Public officials in North Carolina withheld school renovation records from @rachelkwhqr.bsky.social for over a month. After an @rcfp.org attorney stepped in on her behalf, they released the records — revealing the renovation could be millions more than previously estimated.

According to a study published in February by researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill, the state’s Health Opportunities Pilot (HOP) is lowering Medicaid costs.

On today’s show, I speak with experts about the groundbreaking Healthy Opportunities Pilot—one of the first in the country—where some Medicaid recipients get assistance for food, rent and utilities, and counseling for interpersonal violence or toxic stress needs.

The New Hanover County School Board voted 5-2 along party lines to censure Democrat Dr. Tim Merrick. The two-hour meeting was filled with 160 constituents, primarily all supporting Merrick. Republican Board Chair Melissa Mason reprimanded them several times for outbursts.

Members of the New Hanover County school board will decide this week whether or not to censure their colleague Dr. Tim Merrick.

Teacher attrition rates have decreased slightly in New Hanover, which aligns with the state rate of 10%; however, there was a one-percentage-point increase in Pender County, going from 12% to 13%, and in Brunswick County, going from 9% to 10%.

The $3,000 Howe Scholarship is now open for African-American students pursuing degrees in building arts and sciences. It’s for high school or continuing college students who have attended a public high school in the Cape Fear region. The application is due May 1.

In mid-March, University of North Carolina Wilmington researchers held a health equity simulation with students, staff, and community members. They’re evaluating whether participants show increased empathy for a population struggling with basic needs like housing, employment, and healthcare.

At Tuesday’s New Hanover County School Board agenda review meeting, the board praised the superintendent’s proposed budget submission for county commissioners. They also continued to remove words like “diversity” from policies and voted to disband the Title IX Committee.

The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees was set to hire a community engagement coordinator to increase the tree canopy in disadvantaged communities, mainly in downtown Wilmington. However, the Trump administration recently canceled $350,000 in funding to support the position.

On Monday, New Hanover County commissioners heard a presentation from Dr. Roger Shew, a Department of Geography and Geology and Environmental Sciences professor, about the future preservation of the Flossie Bryan Tract off Independence Boulevard.

On today’s show, Ben and I celebrate Sunshine Week, an annual event focused on open government and transparency. In honor of this year’s sunshine week, we’re taking a look at government speech policies.

The last two independent financial auditors have praised the district’s $3.7 million net surplus in Child Nutrition, which oversees cafeteria services. WHQR looked at where that funding comes from and whether those funds will wane with broad cuts to federal government programs.

The General Assembly has recently changed who gets appointment powers to the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees — so who is on the board, and how have they managed their only employee, college president Jim Morton?

From AI to OSINT, maps to the sports section, NICAR is a data journalism jubilee.

Some CFCC students in the CDL truck driver and electrical line worker 10-week programs have a leg up because of financial support from the Forward Fund. They’re giving out zero-interest loans anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

Hello #nicar25! If you missed the beginner class on FOIA, great news! Have a look at our slideshow, which includes links to example records request letters, appeal letters and ways to organize your FOIA filings: bit.ly/beginner-foia Happy #FOIAFriday!

The Trump White House is pushing sweeping cuts to the federal government, including grants for academic research. A significant cut to National Institutes of Health grants ordered by the administration, and currently stalled by the courts, could cost UNCW over half a million dollars.

Hanover County school board’s five Republican members voted to change the district’s sex ed curriculum; Democratic members Tim Merrick and Judy Justice dissented. The members also heard a presentation from an independent auditor on the district’s financial health.

This school year, New Hanover County saw a significant percent increase in students taking advantage of the North Carolina legislature’s expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship program, which provides subsidies for families to attend private and religious schools.

At Tuesday's agenda meeting, the New Hanover County School Board voted 5-2, with Democrats Tim Merrick and Judy Justice dissenting, to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion references from the district’s strategic plan, policies, and procedures.

On Monday, New Hanover County Schools' interim superintendent, Dr. Christopher Barnes, sent a statement to the community about how the district will work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following new federal directives.

The Trump White House has rolled out several new immigration policies, marking a dramatic shift from the Biden administration. Advocates in southeastern North Carolina have voiced concerns about these policies and want the public to better understand how they’ll actually impact people in our region

Federal grants cut as CMS faces tough budget outlook The cuts include a $1.8 million joint grant with UNC Charlotte to improve teacher recruitment at hard-to-staff schools. #nced #ncpol www.wfae.org/education/20...

