Local

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – Officials at UNCW are warning residents about a door-to-door scam.

The university says salespeople who claim to be students are selling magazines and other items as a so-called fundraiser for scholarships.

The university says often the sold items are never delivered.

UNCW says it never raises money through door-to-door sales and does not sanction the practice.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – For the last month a group of commuters have put aside their lonely drives to and from work to participate in what's called the Commuter Challenge. With the month over, WHQR's Catherine Welch caught up with the organizer to find out how it went.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – For the last month a group of commuters have put aside their lonely drives to and from work to participate in what's called the Commuter Challenge.

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – William Ivey Long really wishes his mannequins would move.

Walking through the exhibition of his work at the Cameron Art Museum, the celebrated Broadway costume designer obviously misses the kinetic life these glittering outfits used to lead.

"Can this exist, still and silent?" Long asked an audience of journalists. With the exhibit a day away from opening, he's still not sure costumes designed to fit into a story will stand well on their own.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – If you had your eye on the Wilmington sky Thursday morning you might have seen Air Force One flying around.

Wilmington International Airport Director Jon Rosborough says ILM is one of three airports in the country where Air Force One visits to practice what's called touch and goes, where the wheels briefly touch the runway then take off again.

Pilots need their practice and the weather, location and length of the runway make ILM ideal for the drill.

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – It happened in the gravel parking lot of a local Mexican restaurant a little after closing time. The last waiter to leave work that night stepped outside at the end of his shift and found himself facing a man with a gun.

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – Some of the evacuated residents waited at the end of Buck Shot Road to find out when they could get back to their homes.

Sonya Garvey

As planes roared overhead dumping water on this second fire, Double Oaks Drive resident Sonya Garvey waited nervously inside her car.

By Megan V. Williams

Wilmington, NC – The fire started around 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, blackening 225 acres of pines and forcing the evacuation of roughly 20 homes before fire crews began to get control.

Strong winds out of the southwest drove embers across the containment lines in numerous places while helicopters and airplanes dropped water and fire retardant from the sky and several fire departments churned up the sandy soil in long firebreaks called 'potato patches.'

By Catherine M. Welch

Wilmington, NC – Fire officials are now saying Monday's woods fire in Pender County burned 1,100 acres. That's down from the 1,500 acre estimate.

An unofficial count of 83 firefighters and emergency officials along with an unknown number of volunteer firefighters, EMS, Red Cross and Salvation Army workers pitched into fight off the massive blaze and take care of both residents and firefighters.

By Catherine Welch and Megan Williams

Hampstead, NC – Just before sunset two planes circled the smoldering woods outside of Hampstead, as air tankers carrying hundreds of gallons of water cruised just over the heads of exhausted firefighters gathered at a makeshift camp.

Six hours after initial reports of a blaze in the woods off highway 210, the biggest wildfire in years was mostly under control.