Good morning, Wilmington — and happy Spring Equinox.

Spring arrived right on cue this morning, bringing sunshine and a stretch of near-perfect weather: 68° today, 75° Saturday, and pushing 80° by Sunday. The first full weekend of the season is shaping up exactly how you’d want it.

In breaking news, action legend Chuck Norris has died at age 86 following a reported medical emergency. See more in News Roundup below 👇️ 

If you're looking for a Saturday afternoon anchor at the beach, the 5th Annual Mac & Cheese Festival is happening tomorrow at Good Hops Brewing in Carolina Beach — featuring 35+ varieties ranging from classic comfort to spicy and seafood spins. There’s a $300 grand prize and the coveted “Golden Noodle” trophy on the line, plus $10 general admission (kids under 10 are free). You can find tickets and details at theislandmen.com.

Also happening this Saturday: Wilmington’s first-ever Repair Café is giving broken items a second life. Part of a global movement that started in 2009, the Repair Café will run from 1–5 PM at Holy Cross Episcopal Church. Bring anything from small appliances and electronics to clothing, jewelry, or furniture, and work alongside volunteer repair coaches to fix it. It’s free, community-driven, and a great way to keep useful items out of the landfill. Registration is recommended.

In today's Port City Pulse:

• NC lawmakers are moving to cap property tax hikes through a constitutional amendment

• Wilmington's first-ever Repair Café is this Saturday

NC Could Cap Property Tax Hikes — Constitutional Amendment Could Be on November's Ballot

WUNC A NC House Select Committee voted Wednesday to support a constitutional amendment that would require the state legislature to limit how much local governments can increase their property tax revenues each year. The proposal is called a levy limit — it's already law in 28 states, including Texas and Washington — and lawmakers are aiming to put it before NC voters as soon as this November. To get there, it would need approval from three-fifths of both chambers by early September. Rep. Erin Paré, who co-chairs the committee, says the goal is simple: "We really owe people a sense of predictability of what they're going to be looking at as far as their personal budgets." A recent analysis found that in 7 of NC's 10 largest counties, property tax rates rose faster from 2014–2024 than they would have under levy limits accounting for inflation and population growth. Democrats on the committee raised concerns that capping tax revenue could make it harder to fund police, fire, and services in a fast-growing state. The committee meets next April 15.

Read More >>

Wilmington Gets Its First-Ever Repair Café This Saturday — Bring Your Broken Stuff

WECT The Repair Café movement — born in the Netherlands in 2009 and now spread worldwide — is coming to Wilmington for the first time this Saturday. From 1 to 5 PM at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, residents can bring broken household items and work side-by-side with experienced repair coaches to get them fixed. Basic tools and materials are provided; what you bring is the problem. Accepted items include lamps, vacuum cleaners, small appliances, toys, electronics, small furniture, clothing, and jewelry. It's free, community-powered, and aimed at keeping useful things out of the landfill. Registration in advance is recommended.

Register & Learn More >>

News Roundup

Local News

Topsail High School had two separate restroom sewage backups in two weeks — and Pender County Environmental Health visited the school Wednesday and found no problems. The first backup happened last week; the second on Tuesday, March 17. The district brought in a vacuum truck Wednesday to clear the plumbing line, and a brief odor was quickly resolved. Inspectors praised the district's preventive response. School leaders say both incidents were caused by items being flushed that aren't meant for the plumbing system. Principal Sasscer sent multiple parent updates after each incident. WECT

What You Should Know

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman cast the deciding vote Thursday to advance Markwayne Mullin's DHS nomination — crossing party lines in an 8-7 committee vote that sends Mullin to the full Senate. Rand Paul was the lone Republican to vote no. Mullin could face a full Senate confirmation vote as early as next week, which would fill the DHS secretary seat that has been vacant since the department's partial shutdown began over 40 days ago. On the floor, senators simultaneously pushed into day three of debate on the SAVE America Act — the sweeping reconciliation bill that would extend Trump-era tax cuts, cut Medicaid, boost defense spending, and raise the debt ceiling. CNN

Legendary actor and martial arts icon Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86 after a sudden medical emergency in Hawaii, his family confirmed. Best known for roles in Walker, Texas Ranger and classic action films like The Delta Force, Norris was remembered as a devoted family man who inspired millions through his discipline, faith, and decades-long career, later becoming a pop culture phenomenon through viral internet fame. Daily Mail

Nampa, Idaho Mayor Rick Hogaboam, 47, collapsed and died Wednesday evening while speaking at a regional town hall — just two months after being sworn in. Hogaboam was mid-speech at an Eagle City Hall event hosted by the Treasure Valley Partnership when he began slurring his words and collapsed. Eagle Mayor Brad Pike, a former fighter, immediately stepped in and began CPR. Hogaboam was pronounced dead; cause has not been released. He had been in office since January. State and community leaders called him a dedicated public servant and family man. Idaho News

What Might Surprise You

Scientists have engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to carry vaccines in their saliva — and successfully used them to inoculate bats against rabies and Nipah virus in lab conditions. The method, sometimes called "flying vaccines," works when vaccinated mosquitoes bite bats or when bats eat them; bats fed from vaccine-laced saline drinking stations also developed antibodies. Animals that received the vaccine survived exposures that proved fatal to unvaccinated controls. Researchers say real-world deployment still faces significant practical and ethical challenges — but the concept of vaccinating wild animal populations against spillover viruses via insects is no longer theoretical. NPR

World News

Oil briefly hit $119 a barrel Thursday as Iran struck Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal — knocking out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas export capacity — along with two oil refineries in Kuwait. European natural gas prices spiked 24%. Iran, still fighting a US-backed Israeli air campaign that began February 28, has now attacked energy facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait in recent days, widening the Gulf theater. Defense Secretary Hegseth told Congress this week that all 11 Iranian submarines have been destroyed since the war began. The Pentagon is separately asking Congress for $200 billion in additional war funding. The US national debt has surpassed $39 trillion since the conflict began. CNBC

Don't Miss

🧀 5th Annual Mac & Cheese Festival

Sat Mar 21: 1:00 - 3:00 PM @ Good Hops Brewing, 811 Harper Ave — Carolina Beach
35+ varieties of mac and cheese — traditional, spicy, meat, seafood, vegetarian — competing for the Golden Noodle trophy and a $300 Grand Prize. Unlimited samples, $10 general admission, $25 VIP (early taproom entry). Kids under 10 free. Hosted by The Island Men (nonprofit) with Good Hops Brewing.

Get Tickets >>

NHC Community Safety Day

Sat Mar 21: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM @ Senior Resource Center, 2222 S College Rd — ILM
Free event with medication take-back, shred-a-thon (2 bags/boxes per person), and AARP CarFit vehicle safety checks. NHC Fire Rescue, Sheriff's Office, Novant Health, and Wilmington Fire all on site. Quick, useful, and free.

Learn More >>

Fri Mar 20: ☀️ Sunny | 68° / 50° | 🌸 Spring Equinox
Sat Mar 21: ⛅ Partly Cloudy | 75° / 55°
Sun Mar 22: ☀️ Sunny | 80° / 58°

Live Music

Friday Mar 20 🌸

Saturday Mar 21

Sunday Mar 22