It was an intense week, with new developments in a number of stories, including the mysterious downtown death of Marine Corporal Edwin Estrada, the fraught relationship between Carolina Beach and MOSTU, and the turbulent post-election evolution of H2GO.
We also checked in with the Wilmington Rail Realignment project – an ambitious plan to restructure both passenger and freight rail in the area. And we learned more about the latest development along the Riverwalk downtown.
Check out these five stories that got people talking, in this week’s “In Case You Missed It.”
In spite of weeks of silence from the Wilmington Police Department, we were able to report that Stephen Roger Hughes, the man who admitted to shooting and killing an active duty Marine in downtown Wilmington, was a former cop.
Hughes identity only adds to the deepening mystery of how Corporal Edwin Estrada ended up dead, and why, despite knowing who the killer was from the day of the murder, the Wilmington PD have released no information and made no arrests. READ MORE
https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/13/wilmington-police-havent-named-or-charged-former-cop-who-admitted-shooting-marine-nws/
Rail realignment began as a Wilmington plan to deal with traffic issues caused by the CSX rail lines that travel through the city.
But the plan has grown far beyond the city limits, and now involves county, state and federal shareholders. The plan has a daunting price tag, but presents the opportunity to dramatically reshape the region. READ MORE
https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/11/the-little-project-that-could-rail-realignment-could-transform-the-region-for-a-price-nws/
Aloft Hotels, a relative of the W Hotel chain, announced plans to open their first Wilmington location. The hotel joins the nearly completed Embassy suites, and another planned hotel, as construction on the Riverwalk picks up. No word yet on how the new hotel will impact parking. READ MORE
https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/11/aloft-coastline-hotel-submits-plans-for-7-story-hotel-in-downtown-wilmington-biz/
H2GO’s reverse osmosis plant, first proposed two years ago, has always been controversial, but in the run-up to the 2017 elections, it became a openly divisive, splitting the utility’s board.
After the elections, board members took a series of drastic measures, some to save the proposed $35 million plant, some to prevent it from moving forward. Now the issue has gone to court. READ MORE
https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/13/judge-orders-belville-to-retain-h2gos-assets-all-parties-to-cease-reverse-osmosis-construction-nws/
The long saga of Carolina Beach and MOTSU has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and may be responsible for the recent shake-up of the town’s elected representatives.
In the last town meeting for outgoing Mayor Dan Wilcox, the town voted to put parts of that drama to rest. READ MORE
https://portcitydaily.com/2017/12/11/outgoing-carolina-beach-mayor-to-vote-on-lake-dredging-contract-termination-nws/
