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Hey Wilmington, hope your week’s off to a good start!

In today’s wallet-friendly edition: Student art exhibition, police drone expansion, and Girl Scout cookies with cocktails + lots of fun things to do for free.

Today’s sponsor, American Hartford Gold, is helping folks around Wilmington protect their savings as gold and silver continue to gain momentum. Their free guide explains what’s driving the surge… and what to know before adding precious metals to your portfolio. Grab your free copy here.

📰 In the news

Emerging artists on display: CFCC’s Spring 2026 Student Art Exhibition opens today at the Wilma W. Daniels Gallery in downtown Wilmington, with judged works and Best in Show chosen by UNCW’s Madison Creech — get all the details.

Developer and funding breakdown: Avenue Flats, a 184-unit, 100% workforce housing project, broke ground in Wilmington. Opening in 2027, it targets residents earning 30% to 80% of median income, with city and county support — get all the funding details.

Thermal eyes and indoor agility: Wilmington Police are expanding their drone program with DJI Avata, Matrice 4TD, and Mavic 3 to speed safer responses. Drones already aided an Independence Mall evacuation, tracking four suspects — see the gear and missions.

Nothing prepares you for a pet emergency: I learned that the hard way after charging $10k to a credit card for life-saving surgery on my cat, Miss Stache. As soon as we got home, I signed up for Spot. It’s super affordable – and reimburses up to 90% of the bill.

Highlights this week:

• Pair Girl Scout cookies with cocktails
• Sip and sketch with a live model
• Join the Pelican Pursuit fundraiser

🫶 We got your back

Sub craving, solved: When the cold-cut urge strikes, A Taste of Italy answers with overstuffed subs, fresh-baked bread, and an old-school deli vibe that just feels right. Pair your sandwich with marinated mozz, then declare it the midweek win you earned.

Fresh-air reset: Loop the lakeside trail, spot egrets under the cypress, then rent a kayak or cruise the 4.8-mile path. Greenfield Park delivers a low-key weekday reset without the fuss. Bonus: playgrounds and a skate park when your crew needs to burn energy.

Sweet nostalgia, incoming: Olde Wilmington Toy & Candy Co is an easy win for rainy-day bribes or birthday add-ons, with shelves of throwback toys, quirky games, and glass-bottle sweets that make adults suspiciously giddy. Five minutes inside equals a joy boost that somehow lasts all day.

Why your last diet didn’t work: Sustained weight loss is nearly impossible with diet alone. Your body literally fights back by making you hungrier the moment you start restricting calories. That’s why more doctors are recommending GLP-1s. The best part? Getting them has never been easier. We compared three programs to help you find the right fit. See which ones stood out →

Your data is for sale right now: There are over 400 websites selling your info to marketers, political campaigns, and scammers. They’ve got your phone number, home address, relatives’ names… you name it. That’s how robocallers seem to know everything about you before you pick up. You can remove your info one site at a time, or pay a service to do it for you. Here’s what we recommend →

📆 Free events worth checking out

Have an event to share? BaseLocal Verified Businesses can submit them for free! Learn more about how to submit an event here →

All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.

🚀 Science Fiction Book Club: Hail Mary @ Cape Fear Makers Guild | Tuesday (3/10) at 7:00 PM – Join Wilmington’s oldest sci fi book club as we dive into Andy Weir’s Hail Mary, where space survival, snark, and suspiciously fun math collide. Free, open to the public, ages 13+. Hosted by Cape Fear Makers Guild, it meets the second Tuesday of odd months.

🌲 Lenten Forest Bathing-style Meetups @ Halyburton Park | Thursday (3/12) at 12:00 PM – Leaning into Lent at Halyburton Park, we’re slowing down with a short, Christian-infused forest bathing meditation, then an optional sharing circle and picnic if you care to linger. Free, open to all, rain or shine, kids supervised, no pets, and yes, your inbox can wait.

🧠 Weekly Trivia @ Hi-Wire Brewing Wilmington | Thursday (3/12) at 7:00 PM – Think you know your planets, headlines, and guilty-pleasure choruses? Grab the crew for free weekly trivia at Hi-Wire, where the top three teams snag gift cards good for draft, to-go beer, or that merch you’ve been eyeing, and bragging rights, obviously.

📚 Kaleidoscope Play & Learn @ New Hanover County Northeast Branch Library | Friday (3/13) at 10:30 AM – Got a little one climbing the walls? Kaleidoscope Play & Learn at the Northeast Library offers free weekly groups for families with kids 0-5. No pre-registration, just show up, let them explore while you talk to grownups, and grab details at newhanoverkids.org/families/parenting-support.

🍿 Family Movie Night! @ Lutheran Church of Reconciliation | Friday (3/13) at 6:00 PM – Pack the blankets, pillows, and PJs, and come watch Wall-E with the neighborhood, where even a trash compactor finds love and nobody judges your slippers. Free to attend, with popcorn and drinks for sale, and donations welcome to keep the snacks humming.

🎖 Community Kickoff for Marine Cpl Dominic Davila @ Winter Park Baptist Church | Saturday (3/14) at 10:00 AM – Whether you’ve worn the uniform, or just cheer at parades, come help kick off a specially adapted home build for Marine Cpl Dominic Davila in Wilmington. There’s a ceremony, light lunch, time to meet him, plus easy ways to volunteer. No hard hat required.

🎶 CFCC Music Faculty and Friends @ Union Station Auditorium (U-170) | Monday (3/16) at 7:00 PM – Head to Union Station Auditorium for CFCC’s Faculty and Friends Concert, a free evening where the folks behind the music program also flex their chops onstage. Expect classical, jazz, and folk, with neighbors sitting in. It’s like office hours, but tuneful.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

📻 Wilmington report

Weather forecast

Today – High: 81°F – Low: 63°F – Precip: 25%

Patchy fog before 10am, then a chance of rain showers between noon and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 2 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Later: Patchy fog between 10pm and 3am. Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South wind around 6 mph.

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Tomorrow – High: 82°F – Low: 65°F – Precip: 6%

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Southwest wind 3 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Later: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 12 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Are you quietly overpaying for car insurance? 🚗

Premiums have been climbing across North Carolina but most folks won’t notice until they’re hit with a higher bill when it’s time to renew.

That’s exactly what happened to me. I had the same policy for half a decade. Autopay was on, it was out of sight and out of mind. Turns out I was blindly paying way more than everyone else I knew.

If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too – here’s the comparison tool I used.

This house is wild

This 5,300+ sq ft custom home commands the Nicklaus #9 green with tranquil pond views, right across from the clubhouse and range. Set on 1.3 acres in gated Landfall, it features a first-floor primary suite, a chef-friendly kitchen with wet bar and ice maker, and a massive FROG with full bath. A huge porch frames fireworks and fairways.

Take a peek inside →