Benjamin Schachtman

5 days ago | whqr.org | Rachel Keith |Nikolai Mather |Benjamin Schachtman

Eight years after the general public found out about PFAS in the Cape Fear River, the North Carolina House has finally passed a bill that would make PFAS manufacturer Chemours cover pollution cleanup costs. Republican Rep. Ted Davis, the main author of the bill, told WHQR he's "tickled" it went through. Nikolai Mather spoke with Davis about what the bill does, and the arduous route to get it this far.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

Dying Right NC supports end-of-life autonomy, through what’s known as medical aid in dying. “[That's] an end of life option, where someone who was cognitively able and has a terminal illness, meaning less than six months of life projected that they can self administer a medication prescribed to them," according to Dying Right NC board member and general counsel Joan Keston.

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 hereand find past editions here. This week, Bill Saffo made it official: Wilmington’s longest-serving mayor will once again run for reelection. Saffo would have probably liked to mull the decision for a little longer, but his hand was forced in late February, when fellow Democrat and longtime New Hanover County commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr. announced his campaign.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman |Johanna Still

The Dive is a free weekly newsletter jointly published by WHQR and The Assembly. You can find more information and subscribe here. Three Sides to a StoryThere are two narratives about Wilmington’s dysfunctional police department and Donny Williams, its first Black police chief. In one, Williams, a native son of the public housing project Creekwood, has spent nearly five years since 2020 trying to reform a systemically racist police force despite being consistently undercut by insubordination.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

An otherwise calm Friday afternoon at New Hanover High School was interrupted by a heavy law enforcement presence as the school was sent into lockdown. Shortly before 2 p.m., parents and guardians received a message from the school:New Hanover High School is currently in Lockdown due to an emerging situation. The safety and security of your child is our top priority. We are actively responding to the situation and collaborating with emergency responders.