Rachel Keith

In New Hanover County, the Black-White maternal health disparities are worse than the state average on several indicators.

There is a wide disparity between maternal health outcomes for Black and White moms in New Hanover County, so WHQR asked experts in the medical field about why this gap persists and what to do about it.

On this special edition of The Newsroom, we’re telling the story of the Black Rock Plantation House. At first glance, it’s a mid-19th-century farmhouse. But dig deeper, and it sits at the intersection of multi-generational stories — including the families of enslavers and enslaved people.Over the last few months, WHQR’s Aaleah McConnell and Rachel Keith traveled with descendants of those families as they work to understand their history — which is also the history of America. It is, at times, an ugly history that’s hard to confront, but it’s also an inspiring story of resilience. Now, 250 years after the founding of our country, it seems more appropriate than ever to tell it.

Close to 1,400 more New Hanover County voters came out for the 15-days of early voting in 2026 (14,271) than in 2022 (12,880), the last midterm election year. Turnout skewed heavily toward Democratic ballots, perhaps because of the contested primary for county commissioner.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and physicians say it's important to talk about this disease because it is actually one of the few cancers that can not only be screened for, but with proper care, doctors can often prevent it. But physicians say, unfortunately, far too few people take advantage of proactive testing.

When people see something in their neighborhood — it might be improper use of dirt bikes or noise disruptions — they often wonder whether to call 911 or the non-emergency line. For WHQR’s Ask A Journalist, reporter Rachel Keith spoke to Wilmington Police Department Lieutenant Greg Willet about what options neighbors have.

WHQR's Ben Schachtman and Rachel Keith dig into our recent candidates forum for the New Hanover County school board. Five Republicans and six Democrats are running for four seats in each party.

On Monday, New Hanover County Commissioners voted 3-2 along partisan lines to provide $1 million in support of a new city park off Greenville Loop Road. Democratic commissioners voted against the proposal over concerns about cost and transparency.

On Monday, New Hanover County commissioners will vote to add $1 million in funding to help the City of Wilmington purchase a new park. For the edition of Ask a Journalist, WHQR’s Ben Schachtman and Rachel Keith tackle some questions about the plan.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses out there — and it’s come to North Carolina. There are 18 cases reported so far, mostly in the western part of the state. However, local physicians and officials have been preparing in the meantime, which means getting out information about vaccination. One benefit: people who come in contact with the virus can avoid a three-week quarantine if they're vaccinated.