Local Headlines

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is searching for 17-year-old Lexica Dana Blankenship. According to BCSO, Blankenship is 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs around 115 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. BCSO says she was last seen in the Civietown Road area wearing pink shorts, a black

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Four people admitted to their roles in a North Carolina man’s murder just before their trial was supposed to start. Online records show Samantha, Payton, Jonathan and Amber Watts all pleaded guilty on Monday before jury selection got underway in the case. Left to right: Samantha Watts, Payton Watts, Jonathan

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – One Wilmington family took the trek to walk over 1,100 miles to support relief efforts in Asheville. Lucien Ellison and his two sons, Jack and Archie, began their walk in the Outer Banks at Jockey’s Ridge on May 10, walking to the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains, and finishing

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WECT) – Oak Island Public Safety units responded to an accident that left a 15-year-old injured on July 14. Units found the juvenile at 2:11 p.m. on the beach between Keziah Street and Womble Street. According to the Oak Island Police Department, a vehicle that was performing survey work had run over

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) -Bladen County animal shelters are overcrowded, and A Shelter Friend, a non-profit rescue organization, is fighting it one paw at a time. Silvia Kim is the co-founder of A Shelter Friend, and she knows all too well about the shelters that are running out of room. “It’s a very large county by

FORT FISHER, N.C. (WECT) – With nearly one-third of all shark species threatened with extinction, the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is using Shark Awareness Day to do more than entertain, it’s sounding the alarm on the growing threats facing one of the ocean’s most critical predators. On Monday, the Aquarium hosted the event

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Five members of the UNCW baseball team have been drafted in the first two days of the 2025 Major League Baseball draft. Pitcher Zane Taylor was picked in the fifth round by the Oakland Athletics. The senior righthander from Franklinton, North Carolina was named Pitcher of the Year in the Coastal

BOLIVIA, N.C. (WECT) – The use of artificial intelligence is growing across the country and even changing how people can do their jobs. It’s something many have learned to lean on for creating content, getting quick information or asking questions. Now it’s helping volunteers at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, a hospice care organization in Brunswick

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – A Columbus County deputy was cited after a crash on US-76, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP). A spokesperson with NCSHP confirmed that Deputy Timothy Bryan Stewart, 21, was moving west on Thursday, July 10, at approximately 1:38 p.m. when the crash occurred. The deputy reportedly collided