Benjamin Schachtman

Q: Why is my rent so [expletive] high?A: Capitalism — which is to say, it’s complicated. Part of the recent increase in rents has to do with the basic economic principles of supply and demand, and the phenomenon of filtering, where the lack of higher-end options pushes consumers into less expensive markets, increasing competition there. But it likely also involves the darker side of capitalism, including anticompetitive price-fixing practices and algorithm-based rent-setting software that is far more aggressive than a ‘human’ manager might be. For the latest installment of ‘Ask a Journalist,’ WHQR's Kelly Kenoyer and Ben Schachtman unpack how all this works.

A chaotic day at the downtown Wilmington high school involved multiple differing accounts and details from law enforcement, school administration, and parents and students.

Lockdown and shelter-in-place alerts have become more common at New Hanover County Schools – and parents are often frustrated at the lack of information that’s released when one happens. It’s a situation exacerbated by near-ubiquitous smartphones, federal student privacy laws, and the district’s alert protocols.

While most government agencies face tumult from time to time, few have experienced the consistent level of scandal, controversy, and public outrage that the New Hanover County Schools district has faced. That’s made the chief communications officer position, as a public face of the district, a tough gig. The district just lost its fourth CCO — this time, to New Hanover County.

This week, we're looking into efforts to remove Certificates of Need, or CONs, the state regulations that curb competition in the healthcare industry. Plus, Representative Ted Davis puts on a spectacular show of semantics, and CFCC President Jim Morton gets a $38,000 raise — because, of course, he does.

On today's show, we sit down with New Hanover County Schools district Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust about his reaction to an increase in guns and drugs on school campus. Then, WHQR's Kelly Kenoyer has an exit interview with Marie Parker, who helped right the ship at WAVE as executive director for the last two years.

Criminal investigation and civil litigation involving New Hanover County Schools district have dragged on for four years. That’s left the survivors of sexual abuse by former teacher Michael Earl Kelly in limbo, struggling "minute by minute," as one young man put it. For them, justice, healing, and closure are taking a very long time.

On today's show, we sit down with Jill Hopman and Nevin Carr, the newly-minted chairs of the Democratic and Republican parties in New Hanover County. Plus, excerpts from our recent interview with Dane Scalise, who was recently appointed to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.

A landmark 2021 Supreme Court case cleared the way for those playing college sports to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness. Some think that makes the era of paid college athletes inevitable. WHQR’s Ben Schachtman spoke with Dwayne Ballen, who wrote about the issue for The Assembly.

On today’s special episode, an in-depth conversation with Dane Scalise, who was recently appointed to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.