Page 6 - Mark Darrough News Today

N.C. Department of Transportation will pause construction this coming weekend in expectation of boosted traffic flows during the Memorial Day holiday. Travel…

As seen from an approaching Bald Head Island ferry, Deep Point Marina in Southport is a vital asset in Bald Head Island Limited’s ferry operations. (Port City Daily photo/Mark Darrough) BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Last week, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners and Southport Board of Aldermen each unanimously passed resolutions supporting a state-created entity, mandated by the legislature to purchase Bald Head Island’s private ferry system. The county and city’s sign of solidarity with B...

Members of the American Honor Guards of North Carolina, a veteran group, say the pledge of allegiance during a ‘Back the Blue’ protest last July. (Port City Daily photo/Mark Darrough) BRUNSWICK COUNTY –– A new house bill is expected to improve encounters between law enforcement and struggling veterans in Brunswick and five other North Carolina counties with large retired military populations. Sponsored by Rep. Charlie Miller, the “No Veteran Left Behind” bill would fund a pilot prog...

A group of parents and teachers stand on the lawn outside the New Hanover County Schools Board of Education Center last September to protest a discussion to transition from all-virtual learning to all-classroom learning. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) CAPE FEAR REGION — Today marks the 365th day since Governor Roy Cooper passed an executive order prohibiting inside dining at restaurants and bars across North Carolina. The next day, March 18, New Hanover County announced its first presumptiv...

Customers order from a menu at Wrightsville Beach’s South Beach Grill in May after Governor Cooper reopened restaurants at 50% capacity, over three months after he shut down all dine-in options at restaurants and bars across the state due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Counties, cities, and towns of the Cape Fear region are expected to receive just over $153 million in federal funds from the recently signed American Rescue Plan. New Hanover Cou...

An empty downtown Wilmington minutes after Governor Roy Cooper’s ‘stay at home’ order went into effect in late March 2020. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) 12:57 p.m. Saturday – The Senate approved the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan on Saturday. It will now return to the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden. The package consists of the previously expected $350 billion for cities and states. WILMINGTON — The city could receive $24 mill...

A woman checks her mailbox on a flooded street in the North Chase neighborhood in northern Wilmington following Hurricane Dorian. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — The North Carolina Coastal Federation has announced the creation of an action plan for statewide government leaders and developers to help curb flooding and water pollution. The “ Action Plan for Nature-Based Stormwater Strategies” focuses on ways to promote natural designs to reduce flooding and improve water...

The Cottages at College Acres will open its first phase this fall. Bedrooms rent for around $800 per month in the 45 townhome units that will soon mark College Acres Drive. Developers worked for years to transform the entire block of land, next-door to UNCW, in order to establish an upscale student living community. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) WILMINGTON — An assortment of developers and consultants worked for years to bring a student-housing project to the border regions of UNCW. At lea...

Owned by Phillips Management Group, around 40 acres of land across from UNCW has sat barren since Hurricane Florence forced its demolition years ago. The developer has no plans to sell. (Port City Daily/Mark Darrough) WILMINGTON—A fenced-in plot of condemned, razed land has faced UNCW for over a year. The Seahawk statue that marks the center of campus gazes across College Road, into the gates of what once was The Glen apartments.  Construction on the property broke ground in 1967, just four ...

Monica Shepard, wearing all black at right, talks to neighbors as Pender County Sheriff’s deputies’ vehicles are parked behind them. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy Kelly Estes) PENDER COUNTY – Two men facing criminal charges for confronting a Black teenager at his Pender County home with firearms last spring were found not guilty on Thursday, Feb 18. Former New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy Jordan Kita led an all-white crowd on a search for his missing sister on May 3, 2...