Benjamin Schachtman

NHC Commissioners approve 65-acre development, get encouraging Covid-19 update

During this week’s New Hanover County Commissioners meeting, officials got some cautiously optimistic news on the Covid-19 pandemic, and signed off on a major development that has struggled for approval in the past.

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Brayton Willis / Brunswick County NAACP

CoastLine: NC Gullah Geechee Greenway / Blueway Heritage Trail picks up steam

Cape Fear Collective and WHQR.

Creekwood: An oral biography of a misunderstood neighborhood

"We didn't get paid": Busy City Council meeting expected Tuesday night

By • 23 hours ago

City Council has a long night ahead of them this week. The consent agenda features nine resolutions to consider, and councilmembers are eager to dive in. 

This week in government: Wilmington City Council, New Hanover Boards of Education and Commissioners

By Ben Schachtman • Mar 1, 2021
Benjamin Schachtman

 


This week, the Wilmington City Council, New Hanover County Board of Education, and the New Hanover Board of Commissioners will hold regular meetings. On the agendas: updates on the vaccine process and the ambitious rail realignment project, approval of new development, and likely a debate over the New Hanover County Schools elementary school suspension policy, following calls by the NAACP and other groups to change those practices.

THE WEEKLY: February 27, 2021

By • Feb 27, 2021

Ending Saturday, February 27, 2021, this week's top stories includes Governor Cooper easing COVID restrictions and the early release of more than 3,500 prisoners. Listen for more.  

(Virtual) Prologue: "Curious Tales From Old Wilmington" by Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., March 8th

By • Feb 26, 2021

PROLOGUE STARTS AT 7PM

MONDAY, MARCH 8TH

WEBINAR, SIGN UP HERE

On Monday, March 8th, host Ben Steelman of the Star News will sit down (virtually) with author Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. to discuss his new book, "Curious Tales From Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear."

Around Town with Rhonda Bellamy: 11th Annual Local Food Conference

By • Feb 26, 2021

On this episode of Around Town, Rhonda speaks with chefs Dean Neff and Vivian Howard about the 11th Annual Local Food Conference presented by Feast Down East March 5-6, 2021. 

Legal settlement will see 3,500 NC prisoners released early: Carolina Public Press's Jordan Wilkie

By Ben Schachtman • Feb 25, 2021

Following a landmark civil rights settlement, North Carolina has agreed to release 3,500 prisoners over the next 180 days. The deal follows nearly a year of litigation by the NAACP and several individuals over whether prison conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic are constitutional. WHQR spoke with Jordan Wilkie, who has been covering the story for Carolina Public Press.

NC Governor eases restrictions, bars can open, but mask mandate remains

By • Feb 24, 2021
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The mask mandate is not about to change in North Carolina.  But as Covid metrics are declining on all fronts, and Governor Roy Cooper is ready to ease some restrictions.  

After Superior Court loss, Ogden developers challenge NHC Commissioners in NC Court of Appeals

By Rachel Keith • Feb 24, 2021

New Hanover County is in a legal battle with the development team, Coswald and Tribute Companies. It’s over how a parcel of land in the northern part of the county is developed. 

CoastLine: Reggie Shuford, raised in Creekwood, now heads ACLU in PA

By • Feb 23, 2021
PA ACLU

The Creekwood community in Wilmington, a housing project often referred to as part of the inner city, is still somewhat isolated. 

Wilmington and New Hanover leaders find common ground, and some tension, on shared issues

By Ben Schachtman • Feb 22, 2021
Benjamin Schachtman

Many of the region’s problems don’t stop at the boundaries between the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County. At a recent joint meeting, elected officials found common ground -- but also some tensions -- on challenging issues affecting both governments.

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Bunny Wailer, Iconic Reggae Singer And Wailers Co-Founder, Has Died At Age 73

By • 46 minutes ago

Singer, songwriter and percussionist Bunny Wailer, an icon of reggae music, died in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday morning. He was 73 years old. Wailer was a founding member of The Wailers, alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

His death was reported initially by Jamaica's Observer newspaper, which said that he had been unwell since enduring a second stroke in July 2020.

At Least 15 People Dead After Crowded SUV Collides With Truck In California

By • 1 hour ago

Updated at 2 p.m. ET

At least 15 people died in a vehicle crash in Imperial County, Calif., Tuesday, when a crowded SUV collided with a truck, according to hospital officials.

"We believe there [were] 27 passengers in this SUV that struck a semi-truck full of gravel," said Judy Cruz, managing director of the emergency department at the El Centro Regional Medical Center.

Fourteen people died at the scene of the crash, Cruz said, and another person died after they were taken to the hospital.

How Bellingcat's Online Sleuths Solve Global Crimes Using Open Source Info

By • 1 hour ago

Eliot Higgins is the founder of an online collective that picks apart conspiracy theories and investigates war crimes and hate crimes using clues from the Internet. His new book is We Are Bellingcat.

With All The Twists And Turns 'Behind Her Eyes,' You'll Want To Watch It Twice

By • 1 hour ago

If you've read Sarah Pinborough's 2017 novel Behind Her Eyes, you already know what to expect from Netflix's new miniseries adaptation. But if you don't know what to expect, you ought to do everything you can to keep it that way, and come to this series as uninformed as possible. Just promise yourself, in advance, that you'll stay with it, and allow its secrets to slowly reveal themselves. Get to the end — the very end — and I all but guarantee you'll be ready to start watching the whole thing all over again. Immediately.

Wray Defends FBI's Intelligence Sharing Ahead Of Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

By • 1 hour ago

Amid criticism of the FBI's handling of its findings of planned violence on Jan. 6, FBI Director Christopher Wray defended his agency's methods of sharing intelligence with law enforcement on the evening before the insurrection.

A situational intelligence report from the FBI's Norfolk office conveyed specific threats made online against members of Congress, maps of the tunnel system under the Capitol complex and places to meet before traveling together to Washington. But this intelligence was raw, consisting of online information that had not yet been analyzed or corroborated.

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