Wilmington, NC

New Hanover County, NC

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - New Hanover County Commissioner Deb Hays passed away suddenly on March 25. Hays likely suffered from a heart attack. “This is a shock for all of us and is a tremendous loss for this board and all of New Hanover County,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Bill Rivenbark. “Deb was a long-time community advocate, a dedicated public servant, a friend and colleague, and – above all – a loving and proud mother and grandmother. She devoted her life to serving and helping others and cared deeply about this community. She will be greatly missed, and our prayers go to her family and friends during this difficult time.”

Community leaders mourn the loss of NHC Commissioner Deb Hays

NC Gov. Roy Cooper visits Wilmington school, calls for teacher pay raises. Schools in the state have around 5,000 open positions for teachers, and Gov. Roy Cooper says the state needs to make a larger investment in education. According to a post from the Calabash Fire Department, the fire was...

Aquarium at Fort Fisher announces otter pups’ new names

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority announced on March 27 that a boil water advisory has been issued for customers in the Riverside community and along a portion of Castle Hayne Road. According to the announcement, customers at 2601 and 2609 Castle Hayne Road are affected...

Boil water advisory in affect for customers in Riverside community, portion of Castle Hayne Road

North Carolina State

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Duke Energy Outage Map reports that some customers in southeastern North Carolina may be without power this morning. As of 8 a.m. on March 27, there are around 30 customers without power in the Wilmington area:. Approximately 25 customers are without power along N Kerr...

UPDATED: Power outages reported in southeastern N.C.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Wilmington Police Department has announced that they are currently searching for 23-year-old Philip Winn. Per the announcement, Winn was last seen wearing black and white sneakers, a blue jacket, maroon sweatpants and a grey beanie. The WPD says that he may be near Carolina Beach...

Wilmington PD searching for missing man

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The 33rd Annual River to Sea Bike Ride will take place on Saturday, May 6, starting at the intersection of Princess St and 2nd St. The 20-mile bike ride will travel from downtown Wilmington, along the Sea Coast Railroad, to Wrightsville Beach and back again. North...

Registration now open for 33rd annual River to Sea Bike Ride

Bladen County, NC

White Oak, NC

BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - A White Oak home was damaged in a fire on Sunday, March 26 at around 8 p.m. The White Oak Fire Department responded to a call about a single wide mobile home fire near the intersection of Burney and River roads. Elizabethtown Fire Department along...

Bladen County home declared total loss following fire

Burgaw, NC

Ocean Isle Beach, NC

BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) - Burgaw and Ocean Isle Beach are two of 15 communities receiving part of a $1.1 million grant from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management to assist coastal communities with technical assistance in risk assessment and resilience planning work. The money...

NCDEQ awarding grant funds to Burgaw and Ocean Isle Beach for technical assistance

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - R&B group Boyz II Men is set to perform at Live Oak Bank Pavilion on Friday, May 26 as part of their 2023 tour. Tickets will go on sale on the Live Nation website on Friday, March 31. The Live Nation presale code is OPENER. The...

Boyz II Men to perform at Live Oak Bank Pavilion

Duplin County, NC

Warsaw, NC

WARSAW, N.C. (WITN) - A Duplin County elementary school is closed today after gunfire hit the building over the weekend. Duplin County Schools says windows of Warsaw Elementary School and that of a bus were damaged. Damage to approximately three windows and the bus was discovered this morning by school staff.

Duplin County school closed after gunfire hits building over the weekend

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced at 7:08 a.m. on March 27 that a lane of U.S. 421 had closed near Battleship Road NE following a vehicle crash. The right, northbound lane that had been impacted is now reopen, according to an update from the...

Lane reopen along U.S. 421 near Battleship Road NE following crash

BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) - Four years after it first opened and several renovations later, the Monty’s Home thrift store in Burgaw continues to help shelter dogs find loving homes. The thrift store, operated by founder Barb Raab and several volunteers, features all animal items that were donated by the...

