New Hanover County and city of Wilmington officials say that portions of the budgets for the upcoming fiscal year will have an impact on local businesses. The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners on June 4 adopted the county's $333 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. That budget includes a 1.5-cent cut in the property tax rate. The new tax rate is ...

With less than 3,000 acres left of developable land in the city of Wilmington, buying the recreational facilities and green space on 14 acres at Echo Farms for public use was especially critical, officials said Wednesday. The joint purchase between the city and the county of the property, which includes a pool and clay tennis courts, will cost $1.7 million, New Hanover ...

Emerging water contaminants such as GenX were the focus of back-to-back announcements from state lawmakers Thursday. A coalition of Republican state House and Senate members representing southeastern North Carolina  said their new plan will address the need for access to safe drinking water, extend efforts to remove GenX pollution from public water supplies and tak ...

New Hanover County and the city of Wilmington have presented staff recommendations for 2018-19 fiscal year budgets, which include suggested appropriations for economic development purposes. The city is scheduled to hold a public hearing on its recommended budget at its council meeting Tuesday. The city's budget proposal continues incentive agreements with Castle Bra ...

Brunswick County's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the construction of a $99 million low-pressure reverse osmosis plant. The approval came at the board's budget workshop Thursday, a measure that is expected to provide "a forward-thinking, long-term water quality solution for all customers that receive water from Brunswick County," c ...

New Hanover County is embarking on the first phase of seeking proposals for a major downtown redevelopment project. The county released Monday a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to interested project teams for Project Grace, which is the name of the potential redevelopment of the 3-acre county-owned block in downtown Wilmington that includes the main branch of ...

One of downtown Wilmington's prime tourist spots is expected to get a boost from federal funds to the U.S. Coast Guard for repairs to the bulkhead along the Wilmington riverfront. U.S. Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) was joined by Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and the rest of the Wilmington City Council on Tuesday at Riverfront Park to announce that $6.7 million has bee ...

A stage, concert venue, splash pad and marsh boardwalk are all featured in final schematic designs for North Waterfront Park. The designs were revealed to Wilmington City Council members Monday, ahead of a public drop-in session to view them tonight. The park is planned for a 6.6-acre tract of land, located at 11 Harnett St, just south of the Isabel Holmes Bridge and wi ...

Attention, world travelers: Pender County will soon have its own passport office. The county’s Register of Deeds Office is in the process of adding that capability, according to Sharon Willoughby, Pender register of deeds. “We’ve done our training and have already applied and received our pre-approval,” Willoughby said Friday. “Approval cou ...

Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties followed the trend of slightly lower unemployment seen in most North Carolina counties this past February. The N.C. Department of Commerce reported Wednesday that February 2018’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 74 of North Carolina’s counties, increased in 10, and remained unchanged in 16. ...