Month: April 2024

6. Coastal Land Trust takes fresh approach to save ‘The Point’

Tell the public about a contract to buy land? This isn’t business as usual for the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. But this time around, the prospective buy is a 150-acre tract of barrier island that has been written about in media outlets across the state and, on occasion, in national publications on and off […]

Written by on April 8, 2024

8. Plans move ahead for first tenant in New Hanover-owned business park

Plans are moving ahead for a Wilmington-area company slated to become the first tenant in New Hanover County’s Blue Clay Business Park. Coastal Millwork Supply Co. is looking to build a more than 62,000-square-foot facility on roughly 5.5 acres inside the county-owned industrial park. The proposed building is scheduled to go before New Hanover County’s […]

Written by on April 8, 2024

9. Federal civil rights complaint filed against MINA Charter School

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Division is looking into allegations that a child with disabilities has been repeatedly harassed and assaulted by another child in the Exceptional Children’s Program at Mina Charter School. The investigation is the result of a complaint filed on behalf of R.H., a 7-year-old girl, by Dawn […]

Written by on April 8, 2024

10. Cape Hatteras National Seashore presentation details Buxton Beach Access petroleum contamination, remnant infrastructure

Close to 100 people showed up to hear Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent David Hallac report on Buxton Beach Access petroleum contamination and remnant infrastructure now showing up due to beach erosion. The meeting was held in the Fessenden Center gymnasium in Buxton. The tiered seats were almost full and additional chairs were brought in […]

Written by on April 8, 2024

1. Mission Hospital issues forced paramedics to wait with patients at ER, county alleges

Lawyers for Buncombe County government want to sue the owner of Mission Hospital for $3 million, saying leaders “intentionally understaffed” the ER forcing delays in ambulance drop-offs and extra costs to taxpayers. The county on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit filed in December by North Carolina Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

2. Quarry opponents call for new survey of Umstead State Park

Advocates for Umstead State Park in Raleigh are calling for a new survey of the park. The Umstead Coalition says they’ve discovered a surveying error made in 1976 that wrongly included 14 acres of park land with an adjacent property purchased by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. Umstead Park itself was purchased by the federal government […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

3. Number of teachers quitting jumps

The teacher turnover rates for Guilford County Schools and North Carolina soared in 2023 from the previous year, and 1 in 9 educators left the profession statewide, according to the newest state report. But in both cases, that only matches the national average for teacher turnover, and the state’s school districts have been finding more […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

4. New nonprofit petitions AG Josh Stein to ensure NHC Endowment transparency, performance

A group of county residents have retained legal counsel to request Attorney General Josh Stein hold a public hearing to address their concerns about the New Hanover Community Endowment. On April 29, Heal Our People’s Endowment posted a petition expressing concerns about mismanagement, leadership changes, and the lack of transparency of the county’s $1.25 billion […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

5. Child care providers face difficult choices as funding cliff looms

Omira Thompson sat on the floor Wednesday feeding lunch to two of the boys in her infant classroom at First Presbyterian Child Development Center. One made a face, then tried to wipe out his mouth with his bib, which made Thompson laugh. “Guess he doesn’t like pear,” she said. Thompson, the lead teacher for the […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

6. Is Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua ‘invading’ the US?

Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang is causing increasing concern in the United States, even though the group appears to have no substantial US presence and looks unlikely to establish one. US federal lawmakers recently asked President Joe Biden to declare Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization, calling the group “an invading criminal army” and […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

7. Currituck County to appeal occupancy tax ruling to NC Supreme Court

Currituck County will appeal the March 19 unanimous decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals that the county has improperly spent occupancy tax funds. The county has 35 calendar days from the date of the decision to file their appeal with the State Supreme Court. Chair of the Currituck County Board of Commissioners Bob […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

9. Study recommends higher utility fees for developers

Developers looking to build in rural parts of Moore County could incur higher set-up fees when tapping into county water and wastewater infrastructure under a new draft proposal. At its Tuesday meeting, The Board of Commissioners approved initiating the process of updating the fees that allow for county utilities to charge for impacts made on […]

Written by on April 7, 2024

10. Fayetteville misses state audit submission deadline, again

Fayetteville has missed the deadline to submit its annual audit to the state for the second time in a row. The city had until April 1 to submit its fiscal year 2022-23 audit to the N.C. Dept. of State Treasurer, but will be turning it in late, according to an April 2 news release. Loren […]

Written by on April 7, 2024