1on1 with Jon Evans Jon Evans of WECT-TV

Takayo Siddle and Nicole Woods have a lot more in common than being head basketball coaches at UNC Wilmington. They both grew up in North Carolina, played high school and college basketball in the state, and worked as assistant coaches at in-state universities before landing their first head coaching jobs in Wilmington. Woods hopes to add another similarity, by rebuilding the Seahawk women’s hoops program that has fallen on tough times. Siddle did it with the men’s team, and he thinks it won’t be long before Woods has the same success.

While most little league baseball players dream about making the major leagues, that’s never been enough for Walker Jenkins. Setbacks like not making the all-star team as a six-year-old have fueled his competitive fire to work harder and be better than everyone who has played the game. It made him a top draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, and earned him a multi-million dollar signing bonus. Now the teenager from Oak Island is getting his chance at pro ball, and his plans don’t include striking out. 

At the height of America’s civil rights movement, a school board vote closed the only all-Black high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Generations of families had graduated from Williston Senior High School since its’ inception in 1866. But, in June 1968, facing the possibility of losing federal funding over the school system’s delayed desegregation plan, the New Hanover County Board of Education abruptly closed Williston Senior High, forcing around 900 students to attend mostly-White high schools to complete their education. Now, 55 years later, the community is working to heal the wound caused by that decision.

With the uniform, badge, helmet, motorcycle and million-dollar smile, Erik Estrada rocketed to television stardom as Officer Frank Poncherello on CHiPs, one of NBC’s most successful shows of the 70s and 80s. More than 40 years and dozens of roles later, Estrada’s on-screen career brought him to Wilmington for Divine Renovation. It's a home remodeling show with a faith-based twist, with a message that hearkens back to the actor's very first movie.

Elle Graham already has an impressive acting resume, with appearances on high-profile projects like Stranger Things and The Walking Dead. The 13-year-old from Hampstead is riding a wave of popularity right now, thanks in part to starring in the hit Disney television show The Secrets of Sulphur Springs, which is in its third season. Elle also has a major role in a new movie, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which opens nationwide this weekend.

Carli Batson did not enter her first pageant until her teenage years, a decision made after her father lost his job. Once Batson started, though, she found success, winning several titles and enough scholarship money to avoid the burden of college tuition debt. Now the former Miss Wilmington and Miss North Carolina is preparing to wear a new crown, as the 2023 North Carolina Azalea Festival Queen.