10+ hour, 53+ min ago  (1277+ words) Two years ago, the New Hanover County Schools district drove off a $20-million fiscal cliff. The high-profile, high-stakes budget crisis that ensued included plenty of finger-pointing and put hundreds of employees in the firing line for layoffs. So, understandably, there…...

10+ hour, 35+ min ago  (1227+ words) Budget postscript: I know, I know " we've spilled a lot of ink on the subject of budgets already, including in this week's column, but there's a lot to unpack. That includes plenty of comparisons " some fair, some overly simplistic " between…...

1+ day, 16+ hour ago  (1329+ words) Nanda Nunnelly had just come home from a weekend out of town when a massive, multi-vortex tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The sky, she says, had a sickly green tinge. When the tornado sirens went off, she jumped…...

3+ day, 3+ hour ago  (1209+ words) Shortly after its founding, Isaac Bear moved to its current building, the "learning cottage," as school community leaders call it, on UNCW's campus. It has eight classrooms and 10 teachers, and two staff members float between those rooms, providing career technical…...

3+ day, 8+ hour ago  (205+ words) The 2026 outlook forecasts 8-14 named storms, with winds of 39 mph or higher). That's expected to include 3-6 hurricanes (74 mph or higher), and 1-3 major hurricanes (categories 3-5, with winds of 111 mph or higher). According to NOAA, the expected average is 14 named storms, with seven…...

3+ day, 9+ hour ago  (311+ words) So that brings me to the Question: Was Mel Gibson's Wallace modelled in any way on the real [historical] William Wallace? First, Wallace's father was not a poor farmer, but a minor nobleman. Not much is known about the life…...

3+ day, 8+ hour ago  (165+ words) A portion of U. S. 17 traffic will permanently shift onto newly constructed lanes next week as part of the Hampstead Bypass project in Pender County. Beginning the evening of May 28, both southbound lanes of U. S. 17 near Leeward Lane will be directed onto the…...

3+ day, 14+ hour ago  (277+ words) There was a packed room for a four-hour Jacksonville City Council meeting debating a controversial proposal to overhaul local elections. Public comments heated up over House Bill 1038, which would eliminate Jacksonville's voting ward system and convert all council seats to…...

4+ day, 3+ hour ago  (499+ words) Tuesday's council meeting was sparsely attended compared to other budget seasons " only five people spoke during the public hearing, outnumbered by speakers on other topics. Two voiced clear opposition to raising taxes to boost city wages, and a representative of…...

4+ day, 3+ hour ago  (485+ words) Earlier this month, Cape Fear Community College settled with Ray Funderburk for $265, 000 after roughly three years of litigation. Funderburk sued the college, alleging it violated his rights to free speech and due process. Related: Former CFCC trustee Ray Funderburk gets…...