How Christina Koch went from North Carolina to the Moon
Release Date: 04/02/2026
Stealing a dog is a felony in North Carolina. Stealing a cat is not. Why?
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Back in the day, pet crime was treated equally. That all changed in 1989, thanks to a spat between lawmakers that turned a seemingly harmless bill into a legislative dogfight. Music by Blue Dot Sessions Read the original story: Listen to more episodes on Apple Podcasts: Listen to more episodes on Spotify: Sign up for the weekly North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter: Already a fan? Support the Rabbit Hole here:
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How our Bill of Rights was stolen, and how the FBI got it back
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Just after the Civil War, a soldier casually took North Carolina's copy of a priceless founding document. A century later, the feds set up a sting operation to recover it. Here's a true story involving a fake tech millionaire, the Antiques Roadshow, and vanilla milkshakes from Cook Out. Music in this episode: "" by Bombadil Additional music: Blue Dot Sessions Special Thanks: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Joe Torsella and the Pennsylvania Treasurer's Office 2005 press conference audio provided by WRAL-TV This episode was originally entitled "Stealing Bill," and...
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Some Pig: The Story of Struttin' Stormy and the Stanley Cup
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
The Carolina Hurricanes just became NHL champions for the first time in 20 years, and during that run a lot of people noticed something unusual on their road uniforms: A cartoony, college-style pig on the shoulder. Today, we take a closer look at the long journey of a logo from the mind of an art teacher in South Dakota all the way to the Stanley Cup champions. Special thanks to Ross Hettinger, Dan LaTorraca, and Doug Warf. See the original sketches at Sign up for the weekly North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter: Already a fan? Support the Rabbit Hole here: Music by Blue Dot Sessions used...
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Meet a man who built a barbecue smoker out of a file cabinet
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Is it real? Does it work? Is it safe? Was it hard to make? Why would anyone build one? Why is he selling it and trying to get a broken chainsaw in return? And, is this a singular piece of American ingenuity or is there an underground community of file cabinet smokers that I had never heard of before now? The seller, and an expert, tell us everything. Special thanks to Tyius McKinney and Dana Hanson. See more pictures and videos of file cabinet smokers at Learn more about NC State's annual BBQ Camp here: Sign up for the weekly North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter: Already a fan?...
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The North Carolina Musician with a Billion Streams and No Fans
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Mike Smith's journey took him from a string of medical clinics to the music industry and, then, to a federal crime. In this episode, Wired senior writer Kate Knibbs joins Jeremy Markovich to talk about how a man from suburban Charlotte was able to make millions of dollars from music streaming services, and how his collaborator figured out something was fishy. Read Kate's original story at Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/ai-bots-streaming-music/ Sign up for the weekly North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter: https://www.ncrabbithole.com/subscribe Already a fan? Support the Rabbit Hole here:...
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West Virginia's most legendary biscuit place was actually conceived in North Carolina
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
How did a long-dead pizza restaurant give birth to not one but two beloved breakfast chains? Here's the overlap between Biscuitville and Tudor's Biscuit World, with a possible connection to Mayberry. Read the original story: Sign up for the weekly North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter: Already a fan? Support the Rabbit Hole here:
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How Christina Koch went from North Carolina to the Moon
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Koch grew up in Jacksonville, went to high school in Durham, got three degrees from NC State, and is now going to be the first woman to orbit the moon. Here's the long road that led her there. Produced by Jeremy Markovich & James Mieczkowski Some audio provided by: . Music in this episode: Closing Song: Dream Big, by Beau James (Greensboro) Special Thanks: NASA-TV This episode was originally produced as an episode of Our State's Away Message podcast in July 2019.
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That's Not How You Say It (w/ Ben McNeely)
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Jeremy Markovich and journalist Ben McNeely investigate Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson's brutal mispronunciation of "Raleigh," and play a game in which we award points based on how badly people are butchering the names of places of North Carolina. Conetoe! Ahoskie! Cherryville! Do you know how to say them? Maybe? Find this story (and more like it) by subscribing to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole Newsletter:
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Hardly anybody votes in off-year elections. Why does North Carolina have them?
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
Generations ago, leaders thought local elections should be protected from state and national issues. We're still dealing with the effects of that thinking today. Find this story (and more like it) by subscribing to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole Newsletter:
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Why SO MANY houses are collapsing on the Outer Banks
North Carolina Rabbit Hole
The North Carolina Rabbit Hole's Jeremy Markovich and Outer Banks journalist Sam Walker talk about the collapses of oceanfront homes on the Outer Banks over the last month. What caused them? Why is this happening now? Why don't people just tear then down first? Who cleans them up? Read more from Sam Walker at Get more perspective from Joy Crist at the Island Free Press at Find this story (and more like it) by subscribing to the North Carolina Rabbit Hole Newsletter:
info_outlineKoch grew up in Jacksonville, went to high school in Durham, got three degrees from NC State, and is now going to be the first woman to orbit the moon. Here's the long road that led her there.
Produced by Jeremy Markovich & James Mieczkowski
Some audio provided by: Houston, We Have A Podcast.
Music in this episode:
- Closing Song: Dream Big, by Beau James (Greensboro)
Special Thanks: NASA-TV
This episode was originally produced as an episode of Our State's Away Message podcast in July 2019.