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Wilmington’s pedestrian safety problems fall unevenly across the city. Its pedestrian plan found that most crashes involving people on foot occurred in areas with higher concentrations of minority residents and higher poverty rates than the county average. On the Northside, those risks are part of a broader question about how a city built around driving works for people who don’t drive. How could science, tech and design makes make thinks better? Thanks Abby Lorenzo, Andy Thompson, Anna Zivarts, and Brennon Fuqua for speaking with Shoresides. Thanks also to the company Waymo for contributing content. Related materials 2023 Walk Wilmington Pedestrian Plan Anna Zivarts: When Driving Is Not an Option NCDOT’s CASSI automated shuttle program Waymo’s Safety Impact data and methodology Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub. This story was produced in partnership with the Coastal Journalism Hub, a collaborative focused on health and wellbeing in New Hanover County. Photo: Day Camposeco Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Lyft rideshare data shows Spanish-language riders in New Hanover County are 75% more likely to be women, and their trips are more likely to end at schools, workplaces, and grocery stores. Meanwhile, 70% of Latinos surveyed across North Carolina rely on a personal vehicle to get around — with over half of the 3,397 respondents lacking a driver's license, and a third reporting they are undocumented. In Wilmington, WAVE Transit may have part of the answer: RideMICRO. Shoresides investigates. Credits Produced by Rend Smith. Field reporting by Aaleah McConnell and Day Camposeco. Ride data and analysis courtesy of Sarah Conlisk, data storyteller at Lyft. Photo by Day Camposeco. Guests Lennin Caro, director, Camino Research Institute; Brianna D'Itri, public relations manager, Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority (WAVE Transit) Survey figures are from the 2025 North Carolina Latino Strengths and Needs Assessment. Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub: http://www.coastaljournalism.org/ This story was produced in partnership with the Coastal Journalism Hub, a collaborative focused on health and wellbeing in New Hanover County. Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Vanessa Gonzalez is an immigration attorney in Wilmington. Many of her clients live in southeastern North Carolina.The federal offices deciding their cases do not. In this episode, Shoresides learns what that distance means in practice—and how transportation barriers may connect to health. We also speak with Kevin Chen of the Union of Concerned Scientists about the decline—and possible resurgence—of affordable intercity bus service, a possible remedy. Photo by Day Camposeco. Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub: http://www.coastaljournalism.org/ This story was produced in partnership with the Coastal Journalism Hub, a collaborative focused on health and wellbeing in New Hanover County. Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Poet Delthea Simmons had a license, a car on its last legs, and a hometown she loved. What she didn't have was reliable transportation—so she organized her shopping, her work, and eventually her exit from Wilmington around rideshare apps. In this episode, Shoresides asks whether her story is part of a pattern. Lyft driver Jayce Esterline estimates that 60% of pickups on Wilmington's Northside are people getting to doctor's appointments, work, and groceries. And ride data pulled by Lyft's Sarah Conlisk, reviewed with Anna Casey of Cape Fear Collective, shows riders in Wilmington's lowest life-expectancy neighborhoods using the apps as basic transportation infrastructure—while riders in the highest use them to get to the airport. Lyft provided ride data for this story; Uber did not respond to our inquiries. Credits Produced by Rend Smith, Aaleah McConnell and Nick Magrino. Ride data and analysis courtesy of Sarah Conlisk, data storyteller at Lyft. Photo by Day Camposeco. Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub: http://www.coastaljournalism.org/ This story was produced in partnership with the Coastal Journalism Hub, a collaborative focused on health and wellbeing in New Hanover County. Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Across the country, communities are confronting a new challenge: what happens when the growing demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure collides with local concerns about land, water, energy and quality of life? North Carolina is at the center of that debate, with at least 20 proposed data center projects across the state. In Edgecombe County, residents from across the community have come together to oppose plans for large-scale data center development. Many see echoes of an earlier fight that united local residents against a proposed industrial project in the 1990s. In this episode, we hear from community members organizing to stop the projects, explore their concerns about environmental impacts and economic benefits, and examine how a local dispute fits into a larger national conversation about the future of AI infrastructure. Guests: David Batts, candidate for Edgecombe County Commissioner, District 6 Kevin Wilson, chair and co-founder, Edgecombe Neighbors for Data Center Accountability Briyana Baker, commissioner, Town of Conetoe Dr. Erik Nordman, professor, Michigan State University and director of the Institute of Public Utilities Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Data showing that the community surrounding Portia Mills Hines Park has the lowest life expectancy in Wilmington is stark. But what does that reality look like up close—and what’s being done about it? In this episode, Shoresides speaks with Dr. Mayra Galeano, the chief medical officer at a clinic close to the problem. She tells us what it's like to provide care in the community. The clinic is open to everyone, serving Black and Latino residents among others—and patients don’t need insurance.  Learn more • MedNorth Health Center: https://mednorth.org Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub: http://www.coastaljournalism.org/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

