Month: June 2024

1. North Carolina Supreme Court secretly squashed discipline of two GOP judges who admitted to violating judicial code

Last fall, out of public view, the North Carolina Supreme Court squashed disciplinary action against two Republican judges who had admitted that they had violated the state’s judicial code of conduct, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the decisions. One of the judges had ordered, without legal justification, that a witness be jailed. […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

3. Public can weigh in on Wilmington Harbor expansion plan

The dates may have changed, but the host of concerns raised over the past few years have not as the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s plan to deepen and widen Wilmington Harbor is cast back into the public spotlight. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington District hosted Thursday its first public meeting since publishing […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

4. ‘Check this epistle out:’ Councilman Rivenbark forwarded residents’ development concerns to business partner

A Wilmington City Council member has long dismissed concerns that his position at a prominent commercial real estate firm could pose a conflict of interest, though emails obtained by Port City Daily show he communicated with his business partner about a development change affecting the company. Last month, Wilmington City Council decided to delay final […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

7. North Carolina high schoolers report fewer suicidal behaviors, survey shows

North Carolina students are reporting fewer mental health challenges and suicidal behaviors, according to results from the 2023 NC Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The biannual survey, which anonymously surveys middle and high school students, has been conducted in the spring of every odd year since 1993. The last survey was conducted in 2021, at the […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

9. $4.5M in medical debt wiped away in 6 counties

A campaign by St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and other area churches has used $17,738 in donations to abolish $4.5 million in medical debt in six counties. This is the second year Father Paul Castelli has led the effort to abolish crippling medical debt. In 2023, the Easter Medical Debt Jubilee raised enough donations to erase […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

10. Faculty, students raise health and safety concerns akin to Poe Hall ahead of Dabney renovations

Ahead of a multi-year, $140 million renovation to Dabney Hall, faculty and students in the chemistry department have flagged concerns about the safety of the project. Construction and safety managers involved in the project say the University is confident the occupied renovation will be conducted safely. According to a September 2023 report from environmental engineering […]

Written by on June 17, 2024

3. Potential mill buyer weighs in on Canton project

As Eric Spirtas does his research before possibly buying the Canton paper mill site, he says he’s discovering the property’s unique nature. “You’re not like anybody,” the president of Spirtas Worldwide said, pointing to the downtown location and the many possibilities for the site. Pactiv Evergreen shut down the mill last summer, leaving some 800 […]

Written by on June 16, 2024

4. Founding professor of UNC Asheville’s religious studies department says cuts threaten ‘core’ of university

UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort announced six program eliminations, including four academic departments and two language concentrations. Religious studies at UNC Asheville hasn’t always had its own department. In the early 2000s, it was considered a branch of the philosophy department and offered to students as a minor. That was until the university hired […]

Written by on June 16, 2024