Sunday Edition: An Unusual Majority From this week's Sunday Edition: For most local governments, balancing the budget means choosing between cutting spending and raising taxes. This year’s New Hanover County budget presents an interesti...

This week’s column: New Hanover County’s budgetary physics have been warped by the gravity of its $300-million reserve fund. Short version: Mo money, mo problems.

Sunday Edition: Pandemonium From this week's Sunday Edition: A brutal stabbing. A young U.S. Marine killed. What happened, and why? What can we learn — and what can we do next?

This week’s column: Thoughts in the wake of last week’s fatal stabbing.

Sunday Edition: Spring Cleaning While you can never predict the news, this spring we had planned to cover the results of the primary election, maybe some voter challenges, and then move on to budget season, as local governments try ...

This week’s column: A recap of one of the messiest Marches on record (with April off to quite a start).

Sunday Edition: Editor's notes on Wilmington's park property, toll bridge, and voter fraud From this week's Sunday Edition: News Editor Benjamin Schachtman posts a few updates and notes on the seller in Wilmington's new park land deal, the increasingly depressing chances of having a toll-fr...

A little extra from this week’s newsletter: notes and updates on the seller in Wilmington's new park land deal, the increasingly depressing chances of having a toll-free replacement for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, and a sad postscript to the school board candidate scandal.

Sunday Edition: Catching flounder is easy. Transforming government efficiency is hard. From this week's Sunday Edition: State Auditor Dave Boliek has had some wins in the headlines, including a pricey meal of taxpayer-funded flounder. But he envisions more for his office, including a br...

This week’s column: A conversation with State Auditor Dave Boliek, talking about one thing we can definitely agree on — government accountability.

"Between the offices": Relationship between NHC election director and county manager on shaky ground The county’s newest election director clashed with the county manager over a familiar theme: the county’s support of and access to the election facilities. As allegations fly, and the election directo...

I’ve covered some unholy messes in local government, but this one takes the cake. The tensions here have been simmering for some time, but this week they started boiling over.

Sunday Edition: Rest in Power — Ronald Canty From this week’s Sunday Edition: When WHQR News Director Benjamin Schachtman met Ronald "Gator" Canty four years ago, he had one thing on his mind: justice for his son. That never changed, even as his...

Since the day I met him, Ronald Canty was concerned with one thing: justice for his son. As a journalist, I probably wasn’t the best choice for an advocate. But I can at least pay respect to his dedication.

Sunday Edition: Notes on a Scandal From this week's Sunday Edition: An Election-Day tip from an anonymous source, a damning story that forced a candidate to step down, and lingering questions about what happened — and what happens next...

Not surprisingly, we had a lot of questions, comments, and — yes — some criticism of this week’s reporting on Democratic school board candidate Rick Southerland. We don’t have a public editor or ombudsman, so I thought this week’s column would be the next best thing.

As I understand it, if he withdraws the party can nominate a replacement.

New Hanover County Democratic Party calls on candidate to withdraw over relationship with sex offender Democratic school board candidate Rick Southerland apologized for not disclosing that a friend with whom he lives, works, and campaigns is a registered sex offender, but rejected the party's call for ...

Honestly, for better and worse, I wish this story could have come out a month ago, but we didn’t get the tip until yesterday afternoon. We worked through the night to vet out what we could and get the clearest picture of what happened and why. We’ll see what happens next.

Sunday Edition: “We should always have each other’s backs.” From this week's Sunday Edition: Earlier this month, a New Hanover County Sheriff's Office deputy was fired and is now under investigation for misconduct. Shortly afterward, a woman came forward to de...

This week’s column: The woman alleging she was harassed and abused by a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputy talks about her experience — and what it’s been like since speaking out.

New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputy fired, SBI investigating The deputy was fired earlier this month, after being disciplined with a demotion late last year. The State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into his conduct at the request of the District Attorn...

I’ve had a few people call me about this, so here’s an update. I can’t say too much more about what’s going on than what’s in the article, but the tips I got were pretty concerning. We’ll be watching to see what the SBI comes back with.

Sunday Edition: Novant’s Five-Year Checkup Five years ago, the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health was officially finalized. The contentious process divided the community, but Novant won over county commissioners with ...

This week’s column: Novant’s $1 billion investment is a major step toward fulfilling its promises. That should be recognized — but it shouldn’t occlude other concerns.

Sunday Edition: What's Going On In City Hall? From this week's Sunday Edition: Over the last several months, five top employees have left the City of Wilmington. Two were fired following an internal investigation. Three others have resigned. Is i...

This week’s column: More on the departures from the top ranks of the City of Wilmington.

After internal investigation, Wilmington fires two top employees An investigation into the city’s trash and recycling division substantiated claims of timecard fraud, substance abuse, and other policy violations, leading to the termination of the two longtime, high...

There’s been a lot of turnover for City of Wilmington administrators and top staff. Often, we don’t know why. In this case we do: systemic mismanagement, misconduct, fraud and substance abuse, according to the city.

Sunday Edition: Channel is Closed. Why? From this week's Sunday Edition: Channel was founded in 2021 by Live Oak Bank to help minority entrepreneurs get access to the resources they'd traditionally missed out on. Now it's been shuttered. Ge...

