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.
-
Every week, WHQR's Ben Schachtman sits down with The Assembly's Johanna Still to talk about our joint newsletter, The Dive. This week, we broke down some key primary election results — and parsed some of the reasons for the lower-than-usual voter turnout.
-
The preliminary election results showed that Brunswick County skewed more moderately conservative, while populist candidates pulled more votes in Pender County than the state average. New Hanover County remained purple — with education a defining issue.
-
Republican early voting numbers outpace Democratic ballots — and blow 2020 numbers out of the water.
-
Kusek was instrumental in the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the creation of the New Hanover Community Endowment. Her controversial appointment last year was seen as part of a larger effort to rein in the Endowment and tie it more closely to the county's goals.
-
-
Incumbent Jackie Newton is running for a third term as a Pender County commissioner, facing two challengers in the Republican primary.
-
On this episode, we unpack the recent forum for Republican primary candidates running for the New Hanover County Board of Education. We’ll look at how each of the candidates tried to position themselves among their fellow conservatives. We’ll also look at some of the issues facing the district, including a staggering $20 million budget shortfall, the ongoing debate about DEI, learning loss and low-performing schools, and calls to fire superintendent Dr. Charles Foust.
-
Every week, WHQR's Ben Schachtman sits down with The Assembly's Johanna Still to talk about our joint newsletter, The Dive. This week, a contentious development and unusual allegations in the city of Southport
-
The funding, announced Wednesday, will go to the construction of a grocery store in what has long been a food desert — and help the Northside Food Co-op with operating revenue after its opening, planned for early 2026. The New Hanover Community Endowment, meanwhile, is still working on a plan for how to search for a new leader following the abrupt resignation of William Buster earlier this month.
-
On this episode, Republican State Senator Michael Lee sits down to discuss two pieces of major education legislation: a significant expansion to the 'Opportunity Scholarship' program, and the Parents' Bill of Rights.