This week’s column: A profile of Wilmington City Councilman Charlie Rivenbark, who this week hung up his hat after six terms, spanning four decades.

I love Thanksgiving, with all its flaws, challenges, and mess. But I’ve been wondering about the way our holiday tables have been getting shorter. It might be the best, or at least sanest, option for now. But can we go on this way?

This week’s column … so much to get to!

This week’s column: A preview of the 2026 elections as we shift from city politics to county, state, and federal races. Buckle up!

This week’s column: Dems swept the local races. Why?

This week’s column: Democrats ran the table on Tuesday. Why? Plus, some notes on evolving stories.

I have a new series out on WHQR @whqr.bsky.social in Wilmington about industrial animal farming in NC. It's become big business across the state. Today: the view from above, with help from @capefearriverwatch.bsky.social and @southwings.bsky.social Join us for the ride! www.whqr.org/local/2025-0...

This week’s column: A memorial to Charlie Kirk, painted on one of UNCW’s ‘Spirit Rocks,’ became a flashpoint for political tensions on campus, and then spun out into a social media frenzy, online threats, and a chaotic three-hour hunt for a phantom gunman. Plus, the latest on The Endowment.

A long conversation about The Endowment with founding board member Spence Broadhurst. It was a long time coming, and — I hope — a refreshingly transparent look inside one of the most important boardrooms in the region.

This week’s column: Thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the responses to it, and what it means for our political moment.

Ok, so, after a couple of weeks of interviews, we now have all the candidates for Wilmington City Council and Mayor online (and available as podcasts)! My thanks to all eleven candidates for making the time to come into the studio and let me pepper them with policy questions!

This week’s column: Faced with a vitriolic speaker openly expressing hate for the LGBTQ community, some New Hanover County school board members wanted to shut the speech down. That’s both understandable and unconstitutional — so what should the board do?

This week’s column: There’s been a lot of confusion and frustration over the recently announced early voting plans for New Hanover County. There are still some loose ends, but I did my damndest to get to the bottom of it — and it seems like there are still some options on the table.

This week’s column: A quickie press conference is a terrible way to unpack a mountain of nuanced, ambivalent data. But politicians do it anyway, the press goes along with it, and we’re all dumber for it.

This week’s column: I love my country dearly, in spite of its flaws and failings, and I show it the only way I know how — by being a relentless pain in the ass.

This week’s column: How we decide whether to report on a death, or leave it to other outlets.

As promised, a bit more clarity on how the county will eliminate dozens of positions, including layoffs — or as the county calls it, “off-boarding.”

This week’s column: Is Rail Realignment on the (rail) road to nowhere? Plus, more budget follow-ups: private emails, The Endowment ‘ends’ its Northside Co-op grant, and confusion over Board of Elections funding.

This week’s column: A look at New Hanover County’s new budget: what it cuts, what it saves taxpayers, and what’s left uncertain after its 24-hour path to approval. Plus Chef Dean Neff on Shrimpgate.

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.

This week’s column: Elected officials often tout their budget priorities, and pay a political price when budget decisions are unpopular. But how does a local government’s fiscal plan actually get made, and who’s doing most of the work of making it?

This week’s column: The Endowment had teased “transformational” change ahead of Wednesday’s public meeting. I don’t think that’s what we got — but Endowment CEO and President Dan Winslow believes he’ll prove me wrong. As he told me, “Hold my beer.”

I spent the last month or so speaking with current and former Novant and NHRMC employees, working through federal and independent safety reports, and finally sitting down with NHMRC’s new president.

This week’s column: The Endowment CEO Dan Winslow said he’d meet people anywhere, anytime.I dropped in on one of his living room meetings to see what that looks like. Plus, folks had strong feelings about our reporting on Josie Barnhart’s book ban request — and that’s raised some good questions.

This week’s column: It’s no state of love and trust between New Hanover County and the school district. That’s not gonna help tackle a facilities need to-do list with a nine-figure price tag.

This week’s column: Yes, the mayoral race is gonna be messy. But, at the same time, it’s a good opportunity to dig deep on policy issues.

This week’s column: Avelo, the popular ultra-low-cost airline, takes a controversial contract with DHS to conduct deportation flights. And, retired Foreign Service Officers weigh in on proposed cuts to the State Department.

This week in The Dive, Johanna Still from The Assembly looks at North Carolina businesses who are actually quite enthusiastic about President Trump's tariffs, and WHQR's Ben Schachtman follows up on how UNCW's neutrality policy shapes (or doesn't) the type of public events held on campus.

Carolina Beach has finalized its new bike and pedestrian master plan — combining plans from past decades and adding new priorities.

You might have seen a petition going around asking Wrightsville Beach to bring back free parking hours on weeknights. Given the history of the town's paid parking policies, it's likely to be an uphill battle — it’s also part of a much older debate.

Last week marked the first Education Focus Forum in New Hanover County, held in response to the signing of Executive Order 14242 — which seeks to take power from the U.S. Department of Education and place it in the hands of parents and state lawmakers.

This week’s column: A look back at the Project Grace’s rocky road to realization. And, New Hanover County school board member Tim Merrick was censured this week. I try to make some sense of why — and what it means.

This week’s column: What’s at stake when we’re talking about the AI security pilot for New Hanover County Schools?

JFC.

This week’s column: Part II of a series, pulling from months of candid conversations about DEI. This time, I’m tackling the messy world of DEI trainings, and getting down to the core dispute over equity.

Were millions complacent? Sure. Does that absolve totalitarian leaders? No. Does that translate into a critique of the modern administrative state? No. Is it a fucked up thesis to advance? Yes.

I grew up skeptical of the government. As an adult, and as a journalist, I’ve been fully in favor of digging into government spending to look for waste and fraud. But this? This is not the thing I’ve spent my life concerned with. This is a goddamn embarrassment.

This week's column: For the last few months, I've been having some candid conversations about DEI, with liberals, conservaties, critics, and practioners. There's too much for one newsletter (even a long-ass newsletter like this), so for this week, I dug into what I've heard about diversity.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the New 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 resolution changes little about the city's previous stance, but omits support of any specific bright heights — a decision that will come from the federal, and to a lesser extent, the state government.

Whoopsiedasisy.

This week’s column: Sharpen your pencils, it’s budget season.

Talk is smoke, budgets are fire.

It’s fair to say things are a little tense at the Wilmington Police Department right now.

My latest column: The 2025 city council race is on! Yes! Already! I don’t know if I’m excited or exhausted. It might be both. Plus strong words on Trump’s meddling with the Sovereign District of New York in our latest Letter to the Editor.

Pender County is blood red GOP territory so the decision to moderate its relationship with ICE was definitely *not* any kind of sanctuary gesture. (They just don’t like doing Uncle Sam’s work for free). Also, DEI is still on the menu at The Endowment. For now. Latest from @j-still.bsky.social and me

From WaPo:

I’ve been spending some time this year talking to people about community safety — a tricky issue to define, let alone tackle. This week, I sat down with LINC’s Frankie Roberts for an in-depth conversation about it.

My colleague @j-still.bsky.social follows the fallout of Trump’s funding freeze here in the Cape Fear, and I try to figure out why one local conservative commissioner is hunting for wokeness in the … *checks notes* … traditionally conservative chamber of commerce.

This week’s column: Eight years of reporting on the New Hanover County Schools district. Warning, it’s a long, sad story.