Good morning Wilmington!

Primary Day has come and gone, and North Carolina’s November ballot is starting to take shape.

The headline: Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley are officially on a collision course for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Thom Tillis. Whatley secured his primary win with just under 65% of the vote, while Cooper cruised on the Democratic side.

Locally, New Hanover County voters narrowed the field for County Commissioner and Board of Education seats, while Brunswick County Republicans chose Brian Chism as their unofficial nominee for Sheriff.

Want to dig deeper into the numbers? Full, updated results can be found here:
👉 https://www.wect.com/politics/election-results/

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• Kenan Fountain Restoration Resumes

• Four NC Cities Rank in Top 20 Southern Tech Hubs

Kenan Fountain Restoration Resumes in Downtown Wilmington

Crews returned Monday to restore the historic Kenan Fountain at Market and Fifth, reinstalling barriers for safety. The project, impacting minor traffic and pedestrian access, aims for completion by late April, enhancing a key downtown landmark. WWAY

Four NC Cities Rank in Top 20 Southern Tech Hubs

Raleigh (#3), Durham (#7), and Charlotte (#9) lead NC's rise in Southern tech rankings, driven by company growth, job density, and skilled workforce. The CommercialCafe analysis highlights universities, affordability, and business climate attracting talent south of the Mason-Dixon. Wilmington benefits from statewide momentum in tech dispersal. Carolina Journal

News Roundup

Local News

Severe Weather Preparedness Week is underway across North Carolina as warmer spring-like temperatures signal an increased risk of storms, hail and tornadoes. Officials from AAA Carolinas and the National Weather Service in Wilmington are urging residents to prepare emergency supplies and review safety plans, emphasizing the importance of sheltering in interior rooms away from windows during severe weather events. WWAY TV3

Kimberly Carson, hired as the city's DEI director in spring 2024, filed a federal lawsuit claiming wrongful termination after confronting alleged systemic racism and dysfunction in city government. The suit names top officials, cites lack of onboarding and issues intersecting with a police department investigation and a deputy city manager's DWI case. Carson was fired less than a year in. WHQR

What You Should Know

A new report from Consumer Reports found that more than half of tested baby formula brands contained potentially concerning levels of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, as well as PFAS “forever chemicals.” Researchers warned that repeated exposure could pose health risks to infants, noting there are currently no federal limits on contaminant levels in formula and manufacturers are not required to routinely test for them. WWAY TV3

Pentagon braces for casualties, Hegseth leaves ground troops option open. US forces unable to intercept all fire as Iran war expected to last weeks. Washington Post

A U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean, marking the first U.S. submarine torpedo kill since World War II, the Pentagon confirmed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike occurred during Operation Epic Fury near Sri Lanka, with some crew members rescued by Sri Lankan forces after the vessel went down. Military Times

State Dept orders Americans to depart Mideast amid Iran conflict. Non-emergency personnel/family evacuated from 6 countries after embassy drone strikes; commercial flights urged. NBC News

What Might Surprise You

Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his Republican primary in Texas to state Rep. Steve Toth, becoming the first member of Congress to lose renomination in the 2026 midterms. The race focused heavily on alignment with Donald Trump, with Toth running to Crenshaw’s right and benefiting from Trump’s absence of endorsement for Crenshaw and a late boost from Sen. Ted Cruz. NBC News

James Talarico defeated progressive incumbent Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Democratic Senate primary, setting up a high-stakes general election bid to flip a seat in a state Republicans have long controlled. Non-final results indicate Talarico now faces the winner of the GOP runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and challenger Ken Paxton as Democrats hope to break a decades-long losing streak in statewide Senate races. Fox News

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