Our Annual Fundraising Luncheon on May 17th was a great success this year! Thank you to Steve Inskeep, host of Morning Edition for 15 years, who was a spectacular guest speaker. Thank you to our wonderful table hosts and guests who keep WHQR strong. Thank you to the hardworking staff at WHQR. And thank you, Wilmington, for continuing to value and support your local NPR station!

This week the Wilmington City Council will begin the process of approving its budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, which begins July 1st.  The city has a $200.6 million budget on the table. 

North Carolina has some of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country, according to the Centers For Disease Control.  That’s despite the fact that we know more about nutrition and healthy habits than ever.

This week in Washington, the House Committee on Energy & Commerce held hearings on 13 PFAS bills introduced in Congress. PFAS are toxic fluorinated chemicals, found in the Cape Fear River and across much of the country. The chemicals are linked to cancers and immune problems, according to the EPA. Now, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has detected these chemicals in New Hanover County well water.

There’s a new ship docked at the Port City Marina in Wilmington this week. It’s a replica of the 15th century Santa Maria.  And it’s here to commemorate her original journey 527 years ago, when Christopher Columbus captained her in search of the New World. 

Why tear down a library? That was the most frequently-asked question from local citizens at the latest Project Grace public meeting. New Hanover County sponsored the session last Thursday to answer concerns about the three-acre county project bordered by Grace, Third, Chestnut and Second Streets. 

If you’re a person of color or ethnic minority, LGBTQ, a veteran, or a person with a disability, you might face a more dire cancer prognosis or struggle more with chronic disease than someone not in these groups.