All five candidates running for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners attended the recent media consortium forum, answering questions from newsrooms and the audience. Some answers warranted follow-ups, fact-checks, and clarifications.

Last month, after commissioners unanimously penned a letter to Congressional reps, the county’s federal lobbyist followed up. Next steps include exploring a case study of a Minnesota-Wisconsin bridge project that got major federal funding and exploring an extension on the current federal grant for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement.

Davidson County’s Planning Board is recommending approval of Duke Energy’s massive natural gas project along the Yadkin River, despite strong opposition from residents. The proposal now heads to county commissioners.

The Alamance-Burlington School System is exploring potential partnerships with local colleges to bring speech-language pathology programs to the county.