Thrift store for animal lovers sees growth in effort to support shelter dogs

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Cape Fear Craft Beer Week is officially underway, with 18 local breweries entering Ultimate Brewing Championship at the Hannah Block Community Arts Center on Friday night. Each competing brewer created their own custom beverage with unique ingredients in a wrestling-themed competition, with bragging rights on the...

18 local breweries compete in Cape Fear Craft Bear Week’s Ultimate Brewing Championship

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - As more people start to head down to the beaches during the first weekend of spring, local business owners are preparing for busy days well ahead of tourist season. Wilmington has already broken record highs for temperatures around this time, with Saturday’s highest at 83, set...

More people visiting NC beach towns amid record warm weather

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Cape Fear Community College announced on March 27 that Pam Tillis is scheduled to perform at the Wilson Center at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14. “With 13 top-ten hits, 6 number-one chart toppers, and over 7 million albums sold, Pam Tillis has made her mark on the music industry. In the third decade of her career, Pam Tillis’ star continues to shine brightly on her current tour,” states the announcement from CFCC.

Country music star Pam Tillis to play at the Wilson Center

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Battling cancer is no easy feat, and sometimes finding treatment is an even harder battle. For some blood cancers, there aren’t many treatment options, to begin with, and it’s not guaranteed if you need to find a match for a stem cell transplant. For...

Be The Match event aiming to raise awareness and find donors for blood cancer patients needing stem cell transplants

South Carolina State

Columbus County, NC

Whiteville, NC

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has charged a man with drug trafficking following a vehicle stop on March 20. “During this investigation, a vehicle stop was conducted on a Jeep Patriot driven by the suspect, Paul Lee Howell, at the Murphy USA gas station located at 102 Columbus Corners Drive in Whiteville. K-9 Gunny was deployed on the suspect’s vehicle,” states an announcement from the CCSO.

South Carolina man charged with drug trafficking in Columbus Co.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - A man was arrested with 60 drug charges, and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office detectives seized 1,472 grams of meth in an investigation on Thursday, March 23. Kevin McClausley is being held under a $9.05 million secure bond at the county jail. “The...

Detectives seize over 1,400 grams of meth; man arrested with 60 charges

Surf City, NC

SURF CITY, N.C. (WECT) - District Attorney Ben David says the state is seeking the death penalty for a man charged in the fatal stabbing of a hemp store clerk in August of last year. Charles Michael Haywood, 22, appeared in court on Monday, March 27, and will be charged...

State seeking death penalty for man charged with fatal stabbing of hemp store clerk

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Good to see you late this Sunday! The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has labeled the majority of southeastern NC under a slight risk of severe weather through early Monday morning; meaning, scattered severe thunderstorms are possible with the main threats being damaging winds and an isolated tornado. Here’s your reminder to stay weather alert throughout the overnight hours! So far, the majority of the Cape Fear Region has netted between 0.1-0.5″ of beneficial rain. Lower 60s with balmy southwesterly breezes and medium rain chances will greet you on your way out of the door to work.

First Alert Forecast: increased storm chances, remaining warm

Columbus, NC

Tabor City, NC

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The Office of District Attorney Jon David announced on March 27 that Lakeithy Keller, of Tabor City, has pled guilty to second-degree murder in a 2019 shooting case. According to the announcement, Keller received an active sentence of 189-239 months, approximately 15.75-20 years, for the...

Tabor City man sentenced to 16-20 years in 2019 murder case

Belville, NC

Navassa, NC

Leland, NC

Wrightsville Beach, NC

Castle Hayne, NC

Winnabow, NC

Northwest, NC

Rocky Point, NC

Boiling Spring Lakes, NC

Kure Beach, NC

Bolivia, NC

Hampstead, NC

Delco, NC

Riegelwood, NC

Currie, NC

Topsail Beach, NC

Southport, NC

Sandyfield, NC

Caswell Beach, NC

NewsBreak

Resource fair for WHA residents to be held at Creekwood Community Center

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - An education fair and job training expo will be held at the Creekwood Community...

Resource fair for WHA residents to be held at Creekwood Community Center

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