Good morning Wilmington!

If you missed yesterday's Access Your Weekend, here's what you missed: Issue #1

In today's Port City Pulse:

• SeaWitch Tiki Bar's final weekend: live music, a bartender reunion, and a Sunday auction

• NC says goodbye to paper registration cards and stickers starting today

SeaWitch Tiki Bar Goes Out with a Bang This Weekend at Carolina Beach

Before major renovations take over, SeaWitch Tiki Bar is throwing a three-day farewell celebration packed with live music, a bartender reunion, and a public auction. The festivities kicked off Thursday night with the "OG Bartender Legends" reunion, bringing back longtime staff. Friday and Saturday bring live music, culminating in a "Going Out with a Bang" concert headlined by Machine Gun on Saturday night. On Sunday, the iconic Carolina Beach venue holds a public auction where attendees can bid on original artwork, venue signage, furniture, and fixtures before the space undergoes redevelopment.

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NC Drivers No Longer Get Paper Registration Cards or Stickers Starting Today

As of October 1, North Carolina drivers will no longer receive license plate stickers or automatically printed registration cards under a new digital system. Instead, drivers get a receipt with a digital link to download or print the card at home. Physical cards are still available at license plate agencies or online for those who want one. The core renewal process stays exactly the same. Law enforcement now uses electronic verification to confirm registration status, so printed cards are no longer required by law.

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News Roundup

Local News

Evacuations were ordered Thursday in Shallotte's Lakewood Estates neighborhood as a forest fire burned in southern Brunswick County. Residents off Ocean Isle Beach Road were directed to leave while firefighters worked to contain the blaze. The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office said it would issue an all-clear once conditions were safe to return. WECT

Oak Island's police department officially has dogs again. K-9 officers Sandy and Dune graduated Thursday alongside handlers Master Police Officers Beau Boose and Gary Green after completing a five-week live-in training program at K2 K9 Solutions, logging more than 200 hours of specialized instruction. WECT

A home on North Ridge Lane in Wrightsville Beach was destroyed by fire Thursday morning, though the man inside escaped without injury. Flames engulfed the house around 8:30 AM and crews from Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington spent hours battling the blaze. North Lumina Avenue and North Ridge Lane were closed but have since reopened. The cause remains under investigation. WECT

What Might Surprise You

A Florida county found surveillance cameras installed along public roads with no government agency claiming ownership. The cameras were made by license-plate-reader company Flock Safety and appeared with no obvious explanation for who installed them or why. The story raises fresh questions about how quickly automated surveillance has spread into American communities. Washington Post

A Tennessee death row inmate survived two lethal injections Wednesday night in what is believed to be a rare failed execution. Christa Pike, 50, convicted of the 1996 murder of Colleen Slemmer, was given two doses of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. She lost consciousness but remained alive, audibly snoring. Her attorneys filed an emergency motion mid-execution and she was taken to the hospital for life-saving treatment. Tennessee's protocol does not specify what happens if the person survives both sets of injections. BBC

National News

The Pentagon is deploying Marines to the Middle East amid rising regional tensions. Defense officials described the move as precautionary, aimed at protecting U.S. interests and personnel in the area. The Hill

Don’t Miss

Live Music

Friday, October 2

Farewell Summer Jazz Funeral — 7PM–9PM

Wendy Kelly: One Monkey Don't Stop No Show — 7PM–11PM @ Yacht Club Wilmington

Jonah Kagen at Bowstring — 6PM–10PM @ Bowstring Bar and Music Venue

Andy Frasco & The U.N. — 7PM–10PM @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater - GFL

Bad Addiction @ The Trailer Bar — 8PM–11PM @ The Trailer Bar!

Saturday, October 3

Old School R&B Vs Hip Hop Party — 6PM–9:30PM @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater ($37.25)

4th Annual Old School R&B Vs Hip Hop Party — 6PM–11PM @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater

A Musical Salute to the Battleship — 7PM–9PM @ Battleship NC

Sam Morrow w/ Les Fontanelles — 8PM–12AM @ Yacht Club Wilmington

Sunday, October 4

Open Mic Night at Yacht Club - Oct 4 — 4PM–7PM @ Yacht Club Wilmington

Lettuce - Cook Tour — 6PM–9PM @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater - GFL