Benjamin Schachtman

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.

Early Sunday morning, several shootings left one injured and two dead. Two arrests have been made — and protests continue over a young man killed by law enforcement.

David Perry, who switched to the GOP in 2019 to run for state house, said the GOP no longer resembled the "party of Reagan." He also criticized state election laws that make unaffiliated candidacy "impossible."

Responding to a shooting at a downtown parking garage, police found a badly wounded man. While searching for suspects, multiple officers used deadly force on a driver they said wouldn't comply. In an apparently unrelated incident, a young woman was shot and killed near Hillcrest.

From this week's Sunday Edition: An Election-Day tip from an anonymous source, a damning story that forced a candidate to step down, and lingering questions about what happened — and what happens next.

Facing calls from the Democratic Party, along with elected officials and candidates, Rick Southerland is withdrawing his candidacy. He's faced intense criticism over his decision not to disclose that his partner is a convicted sex offender.

Democratic school board candidate Rick Southerland apologized for not disclosing that a friend with whom he lives, works, and campaigns is a registered sex offender, but rejected the party's call for him to step down. Southerland and his friend said there was a complicated backstory to the case, which Southerland called a “wrongful conviction.”

Since last fall, a number of longtime, high-ranking City of Wilmington employees have resigned or been fired. On Monday, the city’s HR director announced he was leaving “to pursue another professional opportunity.” Last week, he was named, along with several other top administrators, in a federal lawsuit filed against the city by the former DEI director.

From this week's Sunday Edition: Earlier this month, a New Hanover County Sheriff's Office deputy was fired and is now under investigation for misconduct. Shortly afterward, a woman came forward to detail the disturbing details of his alleged behavior. Plus, Editor's Notes on Novant, NHCS, and a new federal lawsuit against the City of Wilmington.

This week, former city DEI director Kimberly Carson filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that the City of Wilmington unlawfully fired her after she called attention to the alleged substance abuse of her supervisor and the unwarranted investigations into then-Police Chief Donny Williams and another top Black city employee.