Ask a Journalist
WHQR's 'Ask a Journalist' is a simple concept that tackles occasionally complicated issues! We take listener questions and track down the answers. If you have a question you’d like answered, email us at staffnews@whqr.org.
-
Q: Several readers have asked what, exactly, the rules are when it comes to disability plates and placards, sometimes called ‘handicapped plates,’ in southeastern North Carolina.A: It’s complicated. There’s state law — which largely removes parking time limits for those drivers — and then there are different evolving policies in different towns and cities, each designed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
-
Q: What is the Cape Fear Regional Special Teams? Who’s involved, what do they do, who’s in charge — and how do they relate to SWAT?A: Cape Fear Regional Special Teams is a regional collaboration between a host of law enforcement agencies, led by the Wilmington Police Department. They’re dispatched when agencies need more personnel — but they also host a collaborative SWAT team. In general, SWAT is rarely dispatched, but when they are it’s for high-risk situations. WHQR sat down with several WPD officers to get a better sense of how the Special Teams and SWAT work and the evolving challenges they face.
-
Several Brunswick County listeners and readers have written in to ask about James Geiger, a Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was arrested in early January of last year for a DUI in Myrtle Beach. WHQR’s Ben Schachtman did some digging to find out.
-
A WHQR listener emailed the newsroom to ask about a new charge they saw on their Duke Energy bill. WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman interviewed reporter Camille Mojica to see what she found out for our latest ‘Ask a Journalist’ segment
-
After nearly a decade in the works, New Hanover County’s Project Grace is finally gearing up to break ground. In the latest edition of WHQR’s Ask A Journalist segment, WHQR’s Camille Mojica and Ben Schachtman answer some lingering questions.
-
A WHQR listener called the newsroom to ask about AMBER Alerts: how do they work, and where do they come from? What happens after? WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman interviewed reporter Camille Mojica to see what she found out for our ‘Ask a Journalist’ segment…
-
Readers and listeners reached out to WHQR this week after seeing Live Oak trees on the back of trucks, traveling down South 17th Street. They had lots of questions, like: what’s happening? Where are the trees going? Who’s paying to move them? We’ve got answers.
-
Readers and listeners wrote in to ask about mobile service — especially AT&T — in downtown Wilmington. The short answer: it's a work in progress.
-
Standing water, including retention ponds, and mosquitos go hand-in-hand, and one listener asked what New Hanover County actually does to deal with the pesky biters. WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman sat down with reporter Camille Mojica to see what she found out for our ‘Ask a Journalist’ segment…
-
Last month, Wilmington City Council members got into a heated argument over an appointment to CFPUA. When the dust settled, more than one listener had questions for our ‘Ask a Journalist’ segment. WHQR’s Camille Mojica and Ben Schachtman have some answers.