The Newsroom

Recorded live at Leland Town Hall on October 14, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to the three Democrats, one Republican, and one Libertarian running for state House and Senate seats representing parts of Brunswick and New Hanover County.

Recorded live at Leland Town Hall on Oct. 14, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to two candidates running for the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.

Recorded live at UNCW's Burney Center on October 7, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to the Democratic and Libertarian challengers running against longtime Republican incumbent David Rouzer, who did not attend.

Recorded live at UNCW's Burney Center on October 7, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to the three Republicans and three Democrats running for state House and Senate seats representing parts of New Hanover County.

Recorded live at UNCW's Burney Center on October 7, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to the eight candidates running for four seats on the New Hanover County school board.

Recorded live at UNCW's Burney Center on October 7, WHQR joined Port City Daily, WECT, and The Seahawk to put questions to the five candidates running for two seats on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.

On today's show, Rachel Keith talks to Duke University assistant professor Dr. Justin Leroy about his new book, The Lowest Freedom — Racial Capitalism and Black Thought in the Nineteenth Century. We discuss American history in the context of prominent Black authors like Wilmington’s own David Walker, along with Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells.

Slowly but surely, plans have been moving forward to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge with a new, tolled bridge. As that plan becomes much closer to a reality, the unpopular toll isn't the only concern. On today's show, two Wilmington city council members share their thoughts on the process, and how things might proceed differently.

On today’s show, Rachel Keith sits down with me to unpack her latest reporting on over a dozen resignations from Cape Fear Community College's nursing program. Plus, Port City Daily’s Brenna Flanagan stops by to discuss New Hanover County Schools' town hall and the latest on North Carolina’s film incentive program

On this episode, WHQR's Benjamin Schachtman and Rachel Keith dig into the latest season of the Scene on Radio podcast. Co-hosts John Biewen and Chenjerai Kumanyika took a long, hard look at why people are upset with the news, what’s really wrong with our media ecosystem, and how things might be different — and better.

This week, on The Newsroom, reporters Sofia Dinka and Kelly Kenoyer dig into the current status of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, after a private company’s bid got rejected last month. While the specifics for the replacement aren't nailed down, a toll bridge is looking more and more likely. We'll look at the history of 1898 with Reporter Rachel Keith and how it was framed by the media at the time....

On this edition of The Newsroom, author Lauren Collins joins us to talk about her newest book: They Stole A City: Wilmington’s White Supremacist Coup and the Families Who Live with its Legacy, a project that took her a decade to write.

Earlier this year, 21-year-old Edilberto Espinoza Sierra was killed by law enforcement officers in a downtown Wilmington parking deck. WHQR's Aaleah McConnell digs into the decision not to charge officers involved in the shooting and the family's ongoing search for justice.

On today's show, Kelly Kenoyer discusses her months-long investigation into alleged morale issues in Wilmington City Hall. And Rachel Keith sits down to discuss her recent reporting on the Upperman family’s decision to stop supporting UNCW scholarships over the university’s anti-DEI policy, plus her recent efforts to track the $20 million nursing pipeline grant.

This year's WHQR luncheon guest was Tamara Keith, Senior Political Correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast. Keith spoke about covering the president, the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and her new series, Swing Shift, a long-term project to document the perspectives of voters in swing states. Keith also took questions from our audience and sat down with WHQR News...

WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman revisits his conversation about Juneteenth with Joe Conway, former chief equity and inclusion officer for the City of Wilmington and currently director of community engagement at UNC Health. Three years later, what's changed about the holiday, and how the nation is dealing with identity and history?

Cape Fear Community College recently settled a lawsuit filed by former trustee Ray Funderburk, and WHQR’s Rachel Keith has been poring over depositions from the case, including sworn testimony from top college officials. She joins News Director Ben Schachtman to share what she’s learned about the case — and more broadly, about CFCC’s leadership.

Aaleah McConnell has an intimate look at how the family of Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra is coping with grief and searching for justice, after the 21-year-old was killed by law enforcement in March. Plus, Rachel Keith and Ben Schachtman dig into public school funding, with a look at this year’s budget – and some potential issues on the horizon.

It’s been over a month since the family of Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra learned about his death, which has left them with many questions. In part one of this two-part series, WHQR's Aaleah McConnel breaks down some details of this case, and sits down with the family to learn who Edilberto was and how they are working through the loss.

On this episode, Rachel Keith sits down with Ray Funderburk III, who recently settled with Cape Fear Community College three years after he was ousted from its board of trustees. Plus, Kelly Kenoyer talks with UNCW economist Mouhcine Guettabi about potential economic impacts of a toll bridge over the Cape Fear River, which is looking increasingly likely.

On this edition of The Newsroom, WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman talks to reporter Aaleah McConnell, who has been looking into the arrest of a Wilmington man who claims he was the victim of law enforcement violence — and the laws and policies that govern the use of force by cops and deputies.

On today's show, Lucas Thomae from Carolina Public Press talks about 'wandering officers,' who are fired or resign under suspicion — only to pop up at another agency later. And a conversation with Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek about his vision for the office, applying AI to government audits, and his promise to keep politics out of the job.

On this special edition of The Newsroom, we’re telling the story of the Black Rock Plantation House. At first glance, it’s a mid-19th-century farmhouse. But dig deeper, and it sits at the intersection of multi-generational stories — including the families of enslavers and enslaved people. Over the last few months, WHQR’s Aaleah McConnell and Rachel Keith traveled with descendants of those families...

WHQR's Ben Schachtman and Rachel Keith dig into our recent candidates forum for the New Hanover County school board. Five Republicans and six Democrats are running for four seats in each party.

The forum hosted by WHQR, WECT, and Port City Daily, featured the four candidates running for two seats: Salette Andrews, Judy Justice, Dr. LaShonda Wallace, and Rob Zapple.