Benjamin Schachtman

There's been plenty of discussion about Flock cameras and other automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) over the last few weeks. An interesting addition to that conversation: a list of questions sent by New Hanover County Commissioner Stephanie Walker to Sheriff Ed McMahon, whose office has a contract with Flock.

Campaign season is heating up, and fundraising operations are in full swing. The amount of money, at both the local and federal levels, is pretty staggering — but it's worth asking: why do people give? What do they think their money accomplishes, and what, if anything, do they think they'll get in return?

Q: Why does it seem like container traffic has slowed down at the Port? Are there long-term concerns about the downturn, and does it impact plans to dredge the Cape Fear River?

Recently, there's been heated discussion over the use of Flock cameras and other surveillance technology in New Hanover County. Now, County Chairwoman LeAnn Pierce says the county will review concerns about the technology before spending more public money on it.

On today’s show, Rachel Keith sits down with me to unpack her latest reporting on over a dozen resignations from Cape Fear Community College's nursing program. Plus, Port City Daily’s Brenna Flanagan stops by to discuss New Hanover County Schools' town hall and the latest on North Carolina’s film incentive program

The campaign for incumbent Republican State Senator Michael Lee recently dropped an AI deepfake ad, mocking his opponent, Democrat Jessica Bichler. It's not totally surprising, given that AI slop has made its way into almost every corner of our lives. But as some states move to regulate the practice, it's worth unpacking some ethical, political, and even constitutional facets of AI-generated political messaging.

On Tuesday, New Hanover County commissioners voted to end most, but not all, of its contract with Flock, citing insufficient guardrails against abuse of the powerful technology. The controversial license-plate readers and the broader use of AI-powered surveillance have prompted community pushback across party lines.

Slowly but surely, plans have been moving forward to replace the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge with a new, tolled bridge.

There's significant momentum behind the plans for a tolled replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, which are nearing the point of no return. Serious questions remain about the plans' impact, and some are asking if there are any alternatives. Here's a look at how we got here and what could come next.