Ann McAdams
Investigative Reporter
Wilmington, NC
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Ann McAdams has worked in the Wilmington television market for more than 20 years. She graduated from Wake Forest University with a BS in Business in 2000, and accepted a job that summer as a general assignment reporter at WWAY. She later went on to serve as the station's evening anchor and investigative reporter.
In 2011, Ann joined the WECT news team as an investigative reporter and fill-in anchor.
Ann was born and raised in Winter Haven, Florida, but made North Carolina home after coming here for college. She is a mother of two.
When she is away from work, Ann enjoys tennis, reading, cooking, and getting together with family and friends. She and her family attend Wrightsville United Methodist Church. She loves to travel, and favorite destinations (so far!) have included Switzerland, Denmark, The Czech Republic, New York City, and Yellowstone National Park.
If you want to reach Ann, email her at: amcadams@wect.com
If you have a story you'd like WECT to investigate, e-mail: Investigate@wect.com
Awards:
1st Place Education, RTDNAC TV Division II, (WECT Investigates: Late School Buses) 2020
2nd Place Political, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Who’s the Boss? Disputed Columbus County Sheriff’s Race) 2019
2nd Place Hard News Feature, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Veteran’s Family Fights to Bring Sister Home), 2019
2nd Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Weak Teacher Background Checks), 2018
2nd Place Consumer/Economic, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Classic Car Tax), 2016
1st Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II, (CFCC President Resigns), 2015
2nd Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II, (New Hanover County Commissioner Spending) , 2015
1st Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Police Stingray Investigation), 2014
2nd Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II, (Public Housing Income), 2014
2nd Place Consumer, RTDNAC TV Division II (High Hospital Bills), 2013
2nd Place Documentary, RTDNAC TV Division II (The State of Education), 2013
1st Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II (Legislative Prison Transfer Requests), 2012
2nd Place Education, RTDNAC TV Division II (Cost of NC Pre-K), 2012
1st Place Investigative, RTDNAC TV Division II (Sen R.C. Soles Saga), 2010
1st Place Investigative, AP Division II (Sen. R.C. Soles Saga), 2009
2nd Place Consumer/Economic, RTDNAC TV Division II (Missing Down Payment), 2009
Honorable Mention, AP Division II, General News, 2008
1st Place Enterprise Investigative, AP Division II (Crowded School Bus), 2004
1st Place General News, AP Division II (HOA fines family for Christmas decorations), 2004
1st Place, Spot News, AP Division II (Crew Survives being stranded at sea), 2001
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Residents contend that allowing a Special Use Permit at this site would set a dangerous precedent for other established residential neighborhoods, and would hurt their property values.
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“You haven’t had that 24/7 protection in a number of years, which the criminal element knows,” Sheriff Ingram told the audience. “They know when you have officers here and when you don’t. And when the response times are going to be excessive.”
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The family of Bri-yanna Williams, one of two people killed over the weekend in a home owned by an executive of TRU Colors Brewery, blames the company owner for her death.
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In 2004, young women living in Downtown Wilmington were on edge. One woman told police she’d been raped by a stranger who broke into her house and appeared to be homeless. More than half a dozen other women living nearby reported a man fitting the same description had attempted to sexually assault them too.
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Dobson said regulating private elevators is not something he or the governor could do unilaterally. They would need legislation to pass to enact that requirement. Several lawmakers WECT contacted on both sides of the aisle seemed receptive to the idea.
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Two Wilmington daycare workers arrested on child abuse charges are off the job, but the state has yet to announce any action against the daycare where they worked. Carr’s Academy on Peachtree Avenue remains open, and continues to be listed as a four star, superior daycare on the state’s website.
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An unsolicited proposal at the end of 2020 from a private company prompted this discussion. The private company would like to fund the construction of a replacement bridge and maintain it in exchange for collecting a toll from drivers who want to cross the bridge for the next 50 years. The amount of that toll has not been determined.
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New Hanover County had seven oral surgeons in 2000, but just six in 2019, despite a huge population surge during that time frame. There were nine oral surgeons working here in 2016, but some left, and some had their licenses suspended.
