September 30, 2008

NC Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returns to Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returned to Wilmington Tuesday.

Family members lined up along the riverfront shortly after noon, awaiting the crews arrival.

Upon arrival, the crew had many stories to tell about their adventures at sea.

Members of the Cutter Diligence have spent the last 52 days helping with hurricane relief efforts in Haiti and the Bahamas.

Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Hanna caused extensive damage to many homes and infrastructures and left thousands of people without food or water.

The crew provided the first wave of relief efforts to reach the devastated areas.

Last week, the crew discovered 83 Haitian migrants onboard an overloaded vessel safely took them back to Haiti.

The crew also helped to restart water distribution in the Bahamas and removed debris from area schools.


September 30, 2008

Wilmington man starts business in struggling economy
WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - With small businesses taking a hit, it's hard to believe someone would try to start one in this economy.

As he puts the finishing touches on his new restaurant, Troy Beal knows he's taking a risk.

"With the economy being as it is, it's obviously tricky and there are people being tighter with their dollar," said Beal.

Serving hotdogs and hamburgers, Bonfire has a simple concept, but the credit crunch makes getting it started on Shipyard Boulevard in Wilmington far from easy.

"The financing was a challenge. The lender I had been working with before on previous restaurants really had to work with me to find the right financing options to put this together and he told me it's really tight right now and this was months ago," said Beal.