Orange Football to Host Richlands in Opening Round of the 5A State Playoffs on Friday; Winner Goes to Eastern Alamance

When Fritz Hessenthaler became Orange football coach in June 2025 and brought along David Grimm as his offensive coordinator, the mission was clear. To return Orange football to prominence. Now, just 17 months after taking the job, Orange will host a state playoff game on Friday night for the first...

After twice requesting permission to address trustees, CFCC alum removed from meeting

Last month, Cape Fear Community College personnel and New Hanover County Sheriff's deputies escorted CFCC alumnus and Army veteran Quentin Proulx out of a Board of Trustees meeting. Proulx, who graduated from the college in 2022, had twice requested in writing to speak to the board about CFCC administrators’ order...

Pender County Schools CTE earns 2 spots in the Top 10 Statewide Rankings

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WWAY) — Pender County Schools Career and Technical Education ranked among the top-performing CTE programs in North Carolina, earning two statewide Top 10 recognitions during the 2026 CTE Directors Conference in Concord. PCS ranked 4th in North Carolina for credential attainment with an 88.94% rate and...

King resigns as county schools superintendent

Sampson County Schools will be searching for a new superintendent after Dr. Jamie King announced his resignation Monday evening, bringing his tenure as the district’s top administrator to an end next summer. King submitted a letter of resignation to the Sampson County Schools Board of Education during a closed...

East Bladen football draws first round playoff bye

For the second consecutive year the East Bladen football team has drawn a bye for the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs. It’s also the second consecutive time the Eagles will be off for two Fridays before their first postseason contest. Sixth-seeded East Bladen...

Football Recap: Northwest Guilford Gets Past R.J. Reynolds + How To Watch

Northwest Guilford fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They came out on top against the R.J. Reynolds Demons by a score of 28-21 on Friday. The score was all tied up 14-14 at the break, but the Vikings were the better team in the second half. They have now scored more points in their last two games than they did in their previous five.

School board member’s website stirs controversy ahead of election

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - A website created by a New Hanover County school board member portraying two of his colleagues as witches is fueling debate inside the board days before Election Day. David Perry said he created and funded the site, voteoutthewitches.com , which targets Republican board members...

Team of the Week: East Columbus Gators pull off big upset over North Duplin

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The East Columbus Gators are making a statement on the high school football field, earning this week’s WWAY Team of the Week honors after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 23-8 upset victory over North Duplin. The Gators entered Friday night’s matchup...

Thursday Roundup: West Bladen JV football team wins finale

SOUTHPORT — Gaston Russ scored four touchdowns, including a 90 yard kickoff return for a score, Thursday, Oct. 29 as the West Bladen junior varsity football team defeated South Brunswick 32-6 to close its season. The Knights (6-3, 4-0 Southeastern) won their final five games by a combined score...

“Measure of Safety”: New Hanover County Schools board votes to fingerprint more than 2,000 employees

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The New Hanover County Schools board voted to require fingerprinting for more than 2,000 employees who were hired before the district added the requirement in 2022, according to Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes. The board added fingerprinting in 2022 while the district was being sued. The district...

Three undefeated ENC teams eye perfect regular seasons

The final Friday night of the high school football regular season is approaching, and three undefeated public school teams in Eastern North Carolina are looking to enter the playoffs with perfect records. J.H. Rose, Northside of Jacksonville and Northside of Beaufort County are all undefeated heading into the final week,...

SCC Program Receives Five-Year Federal Grant

Southeastern Community College’s Educational Talent Search program has secured a five-year federal grant renewal that will expand services, introduce new student support initiatives and increase access to college and career readiness opportunities across Columbus County. The renewed grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the...

Brunswick Community College awarded $600,000 for heavy equipment training

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick Community College has been awarded a $600,000 grant to launch a heavy equipment operator training program in partnership with Southeastern Community College. The funding comes through the North Carolina Community College System’s 2026 High-Cost Workforce Start-Up Grant initiative. BCC says the regional partnership is...

BCC lands $600K grant to launch heavy equipment program

BOLIVIA, N.C. (WECT) - Brunswick Community College (BCC) will launch a Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program in January 2027 fueled by a $600,000 state grant. In partnership with Southeastern Community College, the program will prepare students for high-demand careers in construction and infrastructure. BCC said the new program will provide...

City school board OKs improvement plans

Representatives from Sampson Middle School and Clinton High School presented their school improvement plans to the Clinton City Board of Education Tuesday, outlining efforts to strengthen classroom instruction, improve student achievement and increase family involvement. Both plans received unanimous approval. The presentations focused on measurable academic goals for the coming...

Monday Roundup: East soccer advances; middle school volleyball opens

Ishaq Algozy scored on a penalty and assisted on goals by Landyn Scott and Andrio Garcia on Monday, Oct. 26 as East Bladen shut out East Columbus 3-0 in the first round of the Carolina Conference boys’ soccer tournament. The third-seeded Eagles (13-8-1) are scheduled to host No. 2...

Cardinals triumph over Vikings in ENC high school football GOTW

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Jacksonville traveled to D.H. Conley on Friday for our ENC high school football game of the week. The two came into Friday 2-1 in conference in the Big Carolina 6A/7A. The pair stayed close for the first quarter before running back Amari Pearson helped the Cardinals...

Cape Fear Community College retires research vessel for reef use

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Cape Fear Community College is retiring its research vessel and donating it to the state to serve as an artificial reef. The R/V Cape Hatteras served as a floating classroom for marine technology students for more than a decade. On Sunday, students and staff returned from their final training voyage on the ship.

Yes or No: Brunswick Co. School Bond Referendum

Ashley extends win streak to 4 in win over West Brunswick, 33-6

SHALLOTTE, NC (WWAY) — Ashley football continued its momentum into this game, defeating West Brunswick 33-6 to extend its winning streak to four games. The Screaming Eagles got on the scoreboard early as Jahmeer Damon took a pop pass, made several defenders miss and scored a touchdown to give Ashley a 6-0 lead.