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Officials there have witnessed major development happening in surrounding counties, and want their ordinances updated before any similar construction comes to Columbus County.
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Hotels at New Hanover County beach towns have been enjoying unprecedented demand this summer, allowing them to charge the highest room rates this area has ever seen.
The arrest of two daycare workers on child abuse charges left parents across Wilmington concerned for the well-being of their own children in daycares all over town.
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The insurance company for the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office just agreed to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by residents accusing deputies there of using excessive force. $6 million is the maximum payout allowed under the insurance policy carried by the sheriff’s office.
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WECT is attempting to verify information presented in a series of anonymous letters, alleging that a now-high-ranking official at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) helped cover up a teacher sex scandal in the school system, and that another deputy engaged in improper activity with minors himself.
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A series of anonymous letters questioning the behavior of two high ranking members of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office have gotten the attention of the Sheriff, school administrators, and the attorneys involved in an ongoing lawsuit against the New Hanover County School Board. The letters allege suspicious behavior by the law enforcement officers at critical times in the teacher sex abuse scandal, and imply they helped make sure allegations of improper teacher behavior did not result in criminal charges.
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A civil lawsuit against Kelly and the New Hanover County School Schools System, filed by some of the victims from the criminal case, is now proceeding through the court system. Other former students who did not participate in the criminal proceedings against Kelly have since come forward to allege he also abused them, and joined the list of plaintiffs in the civil suit.
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After 22 years of service to the Wilmington International Airport, Julie Wilsey has been voted out of her job by the Airport Authority. The move came as a surprise to many, and the Airport Authority isn’t explaining its decision.
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While it’s still unclear exactly what kind of discrepancies created the financial uncertainty for the county, the county’s finance director, Bobbie Faircloth, was suspended from her job in March.
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Potential sticking points in the budget included a proposed raise for commissioners, a significant raise for teachers, and a property tax increase for residents.
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Over the past several weeks, WECT has been contacted by numerous viewers with concerns that their insurance providers now considered their physicians to be out-of-network providers since Novant took over operations at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
More people, especially in homes along our coast, are choosing to install residential elevators. The trend has elevator inspectors and mechanics raising concerns about what they consider to be a growing public safety hazard: residential elevators in North Carolina are effectively unregulated.
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Despite the renewed concerns, there appears to be little to no progress in the plans to permanently fix the problem.
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Nearly 20 years after her disappearance, Kynande Bennett has yet to be found. The four-year-old South Carolina girl was reported missing by her parents Sept. 29, 2002. They said she’d been kidnapped from the Whiteville K-Mart.
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Numerous shootings - at least three of which were deadly - at an apartment complex near a public park in Whiteville have attracted the attention of City Council and the District Attorney. They are exploring options to improve security around the park, and crack down on the apartment complex owners.
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“I am not a rapist,” an exasperated Soller can be heard saying on the interrogation tape. “I’m not that kind of guy,” he added, noting that he was a married father of five when he says the consensual one night stand happened.
The victim in a high profile rape case took the witness stand Monday to testify against the man who she says raped her 25 years ago. When North Carolina began testing backlogged rape kits a couple of years ago, her kit got a match to a Florida man named Wayne Soller.
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While the fuel supply to distributers in Wilmington has been steady, demand from truck drivers coming to Wilmington trying to fill up their fuel tanks has surged. Many of these truckers say they’d normally get gas from a distribution center in Selma.
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More issues for a local oral surgeon, who was already under investigation after a prominent doctor died following a dental procedure in his care. Dr. Mark Austin had his Leland dental practice shut down earlier this month, and the SBI is investigating allegations of Austin's prescription drug abuse.
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Titus Lee, the Wilmington man accused of viciously attacking a UNCW couple in 2016, and his mother took the stand Monday as Lee’s trial on rape and kidnapping charges continued.
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The victim in the case, 26-year-old Greyson Leyrer, is sharing her story now the plea deal is over. She said she couldn’t believe it when Appler approached her in 2019 with a lewd offer for a get-out-of-jail-free card.
