Michael Praats

There isn’t much information typically released by law enforcement or the district attorney when they are investigating the shooting death of someone by law enforcement. That’s the case up in Pender County, where two deputies shot and killed a 45-year-old man Kevin Swinson.

The roads heading out to Columbus County Friday morning were a bit damp but with treatment from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, there was no noticeable ice on the roads. Emergency officials however do not expect that to last.

Facing the reality of becoming homeless, things were not looking good for Kevin Allen, a former resident of Tree of Life, a recovery facility off Carolina Beach Road. The owner of the building decided to shut the facility to make some significant repairs to the building - repairs that were much needed.

Last year the City of Wilmington officially opened the long-awaited Riverfront Park, the home to the Live Oak Bank Pavilion, in the middle of a pandemic.

The road to recovery is a tough one for people looking to stop using drugs and alcohol, and is often one with several steps along the way. One of the final steps is a halfway house.

For many people, especially those looking to retire, living on a golf course is a dream come true, but as some folks in New Hanover County have discovered, that dream can turn into a nightmare.

Across the nation golf courses have been losing money and shutting their doors, leaving those who bought into the idea of an idyllic retirement on the fairway with a nightmare situation on their hands.

Paid parking is becoming a more common sight around Southeastern North Carolina, from Carolina Beach all the way to Topsail Beach; now, another coastal community is considering its options to help bring in more revenue.

Public records can constitute a number of things in North Carolina, from desk calendars to emails, but there are always exceptions to the rules. In New Hanover County one such exception to public record law is to mark emails as ‘confidential.’

People end up in jail for any number of reasons, from serious crimes like murder to less serious offenses like petty larceny or even traffic violations. But what about people who are in jail simply because they can’t afford bail and have yet to be convicted of a crime?

The latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is highly contagious. North Carolina has seen record-high numbers across the state in the past week alone and those numbers are once again putting a strain on hospitals across the state, including Novant Health.

The New Hanover County Health and Human Services Board still has more than two weeks before voting on whether to implement a mask mandate in the county, and responses from residents have been, as expected, divided.

We’re heading into a new year and the third year of COVID-19. With North Carolina reporting a record-high number of cases, most people know what to do when it comes to slowing the spread of the virus. One of the biggest things people can do is wear masks, but with so many options out there, it’s hard to know what kind of masks work best.

In the past two weeks New Hanover County has seen more than 1,000 new cases of COVID 19 and at the state level, the Department of Health and Human Services saw more than 9,000 positive cases in just one day this week.

A petition to the federal government has been granted by the Environmental Protection Agency that will compel companies that produce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) substances, to conduct testing on health effects.

Home inspections typically provide peace of mind for new homebuyers; however, just because you pay for an inspection it doesn’t mean there aren’t still issues with your home.

When Kory Sanderlin first started M&K Kitchen back in December of 2020, he did not set out to run a soup kitchen, feeding the hungry, but after a series of events that’s exactly what his restaurant became.

It’s been several years since the discovery of GenX in the Cape Fear River and the folks over at the grassroots organization Clean Cape Fear are hoping for a different kind of present this year.

The Holidays are here and for so many people that means spending time with friends and family --- maybe for the first time in a year or two. Which makes the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID 19 even more concerning.

The company that has been found to be largely responsible for polluting the Cape Fear River with the forever chemical known as GenX has been quietly removed from the list of most responsible companies in the country following an outcry from folks across Southeastern N.C.

The words on the wall are written in large black font and read: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It’s a commonly cited Bible verse and can be found on a range of things, from coffee mugs to bumper stickers, but these words aren’t written on the walls of a church or even the YMCA. Instead, they are on the walls of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s not every day that a company responsible for polluting a major river and drinking water source for thousands gets an award for environmental responsibility, but that is exactly the award Newsweek has bestowed on the DuPont spinoff company Chemours.

Port City Politics is a collaborative podcast between WECT and WHQR. Every two weeks, WECT’s investigative reporter Michael Praats and WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman will break down the latest happenings in local politics.

Affordable housing and transportation projects --- two common concerns voiced by folks in Wilmington and New Hanover County were the topics of discussion earlier today.

