Rachel Lewis Hilburn

The area near Greenfield Lake where four roads converge – Carolina Beach Road, Burnett Boulevard, Third Street, and South Front – is a well-traveled passageway in and out of downtown Wilmington. 

As City of Wilmington officials prepare the budget for the next fiscal year, nonprofits and arts organizations are working hard to make their case for the well-documented link between economic development and the arts. 

Embattled New Hanover County Commissioner Brian Berger is likely on his way out. 

Chairman Woody White called for Berger’s resignation last month after a series of actions over the last several weeks by Berger that alarmed the Board – including the public accosting of Governor Pat McCrory during a ceremony at Cape Fear Community College. 

The Board voted last night to censure Berger and to file an amotion.  Just before the vote, Commissioner Thomas Wolfe castigated Berger for refusing to step down.

" I think the best you could do is resign.  You’ve brought shame and dishonor upon this council.  And I'm mad about it and I don't want to put up with it anymore."

Brian Berger interrupted, saying, "We're going to have to disagree on that, and..."

Thomas Wolfe fired back.

"Well, of course we are.  You can't see where you've done anything wrong.  You think you're a white knight on a shining horse.  Well, I got news for you Mr. Berger.    You're not.  You're a disgrace.  Do the community the right thing.  Stand up like a man and resign."

The last two weeks in Raleigh have yielded several new bills that would change the way state residents cast their votes.  One recent addition, filed in the state Senate last Thursday, would likely reduce the number of college students who vote.

A bill that exempts Monkey Junction residents from paying Wilmington property taxes has passed the North Carolina Senate and House.  The bill is currently in the hands of Governor Pat McCrory to be signed into law.

Getting a handle on where the state tax reform discussion is heading has been a particular challenge during the first quarter of 2013.  Whether income taxes -– personal and corporate -- will be completely swept away and North Carolinians will find themselves paying more for goods and services is still a wide-open question.  A new, bi-partisan piece of legislation, however, might force the debate into a broader public forum.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, New Hanover County Commission Chair Woody White called for Brian Berger’s resignation.  The call came after a series of recent incidents that have heightened concerns about the safety of county staffers and what some are calling Berger’s deteriorating mental condition. 

As National Flood Safety Week draws to a close, the predictions for spring are here.