Attorney David McKenzie, who sued the UNC Board of Trustees last summer and won a settlement over public records violations, is suing again over UNC’s efforts to hide legal billing records. www.newsobserver.com/sports/colle...

The Mississippi Legislature is not a public body and not subject to the state’s Open Meetings Act, a Hinds County Chancery Court judge ruled Tuesday, affirming a 2023 Mississippi Ethics Commission finding.

Want to know how the reporters did this first-of-its-kind analysis? They wrote it up: www.propublica.org/article/texa...

This spring, New Hanover County Schools are rolling out federally-funded training to help teachers better understand and manage the stress of their jobs. The program, which is based on the insights of neuroscience, hopes to improve academic and behavioral results over time

New Hanover County will mail out new property assessments in about two weeks. The last time this was done was four years ago. Since then properties have increased dramatically in value, which could lead to higher tax bills depending on what tax rate the county sets in June.

On Monday, February 17, the New Hanover County Commission heard a presentation from The Endowment CEO Dan Winslow.

On Wednesday, a pedestrian was hit near Laney High School around 2:40 in the afternoon. State highway patrol confirmed that a male high school student was transported to the hospital. The student was released two hours later with minor injuries.

Church World Service Wilmington must furlough 20 of its 25-person staff for the next two months. This stems from the Trump administration’s pause on funding for the refugee resettlement program.

The rulings addressed several issues in the ongoing lawsuit between former Cape Fear Community College trustee Ray Funderburk and the college’s board. The judge ruled that questions about meetings with an attorney could be allowed, but only those where Funderburk was present.

#HeadsUpNC, this move has huge implications for #NC research universities and nonprofits (and lots of people who work for them) along with ripple effects #NCPol

The State Board of Education voted 9-to-2 to request a moratorium on new spending for Opportunity Scholarship vouchers as part of its budget request to the General Assembly. www.wunc.org/education/20...

Local governments are developing lists of what they want the state’s General Assembly to fund in the upcoming fiscal year. I spoke with New Hanover County Schools district leaders about some of their requests.

On this episode, WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman sat down with me to talk about the work of SYNC — Strengthening Systems for NC Children. I joined about 20 other members who, starting last August, worked to develop a better, broader understanding of how adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs.

New Hanover County is part of a tri-county grant, Strengthening Systems for NC Children (SYNC), funded by the North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Branch and UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.

A slew of recent White House changes to federal funding has caused confusion for local non-profits — one of them is the Wilmington Office of the Church World Service, which has resettled 360 refugees over the last two years. I spoke with Wes Magruder, the director of the local chapter about it.

The City of Wilmington is getting its first HAWK beacon at 21st and Market Street. It’s a pedestrian and biker-activated stoplight set to be turned on near the end of the month. Some neighbors have been advocating for the public safety device for years.

President Trump recently issued an executive order directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to arrest undocumented immigrants — including parents and children — on school grounds. What will that mean for schools in the Cape Fear?

During a work session on Monday, the New Hanover County school board voted unanimously to start contract negotiations with interim superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes.

The New Hanover County Schools Turnaround Task Force recently convened to discuss a possible Future Center, a hub for preparing students for life after high school, and ways to get families into pre-K.

Pender County Schools declined to comment on a recent email to Pender High teachers, apparently sent by principal Nicholas Paquette. The email informed teachers that they'd be sent home without pay if next week's lesson plans weren't uploaded by Monday morning.

Early in January 2025, the NHCS Turnaround Task Force met to give feedback on the district’s budget proposal to county commissioners — a part of the interim superintendent’s request for the community to submit ideas to move the needle on student learning.

In and around the Cape Fear region, the National Weather Service called for 5 to 6 inches of snow — meteorologists are still tallying the totals — but parts of Wilmington have gotten around 4 inches. For Whiteville in Columbus County, it’s around 6.

At Tuesday’s New Hanover County Commission meeting, members voted 4-1 to issue a proclamation recognizing a "National Day of Racial Healing," with commissioner Dane Scalise dissenting. They also reviewed their legislative agenda and an external audit.

We’ve matched the demographics of private schools to the surrounding public school districts, enabling parents, researchers and journalists to directly compare the makeup of private schools to local public systems. Check this out! @cerealcommas.bsky.social @natlash.bsky.social @schwanksta.com

An advocacy group, Love Our Children (LOC), has petitioned the NHCS school district to change the policies and procedures surrounding the suspension of students under eight years old. Officials with NHCS say implementing their requests is more complicated and nuanced than a mere policy change

Attorney Craig Schauer, who represents Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin, went before a Wake County judge earlier this week without opposing counsel present to get an order blocking certification of the election. www.wunc.org/politics/202...