NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A downtown development project five years in the making raised concerns from the state financing board for its “unique” approach; however, Project Grace as structured will not move forward.  The financing agreement between the county and Wilmington developer Zimmer Development Company continued to raise concerns by the Local Government Commission during its Thursday meeting; the LGC was to give final authorization on the financing of Project Grace. It did not pass with su... read more

It's been a rough few years for fall festivals — not to mention gatherings in general — in the Wilmington area.  Between hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability of area organizations to actually hold festivals has been inconsistent at best since 2015 or so. A number of festivals have folded, others have moved from fall to spring and some are scheduled to happen this year for for the first time since 2019.  Let's hope that 2022 is the year things regain a sense of norma... read more

North Carolina is home to some pretty neat inventions! From delicious soft drinks, to mini-golf, and even machine guns, this state has some outside-of-the-box thinkers. Of course ‘first in flight’ is the most famous Tar heel invention but check out these fourteen inventions to see just HOW much our great state has contributed to modern-day life. 1. Cheerwine, Salisbury, 1917 L.D Peeler wanted to create a new, exciting soft drink that was unique to the market. Using flavors purchased off a traveling s... read more

KURE BEACH — On May 21, three otter pups were born at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher and staff is looking for input on naming them. The Asian small-clawed otters were born to parents Leia and Quincy during a full moon, King Tide and a storm. The species is native to Indonesia, southern China, southern India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. “The team at the Aquarium researched and shared meaningful naming ideas based on the native habitat of Asian small-clawed otters and the unique circumstances o... read more

KURE BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - People are flocking to Kure Beach -- but not for the ocean views like you might expect. In fact, the attraction people are hoping to see is a couple of blocks off the oceanfront. “It’s amazing how many people are stopping by,” said David Hall, who helped plant the agave 20 years ago. “Wish I could charge a nickel for each one of them!” Whether you call it agave, century plant or “giant asparagus,” it’s drawing crowds to this corner of Kure Be... read more