Last week, state officials finally released the autopsy for a Pender County school teacher who died six months ago. WHQR's Nikolai Mather and Ben Schachtman break down the medical examiner's findings, and what happens now.

On Saturday, protestors gathered in Wilmington and around Brunswick County to protest the Trump administration — part of the nationwide ‘No Kings Day of Defiance,’ which organizers say drew millions across the country.

In this letter to the editor, acclaimed Wilmington chef Dean Neff writes about The New York Times recent take on 'shrimp fraud,' claims made by advocacy groups, based on genetic testing, that local restaurants are misleading customers about where their shrimp comes from.

From this week’s Sunday Edition: WHQR News Director Benjamin Schachtman on New Hanover County’s new budget — what it cuts, how much money it saves taxpayers, and what about it remains uncertain. Plus, Wilmington Chef Dean Neff weighs in on ‘shrimp fraud.’

Alpek is the source of a large proportion of the 1,4 dioxane in the Cape Fear River. Its closure in July will increase water quality for residents downstream.

On Thursday evening, New Hanover County commissioners approved the 2025-2026 budget in a party-line 3-2 vote. The budget, which came together on the eve of the agenda review meeting, is based on a 30.6-cent tax rate, and cuts $36 million from staff's earlier 35-cent version. To achieve that reduction, the budget makes significant cuts, eliminating funding for affordable housing and nonprofits, cutting funding for the Northside Co-op, scaling back pre-K and social workers, and removing roughly 100 positions, including 70 active employees. Commissioners debated budget priorities for hours before taking a tense vote, which had initially been slated for Monday's regular meeting next week.

After six months, state officials have finally released the autopsy for Heather Fennell, a 46-year-old teacher.

After some key staffing changes, Pender County has released its budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. WHQR's Nikolai Mather sat down with interim county manager Meg Blue to learn more.

UNCW’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program is celebrating the sighting of an orca named ‘Old Tom’ off the coast of North Carolina this year—but it’s also sounding the alarm about the status of the North Atlantic right whale, whose populations continue to decline. The network also wants to remind the public how to help scientists respond to marine mammal sightings, which include manatees, dolphins, whales, and seals.

Recently, two cetacean bodies, a bottlenose dolphin and a whale, were tampered with, and the federal law enforcement arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating. Local scientists have the resources to respond to these cases because of federal regulations, such as the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts. These laws help to protect these animals, but the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress are signaling possible changes to them, and the funding goes along with it, which researchers say is cause for concern.