A letter full of racist invectives addressed to the Minister / Head Pastor arrived at Speaks Temple AME Zion Church late last month. Postmarked February 14 th from Charlotte, North Carolina, the same day as the Parkland, Florida school shooting and Valentine’s Day, no one seems to know who wrote the letter or why they sent it to a small church in Wilmington. What is worth noting about the letter is not necessarily the fact of the letter itself. One could argue the sender is mentally ill, an

There are now 173 charter schools in North Carolina. After the General Assembly lifted the cap of 100 in 2010, the number of public charter schools soared. In the past four years, four new charter schools opened in Wilmington alone putting the total at six. If approved, a seventh, the Wilmington School of the Arts, will open in the fall of 2019. A recent study published by researchers at Duke University and the University of Rochester finds that of the seven North Carolina districts studied, all

The kind of energy that human beings use to power their lives is shifting around the globe. Renewable sources of energy are on the rise; the International Energy Agency expects renewable electricity generation to increase by more than a third over the next four years. That’s according to CNBC. In the last 12 years, Charlotte-based Duke Energy has invested about six billion dollars in wind and solar energy, said company spokesman Randy Wheeless. He identified North Carolina as second in the

A 19-year-old gunman killed 17 people with an AR-15 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida about three weeks ago. The United States has had to deal with its share of school shootings. But it was after this February 14 th tragedy that the conversation around gun rights, gun control, and how those issues impact American kids fundamentally shifted. On Wednesday, Florida passed a bill that raises the legal age for buying a firearm from 18 to 21, institutes a three-day waiting

So much of Michelle Rhinesmith’s journey so far was not part of the official plan. From capturing the attention and becoming the mentee of a well-respected NPR veteran to counseling people diagnosed with potentially terminal cancer to grappling with her own bouts – yes, that’s plural – bouts with cancer – to losing her mother in December, her beloved dog, Chloe on February 15 th and her grandmother the very next day, the ride has been anything but predictable and smooth.

Active shooter situations are, by nature, unpredictable and evolve quickly. That’s the first observation officials with The Department of Homeland Security make before offering what tools and resources they have. In many cases, DHS officials say, there is no pattern or method to the selection of victims by an active shooter. According to the New York Times , on average, there have been about five school shootings each month since 2014. That includes episodes not classified as mass shootings. The

Archaeologists have determined that 900 graves lie unmarked at the John N. Smith Cemetery in Southport. This African American Cemetery, located on Leonard Street in the heart of Southport, has stories both known and many that are yet to be uncovered. The oldest headstone, with a date of death in 1874, belongs to John N. Smith himself.

North Carolina’s latest child health report card, just out this week, gives the state an ‘F’ in “Housing and Economic Security” due to the high percentage of children living in low-income homes and neighborhoods. Children from families that are not financially secure, according to NC Child, fare worse in almost every indicator of health, including birth outcomes, access to care, health-risk behaviors, and mortality. Early childhood experts – doctors, educators, therapists – have known for

Seventy-seven people killed their intimate partner in North Carolina last year. 62% of those people used a firearm. That’s according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a statewide nonprofit organization.

The prospect of drilling off the coast of North Carolina for oil and natural gas is a real one. Last month, President Donald Trump proposed the opening of nearly all American waters to offshore drilling. This new five-year plan is scheduled to start in 2019. So far North Carolina’s elected officials are split on whether to support drilling off the coast.