Rachel Keith

UNCW’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program is celebrating the sighting of an orca named ‘Old Tom’ off the coast of North Carolina this year—but it’s also sounding the alarm about the status of the North Atlantic right whale, whose populations continue to decline. The network also wants to remind the public how to help scientists respond to marine mammal sightings, which include manatees, dolphins, whales, and seals.

Recently, two cetacean bodies, a bottlenose dolphin and a whale, were tampered with, and the federal law enforcement arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating. Local scientists have the resources to respond to these cases because of federal regulations, such as the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts. These laws help to protect these animals, but the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress are signaling possible changes to them, and the funding goes along with it, which researchers say is cause for concern.

On Monday, Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid Jay Ludlam informed providers working with the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) to stop services on July 1. Officials say they have no choice because there's no funding in either the state Senate or House budget proposals.

On Tuesday, New Hanover County school board members got a brief update about New Hanover High School. The assistant superintendent for operations said the plans wouldn't be released to the public until after the design team made tweaks based on private meetings with school board members and county commissioners.

Summer is here, and families can enjoy an array of public pools in New Hanover County. The City of Wilmington owns three public pools, and the county owns one at Echo Farms, but some in the community are advocating for more accessible hours.

Last Friday, May 23, students, parents, and community members joined the 6th bike bus for the International School at Gregory, forming a giant chain of cyclists, and the group wants to expand the number of rides — and riders for the upcoming school year.

On this episode: Rachel Keith recently hosted a panel for N.C. Project LEAD, asking elected officials and community leaders some tough policy questions. We’ll hear what they said about universal basic income, collective bargaining, and more. Plus, Nikolai Mather unpacks legislative efforts to fund school meals for all.

On Friday, May 16, NC Project Lead, a non-profit organization, hosted a forum on analyzing the impact of socioeconomic determinants on health. These determinants include economic stability, access to quality education and health care, and neighborhood and community health.

New Hanover County Schools’ Superintendent recently overruled two committee decisions on Blended, a young-adult novel about a multiracial girl dealing with divorce, racial discrimination, and police profiling. The district committee and the parent who asked to ban the book, school board vice chair Josie Barnhart, have time to file an appeal.

New Hanover County Schools pre-K families will receive their placements next month. While there is a waitlist, in particular, for three-year-olds, NHCS officials say they want families to keep applying — and that there’s help in filling out those applications.