WHQR-FM (Wilmington, NC)

5 days ago | whqr.org | Kelly Kenoyer

The city has officially decided to spend federal Covid-relief funding on a project aimed at housing the lowest-income residents in Wilmington. It passed unanimously, but not without some questions from one council member. The American Rescue Plan Act HOME funds include $2.5 million aimed at sheltering the homeless and other qualifying populations. After a request for proposals last year, the majority of the funding — $2.1 million — is set to go to one project by the Good Shepherd Center (GSC).

6 days ago | whqr.org | Kelly Kenoyer

Council still has another work session and a public hearing before it’ll take its budget to a vote, but the main takeaway from this year’s budget is some belt-tightening to keep taxes relatively low. The plan for next year is a $306 million budget. With the recent property reassessment, properties are up 53% in value across the city. With that, the proposed tax rate is down 14 cents from 42.25 cents to 28.25 cents — which is 1/10th of a cent higher than net neutral.

6 days ago | whqr.org | Rachel Keith

John Hinnant is the Chair of the New Hanover County Republican Party and a member of the school district’s finance committee. At a recent meeting, he recalled asking Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes whether the district had a lobbyist. “And he says, ‘Well, we use the Association of School Boards. And I said, ‘Well, how's that going for you?’ And the resonation around the room was not too good. And I just off the cuff said, ‘You need to be your own voice,'" he said.

6 days ago | whqr.org | Ashley Lopez

Mark Johnson, a Republican state senator in Arkansas, was attending a festival in his district last year when he came across people gathering signatures for a proposed ballot measure that would protect abortion rights in the state. "They said this was about women's health," he recalled. "And I said, 'Oh, really?' … They didn't make clear what it was.

1 week ago | whqr.org | Colin Campbell

The state House voted Wednesday to require insurance companies to cover more testing for breast cancer and other diseases. One bill would require insurance companies to cover supplemental breast cancer exams on the same terms as they provide for mammograms. The bill's supporters say patients are declining the additional tests because they can cost more than $1,000 even with insurance. Rep. Donna White, R-Johnston, says the mandate could save lives.