Good morning, Wilmington.

Wilmington is in the national spotlight this week following the Easter weekend stabbings, including the death of a 21-year-old Marine. The story has sparked questions around police response and communication timing—issues local officials are now addressing publicly.

As heavy as that is, Azalea Festival week continues across the city.

For those looking to step into the weekend, Alt-Zalea Fest 2026 and the The Poor Man’s Garden Party brings an alternative edge to downtown, while the Azalea Festival Parade and Street Fair offers a more traditional celebration.

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• A Fort Bragg Veteran From Wagram, NC Is Charged With Leaking Delta Force Secrets

• NC Gov. Stein Pushes to Reevaluate Data Center Tax Breaks

A Fort Bragg Veteran From Wagram, NC Is Charged With Leaking Delta Force Secrets 🔒

WRAL Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina — a former employee of U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg — was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of leaking classified national defense information. The FBI alleges she provided a journalist with classified details about Delta Force tactics and procedures for use in a 2025 book about Fort Bragg.

According to the DOJ complaint, Williams spent more than 10 hours on the phone with journalist Seth Harp and exchanged roughly 180 text messages with him between 2022 and 2024. She had signed classified information nondisclosure agreements in both 2010, when she was hired, and again in 2015, when she left her position.

Williams is charged under the Espionage Act. She faces serious federal prison time if convicted. The case is notable both for the sensitivity of the unit involved — Delta Force is the Army's most elite counterterrorism element — and for the NC connection. Fort Bragg remains the hub of Army special operations, and this is a reminder of the classified world operating quietly in the state's backyard.

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NC Gov. Stein Pushes to Reevaluate Data Center Tax Breaks

WUNC North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is urging a state energy task force to consider eliminating or restructuring tax breaks for data centers, arguing they could cost the state billions while driving up energy demand and utility costs. The incentives, originally designed to attract investment, currently exempt companies from sales taxes on equipment and electricity. Stein and others say the booming industry may no longer need subsidies, while critics warn changes could impact jobs, economic growth, and business confidence.

Read More >>

News Roundup

Local News

Southport shooter ordered to Central Prison while awaiting Cherry Hospital bed. Judge Disbrow ordered Nigel Max Edge — accused of killing three in Southport last September — transferred to Central Prison while awaiting a Cherry Hospital psychiatric bed. Edge was ruled incompetent by three evaluations; defense says he's unlikely to regain competency, though a state evaluator believes treatment could restore it. 18 counts pending. WHQR

What You Should Know

The Pentagon allegedly threatened the Vatican — with the Avignon Papacy. The Free Press reports that Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby met with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's U.S. ambassador, and reportedly invoked the 14th-century Avignon Papacy — when France controlled the Church — as a reference point for American military power. Pope Leo XIV subsequently canceled a planned U.S. visit. The DOD called the account "highly exaggerated and distorted." Mediaite

Iran is now charging ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz — in crypto. Under a "Strait of Hormuz Management Plan," Iran is requiring oil tankers to pay ~$1 per barrel in Bitcoin, USDT, or yuan. The IRGC has been collecting since mid-March; analysts estimate up to $20M per day at current traffic levels. The Hill

What Might Surprise You

The Obamas are going to Broadway. Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground will co-produce a revival of Proof at the Booth Theatre, opening April 16, starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle. Their first theater venture. Deadline

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