Benjamin Schachtman
News DirectorBen Schachtman is a journalist and editor with a focus on local government accountability. He began reporting for Port City Daily in the Wilmington area in 2016 and took over as managing editor there in 2018. He’s a graduate of Rutgers College and later received his MA from NYU and his PhD from SUNY-Stony Brook, both in English Literature. He loves spending time with his wife and playing rock'n'roll very loudly. You can reach him at BSchachtman@whqr.org and find him on Twitter @Ben_Schachtman.
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For the third time in a row, Novant NHRMC has received a “C” grade from Leapfrog, a nonprofit watchdog for hospital safety. Novant officials say that rating is partially based on old data — and promise a new public-facing website showing “real-time improvement.” -
From this week’s Sunday Edition: The 2025 election season is in the books. The 2026 election season is already upon us. -
On Friday afternoon, dozens of first responders were on the scene as a significant blaze engulfed the top story of the Graystone Inn. Officials reported no injuries, but the cause of the fire was not immediately known. -
From this week’s Sunday Edition: Did Democrats have a good night, or did Republicans have a really bad one? And what else can we learn from Tuesday's election? Plus, notes on some developing stories. -
Based on preliminary results, Democrats took all three council seats and incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill Saffo won reelection to his tenth term. It's the second time the local Democratic Party's controversial straw poll has delivered sweeping results. Meanwhile, despite strong campaigns and significant fundraising, Republican candidates fell behind.
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The city’s deputy manager and director of economic development have both resigned, effective at the end of this week. According to the city, leadership was “already in the process of assessing our organizational structure.” -
On today's show, WHQR's Ben Schachtman and Kelly Kenoyer look at the highlights from the recent candidates forum, held by WHQR, WECT, and Port City Daily, featuring candidates running for Wilmington City Council. We'll add some context and analysis to the seven candidates' answers to some tough questions. -
Today, the North Carolina GOP said it had learned of an alleged cash-for-votes scheme in Wilmington. The county Democratic party denounced both any potential election fraud and the GOP’s reaction. -
Three candidates are vying for mayor, with seven competing for three spots on city council. Close to a half-million dollars in donations have been reported as of late October. -
From this week's Sunday Edition: Readers had questions about a campaign mailer touting a bipartisan slate for Wilmington's city council and mayoral races. Plus, a close reading of Novant's messaging on the Medicare telehealth funding lapse.
