At Monday afternoon’s meeting, New Hanover County Commissioners unanimously approved $1.3 million in CARES Act funding to create two new programs: child care support, and housing assistance. The meeting also ended with a motion not on the agenda.

Ending Saturday, August 8th, this past week’s top stories include Hurricane Isaias blowing through the Cape Fear region and the on-going question of how to reopen schools safely durng a global pandemic. Take a listen below.

At a Wednesday press conference, Governor Roy Cooper announced that coronavirus restrictions in place under Phase 2 will remain for an additional five weeks.

Hurricane Isaias accomplished what even Covid-19 couldn’t do:  delayed the start of the new academic year for students at year-round schools in New Hanover County.  Traditional schools are still slated to begin August 17th. 

In-person teaching. Then, no in-person teaching. North Carolina public school teachers had to prepare for both possibilities since school let out in June. And it hasn’t been easy, as school districts across the state have flip-flopped between the two options. In Wilmington, WHQR checked in with some teachers about their fears of returning to the classroom during a pandemic.  

Impacts from Tropical Storm Isaias remain in the Cape Fear Region, including the City of Wilmington. Natosha Tew is Wilmington's Emergency Management Coordinator. She spoke with WHQR about storm recovery efforts in the city. 

Wilmington woke up on Tuesday to downed trees and powerlines, and with more than half of the Cape Fear region without power. 

  On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper held a press conference on the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias. The storm came ashore with 85 mile-per-hour winds and produced a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet, WHQR’s reports.