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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

The Newsroom: Primary elections, Wilmington Housing Authority, and 'community violence'

On this episode, the WHQR news team helps unpack three major stories: Rachel Keith kicks off the primary election season, Kelly Kenoyer explains the evolving crisis in Wilmington's housing authority, and Camille Mojica digs into the issue of 'community violence.'

First up, the primary elections. After a legal rollercoaster ride, North Carolina's new maps — for both state and federal office — have been approved and, for now, the U.S. Supreme Court is not intervening. So, after a frustrating stop-and-go (and stop, and go) earlier this year, filing has been completed and the region is looking at several primary elections — including the Board of Education, Board of Commissioners, Sheriff, and federal races for Congress (David Rouzer's seemingly iron-clad District 7) and the Senate (a wide-open race, with over two dozen candidates between Democrats and Republicans, for Richard Burr's seat).

WHQR's Rachel Keith helps break down who's running for what — plus, how to get involved, even if you're unaffiliated.

Then, it's the latest on the Wilmington Housing Authority. By the numbers, things are getting worse and worse — from 80, to over 100, to over 150 families displaced — with costs rising from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, and WHA now betting on a $13 million emergency grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (which may be neither available or enough).
WHQR's Kelly Kenoyer breaks down what this escalating crisis could mean for those who are paying the price for years of WHA mismanagement.

Plus, a look at the region's 'community violence.' WHQR's Camille Mojica has been covering the issue from a lot of different angles and joins us to put together the bigger picture.

Below, some of Mojica's reporting on 'community violence':

Ben Schachtman is a journalist and editor with a focus on local government accountability. He began reporting for Port City Daily in the Wilmington area in 2016 and took over as managing editor there in 2018. He’s a graduate of Rutgers College and later received his MA from NYU and his PhD from SUNY-Stony Brook, both in English Literature. He loves spending time with his wife and playing rock'n'roll very loudly. You can reach him at BSchachtman@whqr.org and find him on Twitter @Ben_Schachtman.