James Watson
WHQR InternJames has lived in Wilmington since he was two years old and graduated from Eugene Ashley High School in 2022. He has long-held a passion for the city’s many goings-on, politics, and history. James is an avid film buff, reader, Tweeter, and amateur photographer, and you’ll likely see him in downtown Wilmington if you stand outside of Bespoke Coffee long enough. He is currently receiving his undergraduate education from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, and intends to major in Politics and International affairs.
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Last year, the City of Wilmington paid half a million dollars back to owners of short-term rentals after a court ruled against their attempts to regulate AirBNBs, VRBOs, and other STRs. The case had a chilling effect on attempts to regulate rentals — but few imagined just how far that would allow one STR to go in a previously peaceful corner of Pender County. -
Policy 4004, “Student Voice” (SV) was designed to encourage participation in board of education policy. But instead of engagement, so far the policy has mostly been successful in generating contention among board members. -
Ahead of Tuesday’s New Hanover County school board meeting, protestors gathered outside to decry the banning of the book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. Once the meeting started, more speakers addressed the issue — some in support, some opposed. -
The North Carolina Forest Service, which was called on to help put out the wildfire that began in the Green Swamp Nature Preserve, concluded its investigation into the fire, issuing a warning to an employee of the agency that was originally in charge of the initial prescribed burn. -
At Tuesday’s New Hanover County School Board meeting, members voted 4-3 to conduct a public hearing for the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. The vote fell mostly along party lines, with Democratic board members Hugh McManus, Stephanie Walker, and Republican Stephanie Kraybill saying they strongly disagreed with attempted book bans. -
Pat McCrory says he was labeled as one of North Carolina’s most conservative governors. But how’s now joined the centrist political coalition known as “No Labels," a third party that hopes to capitalize on the perceived dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden as presumptive presidential candidates. -
In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that state constitutions and state courts— like North Carolina's — can protect and enforce voting rights even when they involve Congressional and Presidential elections. The ruling rejects a legal theory promulgated by North Carolina Republicans but considered questionable or even fringe by experts across the political spectrum. -
The "No Partisan Advantage in Politics" bill marks the latest Republican-led elections legislation in two weeks. -
Last month, New Hanover County Schools convened the first Turnaround Task Force meeting to help improve 12 of the district’s lowest-performing schools. -
On Tuesday, the New Hanover County School Board voted 5-2 to send a controversial board ethics policy back to committee. The contentious change would have allowed the board to strip a member of committee assignments for alleged ethics violations.
