NC Deep Dive

Diving in to local issues within Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina, building community, sharing perspectives, and keeping you better informed!

NC Deep Dive is a society podcast hosted by Amanda Lunn, with 74 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Amanda Lunn hosts NC Deep Dive, a society show with 74 episodes published.

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  Episode #78

  78: Christine Kushner (D) - 2026 Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large

  Sep 30, 202645 minS5

  County government is where politics stops being abstract and starts showing up in your everyday life, in the schools your kids attend, the roads you sit on, the housing costs that keep climbing, and whether mental health care is actually available when a family needs it. Christine Kushner, a Democratic candidate for the Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large seat, shares clear, detailed insight about what the county does and what she wants to change. We get specific about the pressures of rapid growth in Wake County and what it takes to keep infrastructure and services from falling behind. Kushner lays out her priorities around affordability, youth mental health, and homelessness, including why access to providers is a bottleneck and how partnerships with municipalities and nonprofits can help people move from crisis to stability. We also talk about environmental quality of life, from protecting open space and tree canopy to long-range water planning. Public education and public dollars are a major thread. Kushner explains the county’s role in capital funding for Wake County Public Schools, why teacher supplements matter for retention, and what worries her about private school vouchers and accountability. We also dig into property taxes, unfunded mandates that land on county budgets, and her concerns about a proposed property tax cap amendment. If you care about Wake County growth, housing affordability, public school funding, mental health services, and smart local governance, this conversation will help you vote with more confidence. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review so more voters can find it. Christine Kushner : Campaign Finance Report Facebook / Instagram / Bluesky CHRISTINE@CHRISTINEFORWAKE.COM Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information) Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting) Early Voting - October 15-31 Closest Early Voting Locations WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina Beech Bluff County Park Wake Tech-Southern Campus ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Support the show As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Now, let's dive in!

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #77

  77: Michael C. Byrne (R) - 2026 NC Court of Appeals Seat 01

  Sep 29, 202638 minS5

  Appeals aren’t TV courtroom drama, and they aren’t a second shot at arguing the facts. They’re where the rules get enforced, errors get corrected, and precedent gets set and for most North Carolina cases, the Court of Appeals is the final stop. That’s why we sit down with Judge Michael C. Byrne, the Republican candidate for the North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 1, for a clear, practical conversation about what the job really demands. We talk through the biggest differences between trial courts and appellate courts, including why the Court of Appeals reviews for legal error, why it typically does not re find facts, and how standards like de novo review and the whole record test shape outcomes. Byrne draws on his experience as an administrative law judge and attorney for working people to explain how administrative law touches everything from state employee rights and due process to agency decisions with major real world impact. We also get specific about values that are easy to say and harder to prove: judicial restraint, impartiality, and judicial independence. Byrne shares why he believes “justice delayed is justice denied,” what docket discipline looks like in practice, and how judges can rebuild public confidence by doing the work and applying the same law to everyone. We close with voter ready reminders for the 2026 midterm election, including early voting dates, photo ID, and where to find your sample ballot. Subscribe for more candidate conversations, share this with a neighbor who wants to vote informed, and leave a review to help more North Carolinians find the show. Michael C. Byrne : Campaign Finance Report Facebook /Instagram MICHAEL@mb4nc.com Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information) Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting) Early Voting - October 15-31 Closest Early Voting Locations WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina Beech Bluff County Park Wake Tech-Southern Campus ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Support the show As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Now, let's dive in!