This week’s column: Channel was founded in 2021 by Live Oak Bank to help minority entrepreneurs get access to the resources they'd traditionally missed out on. Now it's been shuttered. Getting honest answers about why has been tricky.

Sunday Edition: What Should the Public University Be? This week's Sunday Edition: Non-rhetorical questions in highly rhetorical times. What do we want from the state university system? What would restore the public’s trust in the institution? How do we p...

This week’s column: A starting point, not the conclusion, in my attempt to think through where we’re at with public higher education.

Sunday Edition: Stories from the Year to Come From this week's Sunday Edition: What are some of the top stories we're tracking for 2026? You can never fully predict what an upcoming year will look like, but there are definitely some threads will ...

This week’s column: 2026 is gonna be busy.

Sunday Edition: No More Moonshots? From this week's Sunday Edition: The Endowment held its most recent public listening session this week. There wasn't a lot new on offer, but there were some notable shifts in tone, perhaps suggesting ...

This week’s column: This week The Endowment held their latest listening session, but I was paying attention to what they said — and how they said it.

Sunday Edition: An Exit Interview with Charlie Rivenbark From this week's Sunday Edition: After six terms spread over four decades, Wilmington City Councilman Charlie Rivenbark said goodbye to public office this week.

This week’s column: A profile of Wilmington City Councilman Charlie Rivenbark, who this week hung up his hat after six terms, spanning four decades.

Sunday Edition: Empty Chairs From this week's Sunday Edition: A few thoughts on Thanksgiving, what it means, and the empty chairs at the holiday table. Plus, a few editor's notes on the end of a political dynasty, the latest on a...

I love Thanksgiving, with all its flaws, challenges, and mess. But I’ve been wondering about the way our holiday tables have been getting shorter. It might be the best, or at least sanest, option for now. But can we go on this way?

Sunday Edition: School bond, bias allegations against the DA's office, and bridge toll From this week's Sunday Edition: Notes on a few developing, upcoming, and potentially daunting stories: the $320.5 million New Hanover County school bond heads to the ballot, a complicated lawsuit acc...

This week’s column … so much to get to!

Sunday Edition: The Election Cycle is Over. Long Live the Election Cycle! From this week’s Sunday Edition: The 2025 election season is in the books. The 2026 election season is already upon us.

This week’s column: A preview of the 2026 elections as we shift from city politics to county, state, and federal races. Buckle up!

Sunday Edition: Blue Wave From this week’s Sunday Edition: Did Democrats have a good night, or did Republicans have a really bad one? And what else can we learn from Tuesday's election? Plus, notes on some developing stories.

This week’s column: Dems swept the local races. Why?

Sunday Edition: Blue Wave From this week’s Sunday Edition: Did Democrats have a good night, or did Republicans have a really bad one? And what else can we learn from Tuesday's election? Plus, notes on some developing stories.

This week’s column: Democrats ran the table on Tuesday. Why? Plus, some notes on evolving stories.

CAFO Country: Touring NC's hog and poultry operations from the air North Carolina is a national leader with more than 8 million hogs and close to a billion chickens and turkeys in production. Most are raised on an industrial scale, in what are known as "concentrated ...

I have a new series out on WHQR @whqr.bsky.social in Wilmington about industrial animal farming in NC. It's become big business across the state. Today: the view from above, with help from @capefearriverwatch.bsky.social and @southwings.bsky.social Join us for the ride! www.whqr.org/local/2025-0...

Sunday Edition: Between a Rock and a Hard Place From this week's Sunday Edition: A memorial to Charlie Kirk, painted on one of UNCW’s ‘Spirit Rocks,’ became a flashpoint for political tensions on campus, and then spun out into a social media frenzy...

This week’s column: A memorial to Charlie Kirk, painted on one of UNCW’s ‘Spirit Rocks,’ became a flashpoint for political tensions on campus, and then spun out into a social media frenzy, online threats, and a chaotic three-hour hunt for a phantom gunman. Plus, the latest on The Endowment.

A conversation with Spence Broadhurst, looking back at five years on The Endowment board On today's show, a candid sitdown with Spence Broadhurst, who helped steer the hospital sale that led to the creation of The Endowment, served as its first board chair, and has, in his words, acted as...

A long conversation about The Endowment with founding board member Spence Broadhurst. It was a long time coming, and — I hope — a refreshingly transparent look inside one of the most important boardrooms in the region.

Sunday Edition: The Death of Charlie Kirk From this week's Sunday Edition: Charlie Kirk, a popular and controversial conservative activist, was assassinated at an event in Utah on Wednesday. What can we say about the brutal murder, what does ...

This week’s column: Thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the responses to it, and what it means for our political moment.

2025 Municipal Elections coverage and voter information Here's where you can find all of our coverage of the 2025 municipal elections and important information about how to vote.

Ok, so, after a couple of weeks of interviews, we now have all the candidates for Wilmington City Council and Mayor online (and available as podcasts)! My thanks to all eleven candidates for making the time to come into the studio and let me pepper them with policy questions!