🌱 Living Hope Has Months To Relocate + Beach Plans To Ban Golf Carts

Hello all. I'm back in your inbox this morning with your new copy of the Wilmington Patch newsletter. Here's all the local news you need to know right now.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Partly sunny and windy. High: 74 Low: 56.
• Saturday: Cooler; a little morning rain. High: 63 Low: 44.

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Here are the top three stories today in Wilmington:

1. Living Hope, an organization that runs a one-day shelter in downtown Wilmington providing food to homeless people once a week, has been given notice that they can no longer use their current space, with just a few months to find a new location. Living Hope has been utilizing every Wednesday to team up with other organizations to provide food for those in need, but a planned new location at an unused church was halted by a group of homeowners citing logistics concerns. The shelter did not open on Mar. 9 due to both the letters and internal issues. (WECT)
2. The Carolina Beach Town Council has approved an ordinance to phase out golf carts on its streets by 2028 due to safety concerns as the town's population grows. From Jul. 1, only existing permit holders will be allowed to renew their golf cart licenses through the town. Carolina Beach Police Chief Vic Ward said the current lack of identification numbers and license plates on golf carts creates enforcement problems, and the main cause of golf cart collisions is impairment. (Port City Daily)
3. Nicholas Henry Pohlman, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, DWI, and driving after consuming under the age of 21, was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, Mar. 16, following a deadly crash on the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) grounds on Oct. 1. The crash occurred around 12:15 a.m. at 632 College Road, resulting in the death of UNCW sophomore Howard Lashon Coleman II. Pohlman was 19 at the time of the crash. (WECT)

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Today and tomorrow in Wilmington:

Friday, March 17

• St. Patrick's Day Bar Crawl At Coglin's Wilmington (4:00 PM)
• Get Lucky Fest 2 At Waterline Brewing Company (5:00 PM)

Saturday, March 18

• Sunset Cruise With Live Music At The Cape Fear River (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Don't have St. Paddy's Day plans yet? From pints to bagpipes, here are at least 17 things to do in Wilmington for St. Patrick's Day weekend! (Subscription: StarNewsOnline.com)
• WECT is teaming up with the Red Cross for the second annual Cape Fear Battle of the Breweries Blood Drive, which will take place on Mar. 29 at the Coastline Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants will receive a free t-shirt and a token redeemable for a gift from their favorite brewery, and they will be able to vote for their favorite place to grab a pint while donating blood. (WECT)
• North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein presented Wilmington Fire Chief Steve Mason with the Dogwood Award for his work in protecting firefighters from harmful chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other diseases and are commonly found in firefighting foam and gear. Mason's department is working with manufacturers and the state fire marshal to remove PFAS from gear and replace firefighting foam containing PFAS. (WWAY NewsChannel 3)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! See you all soon for another update.

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is an Editor for Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in journalism. She was previously a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.