Good morning Wilmington!

Wilmington City Council voted 6-1 last week to tweak the animal waste ordinance, and the upshot is delightfully weird: the city is on track to hire a herd of 6-8 goats to chomp through overgrown parks, steep slopes, and rights-of-way it's tired of mowing. They're modeling the program after Raleigh's 'Goats On The Go,' the goats will all be wethered (no kids, no surprises), and if permitting cooperates, the crew could be clocking in by end of summer. The one councilwoman who voted no was worried about cleanup — fair, but also: goats.

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• Disney mermaid pilot to film in Wilmington

• UNCW's new research vessel nears Wilmington

Disney mermaid pilot to film in Wilmington this summer

Port City Daily A Disney Branded Television fantasy pilot called "Saltwater," about a teenage girl who discovers she's a mermaid, will begin filming in Wilmington this August after drawing roughly 13,000 casting submissions for its lead role.

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UNCW's new research vessel nears Wilmington after sea trials

WWAY UNCW's Center for Marine Science is putting its new state-funded catamaran research vessel, R/V Osprey, through sea trials in Washington state, with the larger, more capable ship expected to arrive in Wilmington by August.

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News Roundup

Local News

Beach vitex treatments resume this week across Topsail Island, with crews working from North Topsail Beach south through Surf City and into Topsail Beach. Oceanfront property owners who want their lots included can still submit a permission form at TISPC.org. WECT

Nearly a dozen local teens spent the week rappelling, learning CPR and operating the Jaws of Life at the Wilmington Fire Department's Junior Fire Academy. Now in its sixth year, the program at Cape Fear Community College aims to spark interest in firefighting and other first-responder careers. WWAY

What you should know

A North Carolina task force is coalescing around replacing the state's "percent proficient" school grading measure with a weighted index that gives schools credit for smaller gains. Any change still needs General Assembly approval, with a vote targeted for mid-2027. Carolina Journal

North Carolina officials are weighing whether to loosen teacher licensing rules after acknowledging some teachers can spend an entire career without ever passing the state's exam. A bill already moving through the legislature would scrap a basic-skills test for teacher-prep programs and fast-track licensing for out-of-state hires. Carolina Journal

Twin earthquakes — a 7.2 foreshock followed just 40 seconds later by a 7.5 mainshock, Venezuela's strongest in more than 125 years — killed at least 164 people and injured nearly 1,000 near Caracas on June 24. Buildings collapsed across the capital, the main international airport was damaged and grounded, and a tsunami warning went out for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. New York Times

What might surprise you

Lumbee tribal members voted decisively against a constitutional amendment that would have given tribal leadership more power over casino development, in a historic referendum in Robeson County. Nearly 10,000 enrolled members cast ballots, with opponents warning the change would have written a commercial casino venture directly into the tribe's constitution. WUNC

A giraffe named Gracie spent more than a week on the loose in the Texas Hill Country after slipping through an unfenced gate at her ranch. The 3- or 4-year-old giraffe was found safe after her owners offered a $5,000 reward for her return. New York Times

National news

Democratic socialist candidates aligned with Zohran Mamdani swept several marquee primary races in New York Tuesday, while more centrist, corporate-backed candidates held on elsewhere. The results mark a continued rise for the party's left flank in the run-up to the 2026 midterms. Washington Post