Good morning Wilmington!

A 100-foot blaze tore through a section of the New Hanover County Landfill off Highway 421 in the early morning hours. Emergency crews battled soft, muddy terrain before containing the fire and clearing the scene by 6:20 a.m. No ongoing danger to the public — and the cause remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, move-in day went smoothly for most of UNCW's 5,700 incoming students — but some are already feeling the effects of the university's ongoing housing shortage. For the fourth consecutive year, UNCW is relying on overflow housing, and some students didn't find out until move-in day that they'd been placed in single rooms at the full double-room rate.

In today’s Port City Pulse:In today’s Port City Pulse:

• UNCW's housing crunch: what students and parents are saying

• Nearly $40M beach nourishment project underway in Buxton

UNCW's Housing Crunch: Students Placed in Overflow Rooms on Move-In Day — For the Fourth Year in a Row

UNCW welcomed 5,700 students this fall, but for the fourth consecutive year, not every student landed in the housing they were promised. Some incoming freshmen discovered on move-in day that they'd been assigned to single rooms with a second student — while both were charged the full double-room rate. Students placed in overflow housing also said they weren't notified in advance, learning of the arrangement only when they arrived on campus.

University officials say they are "actively reviewing these housing assignments" and expect to have a clearer picture of available options next week. UNCW is currently under construction on Hammerhead Hall, a new residence hall that will add more than 540 beds — but that project isn't expected to be complete until fall 2027.

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Nearly $40M Beach Nourishment Project Underway at Buxton After Dozens of Homes Lost to Erosion

Thirty-two homes have collapsed into the ocean at Buxton since 2020 — and a nearly $40 million project to rebuild the shoreline is now underway. The project will add sand along 2.9 miles of beach and build up dunes to protect Highway 12, oceanfront homes, and nearby structures from erosion. Dredge work began July 31 when the Liberty Island arrived; a second dredge, the Amelia Island, is expected to join the effort this week. When complete, roughly 2 million cubic yards of sand will have been placed along the Buxton shoreline.

The project is expected to wrap up by the end of September. Twenty of those 32 collapsed homes fell between September 2025 and June 2026 alone — accelerating what had already been a years-long erosion crisis on the Outer Banks.

Read More »

News Roundup

Local News

A 100-foot fire broke out at the New Hanover County Landfill off Hwy 421 early Thursday morning, sending visible flames before crews contained it by 6:20 a.m. Emergency responders found the active blaze on the eastern side of the landfill at 3:43 a.m. Soft, muddy ground prevented direct truck access, so crews used specialized vehicles to apply water around the perimeter while landfill personnel smothered the remaining burning trash with soil. No injuries reported. Cause remains undetermined. WECT

A car crashed into a First Citizens Bank in Wilmington Wednesday afternoon in the 3600 block of South College Road near 17th Street. Police received the call around 3:30 p.m. No injury details have been released. The bank posted a "closed due to emergency" notice and the scene has since been cleared. WECT

What You Should Know

Students from Heritage High School in Wake Forest spent 12 days in China last summer through a Chinese government-backed exchange program that federal lawmakers have flagged as a CCP influence operation. A new report from Defending Education found Heritage High is the only NC K-12 school among 26 schools across 30 states participating in Beijing's "Young Envoys" program — run by an organization that pledges allegiance to "Xi Jinping Thought" and the Chinese Communist Party. Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill were also named as participating institutions. Carolina Journal

What Might Surprise You

The Air Force major arrested at the Capitol for calling for Trump's impeachment has been detained again — just days after appearing on CNN to criticize the president. Air Force Maj. Jason Watson was placed in pretrial confinement on Aug. 18, the day after his CNN interview aired. The Air Force cited "continued misconduct" but released no specific charges. Watson's attorney suspects the CNN appearance played a role. Watson, who remains presumed innocent, originally stood on the Capitol steps and called publicly for Trump and Vance to be removed from office. Mediaite

Data center developers are reportedly offering Virginia homeowners up to $4 million each — more than double their homes’ value — to make way for a massive data center campus. X/polymarket

National News

Nine U.S. Marshals fell a full story when a deck collapsed under them mid-raid in Huntsville, Missouri. Rifles up. Not one round fired. They got hospitalized -- and still took the convicted sex offender into custody. X/seanhannity

World News

Five Americans were among seven people killed when a tourist helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, Kenya on Wednesday. The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was flying from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro when it went down around 9:13 a.m. local time. Among the dead: Jose Alberto Suarez, president and general manager of multiple Telemundo stations, and Ecuador's national intelligence chief. ABC News

Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan, and their children are said to be returning to live in Britain after six years in the U.S. X/nyt