Emily Featherston

Reporter

Wilmington, NC

Emily Featherston is a journalist with background in community reporting. She joined WECT in August 2018, and is a multimedia reporter focused on Wilmington’s local government.

Emily comes to WECT from the newspaper industry, most recently working as a community editor for Starnes Media, a group of hyper-local publications in Birmingham, Alabama.

While in Alabama, Emily won awards from the Alabama Press Association for her reporting on local news and education. She won the association’s 2017 Freedom of Information Award for her coverage of a discrimination lawsuit between the city of Vestavia Hills and a former employee. In 2018 she won first place awards for Best Online Breaking News and Best Use of Social Media for coverage of a flash flood.

Emily has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Samford University, as well as an MBA from Samford’s Brock School of Business. She was the 2016 Timothy Robinson Fellow at The Washington Post, and the editor in chief of her college newspaper, The Samford Crimson.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys cooking, going to the beach and getting to know the hidden gems of the Wilmington area.

Awards:

2017 Alabama Press Association Freedom of Information Award
2017 Alabama Press Association Best Local News Coverage, 1st Place
2017 Alabama Press Association Best Education Coverage, 1st Place
2018 Alabama Press Association Online Breaking News Coverage, 1st Place

Education:

Samford University - BA in Journalism & MBA in Management

Recent Articles by Emily

As pandemic unemployment, eviction protections fade, community resources are available for those who need financial assistance

Time is running out for thousands of people after eviction protections expired.

Emily Featherston

Published July 29, 2020 at 5:18 PM

Voters express concern over absentee flyer as state sees surge in mail ballot requests

A flyer that arrived in the mailboxes of many North Carolinians raised eyebrows.

Emily Featherston

Published July 27, 2020 at 6:16 PM

WAVE board considers future of service as riders, citizens ask that Brunswick Connector be spared

New, more-condensed routes for WAVE Transit were proposed Thursday.

Emily Featherston

Published July 23, 2020 at 5:23 PM

Wilmington City Council delays action on Black Lives Matter art

It will be another two weeks before a decision is reached.

Emily Featherston

Published July 22, 2020 at 5:33 AM

Wilmington City Council members at odds over proposed Black Lives Matter mural

Council will consider the art installation Tuesday night.

Emily Featherston

Published July 20, 2020 at 6:22 PM

People under 50 are disproportionately testing positive for coronavirus, and experts say could cause issues for vulnerable populations

People under 50 are outpacing others in positive COVID tests.

Emily Featherston

Published July 17, 2020 at 6:11 PM

Data shows stay at home trends as public health experts urge compliance with 3 W’s

Google data shows how people reacted to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emily Featherston and Brandon Wissbaum

Published July 15, 2020 at 4:52 PM

Wake County DA clears Mark Harris, candidate in congressional race that led to election fraud investigation

The saga of North Carolina's 2018 9th Congressional District race continues.

Emily Featherston

Published July 15, 2020 at 10:49 AM

Novant CEO ‘excited’, looking forward to next steps after county commission moves forward with deal for NHRMC

Leadership of the Winston-Salem based healthcare system responded to Monday night's developments.

Emily Featherston

Published July 14, 2020 at 6:55 PM

County Commissioners vote in favor of NHRMC partnership with Novant Health

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners has released a draft outline of how to manage the $1.9 billion in proceeds from the possible sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

WECT Staff and Emily Featherston

Published July 13, 2020 at 6:30 PM

As case counts increase, so does the difficulty of contact tracing

Health officials say contact tracing is one of the key tools to controlling the spread of COVID-19.

Emily Featherston

Published July 9, 2020 at 6:31 PM

Partnership Advisory Group holds virtual Q & A session

The Partnership Advisory Group exploring the future of NHRMC held a virtual Q&A about their decision.

Emily Featherston

Published July 8, 2020 at 10:11 PM

NHRMC Trustees approve of a potential deal with Novant Health

The board of trustees for New Hanover Regional Medical Center is also in favor of a deal with Novant Health.

Emily Featherston

Published July 7, 2020 at 9:26 PM

Passenger numbers at ILM on the rise as airport adjusts to financial hit of pandemic

The Wilmington International Airport has seen a dramatic decrease in passengers this spring and summer thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emily Featherston

Published July 6, 2020 at 8:29 PM

Health experts urge caution ahead of holiday weekend as coronavirus cases continue to climb in Cape Fear

North Carolina hit a record high new coronavirus case count Friday ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, underscoring concerns health experts already had ahead of the holiday.

