SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Port City Daily published thousands of stories in the last year and though it has been counting down the top 10 most read, those articles don’t always align with staff favorites.
READ MORE: Most read stories of 2023
The annual top 10 is based on analytics of what readers clicked on most throughout the year. And there were plenty of good ones, such as turning the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge into a pedestrian park, once it’s replaced by a new bridge.
Also, Wawa coming to town tracked high among readers, namely because it also relocated five local businesses.
And of course when “Outer Banks” — Netflix’s popular treasure-hunt-turned-“Goonies”-style show — announced it would film season four scenes in Wilmington, readers and fans went wild. PCD was the only outlet to score an interview with the show’s creator and director Jonas Pate regarding the move.
Still, plenty of other news coverage went overlooked when basing top reads on analytics only. Below, readers will find staff’s favorites from 2023.
Cheetah Premier Gentlemen’s Club v. New Hanover County
PCD staff unanimously agree New Hanover County commissioners’ authorization of eminent domain over Cheetah Premier Gentleman’s Club, due to the county’s growing parking needs, is a must read of the year. Though it didn’t make it to the top 10, it was in top 20.
UNCW’s Razor Walker Awards
Earlier in the spring, UNCW’s Razor Walker Awards made news, after students and faculty protested Sen. Michael Lee as the recipient. PCD first broke the news that Lee — nominated by New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Charles Foust — ranked second to last among candidates assessed by the committee, yet he was chosen anyway.
The awards continued to have a fall-out on then-dean of Watson School of Education, Van Dempsey, who was removed from his position due to speaking about the process to media. Dempsey was demoted from dean to professor.
Five-part series addressing costs of homelessness
Also, homelessness was a big topic of conversation in 2023. New Hanover County passed an ordinance disallowing people from camping out overnight on county-owned property, targeted toward the downtown library where homeless people often congregated. As well, NCDOT set up no trespassing enforcement at the Meadowlark Lemon Bridge on Third Street and later in the summer on property in the woods near Target where encampments were cleared.
But PCD took a deeper look at how much money was being put toward actually helping homeless people from local organizations and county governments, as well as how it affected local resources in a five-part series published in the spring.
Project Grace
Project Grace coverage continued throughout the year — an ongoing saga of combining the downtown library and museum despite some public pushback. It was given new life when a new developer, Cape Fear Commercial, signed on in March.
But State Treasurer Dale Folwell — the chair of the Local Government Commission, which had to approve PG’s debt financing — was vocal in opposition and it culminated in a contentious meeting with the LGC calling out Folwell for bullying behavior in the fall.
Project Grace also continued to capture headlines in December when it was announced it was looking into honoring the GOAT and Wilmington native Michael Jordan in a standalone museum.
PFAS
The contamination of local waterways, air and groundwater due to PFAS dumped into the Cape Fear River from Chemours has been dominating headlines since first discovered in 2017.
2023 was no different.
This year there were multiple lawsuits heard, rallies against Chemours’ production expansion, plus the UN calling out the company for human rights’ violations. Below are a few pieces that stand out to PCD journalists.
Cape Fear Burning
Port City Daily published a three-part series at the beginning of the year about the copious amounts of wood being burned from trees being clear-cut due to development projects. The series looked at how clearcutting affects habitats and wildlife, as well as pollution from the heavy smoke.
It also assessed alternatives that could be used over burning wood and spoke with a “green” developer about practices that could lead to more environmentally sound building in the region.
Other headlines worth a read from 2023
- A welcoming place: Inside LGBTQ+ inclusive churches of Wilmington
- ‘All or nothing’: NHCS, NHSCO respond to legality of Proud Boys’ masks, disruptions at board meeting
- Local film workers discuss industry strikes ahead of SAG-AFTRA rally
- ‘The economy is in freefall’: Residents form petition against Leland baseball stadium
- Harmful or helpful AI? 4 professors on how UNCW is leveraging its use
- NHCS extends Vogel Law Firm’s contract, despite attempt to subcontract Woody White Law Firm
- Is $68M a fair price for city purchase of Thermo Fisher building? LGC hears city’s pitch
- ‘A response to history’: CAM’s exhibit ‘Monument’ centers on Black heritage
- Judge rules on last-minute changes to abortion law, enforcement still unclear
- More than just music: Ocean City Jazz Festival tells the history of a Black community
- Trespassing up as homeless population scatters: Officials differ on how to proceed
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