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  Episode #76

  76: John S. Arrowood (D) - 2026 NC Court of Appeals Seat 1

  Sep 28, 202636 minS5

  Most people can explain what a governor or a legislator does. Far fewer can tell you what the North Carolina Court of Appeals decides even though it is often the final stop for the vast majority of appeals and the place where real lives quietly change course. We sit down with Judge John Arrowood, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 1, to break down how appellate courts work in plain language. We talk about why the Court of Appeals is an error-correcting court, what it means to decide cases from the cold record, and why appellate judges do not re-try facts or re-weigh credibility. John also explains standards of review, how precedent binds panels, and what judicial restraint looks like when the court could rule broadly but chooses a narrower path. From there, we connect process to impact. The Court of Appeals handles major categories of law that touch daily life across North Carolina: criminal appeals, civil disputes, domestic relations like custody and support, administrative law and workers’ compensation, and child welfare cases including termination of parental rights. We also discuss court funding, the importance of competent representation on both sides, and how changes affecting civil legal aid can shape access to justice for people who cannot afford a lawyer. We close with practical voter guidance for the 2026 election, including where to read Court of Appeals slip opinions, how to research judges, and why skipping judicial races can have long-term consequences. Subscribe for more North Carolina judicial election coverage, share this with a friend who wants to vote informed, and leave a review to help more voters find the show. John S. Arrowood : Campaign Finance Report Facebook / Instagram / X Info@KeepJudgeArrowood.com Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information) Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting) Early Voting - October 15-31 Closest Early Voting Locations WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina Beech Bluff County Park Wake Tech-Southern Campus ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Support the show As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Now, let's dive in!

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #75

  75: Mona Singh (D) - 2026 Wake County Board of Commissioners - At Large

  Sep 27, 202639 minS5

  Growth in Wake County is changing everything at once: commutes, school capacity, housing prices, healthcare access, and even how we think about data privacy. We sit down with Mona Singh, a Democratic candidate for the Wake County Board of Commissioners at-large seat, to hear how a longtime tech and product leader would bring a root-cause, people-first approach to county government. If you’ve ever wondered why county decisions feel disconnected from real life, this conversation is built to close that gap. We talk about two pressures she hears most often from residents: jobs shifting because of technology and automation, and affordability, especially healthcare affordability. From there, we get practical about what it means to connect the dots across “silos” like public education funding, stable housing, mold and HVAC issues in schools, mental health, and community supports that prevent crises before they become 911 calls. We also discuss growth planning and why Wake County and its municipalities need a shared plan for infrastructure, permits, and a more useful public transportation network as new development spreads farther from job centers. Singh also brings an angle you don’t hear often in local elections: AI governance. We dig into the difference between helpful AI and risky generative or surveillance uses, and what guardrails could look like around tools like flock cameras, data access, retention, and oversight. Toward the end, we cover her view on the ballot amendments, what accountability should look like, and where voters can learn more at MonaforWake.com, plus how to find your jurisdictions and sample ballot via NC Voter Search. Subscribe for more 2026 Wake County election interviews, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review with the one issue you want county leaders to tackle first. Mona Singh : Campaign Finance Report Facebook / Instagram / Threads / X / LinkedIn MONA@MonaforWake.com Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information) Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting) Early Voting - October 15-31 Closest Early Voting Locations WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina Beech Bluff County Park Wake Tech-Southern Campus ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Support the show As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Now, let's dive in!

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #74

  74: Samantha Krop (D) - 2026 Wake Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor

  Sep 25, 202646 minS5

  Flooding, drought, dirty creeks after a storm, disappearing trees, vanishing farmland, and rising water demand can feel like separate problems until you trace them back to one place: how we use land in Wake County. That’s why this conversation with Samantha Krop, a candidate for Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, is so eye-opening. Samantha brings a rare mix of experience as a former educator and current riverkeeper, where her day job includes water quality monitoring, pollution investigations, and turning hard data into real-world advocacy. We walk through what the Soil and Water Conservation District actually does, why the Board of Supervisors matters even as an advisory body, and how conservation dollars can support projects like stream restoration, farmland best management practices, land conservation, and urban flooding fixes. Samantha also breaks down the basics without talking down to anyone: what stormwater is, why impervious surfaces like pavement change everything, and how green stormwater infrastructure (rain gardens, wetlands, cisterns) can mimic nature to reduce runoff and improve water quality. A big thread running through the episode is climate resiliency and environmental justice. Who floods first? Who gets heat relief from tree canopy? Who lives near the legacy of underinvestment and pollution? We also talk about the tradeoffs of rapid growth, the risks of sprawl, and what “watershed-wise” development could look like if Wake County plans for 2070 instead of just the next subdivision. Listen, share it with a neighbor who cares about clean water and smart growth, and then subscribe, rate, and review NC Deep Dive so more local voters can find these candidate conversations. Samantha Krop : Campaign Finance Report Facebook / Instagram Krop4Wake@gmail.com Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information) Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting) Early Voting - October 15-31 Closest Early Voting Locations WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina Beech Bluff County Park Wake Tech-Southern Campus ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Support the show As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Now, let's dive in!

  ListenShow Notes

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