Coronavirus

  At Tuesday night’s New Hanover County School Board meeting, the announcement came that school staff will be vaccinated in Phase 1B. There were also concerns from some community members about the impending elementary reopening.

  The New Hanover County School Board has approved reopening pre-k-5 schools for full in-personing learning on January 19th, pushing back an earlier opening date by a week. It’s been a difficult decision for members, especially the newest ones who had to make up their minds quickly. 

At Tuesday afternoon's press conference, Governor Roy Cooper announced that the Covid-19 vaccine arrived in North Carolina on Monday. But he says the vaccines will not be available to the general public anytime soon and that coronavirus infection rates are continuing to rise. 

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is getting closer to limiting less urgent procedures. In part, the decision depends on whether or not the hospital hits an average of 50 Covid-19 patients.

Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise at concerning levels across North Carolina.  For that reason, Governor Roy Cooper is extending restrictions on gatherings and tightening requirements on mask-wearing.  And as Pender County becomes one of 21 counties with substantial community spread, state officials hope local governments will follow Greensboro’s example. 

The number of Covid-19 cases in New Hanover County continue to rise. WHQR talks with Wilmington Health's Dr. Paul Kamitsuka about what you need to know before celebrating the upcoming holidays.    

Covid-19 cases in North Carolina are still rising.  But state health officials say because of early precautions, the state is not seeing a huge spike nor are hospitals overloaded.  But state health officials are worried about the upcoming holidays.    

New Hanover County Schools opened for in-person classes last week. WHQR checked-in with some school personnel to see how things went.   

  At his Tuesday afternoon press conference, Governor Roy Cooper announced the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. WHQR reports Phase 2.5 of his safer-at-home policy will go into effect this Friday, September 4th at 5 P.M.   

Over the weekend, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington identified its third COVID cluster on campus. On Monday night, that number grew to four. As a graduate student, I was able to get a firsthand look at the university's testing process. 

The University of North Carolina-Wilmington has identified two clusters of COVID-19 in campus dorms. 

It wasn't entirely unexpected. 

  As the number of Covid-19 cases in North Carolina continues to stabilize, WHQR has details on the Governor’s new budget proposal.      

Coronavirus clusters are popping up on college campuses across the nation. WHQR spoke with UNCW students about the risks of campus life.  

  At his Wednesday, August 19th press conference, Governor Roy Cooper announced the metrics the state uses to determine the severity of the coronavirus are stable, and some are even declining. As WHQR reports, he also pledged $12 million dollars to expand Internet services across the state.

As college students return to campus for the fall semester, COVID cases in dorms are on the rise, and faculty and employees on UNC campuses are expressing fear for their safety. 

Ending Saturday, August 8th, this past week’s top stories include Hurricane Isaias blowing through the Cape Fear region and the on-going question of how to reopen schools safely durng a global pandemic. Take a listen below.

 Almost 4 out of 10 New Hanover County School teachers say they have personal issues that prevent them from working face-to-face with students. That’s according to a newly released survey by the school system. But as WHQR’s reports, New Hanover County has chosen to implement Governor Roy Cooper’s Plan B, which involves all staff returning in-person.   

The Downtown Alive initiative kicked off last night in Wilmington as sections of downtown were closed to traffic to allow restaurants and stores to expand on to sidewalks and streets. 

At his Covid-19 press conference on Wednesday, June 24th, Governor Roy Cooper announced his decision to extend Phase II restrictions and require mandatory masks in public places.

In early April, WHQR spoke with a Wilmington native working as an ER nurse on the frontlines of the pandemic. We recently followed up with Michael—that's not his real name—to see how life in the ER has changed. 

It’s been a tough year in the world of municipal finance -- with the pandemic making it difficult if not impossible to predict how the economic crisis will affect localities. Nonetheless, the Wilmington City Council will vote Tuesday, June 16 on whether or not to adopt its proposed 2020-2021 fiscal year budget.

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting every aspect of our lives -- and mental health is no exception. According to a national survey across ten states, therapists are reporting increases in a variety of mental health issues as the pandemic drags on.

On Friday morning Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo announced several changes effective at 5 p.m. Friday as part of the next phase of the city’s State of Emergency Declaration. UPDATE:  Under the revised order breweries, wineries and distilleries will be permitted to re-open, provided they comply with reduced capacity and social distancing requirements.

Wilmington leaders have passed a resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for a COVID-19 pandemic-related grant. The funds -- nearly $235,000 -- would be used by the Wilmington Police Department to buy equipment: ultraviolet lights for sterilization, first aid kits, and eight drones.

The economic fallout from the coronavirus and the resulting  increase in unemployment could dramatically impact people’s access to health coverage. WHQR reports on how people can navigate their options during the pandemic.

New Hanover County officials presented the proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1st at a meeting Monday morning.   With the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and the beginning of what could be an above-average hurricane season, there is no proposed tax increase.  

As North Carolina and local governments continue to ease COVID-19 shutdown restrictions, leaders and health experts stress that we’re not in the clear yet. And, with so much uncertainty ahead, the Red Cross says blood donations are still critical.