WILMINGTON — County and city law enforcement officers responded to what appeared to be an initially nonviolent but also disobedient and profanity-laced protest outside City Hall with tear gas and stun grenades, dispersing the protestors throughout the streets of downtown Wilmington Sunday night. Officials defended the use of force, saying there were concerns about armed protestors and damage to the downtown area.

CAROLINA BEACH — For the past three summers, a nonprofit called Ocean Cure has laid down a 3,000-square-foot plastic mat right above the high tide line near the Carolina Beach Boardwalk to provide what few coastal towns in the region can provide: easy beach access for those in wheelchairs.

WILMINGTON — One of three former Wilmington Police Officers fired last month after unintentionally recorded conversations became public, revealing racist and violent language, has filed an appeal for reinstatement.

BURGAW — Pender County and the American Skin plant in Burgaw, which produces pork skin products, both remain silent on many details of a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility.

WILMINGTON — Questions have swirled following a protest nearly two weeks ago that began peacefully, turned angry and disobedient in nature, and later caused the streets of downtown Wilmington to fill with clouds of tear gas, flash-bang explosions, rubber bullets, and lines of riot control officers blocking off city streets.

WILMINGTON — Hundreds gathered for a sixth night of protest on the front steps of City Hall Friday evening, honoring the names of George Floyd and others — including former Wilmington resident Brandon Smith — killed by law enforcement officers. They also called for criminal justice reform and the lifting of the 9 p.m. curfew imposed earlier this week.

WILMINGTON — Since the pandemic forced massive economic shutdowns in March, leaders of more than 40 food assistance agencies have held weekly internet conference meetings to address the rising demand among the groups they serve, and others who are seeking food assistance for the first time in their lives.

PENDER COUNTY — Neighbors of an 18-year-old Laney High student who opened his family’s door to an armed “vigilante group” in the Avendale neighborhood of southern Pender County last week captured security footage and photos of the scene, confirming key elements of the story later recalled by neighbors and the family itself.

BURGAW — A New Hanover deputy has been fired and faces criminal charges for his role in what has been described as an armed “vigilante group” that attempted to force its way into the home of a Laney High student, Dameon Shepard.

ROCKY POINT — At 10 p.m. on Sunday evening, Dameon Shepard heard a loud knock on the front door of his family’s home in the Avendale neighborhood in Rocky Point.

WILMINGTON — Robert “Bobby” Way has been driving the streets of Wilmington for 23 years as a city worker, so when things change around town — as they have since Governor Roy Cooper passed into law a statewide stay-at-home order in mid-March — he is a keen observer.

NORTH CAROLINA — Throughout last week a red banner at the top of the NC Department of Commerce website said the state was still “awaiting guidance for issuing [unemployment] payments” as hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians began filing claims in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, jamming internet servers and telephone help lines.

WILMINGTON — Leaders of Wilmington’s two largest homeless shelters sent an open letter to Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and New Hanover County Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman, calling on each to take immediate action to protect the city’s homeless population from the regional spread of Covid-19.

CAROLINA BEACH — A chain reaction of beach closures occurred along the Cape Fear coast on Friday as college students, families, and retirees alike flocked to Carolina Beach for their last few hours of sand and ocean air as the town council decided to follow suit.

PENDER COUNTY — Two decades into the 21st century, more than 8 percent of Pender County’s population still has no access to DSL, cable, or fiber-optic internet.

WILMINGTON — The Cape Fear Center for Inquiry suspended use of its seclusion room last fall after the family of a seven-year-old student filed a grievance against the public charter school. The school admitted that the room — and its policies for the room — did not meet minimum state standards.

WILMINGTON — Despite concerns of top American education officials on the use of seclusion methods on schoolchildren, more than half of all elementary and middle schools in the New Hanover County School system use so-called seclusion rooms to forcibly isolate students with disabilities or those showing aggressive behavior.

PENDER COUNTY — Last week Governor Roy Cooper announced an $8 million federal grant to build out fiber optic cables to 4,000 homes in rural areas of Columbus County.

WILMINGTON — Freddie Fralin was sentenced to 25 to 31 years imprisonment for a fatal shooting in the Northside district two years ago.

SURF CITY — Although a beach smoking ban has not yet come to a vote before Town Council (nor is one currently scheduled), Mayor Doug Medlin said he is considering the town’s options after receiving significant feedback from residents who have complained of cigarette butts littering the island’s beaches and nearby streets.