Sara Wood

Dr. Derrick Hickey says when he moved to Wilmington 10 years ago, New Hanover County’s economy was booming. 

New Hanover County native Buck O’Shields is not a new name to the race for county commission. 

As a fourth generation New Hanover County native, Democrat Robert Murray served 20 years in the army and returned to Porters Neck where he continues to run his family’s farm and volunteer with the fire department.

Republican Frank Christopher Meares is throwing his hat into the race for New Hanover County Commissioner after an unsuccessful bid for a Wilmington City Council seat last year.

Thursday is the first day for one-stop early voting for the May primary election in New Hanover County. Voters will select candidates for local, state and federal races for the November general election. They will also get to decide on a state constitutional amendment on same sex-marriage. 

The coordination of several agencies led to what Wilmington Fire Chief Buddy Martinette considers a successful containment of the fire that broke out yesterday in the Pine Valley neighborhood. 

Last week residents of Wrightsville Beach presented a smoking ban petition to the board of alderman which has rejected the ban twice in two years.    WHQR’s Sara Wood reports some town officials say the real complication about the proposed ban is a little-known property divide called the 1939 State Line, a line dividing ownership of the beach.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce released county unemployment rates for February Thursday.

On Monday the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners will once again vote on an almost $9,000 state family planning grant it unanimously rejected last month. 

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners announced a new county manager to succeed Bruce Shell, who retires at the end of June after 25 years.