Benjamin Schachtman

Abortion is once again a major campaign issue, on the national level — and in the race for New Hanover County’s state senate seat. Dr. David Hill, the Democratic candidate challenger, is focusing on the issue in his attack on incumbent Republican Michael Lee, who helped pass the state’s new abortion restrictions in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe. But his video ad and, separately, mailers sent by the North Carolina Democratic Party to support his campaign, appear to misrepresent at least some of Lee’s legislative efforts.

On this episode, we sit down with Republican candidate Jason Smith and Democratic Candidate Rebecca Zimmer Donaldson, who are both running to replace recently retired District Attorney Ben David, who represented Pender and New Hanover counties for 20 years.

The UNC Board of Governors' decision to remove DEI from state universities also applies to UNC Health. But the state-run healthcare nonprofit hasn't been forthcoming with details about what that will look like.

Over the last week, WHQR aired and published our three-part series, Rising Waters — which looked at several different ways climate change is impacting the Carolina Coast and the Cape Fear region. WHQR’s Ben Schachtman spoke with veteran climate reporter David Boraks about his reporting for this series.

Every week, WHQR news director Ben Schachtman sits down with The Assembly's Johanna Still, to talk about our joint newsletter, The Dive. For this edition, a look at the New Hanover Community Endowment's new CEO and President — Daniel Winslow, a one-time rising star in the Massachusetts GOP who later led the legal team for a software firm and started a non-profit legal foundation to protect "individual economic liberties."

On Monday, the New Hanover Community Endowment announced it had hired a new CEO — Dan Winslow, a Massachusetts attorney with a political background. WHQR’s Kelly Kenoyer and Ben Schachtman discuss what we learned after Winslow’s first media appearance in the new role.

On Monday, New Hanover County commissioners discussed the future of New Hanover High School. Officials debated whether to repair or replace the facility, which is over a century old.

After conducting a nationwide search over the last several months, the New Hanover Community Endowment announced it has picked Dan Winslow as its new CEO and president. Winslow previously served in Massachusetts as a judge, state house representative, and member of former governor Mitt Romney’s administration. While Winslow has no real background in philanthropy, the endowment said he will bring a “fresh perspective and innovative strategies” to the CEO position.

This week, a law firm representing Democratic challenger Dr. David Hill sent a cease and desist letter to sitting Republican Senator Michael Lee and the North Carolina Senate Majority Fund, calling their recent attack ads false, defamatory, and potentially libelous. In response, a firm representing Lee and the Senate Majority Fund defended the ads as factual. The legal battle is only part of the story, as the campaign ads reveal how transgender rights are being used as a wedge issue.

The civil case filed by the former director of the Wilmington crime lab is still moving ahead — but now faces some key decisions from a judge, who could determine whether the case goes to trial, or gets tossed out. WHQR’s Ben Schachtman and Aaleah McConnell discuss the latest hearing.