At first glance, it looks as though early voting in New Hanover County is up slightly in the first twelve days compared to the last municipal election. As of October 29 th , 2019, 18% more people voted compared to 2017. This does not necessarily mean that voter turnout as a whole will be higher in 2019; that remains to be seen.

The City of Wilmington boasts a population of around 122,600 people. That’s a U.S. Census Bureau estimate for 2018. But the largest municipality in New Hanover County is still expected to grow over the next quarter century, and planning officials project a population spike of about 57,000 more people by 2040. That’s only 21 years out. In New Hanover County, the current population is 237,689. By 2038 – 315,475. That’s county growth of about 33%.

Southport is a waterfront city at the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean in Brunswick County.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and contributes to the second most cancer-related deaths in men in the United States – and in North Carolina. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control. But in 2015, the cancer that killed the most North Carolinians: lung cancer.

World tennis champion Althea Gibson gave Lenny Simpson his first tennis racket. She's called one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived by the coach of Venus and Serena Williams. She's the woman who broke the international tennis color barrier, and who now has a monument outside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Affordable housing. It’s a phrase that towns and cities are attempting to define – and it’s a sector of the real estate market that local leaders are struggling to foster.

Love Letters , a play by A.R. Gurney, tells its story with two actors who sit at a table throughout, read their letters from over the years to each other, and never touch.

There are two open seats on the board of Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2G0. That’s the water and sewer utility in Brunswick County whose customer base is mostly Leland residents – one municipality within the county. H2G0 does not however, serve Brunswick Forest and Windsor Park, but it does serve Belville, parts of Navassa, and some unincorporated areas of Northern Brunswick County.

Sea levels will rise faster and higher by the end of the century than earlier estimates – even if the world meets the long-term goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

About a dozen people, diverse in age, ethnicity, and political leanings, are engaged in a year-long experiment in civil discourse. Each month, we bring you a conversation with members of the group.