WHQR-FM (Wilmington, NC)

1 day ago | whqr.org | Joel Rose

The fragile state of the U.S. air traffic control system was easy to see during the recent outages in Newark. But it will be a lot harder to make up for decades of underinvestment and other mistakes. Copyright 2025 NPR

3 days ago | whqr.org | Kelly Kenoyer

The complex will be called The Sparrow, and it’s located on the former site of a City of Wilmington firehouse at 3939 Carolina Beach Road. Good Shepherd Center Executive Director Katrina Knight couldn’t contain her excitement as she thanked major donors like the SECU Foundation, the city of Wilmington, and The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.

4 days ago | whqr.org | Benjamin Schachtman

On Monday evening, a divided New Hanover County board of commissioners opted not to vote on its budget. After previously signaling he supported the proposed fiscal plan for the upcoming year, Chairman Bill Rivenbark now said a vote would be premature. The proposed budget includes significant investments in education, law enforcement, and human services. It sets the new tax rate at 33.9 cents per $100 dollars of property. Technically, that’s a lower rate than last year.

5 days 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. We’re in the final month of the fiscal year, which means it is crunch time for local governments to finalize their budgets. In some places, the process is relatively uneventful but in a purple county like New Hanover, it’s often a flashpoint for philosophical differences over government spending.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Rachel Keith

Bobby Guntoro is the head coach for UNCW swimming and diving. He’s also the founder of Wilmington Swim Academy, the Aquahawks year-round team, and this summer, for the first time, he’ll be coaching summer league. He, his wife, and his three kids consistently visit the city’s public pools, including the Robert Strange, Legion, and Earl Jackson facilities. “We don't belong to any country club or community pools or anything.