Aaleah McConnell
ReporterAaleah McConnell is a Report for America corps member and a recent North Carolina implant from Atlanta, Georgia. They report on the criminal justice system in New Hanover County and surrounding areas. Before joining WHQR, they completed a fellowship with the States Newsroom, as a General Assignment Reporter for the Georgia Recorder. Aaleah graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in journalism and minored in African and African-American Diaspora studies. In their free time, Aaleah loves roller-skating and enjoys long walks with their dog Kai. You can reach them at amcconnell@whqr.org.
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At Tuesday night's meeting, the Wilmington City Council unanimously voted to withdraw a resolution from the Wilmington Police Department requesting thousands of dollars to fund the agency’s transition from shotguns to rifles. -
On this special edition of The Newsroom, we’re telling the story of the Black Rock Plantation House. At first glance, it’s a mid-19th-century farmhouse. But dig deeper, and it sits at the intersection of multi-generational stories — including the families of enslavers and enslaved people.Over the last few months, WHQR’s Aaleah McConnell and Rachel Keith traveled with descendants of those families as they work to understand their history — which is also the history of America. It is, at times, an ugly history that’s hard to confront, but it’s also an inspiring story of resilience. Now, 250 years after the founding of our country, it seems more appropriate than ever to tell it. -
Republican candidates running in the primary for the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney for the 15th Prosecutorial District, which covers Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus counties, faced the public on Tuesday to answer questions about their proposed policies. -
From New Hanover Regional Medical Center to the Wilmington office of Customs and Border Protection — a crowd marched and staged a ‘die-in’ on Friday to protest the recent actions of federal immigration enforcement agents. -
The New Hanover County Stabilization and Recovery Center — or STAR Center for short — opened with a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday. -
On Wednesday night, community members and elected officials gathered at a downtown Wilmington vigil for Renee Nicole Macklin Good, who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. -
Avelo Airlines announced Tuesday that it would no longer contract with the federal government to operate deportation flights. The budget airline is also shutting down its base at the Wilmington International Airport, cutting service to 11 destinations. -
Last night, the Wilmington City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the extension of Independence Boulevard that would connect Randall Parkway to Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. -
On today’s show, we’re looking back at the year that was 2025 with my colleagues, Rachel Keith, Aaleah McConnell, Kelly Kenoyer, and Nikolai Mather. From the local impacts of DOGE and the Trump Administration to the struggles over education funding, from rural reporting to community engagement, we’ll recap the toughest, most rewarding, and some of the most fun stories of the year. -
Doors opened for the newly designed Main Library in Downtown Wilmington in early October, and it’s proving to be an anchor of cultural resources, education, and exploration. There's one program in particular that helps locals branch out of their linguistic comfort zones.
