April unemployment rates in the tri-county area were among the highest in decades, according to newly released figures Wednesday. It's a trend being seen across the state and nation. And numbers show the hardest-hit sector in the Wilmington area in terms of job losses was leisure and hospitality, which had a 69% decrease in April from the previous year. The recen ...

Since health officials began keeping records of COVID-19 outbreaks, many nursing homes and other group living centers have become hot spots. Close proximity and shared facilities at these places have helped spread the virus.   On Friday, New Hanover County announced that two staff members at Northchase Rehabilitation and Nursing Center had tested positive for the vi ...

Most commercial enterprises that operate in natural disaster-prone regions are familiar with business interruption insurance. That’s a policy designed to cover revenue losses resulting from the disaster. It’s an optional part of commercial property coverage and protects a business owner or tenant who suffers loss of income because of suspension of operations ...

On Wednesday's BizTalk interview, N.C. Azalea Festival executive director Alison Baringer English shared what it’s been like reimagining the festival, the first major event canceled locally because of concerns over the coronavirus in March. She talked about what not having the event has meant, how festival organizers are rescheduling parts of it and what its f ...

Local governments in the tri-county area plan to use millions in state allocated coronavirus relief funds. But for some counties, the details of their spending plans are still in the works. There were nearly $8 million in funds to be released to governments in the region, with New Hanover County receiving about $4.1 million, Pender County allocated $1.3 million and ...

The Battleship North Carolina has lost $600,000 in revenue and through expenses from having to close because of coronavirus orders, the site's leader said Tuesday. Now, in phase two of the reopening of the state's economy, some outdoor attractions and sites are open. Meanwhile indoor entertainment venues and museums, such as the Bellamy Mansion Museum and others ...

On Friday's BizTalk, Zane Bennett, executive director of Plantation Village, a nonprofit retirement community in Porters Neck, discussed how the organization has addressed the coronavirus pandemic to protect the health of its residents. View the full conversation below.   ...

Included in our new lingo these days besides “social distanc­ing” (staying 6 feet apart) and COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) are “phase one,” “phase two” and “phase three,” describing North Car­olina’s reopening plan.   Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order related to phase one was in effect, potential ...

As hardware and other do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement retailers and gardening supply stores begin to enter their busy season, they are already seeing an unexpected uptick in business from, of all things, the coronavirus pandemic.  Homeowners engaging in renovations and home repairs while stuck at home increased March sales by about 10% over the same month las ...

The Planet Fitness in Ogden had staff hired, operation plans in place and the facility freshly cleaned in preparation to reopen this weekend. But when Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that gyms couldn't open to the public in the second phase of reopening the state's economy amidst the coronavirus pandemic, that meant the doors to the facility at 6840 Market S ...