The Newsroom

Benjamin Schachtman
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The Newsroom

Hosted by WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman, the program will be an opportunity for local officials and reporters -- the people who make news and the people who report it -- to talk about the issues that affect our community. According to host Ben Schachtman, "Our goal is to have candid, in-depth conversations about the topics that concern our listeners. It will be a chance to dig a little deeper into the news." From WHQR Public Media in Wilmington, NC. Contact us at Newsroom@whqr.org

  1. APR 12

    Healthy Opportunities Pilot shows cost savings for Medicaid: “It’s a hand up”

    On today’s show, host Rachel Keith talks about the groundbreaking Healthy Opportunities Pilot—one of the first in the country—where some Medicaid recipients get assistance for food, rent and utilities, and counseling for interpersonal violence or toxic stress needs. Service providers helping these people get reimbursements from the HOP program.

    50 min

  2. MAR 21

    Celebrating Sunshine Week and Blerd culture

    On today’s show, Rachel Keith celebrates Sunshine Week, an annual event focused on open government and transparency. In honor of this year’s sunshine week, we’re taking a look at government speech policies — we’ll dig into how much public employees, including college professors, can say when they talk to journalists or speak out on political issues. And, later on today’s show, Aaleah McConnell takes a personal look a being a Blerd — that’s a black nerd – and the art, music, and film that exists at the intersection of those two cultures.

    50 min

  3. MAR 14

    A conversation with New Hanover County Commissioner LeAnn Pierce about taxes, budget cuts, and spending priorities

    On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Republican New Hanover County Commissioner LeAnn Pierce about her thoughts and goals as the county’s budget negotiations move forward. We asked Pierce, vice-chair of the Board of Commissioners, about her thoughts on where the tax rate should go — and ways to make the county more efficient, including calls to eliminate DEI and have The Endowment step in to support some previously county-funded programs.

    48 min

  4. MAR 14

    A conversation with New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple about taxes, budget cuts, and spending priorities

    On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Democratic New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple to talk about his priorities and perspectives on the county’s ongoing budget process. We asked Zapple about what he thinks about efforts to make the county more financially efficient — as well as calls to do away with the county’s DEI office, and have the Endowment step in to help with funding in some areas.

    54 min

  5. MAR 14

    A conversation with New Hanover County Commissioner Stephanie Walker about taxes, budget cuts, and spending priorities

    On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Democratic New Hanover County Commissioner Stephanie Walker to talk about her perspective on the county’s budget negotiations — which are going on right now. Walker, who was recently elected to her first term as a commissioner in November after serving for four years on the county’s school board, campaigned as a strong education advocate. So we asked her about education funding, but also other issues — including the proposed removal of the county’s DEI program, and how The Endowment could step in with certain funding priorities.

    35 min

  6. MAR 8

    Planning the Future of Development in the Cape Fear Region

    The entire Cape Fear Region is growing at a blistering pace: and residents worry about the impact on traffic, trees, and stormwater. But growth here is moulded by planners who want to make sure residents don’t get left behind. We’ll hear from a panel of those experts on this week's episode of the Newsroom.

    50 min

  7. MAR 4

    A conversation with New Hanover County school member David Perry about gender in schools

    The New Hanover County Board of Education recently voted to reshape the district's strategic plan, policies, and procedures to comply with President Trump's recent executive orders on both DEI and gender issues. Board member David Perry recently accused the media of a "blackout" of the latter, so we asked him to come into the studio to unpack his views on the topic.

    28 min

  8. FEB 28

    A conversation with New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise about taxes, budget cuts, and spending priorities

    On today’s show, a conversation with Republican New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise about taxes and government spending. Scalise recently penned an opinion piece in the Wilmington Business Journal, which we’ll have links to on the page, where he laid out a fairly simple argument: if property values are going up, taxes should go down. So we invited him to the studio to unpack that idea, and get into some of the granular details of the county’s budgeting process — including where Scalise would like to trim the budget, and where he’d like to spend more.

    42 min
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    About

    Hosted by WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman, the program will be an opportunity for local officials and reporters -- the people who make news and the people who report it -- to talk about the issues that affect our community. According to host Ben Schachtman, "Our goal is to have candid, in-depth conversations about the topics that concern our listeners. It will be a chance to dig a little deeper into the news." From WHQR Public Media in Wilmington, NC. Contact us at Newsroom@whqr.org

    Information

    • Creator
      Benjamin Schachtman
    • Years Active
      2021 - 2025
    • Episodes
      99
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Show Website
      The Newsroom

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