For years, WAVE Transit has struggled with funding and in 2019, New Hanover County actually voted to terminate its contract with the bus system due to financial problems. Following that decision city and county leaders came together to restructure WAVE, however, funding remains a problem. Now, city and county leaders are once again looking for ways to help fund the public transportation system.

Over the years scammers have used technology to steal from unsuspecting victims, so Attorney General Josh Stein is encouraging people to stay vigilant this holiday season.

For years now the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County have been discussing ways to address the affordable housing shortage in the region. One of the ideas that seemed to have the support of officials was the implementation of a $50 million housing bond.

After offering to pay back a client $20,000 he paid her before she ‘retired’ from practicing law many people wondered if that payment would affect the ongoing North Carolina State Bar investigation into New Hanover County Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman. Emails from the state have provided that answer.

The listening session is the second of its kind where members representing nonprofits, as well as the community at large, had a chance to offer their thoughts on how the endowment money will be spent.

It’s been about six months since the public learned about the investigation by the North Carolina State Bar into New Hanover County Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman. The investigation came after a former client, Gary Holyfield, filed a complaint with the state against his attorney after Boseman took thousands from him, but never filed any case on his behalf.

Port City Politics is a collaborative podcast between WECT and WHQR. Every two weeks, WECT’s investigative reporter Michael Praats and WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman will break down the latest happenings in local politics.

Greg Buscemi’s stance on Wrightsville Beach’s parking program and enforcement has been well documented in both the media and through lawsuits recently filed not only against the beach town, but all of the municipalities in New Hanover County.

Walton was arrested on Nov. 8, following a judge’s issuance of two no-contact orders issued to two teenage girls.

The town has been involved in four lawsuits for four years that have led to the purchase of the land but property owners still have not responded to requests for comment regarding the sale.

The ongoing legal battle for the land at the north end of Pleasure Island, known to locals simply as Freeman Park is coming to an end after years of expensive litigation.

Did the City of Wilmington violate state law when they enacted their short-term rental restrictions? That’s the question that the North Carolina court of appeals has to decide.

County Commissioners voted in 2020 to deny a special use permit for a mixed-use development off of Lendire Road in Ogden. However, Tom Terrell the attorney for the developer, Tribute Companies, said county leaders did not follow the rules when they made their decision.

Love them or hate them the military jets at the Wilmington International Airport appear to be here to stay. But airport officials say they have worked with the military to help mitigate some of the noise concerns that some neighbors have.

The ongoing complaints about jet noise coming from Military jets using the runways at Wilmington International Airport continue.

The parking company with a combined 30 years of experience managing operations in Wrightsville Beach and downtown Wilmington has had its regional stronghold undercut in the past year by an upstart competitor called Pivot Parking.

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) made a big switch from bi-monthly billing to monthly billing in October. While most people would assume that would mean bills would be half of what customers previously paid, recent bills are showing that isn’t happening --- so what is?

Barbee had 1,040 to Dan Wilcox’s 731 Tuesday night.

Wilmington’s history is part of its appeal for folks who live here, and for tourists; however, as new development continues and vacant land becomes a thing of the past itself, historic buildings could soon be at risk.

Offshore wind has been a staple of energy generation in Northern Europe and Asia for more than a decade, but in the United States, there are only seven offshore wind turbines in operation.

State Representative Deb Butler along with members of the Marine Corps, the Federal Aviation Administration, ILM Interim Director Gary Broughton, and a concerned resident met at the airport to discuss possible noise abatements.

The housing market in Southeastern North Carolina is hot, in fact, according to one study, Wilmington topped the charts last year for inbound moves.

Carolina Beach’s Town Council has found a new parking company after voting to get rid of their previous parking contractor earlier this year.

The First Amendment protects your right to free speech, among other things, and prohibits the government from infringing on that right --- but a homeowner in St. James, N.C. is finding out that those protections don’t apply when you agree to live in a subdivision with restrictive covenants.

Port City Politics is a collaborative podcast between WECT and WHQR. Every two weeks, WECT’s investigative reporter Michael Praats and WHQR’s News Director Ben Schachtman will break down the latest happenings in local politics.

Wilmington City Councilman Charlie Rivenbark is attempting to clarify his words which were found on an email he sent to a member of the ILM Airport Authority that appear to label a woman who spoke during a City Council meeting ‘a real bitch.’