WHQR's Local Stories
About
Available on
Community
372 episodes
The third installment of the Iron Man movie series will begin filming in Wilmington early next year, bringing 550 jobs to the region. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that Governor Bev Perdue announced Thursday that Marvel Studios chose North Carolina over several competing states.
Tomorrow local veteran Jason Thigpen will be honored in a ceremony in Wilmington for receiving the Purple Heart. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that Thigpen, a sergeant with the North Carolina National Guard, is being honored for his service in Iraq in 2009.
Veteran and UNCW student Jason Thigpen will receive the Purple Heart Wednesday at a ceremony in Wilmington for his brave acts on August 28, 2009.Thigpen deployed to Iraq with the National Guard and served as the commander for a convoy security team which escorts and protects other units on the road.
As "Occupy" movement protestors continue assembling across the globe, about 100 gathered in Wilmington, North Carolina for a demonstration on Saturday. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that the group lined a busy downtown corridor, sandwiched between Wells Fargo and Bank of America buildings, chanting to the beat of bongo drums as traffic bustled by.
A team of divers is retrieving artifacts from Blackbeard's infamous flagship, the , nearly 300 years after the vessel sank off North Carolina's coast near Beaufort in 1718. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that researchers will recover a cannon later this month, but they're already finding hidden treasures.
Listen to Laura Hunsberger's full interview with Edith Pearlman from this spring.Earlier this year Lookout Books, the literary imprint of the Department of Creative Writing at UNCW, released its inaugural publication: a book called . WHQR's Laura Hunsberger reports that this week the book was named a National Book Award finalist.
A 3.4 mile stretch of the Gary Shell Cross City Trail in Wilmington will be completed tomorrow. The new section connects existing bike and pedestrian trails that wind around UNCW. WHQR's Sara Wood reports this phase provides better off-road options for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Next fall, the Cape Fear Museum will open an exhibit featuring three newly conserved Civil War artifacts. WHQR's Laura Hunsberger reports that as part of the planning, the museum will host a discussion series on North Carolina's involvement in the war.
A new law that went into effect on October 1 has relaxed helmet and safety gear laws for ATV operators. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that riders over the age of 18 are no longer required to wear a helmet or other protective gear when riding on private property.
Summer months are tough on soup kitchens, with more children out of school to feed, along with fewer donations trickling in.WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that one Wilmington facility, the Good Shepherd Center, isn't bouncing back like it has in years past...even now that vacation season is over and school's back in session.
is an annual event sponsored by the Life Rolls On Foundation. With the help of local volunteers, people who use wheelchairs for a variety of reasons like spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders set out to catch waves.
Each year the Life Rolls On Foundation sponsors a national surfing event called where people who use wheelchairs learn to surf with the support of local volunteers. WHQR's Sara Wood spent time at Wrightsville Beach on Saturday, where more than 100 participants and volunteers arrived at Beach Access 4.
Two environmental groups have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate hundreds of species to determine if they're threatened or endangered. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that of the 374 species under review, 67 can be found in North Carolina.
New Hanover County commissioners voted this week to change the county's more than 40-year-old industrial zoning regulations. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that the amendments were approved in a 4-1 vote.
The state is holding public meetings to gather input on its wide-ranging, $1.7 million port study known as the North Carolina Maritime Strategy. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that Department of Transportation officials are holding a public meeting in Wilmington Tuesday to discuss their findings so far.
PPD announced Monday that it's being sold for $3.9 billion to The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that after the all-cash transaction, Wilmington-based PPD will be a private company.
Results from a new Elon University poll released this week show that President Obama could have trouble winning North Carolina again in the 2012 election. WHQR's Michelle Bliss also reports that only 42 percent of those polled approve of the President's performance overall, while 51 percent disapprove.
Sunday is the 50th Anniversary of the Battleship North Carolina's arrival in Wilmington.Less than a year after mooring in the port city, she was dedicated as the state's memorial to World War II veterans and the 10,000 North Carolinians lost in the war. WHQR's Jemila Ericson sat down with Kim Sincox from the Battleship Museum to hear the story of how Wilmington became the ship's proud recipient half a century ago.
More than 50 new laws go into effect Saturday in North Carolina including the Landowner Protection Act. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that the act requires hunters, trappers, and fishermen across the state to carry written permission when they're using someone else's private property.
Nearly 30,000 motorcyclists from around the country are cruising through the Grand Strand for the Myrtle Beach Bike Week Fall Rally. WHQR's Sara Wood reports tighter regulations to the rally's sister event in the spring have prevented many bikers from patronizing the city this week.
Changes to the state's Medicaid program will go into effect Saturday. In New Hanover County alone there are 28-thousand Medicaid recipients. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that the largest cuts are to eye care.
About 100 people gathered Tuesday for each public hearing on Titan America's draft air permit for the company's proposed cement plant in Castle Hayne. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that the events, hosted in New Hanover County by the state Division of Air Quality, or DAQ, brought out a balanced mix of advocates from both sides of the issue.
One of Wilmington's most high profile businesses joined together with New Hanover County and several non-profit organizations Tuesday for an annual summit about domestic violence. WHQR's Bob Workmon reports that the summit's focus extended from the living room to the board room.
In a recent study by the Food Research and Action Center, North Carolina ranks eleventh in the nation for highest incidents of food hardship in households with children. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that a pilot program in Columbus County, where more than 30 percent of households with children struggle to put enough food on the table, is hoping to help reduce hunger.
On Friday North Carolina's Employment Security Commission released unemployment numbers for August, showing that the state's unemployment rate was 10.4 percent, less than a percent higher than last year. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that while unemployment decreased or stayed the same in over half of the state's counties, there were slight increases in counties within the region.
The North Carolina Division of Air Quality is holding three public hearings this week to gather input on Titan America's draft air permit for its proposed cement plant in Castle Hayne.WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that Titan first announced the plans more than three years ago. About 1,500 people attended a 2009 air quality public hearing before the company was slowed down in litigation.
This week marks the end of the Don't ask, don't tell' policy for members of the U.S. military. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that supporters of the repeal gathered Tuesday at more than 100 celebrations across the country, including Wilmington.
One of the largest public collections of sports memorabilia is on display at UNCW's Randall Library. WHQR's Michelle Bliss visited the John Gunn Sports Collection to see the nearly 8,000 game-day programs, rule books, photographs, and other items some dating back to 1905.The exhibit includes football, baseball, and basketball artifacts, with a special focus on military athletic teams during WWII.
One of the largest public collections of sports memorabilia is on display at UNCW's Randall Library. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that the John Gunn Sports Collection contains nearly 8,000 documents including magazine clippings, rule books, and photographs, some dating back to 1905.
Wilmington-based PPD has announced a new CEO. WHQR's Michelle Bliss reports that Raymond Hill has been named as chief executive officer and will serve on the company's board of directors.
