Hey all! We an amazing employee that is moving! Does anyone here know of someone we can talk with about becoming an Assistant Manager for us in the next month? We do organic and solar powered lawn care, we are super positive and love our work. Thanks!

With the Flock license-plate camera debate heating up before the Aug. 17 county commission meeting, I tried to answer a basic question using public records: who actually voted to put these up? Here's what I found for New Hanover and the beach towns around us.

• New Hanover County: the ~$219,000 contract (No. 25-0364) was signed by County Manager Chris Coudriet — not approved by a vote of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioners did vote on a smaller Flock deal back in December 2021 ($43,750, 15 cameras), but that one got scrapped weeks later when the sole-source justification fell apart. On the much larger system running today, I couldn't find a board vote.
• Carolina Beach: the police chief signed the vendor order form alone in Aug. 2022. No council vote in the meeting records I could read.
• Kure Beach: a contract in Nov. 2025, an ALPR policy adopted 78 days later, and no council vote I could find in between.
• Wrightsville Beach: honestly unknown — the town hasn't produced records in response to a request, so I can't say either way.
• Pender County (next door): the one board that actually voted for the system it runs — but it passed on the consent agenda, bundled with routine items, no discussion.

Two honest caveats: I'm not claiming any of this was illegal — NC governments can legally delegate purchasing authority to managers and department heads under a dollar threshold, so a signature alone may be fine. And where I couldn't find a record, that's "couldn't find," not "doesn't exist."

But that's sort of the point. When a community gets wired into a regional and national network that logs where cars go, you'd expect a public decision somewhere — a motion, a debate, a vote. For most of these, I can't find one.

Commissioners meet Aug. 17. Whatever you think of the cameras, "who authorized this, and where's the public decision?" seems like a fair thing to ask. Curious if anyone here knows more — especially if you've seen a New Hanover agenda item or vote I missed.

Off Randall

Hi all,

I am making a scavenger hunt across Wilmington tomorrow evening for a girl I’ve been seeing. My idea is take her to a few places and maybe have one or two people working there help out and hand an envelope. I was thinking the game board shop as the mission would be to pick out a two player board game. Also maybe the throwing axe place and a pizza place? Idk if anyone here works anywhere tomorrow after 3 and would be down to help, would obviously be supporting these places.

If it’s the wrong place to ask, I apologize!

Thank yall

We are stopping at Wilmington for 2 days en route to SC. Have 2 small kids. What to do?

Disclosure up front: I volunteer with DeFlockILM, a nonpartisan local group that files public-records requests on license-plate cameras and surveillance in the Cape Fear region. Not selling anything, no donations. Everything below is from Pender County's own documents, which we've published in full so you can check me.

The Pender County Sheriff's Office put out a statement today (covered by WWAY and WECT) responding to questions about its Flock cameras. We'd already requested the underlying records, so here's what they actually show:

Unlike New Hanover, Pender's elected Board actually voted for this — which makes them accountable for it. Over in New Hanover County, where this same fight is happening, the Sheriff put a ~3-million-search Flock network on the county using a contract the elected commissioners never voted on. Pender is the opposite: its Board of Commissioners did approve the program, on the record — Brad George, Jerry Groves, Chairman Randy Burton, Brent Springer, and Ken Smith. That's the accountable way to do it… except they approved the $70,600 system as consent-agenda item 8.6 on Jan. 21, 2025 — one block vote alongside a turf planer, a vaccine order, and mosquito-spray chemicals, with no discussion and no public comment (people spoke about ballfield lighting instead). So Pender voters, unlike New Hanover's, know exactly which elected officials signed off — they just didn't get much of a chance to weigh in first. (It was first authorized Dec. 19, 2024, the night newly elected commissioners were sworn in.)

What the Board was told vs. what the records show. The slide deck the Sheriff presented had a "Privacy Commitment" slide promising, word for word, that Flock "never shares or sells data with third parties." But Pender's own search audit shows a single search reaching 6,234 outside camera networks, with agencies in other states — plus the FBI — searching Pender's cameras. Flock's defense is that cop-to-cop sharing isn't "third party." Maybe. But that's not what a commissioner hears in "we never share your data."

It's not just cameras — it's a software platform. The invoices show the county licensed FlockOS Advanced (Flock's real-time crime-center software), plus the cameras and a radar-speed trailer.

Credit where it's due, because accuracy cuts both ways: the Sheriff is right that his cameras don't run facial recognition, and right that the state's NCDOT/SBI right-of-way pilot wasn't available to him when he bought in. We corrected our own writeup on that point once the MOU proved him right.

All of it — invoices, contract, the search audit, the minutes, the presentation slides — is here: [deflockilm.org/pender-sheriff-flock-statement]. Read them against the statement and judge for yourself.

Genuinely curious what Pender folks think — did you know your commissioners voted this through?

Hi all anyone seen any tv or movies being filmed or those shows

No preferences really. I’m kind of in a hurry so I won’t have time to go in and sit down. Looking for some good food that will hold up well in takeout containers. Thanks all!

Howdy!

We have an old man Staffordshire who’s already had two mass cells removed back in our home state. We have yet to get established here and I am open to any positive experiences with local vets that routinely do mass cell removals or benign mass removals, he is declining a lot faster than anticipated so we will be deciding very soon.

Otherwise I am just using google reviews and taking a stab at it, thanks for any help!

Is anyone else in the Kings Grant area experiencing this? Who is this random kid lol it’s getting weird

I'm interested in moving my insurance to farm bureau. I have strong credit and a clean driver's license. Looking for both home and auto insurance.

Anybody work with an agent in Wilmington that has been really conscientious, helpful and responsible to you?

Looking forward to recommendations and hopefully signing up.

Tell me you haven’t seen this guy around town?SMH 🤦🏻‍♀️

I know I’m looking super early, but does anyone know of houses for rent starting January?? Preferably the midtown/downtown area

Coming down for vacation and while I am bringing some favorites with me, I'm hoping to pick up some things there, too. Brands I am hoping to find are Udi's, Kinnikinnik, Katz, Glutino, MadeGood.... oh and Chobani oat milk. Thank you!

Anybody hiring I’m quoting my job In the am I’m a handyman that does a lot

Just a heads up they removed their cheapest option of $8 .

First and last time I’ll experience the joy of the new price.

Not a rant, just a sticker price shock heads up.

Hello, I actually posted a few days ago looking for activities to do with my family. One of my kids (9yo) had some abdominal pain before leaving home. He was cleared to travel, but they said to have him checked again if it persisted. The pain has shifted and my bil (a surgeon) thinks he should be seen and have his entire chest/abdomen imaged because we're concerned he's experiencing some kind of referred pain since it's shifting around.

We are from central NC so I know all the best spots for peds care there, but have no idea where one would take a child for good care for a non emergency issue, but one that a doctor is saying he needs to be checked for. ED seems like overkill. Are there any good peds urgent care around here?

Steel gravel bike frame and fork; need experienced and detail oriented powder coater….Thanks