day, and spent 15 days in jail, for protesting against hydraulic fracturing (fracking). After many years in laboratories, and speaking at panels, she felt the time had come to use her body in direct-action protest.

Listen to these stories at TheStory.org