Aaleah McConnell has an intimate look at how the family of Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra is coping with grief and searching for justice, after the 21-year-old was killed by law enforcement in March. Plus, Rachel Keith and Ben Schachtman dig into public school funding, with a look at this year’s budget – and some potential issues on the horizon.

It’s been over a month since the family of Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra learned about his death, which has left them with many questions. In part one of this two-part series, WHQR's Aaleah McConnel breaks down some details of this case, and sits down with the family to learn who Edilberto was and how they are working through the loss.

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 Guettabi about potential economic impacts of a toll bridge over the Cape Fear River, which is looking increasingly likely.

On this edition of The Newsroom, WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman talks to reporter Aaleah McConnell, who has been looking into the arrest of a Wilmington man who claims he was the victim of law enforcement violence — and the laws and policies that govern the use of force by cops and deputies.

On today's show, Lucas Thomae from Carolina Public Press talks about 'wandering officers,' who are fired or resign under suspicion — only to pop up at another agency later. And a conversation with Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek about his vision for the office, applying AI to government audits, and his promise to keep politics out of the job.

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.

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.

The forum hosted by WHQR, WECT, and Port City Daily, featured the four candidates running for two seats: Salette Andrews, Judy Justice, Dr. LaShonda Wallace, and Rob Zapple.

On this edition of The Newsroom, we're speaking with Rebecca Trammel, a nonprofit founder, community organizer, and advocate for public education funding who aims to run as an unaffiliated candidate for North Carolina’s Senate District 7. We asked about her decision to run without major party support — and where she lands on some contentious state-level policies.

On today’s show, we’re looking back at the year that was 2025 with my colleagues, Rachel Keith, Aaleah McConnell, Kelly Kenoyer, and Nikolai Mather. From the local impacts of DOGE and the Trump Administration to the struggles over education funding, from rural reporting to community engagement, we’ll recap the toughest, most rewarding, and some of the most fun stories of the year.