New Hanover county
Rep. Deb Butler discusses Medicaid expansion, the House budget, and sports wagering
State Representative Deb Butler of New Hanover County discusses Governor Cooper’s approval of legislation to expand the state’s Medicaid program and her hopes that her Republican colleagues won’t sabotage it by inserting poison pills into the state budget. Butler also weighs in on legislation that would bring 24/7 digital gambling to North Carolina.
New Hanover County school board reverses middle school trans-inclusive athletic policy
The contentious reversal of a New Hanover County Schools policy that allowed middle school students to participate in sports that align with their gender identity sends a “dangerous message” to trans youth, Equality NC said Wednesday. The statewide organization that fights to secure rights and protections for the LGBTQ community said the board’s decision is […]
PFAS found in blood samples of more than 1,000 people in Cape Fear River Basin
For more than a year, Laura Petersen has waited for the message to arrive. “I’m so nervous to open that letter,” she said at a meeting this week co-hosted by scientists from the GenX Exposure Study and members of the Haw River Assembly. Petersen and her family have lived in Pittsboro for 12 years. Every […]
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: All eyes turn to southeastern NC
Big news, y’all. “The New York Times” just named the 10 counties in the United States that will decide the outcome of the presidential election and I live in one of them! It’s like being a pageant finalist! There are 3,007 counties in this country and here in New Hanover County, N.C., we’ve blown right […]
Not-so-clean North Carolina generated 501.4 million pounds of chemical waste in 2018
North Carolina’s industrial facilities emit or discharge an average of more than a half-ton of pollution per square mile, which places the state among the top third nationwide based on that measurement. With 1,022 pounds per square mile, North Carolina is ranked 19th of 56 states and US territories, according to recent Toxics Release Inventory […]
State to issue fish advisory after elevated levels of mercury found in Largemouth Bass caught in Sutton Lake
Largemouth Bass caught in Sutton Lake in New Hanover County were found to have elevated levels of mercury in their tissue, according to tests conducted by state environmental officials. The findings, verified last month, prompted the state Department of Health and Human Services to recommend that fishers at Sutton Lake adhere to the statewide mercury […]
Study finds GenX, other fluorinated compounds still in tap water; NC State scientists to discuss results tomorrow
GenX and other fluorinated chemicals have been found in most tap water samples collected from 198 homes served by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, according to results from a study conducted in New Hanover County late last year by NC State scientists. Scientists from the university’s Center for Human Health and the Environment are […]
State environmental, health officials to meet today with chemical company about GenX in Wilmington drinking water
State environmental officials are “strongly encouraging” Chemours, the company that produces GenX, to reduce or eliminate discharges of the chemical into the Cape Fear River, until an investigation is complete, according to a DEQ press release issued today. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority provides drinking water to 67,000 customers in Wilmington. Water from the […]