Emily Featherston

Published July 3, 2020 at 4:34 PM

Partnership Advisory Group makes a recommendation: Novant Health

The Partnership Advisory Group has made a decision.

Emily Featherston

Published July 2, 2020 at 11:24 PM

WAVE board begins looking for new director, but outgoing leader says news came as a surprise

The Cape Fear Public Transporation Authority is looking for a new executive director for WAVE Transit.

Emily Featherston

Published July 1, 2020 at 6:07 PM

City requests court consider whether to release audio of racist conversations among officers

Legal counsel for the city of Wilmington plan to file a request in New Hanover County Superior Court Tuesday to have a judge review and consider whether racist conversations among officers should be released to the public.

Emily Featherston

Published June 30, 2020 at 5:24 PM

Crunching COVID Numbers: Experts say overall trends important as we evaluate virus response

Data shows trends experts say are going in the wrong direction.

Emily Featherston

Published June 29, 2020 at 7:38 PM

NHRMC releases COVID-19 data as state rep. demands NC harden virus directives to hospitals

Three months in, the Cape Fear region's main hospital is giving more details, but one state leader says more needs to be done.

Emily Featherston

Published June 26, 2020 at 8:04 PM

As COVID-19 patients increase, hospitals prepare for surge

Leaders at health systems around the state say a combination of better medical care and larger stockpiles of protective gear mean they can handle surges in COVID-19 patients more effectively today than they could three months ago. But those same leaders warn that the additional capacity still has a

Emily Featherston

Published June 25, 2020 at 7:22 PM

WAVE board passes budget, still plans to resume collecting fares on July 6

For WAVE Transit, the coronavirus pandemic not only caused disruption in operations and changes in ridership, but it threw a wrench into an already complicated financial reality.

Emily Featherston

Published June 25, 2020 at 1:50 PM

A look at COVID protocols for restaurants as cases surge and Phase 2 continues

North Carolina will remain in Phase 2 for at least the next few weeks, and that means restrictions on capacity at restaurants remains in place as well.

Emily Featherston

Published June 24, 2020 at 7:34 PM

The Republican primary election for Columbus County’s District 2 commissioner seat had to be re-done, coronavirus protections in place

Voters went to the polls in a re-do election in Columbus County.

Emily Featherston

Published June 23, 2020 at 9:14 PM

Physicians, community members speak their minds over future of NHRMC as decision looms

The New Hanover County Commission held a public hearing on the options on the table for NHRMC.

Emily Featherston

Published June 22, 2020 at 10:11 PM

As they near a recommendation, NHRMC advisory group members agree: They want a partner

PAG members have made it clear where they think the future of NHRMC should go.

Emily Featherston

Published June 18, 2020 at 11:16 PM

Whether leaders implement mask mandates or not, health experts urge use anyway

Cloth and surgical masks, which are what the general public are encouraged to use, are not designed to protect the wearer from the virus, but instead keep those who are already infected from spreading it to other people.

Emily Featherston

Published June 17, 2020 at 8:05 PM

Wilmington City Council approves FY 20-21 budget

In this budget, the Wilmington Police Department is allotted $35,835,622 — a 1.9 Percent reduction from Fiscal Year 19-20.

Emily Featherston

Published June 16, 2020 at 9:39 PM

Wilmington mayor discusses frequently asked questions as George Floyd protests continue for seventh straight day

Mayor Bill Saffo reflected on a week of protests.

Emily Featherston

Published June 5, 2020 at 8:52 PM

With possible permanent fix for the White Oak Dike still far in the future, Kelly braces for another season of storms

“We feel pretty good about it, but we cannot withstand 30 inches of rain. We’re gonna have problems if we have that again."

Emily Featherston

Published June 3, 2020 at 7:23 PM

Currently in
Wilmington, NC

Emily Featherston

Reporter

Wilmington, NC

Awards:

Education:

Recent Articles by Emily

Emily Featherston

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Emily Featherston and Brandon Wissbaum

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Emily Featherston

WECT Staff and Emily Featherston

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