Oh, the horror! ‘Halloween Kills,’ ‘The Black Phone’ and ‘Scream’ highlight talent of local special effects group
WILMINGTON — Filmed in the Port City in the fall of 2019, “Halloween Kills” was released Friday in theaters and on the streaming platform Peacock, after the pandemic pushed it a year. Front and center, within its opening scenes, Michael Myers walks out of his house, an exact replica of the white, two-story dwelling that first made […]
Heightened security continues at New Hanover County school board meetings in wake of fiery protests
NEW HANOVER COUNTY — New Hanover County Schools is maintaining tightened security at its board meetings to mitigate impassioned and sometimes hostile crowds there to oppose a torrent of politically divisive issues, from mask mandates to critical race theory. Traditionally, school board meetings are a time to recognize student achievements or hear updates from senior […]
‘No one is applying’: Pandemic further weakens fragile yet imperative childcare system
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– The pandemic inflamed pre-existing wounds in the childcare industry nationwide, with a palpable effect on parents, workers, and business owners. Problems were always there, but the past year elevated issues to a crisis level, worthy of examination and even systemwide reimagination. CATCH UP ON PART ONE: Nearly 750 children on waitlist for […]
One-way glass, a weirdly-placed shower and a secluded hangar: Did the CIA rent space at the Wilmington airport?
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– There is an unassuming hangar in the eastern fields of the Wilmington International Airport, just within the line of tall fences that mark the perimeter of the property. In the years before heavy traffic began to flow right behind it, on Kerr Avenue, it was probably seldom noticed. Views at dusk […]
Design team presents first look at Project Grace façade and proposed building
NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The aesthetics and capacities of the library-museum building that will anchor a county-backed project with developers became more clear this week after the design team released images of the proposed building façade and more details on Project Grace. The new images depict a three-story building marked by an exterior of glass […]
Nearly 750 children on waitlist for childcare subsidies, industry struggling
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– The childcare system is fragmented and strained, on the precipice of a national crisis emerging from the pandemic. In New Hanover County, 748 otherwise eligible children with working parents –– bigger than an entire elementary school –– are currently on a waitlist to receive public vouchers to help offset the cost of childcare. […]
Saving the pieces: Legacy serves as last-ditch historic preservation option, gives historic finds new life
WILMINGTON –– When all other preservation options have been exhausted, Legacy Architectural Salvage helps facilitate the rehoming of historic materials so their legend can live on. Tucked behind the Ace Hardware on Dawson Street, Legacy’s warehouse is full of recovered pre-1960s wood, windows, and other trinkets and household items either donated or pried by hand by […]
30 drivers short, NHCS reconfigures bus operations, students still late to school
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– New Hanover County Schools is navigating through a bus driver shortage that is prolonging the time it takes for students to get to and from school. Though the district has consistently struggled to recruit bus drivers, the pandemic exacerbated the issue, also affecting public school systems nationally. In Massachusetts, 250 national […]
Wilmington film crews have a decision to make Friday. It could halt productions nationwide
WILMINGTON — In protest of grueling hours, low pay and insufficient breaks, film crews are close to walking off sets, ceasing productions nationwide and possibly turning Wilmington’s EUE/Screen Gems Studios back into a desert. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are voting Friday on a strike authorization. The entertainment labor union […]
One tree or two? Dispute over razed oak highlights need for objective county arborist, tree experts say
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– What seems like a philosophical question recently had real-life ramifications when local ordinances were applied: If a tree has multiple trunks that separate at ground level, is it one tree, or are they each their own organism? A razed live oak in Ogden split developers and local tree experts in a […]