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Last fall, a Wilmington man claimed a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputy used excessive force while arresting him. To better understand what happened, WHQR requested bodycam footage, and was represented in court by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Duke Law School First Amendment Clinic. Last week, a judge ordered the release of the footage.

After a week occupied with the business of the pledge drive, WHQR’s newsroom is pivoting back to reporting. News Director Benjamin Schachtman catches up on a few stories from this month, with some postscripts and a few lingering questions.

The Living Hope Day Center is preparing to open a zero-barrier day shelter at a new location. This week, they held a meeting to discuss plans with neighbors – and heard a host of concerns. WHQR Senior Reporter Rachel Keith spoke with Aaleah McConnell, who attended the meeting.

Q: Listeners and readers have asked WHQR: Why are county social workers concentrating more efforts on the new downtown library and museum?A: For the last couple of months, the county has directed ‘Getting Home’ staff to focus on the area, and has paid out overtime to provide more coverage.

The Hilton Bluffs project in Sledge Forest recently had its technical plans administratively denied by the county manager. This week, a county board considered a separate appeal from neighbors. One county official called the increasingly complex situation a “nightmare,” and suggested developer Copper Builders start over with a new application; developers, however, think they may still have a way forward.

The North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, which protects over 44,000 acres of coastal lands and waters for research, education, and stewardship, is unveiling two paddling trails, one at Zeke’s Island and the other at Masonboro Island.

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners’ Republican majority reappointed current Endowment directors Woody White and Mary Lyons Rouse, saying they’d seen improvements in the foundation’s grantmaking in recent years. Democratic board members asked for changes to the current appointment process for The Endowment and other major boards.

Candidate Q&As for candidates running for North Carolina House districts 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, State Senate districts 7 and 8, and U.S. Congressional District 7.

Candidate Q&As for candidates running for New Hanover County offices.

Public media is not a perfect system, but it may be the best chance for local journalists in a news ecosystem that is rapidly degrading. WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman makes the case for it in the middle of a pledge drive — when the whole thing seems a little fragile, but also urgently necessary.