“New Hanover County has one of the highest shares of households without vehicle access in North Carolina—about 6 percent—according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey,” transportation expert Andrés Otero wrote in an article for WHQR last year. “People without access to a car often include college students, older adults, and others who either cannot afford a vehicle or are unable to drive. In Wilmington, these groups make up a significant portion of the population. The same data also show that in both the Northside and Southside neighborhoods, more than a third of households have no vehicle access.” In this episode, Otero talks with Shoresides about living without a personal vehicle—and what that experience reveals about how cities like Wilmington function for pedestrians and bicyclists. He also discusses what it would take to build a city that works for everyone, not just drivers. Learn more • Andrés’ Substack: https://andytalksurbanism.substack.com • WHQR article: https://www.whqr.org/local/2025-04-28/walking-and-bicycling-in-wilmington-and-north-carolina-face-significant-funding-barriers-says-advocate Learn more about the Coastal Journalism Hub: http://www.coastaljournalism.org/ Send us Fan Mail Coastal Journalism HubShoresides is proud to be part of the Coastal Journalism Hub.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show www.shoresides.org

Recently, the Wilmington StarNews and Cape Fear Collective dug into Wilmington, N.C.’s life-expectancy gap. It turns out there are similar disparities regarding the city’s pedestrians. “Wilmington consistently has one of the highest annual pedestrian crash rates in NC. From 2011–2020,” says the 2023 Walk Wilmington Pedestrian Plan. The majority of crashes involving pedestrians occurred in areas with higher concentrations of minority residents and higher poverty rates compared to the county average.”   Abby Lorenzo of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Justin Carter, assistant director of engineering for the City of Wilmington, explain what’s called the “pedestrian high injury network" and what’s being done about it.  Learn about this work and about the Coastal Journalism Hub at www.coastaljournalism.org Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

In this episode, Shoresides talks with Vanessa Gonzalez about what it means when people looking for help can’t easily tell the difference between a real attorney and a convincing impersonator — and why immigration law, with its limited pathways and high stakes, is a particularly easy place to run the con. We also hear from Adonia Simpson at the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, which has dealt with its own impersonation scams, and from Reuters investigative tech reporter Jeff Horwitz, whose reporting on Meta helps explain why taking down fraud can be harder than you’d think. Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

North Carolina’s latest congressional map is part of Republicans’ efforts nationwide to gain more seats in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 election.  Right before Thanksgiving, federal judges ruled against local advocacy groups and voters who have challenged the map on the basis of racial gerrymandering. This decision, along with rulings in states like Texas, could be setting a precedent of more blatant partisan gerrymandering in the future.  In this episode, I spoke with Sarah Michels, a reporter with Carolina Public Press. She covers state politics and elections, and has closely followed NC’s new congressional maps accused of racial gerrymandering.   This is the third part of a series on redistricting in eastern North Carolina.  Part 1 | Part 2  Host / Producer: Layna Hong Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Ahead of the 2026 Election, North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers — at the request of President Trump — have passed a new congressional map intended to squeeze out one more Republican seat in Congress.  The new map will also make it more difficult for northeastern Black voters to elect their preferred candidate.  In this episode, we break down what’s happening and how it’s playing out in the courts. We talk to Chistopher Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University. Then, we hear from two of the plaintiffs on the lawsuit against state Republican lawmakers for the newest map: Bob Phillips from Common Cause and Dawn Daley-Mack of the Northampton County NAACP.  This is the second part of a series on redistricting in eastern North Carolina.  Listen to the first part here  Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

