Government

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — At least four rezoning requests, potentially affecting up to 100 acres, will be up for consideration by the planning board in December. The planning board in Brunswick County delivers rulings on land use requests and proposed projects that require legislative changes to the zoning map or review of fleshed out site plans.   […]

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — For the beach towns in New Hanover County, the most significant expenditures in the state budget relate to beach renourishment. The compromise budget, signed by Gov. Roy Cooper last week, followed months of negotiations between his office and the General Assembly and was the last one passed this year in the country.  […]

WILMINGTON — With the passing of North Carolina’s compromise budget, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is set to benefit from numerous capital projects and employee benefits made possible by the state funds.  “The budget has been long awaited and is certainly exciting news for UNCW and our employees,” Chancellor Jose Sartarelli said in […]

WILMINGTON — North Carolina now has a budget for the first time in three years, and it includes significant benefits for the Cape Fear region. With Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature on the docket as of last Thursday, Wilmington nonprofits secured grants; lawmakers committed substantial investments to proactive approaches to flooding and natural disasters; and UNCW […]

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — On the heels of newfound interest in developing the western shores of the Cape Fear River, project plans filed in New Hanover County indicate another large-scale proposal is in the works.  Site plans have been submitted for a project titled “The Wilmington Hotel and Spa,” designed to house 290 bedrooms and […]

WILMINGTON ​​— After years of weighing different maps, a new route has been selected to replace Wilmington’s current rail line. Last week Wilmington City Council passed a resolution in support of “Alternative 2,” the preferred course out of six total alternatives and a shortlist of two frontrunners. A Rail Realignment Alternatives Analysis was conducted to […]

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Michael F. Easley to be U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Along with two other N.C. nominees, Easley was unanimously confirmed by the chamber Friday. Biden’s three selections for the top federal prosector roles in the state were endorsed by Senators Richard Burr […]

WILMINGTON ​​— A six-month project to overhaul two blocks of North Front Street’s streetscape is expected to break ground this January. It is expected to cause disruptions to the flow of pedestrian and vehicle traffic through the late winter and early spring. Funded by the city’s 2014 voter-approved transportation bond, the $2.87-million project encompasses digging […]

LELAND — At a town council meeting Thursday night, members adopted the Leland 2045 plan to help steer how the the fastest-growing town in Brunswick County will address its inevitable expansion over the next 25 years. Leland has doubled in population from 13,527 in 2010 to 23,504, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Projections have estimated […]

CAROLINA BEACH — The lawsuits and land disputes that for years have swirled over Freeman Park — the vehicle-friendly beachfront at the north end of Carolina Beach — have been settled.  The Town of Carolina Beach will pay $7 million to an assortment of private landowners, who had bought chunks of the protected coastal territory from […]