Benjamin Schachtman

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

As arguably the largest, most expensive, and most complicated infrastructure project in the Cape Fear region, the CFMB has understandably left folks with more than a few questions, even those who have followed the process fairly closely. Recent revelations about funding the project — including a skyrocketing cost estimate and the freezing of federal funding — have only added more uncertainty.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

The City of Wilmington has appointed former police chief Ralph Evangelous to serve as interim head of the police department. Current police chief Donny Williams is set to retire on June 27. Evangelous will step into his interim role on June 30. Evangelous spent roughly half a century in law enforcement and served 16 years as the city’s police chief from 2004 to 2020.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

We welcome opinion pieces and letters to the editor’s desk on any topic. Our ideal length is around 400 words or less, but if they need to be a little longer, that’s fine. We reserve the right to edit or add context when necessary. We ask that submissions come with your name and where you live (no street address necessary, just your neighborhood, town, city, etc.). Criticisms are welcome, but we ask you to try to keep it civil.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

WHQR's Sunday Edition is a free weekly newsletter delivered every Sunday morning. You can sign up for Sunday Edition here. Paradigm ShiftThis week, New Hanover County commissioners finally had a real debate about the budget. It wasn’t exactly pretty, but it was honest — in a way that seemed to render the hours of work during four previous workshops as preludes, at best, or pointless, at worst.

2 weeks ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

The budget featured significant changes from previous proposals and came together quickly — commissioners received the latest proposal the night before Thursday's agenda meeting, with some details still being worked out. The vote had originally been slated for the commissioner's regular meeting on Monday next week; staff noted that voting on Thursday, while contentious for the board's Democrats, was legally appropriate.