North Carolina’s Black Belt is a cluster of northeastern counties known for its rich soil and history. And now, it’s the site of one of the most enduring issues in the state: redistricting.  But this isn’t the first time that the region has been redistricted to disenfranchise Black voters. In this episode, we go back to the turn of the 20th century, when white supremacists dismantled “The Black Second,” or North Carolina’s first majority-Black congressional district. This event would set up a century-long struggle between Black voters and those in power who sought to disenfranchise them — a struggle happening to this day.  Shoresides talked to two eastern North Carolinians. David Cecelski is a historian and storyteller from Carteret County who has written countless works on coastal NC. James Williams Jr. is a retired lawyer who grew up in the Black Belt — Plymouth, to be exact — during the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights Movement.  This is the first part of a series on redistricting in eastern North Carolina.  Host / Producer: Layna Hong Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

When a million-dollar beach house in the Outer Banks collapses into the surf, it looks like a sudden disaster. But for the people who study coastal risk, it’s anything but. In this episode, we talk with Travis Klondike of NC State’s Coastal Dynamics Design Lab about why. Links: Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (CDDL) at North Carolina State University https://design.ncsu.edu/research/coastal-dynamics-design-lab/ Five homes lost in a day highlight the growing cost of inaction on NC erosion https://www.wral.com/weather/5-homes-lost-nc-outer-banks-erosion-october-2025/20481590/An  Photo taken May 10, 2022, showing portion of a collapsed house and debris in the ocean and on the beach at 24265 Ocean Drive, Rodanthe. (NPS Photo) Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

Wilmington’s trees are disappearing faster than they can be replaced. In this episode Shoresides talks with Executive Director Isabel Shepherd of the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees about what’s driving the loss and how their new Code & Canopy report lays out a path forward. Helpful Links Alliance for Cape Fear Trees — Code & Canopy Report https://www.allianceforcapefeartrees.com New Hanover County Tree Canopy Assessment https://www.nhcgov.com/2839/Technical-Reports-Survey-Results World's Largest Christmas Tree https://www.saltmagazinenc.com/o-christmas-tree/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org

As the effects of H.R. 1 ripple across the country, North Carolinians are feeling the strain of new SNAP work requirements and a month-long government shutdown. In this episode of Shoresides, host Nicolas Magrino speaks with Emily Kraft and Andrea Cherry of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina about how policy uncertainty is reshaping the state’s hunger relief network. Kraft and Cherry describe rising demand, shrinking food supplies, and the growing fear among residents—especially in Latino and veteran communities—about applying for help. As food banks scramble to fill the gap left by federal cuts, they’re also finding renewed strength in collaboration, reminding us that community care doesn’t end when resources do. Key Resources 1. Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (Wilmington Branch) 1000 Greenfield Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 · Phone: 910-251-1465   Serves five counties in the Cape Fear region including New Hanover.  Offers a “No-Cost Market on Greenfield” at the Wilmington location (days and hours listed on their website).  Also supports SNAP/FNS outreach and benefits information.2. NourishNC 3606 Market Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 · Phone: 910-465-0995 (or via website)   Focused on supplemental food assistance for children and families in New Hanover County.  Programs include: Backpack Program (weekend meals for children), Market on Market (grocery-style choice model), Mobile Market, Food Farmacy.  3. New Hanover County Department of Social Services – Food & Nutrition Services (SNAP/FNS) 1650 Greenfield Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 · Phone: 910-798-3500 (Option 4)   Manages the federal SNAP (Food & Nutrition Services) program for the county.  Offers online, phone, mail, or in-person application options.  4. Local Food Pantry Network The county provides a publicly available “Food Resource List” featuring many pantries, soup kitchens and mobile / community distribution sites in New Hanover County.   Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard – 315 Red Cross Street, Wilmington. Wed & Sat, 12 pm-3 pm.  Bethany Presbyterian Church Pantry – 2237 Castle Hayne Rd, Wilmington. Wed 1pm-4pm.  Bread for Life Senior Pantry – 108 North Kerr Ave Suites K1&K2, Wilmington. Seniors 60+.   Tips for Using the Resources Call ahead: Hours and distributions can change quickly (especially during crises or disaster-related service shifts).Ask about identification or eligibility requirements: Some pantries may ask for proof of residence or ID; many are welcoming and serve all.Consider language/immigrant concerns: Especially for Hispanic/Latino communities — many residents may worry about applying for help; outreach coordinators (such as bilingual staff) are available.Combine services: SNAP benefits + food pantry + backpack programs for children can be used in tandem.Volunteer or donate: Many of these organizations rely on community support and seasonal surges. Send us Fan Mail Support the show www.shoresides.org