Sara Wood

A hearing for a marine charged with desecrating human casualties in Afghanistan was held yesterday at Camp Lejeune. Sgt. Richard Roberts is accused of filming footage of four marines urinating on deceased Taliban fighters in 2011. WHQR’s Sara Wood reports while the video shocked viewers when it appeared on YouTube in 2012, Roberts’ attorney says the marine’s act was a coping mechanism.

A proposed amendment putting more regulations on abortion providers in North Carolina passed a first reading in the state senate yesterday. WHQR’s Sara Wood reports sponsors of the bill say it’s an important step in protecting women’s health, but opponents call it another tactic to decrease women’s access to abortions.

The most significant part of the proposed amendment requires physicians performing abortions to gain hospital admitting privileges to a facility within 30 miles of the clinic.

As the federal government continues debating gun control, several local agencies gathered for a school safety summit in Wilmington on Tuesday at Cape Fear Community College. Attendees represented various organizations, from school administration and law enforcement, to mental health and the court system and  it marks the beginning of a community dialogue to assess school safety, focusing on prevention rather than a cure.

When North Carolina signed on to meet a set of national education standards, it stopped requiring cursive writing in the classroom. Instead, the standards focus on encouraging digital proficiency. But a bill moving through the state house could bring cursive back into public schools.

Tonight the North Carolina House of Representatives will vote again on Senate Bill 10. The bill has made partisan waves and put House Republicans at odds with Senate Republicans. The bill eliminates several boards and commissions, and significantly cuts into term limits for current members. Board continuity is a major concern of both opponents and supporters.

Starting Monday, military veterans in the Coastal Carolina region will be able to seek medical treatment closer to home. The new Wilmington Health Center, located next to the airport, will enhance and expand health care for as many as 18,000 veterans.

Veterans requiring specialty treatment falling outside the capacity of smaller outpatient clinics in Wilmington and Brunswick County endure long trips to Fayetteville to receive care. Fred Roche, the administrator of the new Wilmington Health center, says much of that travel time will now be alleviated.

North Carolina Republicans are making last-minutes fixes to a bill that would reject Medicaid expansion. The expansion could provide health coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured people across the state. Governor Pat McCrory is expected to sign the bill and if he approves the legislation, it could send hospitals across the state bracing for the financial impact.

Last night the Wilmington City Council unanimously approved a resolution that could offer Castle Branch financial incentives to expand its local headquarters and bring 400 news jobs to the area. The resolution to potentially give the company $250,000 dollars mirrors a decision New Hanover County commissioners made earlier this week.

One aspect of the federal Affordable Health Care Act aims to expand state’s Medicaid coverage. Last week, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and some members of the General Assembly advanced legislation to decline Medicaid expansion. But a recent study commissioned by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services shows expanding Medicaid would have positive impacts on the state’s economy.  WHQR’s Sara Wood recently talked to Scott Nystrom, an associate economist with Regional Economic Health Models, who prepared the study.

The Office of the Inspector General at Camp LeJeune released a list of businesses considered to be off limits to marines stationed at Camp LeJeune and Cherry Point. The list includes a range of establishments deemed to have negative impacts on marines.