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A bill has been introduced in Raleigh that would regulate teacher background checks at the state level, and require teaching applicants to undergo fingerprint-level background checks before being placed in a classroom.
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Within the last year, there have been two separate elevator crashes in Holden Beach. The same type of Waupaca residential elevator, which is subject to a recall, was involved in both cases. Attorneys estimate there are well over 100 of these elevators installed in homes along the local coast.
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“She was part of the FBI family, and the FBI family wasn’t going to quit on this case until they figured out who did it and why they did it,” retired Agent Larry Bonney said.
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The demand for COVID-19 vaccinations has dropped considerably in recent weeks, so health officials are shifting to a new strategy to get people in the door.
Lee is accused of jumping over the railing of a first story balcony on Litchfield Way, wearing a mask a wielding a gun, and then attacking a college couple that was sitting on the porch.
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“He had all my belongings, and my money, and he disappeared, and no one cared and nobody seemed like there was anything that could be done. I was lucky if any agency even return my calls," homeowner Larry Ward said.
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While postal carriers and meter readers who also encounter dogs on a regular basis are taught how to deal with them, Benson says many law enforcement officers are not adequately trained to avoid dog attacks. Instead, he says they’re resorting to lethal force.
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Repairs are underway at Brunswick Point Apartments, after residents in one building had to be evacuated Wednesday. In two separate incidents Wednesday, people using the stairwell were injured when the concrete stairs crumbled beneath them.
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"The vaccine for this study is plant-based, meaning that it is produced inside of plants and plant cells instead of animal or human cells as many vaccines are," explained pharmacist Evan Lucas. “The plants produce virus-like particles which look very similar to coronavirus but do not make you sick."
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A Wilmington lawmaker is working to pass a bill that would make it easier for law-enforcement agencies to track troubled officers in North Carolina. It would also track others who never got in trouble, but may have exhibited warning signs that could indicate future trouble.
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There are signs up at restaurants all around Wilmington advertising that they are hiring for all positions. Restaurant owners say business is picking up as COVID-19 numbers go down, but they are struggling to hire employees to handle the increased demand.
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Warrants help explain how Landreth's body was found. Anonymous tips helped them find her vehicle, and witnesses who say suspect tried to sell them the guns an pickup truck stolen from her.
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It was an unwelcome surprise to boat owners, who already suffered extensive damage to their boats when Hurricane Isaias roared ashore in Brunswick County, decimating the Southport Marina.
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A group of local Democrats gathered together Wednesday to protest recent mass shootings and police brutality. They also condemned Congressman David Rouzer for what they view as his failure to act to protect his constituents from police and gun violence.
It’s a story that made headlines in other parts of the state. But it wasn’t until two years after Nicholas Kehagias was hired as a Pender County Sheriff’s Deputy that many in Southeastern North Carolina learned of his infamous track record in Harnett County.
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According to the NHC Sheriff’s Office website, Coniglio was formally arrested on Mar. 6th. Before that, he had been in the hospital after being shot by Detective Leyla Davis-Woodhouse on February 24.
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Six years after the National Weather Service determined there were problems with the KTLX Doppler radar in Shallotte, residents are still waiting for a solution. Meteorologists say they can't see the full picture to warn residents about severe weather because of the Doppler's shortcomings.
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Chadbourn Police Chief Anthony Spivey is off the job on paid administrative leave, town officials confirmed to WECT Wednesday. Town Manager Jerome Chestnut would not elaborate on the nature of the investigation, but said he made the decision to place Spivey on leave last Friday.
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The Bladen County Tax Administrator discovered that they had been taxing Whitted on all 40 acres of her property, rather than just the 29 acres she owns in Bladen County, for the last 18 years.
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Six years after two people were killed in a house fire, the man blamed for their murder is going on trial. 14-year-old Makayla Pickett, who was blind, was never able to escape the house. Her great-aunt, Pamela Pickett, made it outside, but did not survive..
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According to neighbors who live nearby and overheard the altercation, the deputy told Coniglio not to come any closer or she’d have to draw her weapon. In short order, a bystander heard two shots, and called 911 for help.