Rachel Keith

On this episode, Rachel Keith sits down with Ray Funderburk III, who recently settled with Cape Fear Community College three years after he was ousted from its board of trustees. Plus, Kelly Kenoyer talks with UNCW economist Mouhcine Gouttabi about potential economic impacts of a toll bridge over the Cape Fear River, which is looking increasingly likely.

On Friday, thousands of educators attended the ‘Kids Against Corporations’ rally sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Educators. WHQR spoke with a leader from the New Hanover County chapter.

In the spring of 2023, the Cape Fear Community College trustees held a hearing to remove Ray Funderburk III, who had been at odds with the board and the college several times in his short tenure. Funderburk denied allegations levied by the trustees and filed a lawsuit, which has now settled for over a quarter-million dollars.

Last month, WHQR reported on Cape Fear Community College’s demand that students scrub the phrase “No Kings” from a theatrical production set. That story caught the attention of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national organization that defends free speech rights, which is now investigating the situation. WHQR reporter Rachel Keith spoke with Haley Gluhanich, FIRE’s senior program council for their campus rights advocacy department.

On Friday, May 1, the New Hanover County Association of Educators traveled to Raleigh to join the thousands of educators attending the 'Kids Over Corporations' Rally.

UNCW Seahawk reporter Samantha Hill wrote about some contentious student safety issues that occurred last fall. The highest profile incident was a lockdown stemming from a false alarm of a gunman on campus. WHQR reporter Rachel Keith spoke with her about a possible after-action report that UNCW intends to release.

On Tuesday, the New Hanover County school board voted to discipline Libertarian member David Perry following his dust-up with Republican Pat Bradford — although the actual consequences weren't made clear during the meeting. The board also discussed budget issues and touched on the upcoming May 1 teacher protest in Raleigh.

This academic year, Cape Fear Community College has added ‘student success rates’ into the formal evaluation for instructors — it’s also how they are assessing some instructors who apply to work there.

Last week, a couple of hours before opening night, Cape Fear Community College theatre students were told to remove the slogan 'No Kings' from their set for the performance of Euripides' The Bacchae.

While The Endowment announced in December that it had an agreement with UNC-Chapel Hill to complete an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem assessment — the contract is not currently moving forward.