Have you seen headlines in your Facebook feed or at the bottom of an article that reads, “Hillary Clinton meets Osama Bin Laden” – with a picture of the two shaking hands? Or “President Obama’s daughter, Malia, is pregnant”? Or “The process to impeach Donald Trump has begun”? Just to be clear, all of those stories are false. Hillary Clinton’s picture was photoshopped; Malia’s teen pregnancy and Donald Trump’s impeachment are both patently false. It’s fake news. But the term “fake news” is also

President Donald Trump declared at a recent National Prayer Breakfast that he would totally destroy the Johnson Amendment in order to allow representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution. Until that declaration, Americans might not have thought much about the Johnson Amendment and what it means. On this edition of CoastLine, we explore the potential implications with two local clergy members. But before we meet our guests, a quick explanation: The Johnson Amendment, so

New Jersey recently passed one of the nation’s most comprehensive laws to combat the growing opioid and heroin crisis. Tennessee is battling its own opioid epidemic as is Nebraska, Virginia, Connecticut, Washington State, New York, Wisconsin, Montana – the list goes on. And as we’ve reported on this program before – Wilmington, North Carolina and the larger Cape Fear region is near the top of a national list for its abuse of opioids and heroin. ABC News reports that carfentanil , a recent

In the Brunswick County School System, there are 19 schools. Two academic years ago, in 2014-15, 158 kids dropped out of school. The following year, 21 fewer kids – 137 -- dropped out. That lowers the dropout rate less than a half a percentage point, but on a practical level, it means there are twenty-one more students that have a shot at getting their high school diploma. The positive trend is attributable to a pretty broad range of factors, say officials. And on this edition of CoastLine, we

It’s almost impossible to turn on the TV or radio, read the paper, or look at your news feed on your smart phone and not see a story about the recent Executive Order on Immigration. Signed by President Donald Trump last month, it temporarily halts the admittance of refugees into the U.S. and prevents immigrants from seven predominantly-Muslim countries from coming to the U.S. However, enforcement of the Order is on hold. Just days after its signing, a judge ruled the ban unconstitutional and

Wilmington, North Carolina is at the top of an unfortunate list. One study published last year , based on analysis of numbers from the Centers for Disease Control, shows more than 11.5% of the population abuses opioids. Opioid abusers tend to live in the rural south – according to the Castlight report . Earlier this week, Wilmington’s Police Chief, Ralph Evangelous, announced the lowest crime statistics in nearly a quarter of a century, as reported by the StarNews . The areas to work on, he says

Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington is frequently held up as one of the highly-regarded programs there. Life and Marine Sciences were identified by a New Hanover County economic development analysis two and a half years ago as one of the existing strengths for the Cape Fear region and one that should be exploited. About a decade before Jay Garner delivered that report to county commissioners, MARBIONC had launched at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. The

As North Carolina legislators begin a new long session in Raleigh, both political parties have pointed to education as an area needing attention. The first day of the session, Republican lawmakers filed a bill in the House to address class sizes. That’s because last year, a newly-passed law reduced maximum class size – but came with no additional state funding. That left some school systems looking down the barrel of cutting in other areas – such as arts and physical education. That will be

When you think of an accessible space, you might picture a ramp to the side door of a building, big metal grab bars next to a toilet, or a button with a wheelchair insignia that automatically opens doors. But a concept called Universal Design is gaining traction.

Every successful municipality will inevitably grapple with the push-pull of growth versus green space – how to grow a tax base without over-developing a city. Echo Farms, a development within the City of Wilmington, is at the center of this battle in the Cape Fear region.