Carolina Beach hosts annual Island of Lights flotilla

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Viewers from across the Cape Fear region were able to capture pictures and video of the suspected Chinese spy balloon, which was shot down by military jets off the coast of Myrtle Beach on Saturday. At the top of this story, you can see video captured...

SUNSET BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - While the Chinese balloon was shot down off of Myrtle Beach on Saturday, the Sunset Beach Police Department is warning beachgoers that some debris may wash ashore in North Carolina. “Pieces of this balloon are being collected by the US military, however, it is possible...

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - An unnamed, 14-month-old Black Mouth Cur is available for adoption from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Animal Shelter. Spayed, microchipped and up-to-date on her vaccinations, this “happy-go-lucky“ girl has been very good to the staff at the shelter, according to her handlers.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Wilmington Fire Department combatted a structure fire at N 21st St on Friday at around 6 p.m. According to fire officials, residents were home when the fire broke out and firefighters were able to contain and put out the fire. Red Cross was called to...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The City of Wilmington purchased land on the north end of downtown back in 2021 for the Gateway Project. “In the early 2000s, the entire northern downtown was industrial and MLK Parkway didn’t exist. So since then, that is the primary route for people to enter downtown. And the entire riverfront has basically been redeveloped in now, there’s this still important strategic area that the city is working to see develop in a positive way for downtown,” Dylan Lee with the City of Wilmington said.

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (WECT) - The Town of Elizabethtown is celebrating its 250th Anniversary schedule of events that will span from Founder’s Day on Saturday, March 4 to later in the year. Almost 250 years to the day from when the Town’s Charter was signed, March 4 will include a...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The annual winter book sale at the New Hanover County Northeast Branch Library begins this Friday for Friends of the Library and this Saturday for the general public. You can become a Friends of the Library member to shop on Friday, Feb. 3 from 5:30 to...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Flights to and from Wilmington International Airport are resuming, the Federal Aviation Administration announced shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Flights also are resuming at the Myrtle Beach International and Charleston International airports after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was downed off the coast of Myrtle Beach shortly after 2:30 p.m.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Wilmington-based Plastic Ocean Project announced that they have moved to the MARBIONC facility, located within UNCW’s CREST Research Park, to expand their efforts of solving the plastic pollution problem. “According to the United Nations Environment Program, plastic pollution is second to climate change. Now, more...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Happy Sunday! After a chilly Saturday with highs only making it into the lower 40s, expect 50s and 60s to make a quick comeback for Sunday following another cold start in the 30s. Clouds will increase into Sunday as a weak upper-level disturbance presents shower chances primarily, but not exclusively in the afternoon.

Across Wilmington and the country today, people headed out the door this morning in red. Warming shelters open at Trinity United Methodist Church. N.C. schools see slightly lower teacher attrition rate from 2021 to 2022. Updated: 12 hours ago. |. Over the last year, according to the N.C. Department of...

Across Wilmington and the country today, people headed out the door this morning in red. Columbus Co. Sheriff’s Office requests board approval for evidence audit, animal shelter expansion and more. Updated: 12 hours ago. |. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has brought requests to the board of commissioners for...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Warming Shelter Wilmington has announced that their shelter will open Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 for anyone experiencing homelessness in the Wilmington area. According to the announcement, the shelter will be located at Trinity United Methodist Church at 1403 Market St., and those wishing to...

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The Pender County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to find 16-year-old Nadia Marie Sutton. She was last seen by her family on Thursday, Feb. 2 from approximately 8:45 p.m. to 9 p.m., and she was last known to be in the Hampstead area.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Great to see you on this Friday! Your First Alert Forecast is decidedly wintry in the Cape Fear Region, and will be for the next couple of days. Rain will gradually taper and exit after tallying several tenths of an inch for all of the Cape Fear Region. All the while, temperatures will continue to struggle amid continued northerly breezes. Even as many of the rainclouds break up Friday afternoon, highs will only reach the 40s to around 50, at best.

Across Wilmington and the country today, people headed out the door this morning in red. Warming shelters open at Trinity United Methodist Church. A car was partially crushed under a tractor-trailer during a crash on U.S. 421 near the overpass with I-140 on Thursday. Columbus Co. Sheriff’s Office requests board...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Cameron Art Museum announced five people joining its board of trustees in a release on Friday, Feb. 3. “We are thrilled about the talent, experiences, and deep relationships to the community these new Board members will bring to the museum. We are excited that they are joining our leadership team,” said CAM Deputy Director Heather Wilson.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Cape Fear Community College and the Feminist Alliance Club hosted a suicide prevention workshop at Union Station Saturday afternoon. The North Carolina chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) presented the workshop for about 50 people who wanted to learn more about suicide and how they can prevent it.

Across Wilmington and the country today, people headed out the door this morning in red. N.C. schools see slightly lower teacher attrition rate from 2021 to 2022. Over the last year, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the state saw an average attrition rate of nearly 8%. Trinity...

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - President Joe Biden announced this week his administration will end the COVID-19 public health emergency statuses in place since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. This means many uninsured Americans could eventually lose access to free COVID-19 vaccines and at-home tests. Biden says the...