John Staton
@statonator.bsky.social
I live and work in Wilmington, N.C., where I cover, arts, cultural issues, history and the film industry for the StarNews. Love music, theater, movies, etc., arts = life
Wilmington NC act Glow in the Dark Scars might be the best indie rock band you’ve never heard of.
After 15-year hiatus, classic Wilmington indie rock band still glows
With shows planned and a stellar new self-titled album, a classic Wilmington indie rock band re-enters the music scene after a 15-year hiatus.
www.starnewsonline.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Wilmington NC act Glow in the Dark Scars might be the best indie rock band you’ve never heard of.
Reposted by John Staton
The CDC says 27 people across 18 states have been sickened, including six who died, after eating products made with pasta from California-based Nate’s Fine Foods.
6 dead, 27 sick in listeria outbreak linked to Trader Joe’s and Walmart pasta meals
The CDC says 27 people across 18 states have been sickened, including six who died, after eating products made with pasta from California-based Nate’s Fine Foods.
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
The CDC says 27 people across 18 states have been sickened, including six who died, after eating products made with pasta from California-based Nate’s Fine Foods.
Interestingly, the only 2 writers from the Wilmington, NC, area to have work produced on Broadway were both Black. "Home," by Tony and Emmy nominee Samm-Art Williams, opens Oct. 17 at historic Thalian Hall.
After decades, locally inspired Broadway play comes 'Home' to Wilmington
A Broadway play inspired by Southeastern North Carolina and the Pender County town of Burgaw comes to Thalian Hall.
starnewsonline.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Interestingly, the only 2 writers from the Wilmington, NC, area to have work produced on Broadway were both Black. "Home," by Tony and Emmy nominee Samm-Art Williams, opens Oct. 17 at historic Thalian Hall.
Reposted by John Staton
Cool story, @statonator.bsky.social! Don't suppose you have a phone number for Josh Gates? Have him come check it out.
#pirate #treasure 🏴☠️
#pirate #treasure 🏴☠️
Show us the Money: Island near Wrightsville Beach harbors tales of buried pirate treasure
For centuries, people have dreamed of finding buried pirate treasure. Perhaps that's why the old Wilmington legend of Money Island still fascinates.
www.starnewsonline.com
September 9, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Cool story, @statonator.bsky.social! Don't suppose you have a phone number for Josh Gates? Have him come check it out.
#pirate #treasure 🏴☠️
#pirate #treasure 🏴☠️
Reposted by John Staton
Reposted by John Staton
You forget we call the trunk of a car the trunk cause it used to be a literal trunk.
August 15, 2025 at 3:46 PM
You forget we call the trunk of a car the trunk cause it used to be a literal trunk.
Reposted by John Staton
On Feb. 15, José Manuel Ramos Bastidas called his wife from inside a Texas immigration detention facility.
He asked her to record a message, “just in case something happens to me.”
Thread 👇
He asked her to record a message, “just in case something happens to me.”
Thread 👇
July 18, 2025 at 10:10 PM
On Feb. 15, José Manuel Ramos Bastidas called his wife from inside a Texas immigration detention facility.
He asked her to record a message, “just in case something happens to me.”
Thread 👇
He asked her to record a message, “just in case something happens to me.”
Thread 👇
Reposted by John Staton
The Trump administration has slashed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations, defunded FEMA’s core program for preventing harm from major disasters and threatened to eliminate FEMA itself.
The Texas Flash Flood Is a Preview of the Chaos to Come
Climate change is making disasters more common, more deadly and far more costly, even as the federal government is running away from the policies that might begin to protect the nation.
www.propublica.org
July 12, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The Trump administration has slashed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations, defunded FEMA’s core program for preventing harm from major disasters and threatened to eliminate FEMA itself.
Reposted by John Staton
Every year, the Supreme Court’s nine justices fill out a form that discloses their financial connections to companies and people.
Using our database, you can search for organizations and people that have paid the justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
Using our database, you can search for organizations and people that have paid the justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
Supreme Connections: Search Supreme Court Disclosures — ProPublica
Search Supreme Court financial disclosures for organizations and people that have paid justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
projects.propublica.org
June 29, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Every year, the Supreme Court’s nine justices fill out a form that discloses their financial connections to companies and people.
Using our database, you can search for organizations and people that have paid the justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
Using our database, you can search for organizations and people that have paid the justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.
Reposted by John Staton
Morten Harket, the lead singer of the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, best known for its 1985 hit single “Take on Me,” said Wednesday that he had Parkinson’s disease.
Morten Harket, a-ha’s Lead Singer, Has Parkinson’s Disease
Harket, best known for his band’s infectious 1985 synth-pop hit “Take on Me,” revealed his illness in an interview on a-ha’s website.
trib.al
June 4, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Morten Harket, the lead singer of the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, best known for its 1985 hit single “Take on Me,” said Wednesday that he had Parkinson’s disease.
Reposted by John Staton
The perfect bird feeder doesn't exi--
June 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
The perfect bird feeder doesn't exi--
Reposted by John Staton
BREAKING: The New York Knicks have fired coach Tom Thibodeau, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
June 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
BREAKING: The New York Knicks have fired coach Tom Thibodeau, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
Moving Wilmington, N.C., production of Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated play "What the Constitution Means to Me" takes up-close and personal look at long-threatened founding document.
Play takes emotional, insightful deep dive into 'What the Constitution Means to Me'
The time couldn't be more right for a deep dive into what the Constitution means to, and for, all of us.
www.starnewsonline.com
May 27, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Moving Wilmington, N.C., production of Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated play "What the Constitution Means to Me" takes up-close and personal look at long-threatened founding document.
Reposted by John Staton
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, posted photos on Sunday of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer runoff.
RFK Jr. Swims in Washington Creek That Flows With Sewage and Bacteria
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, posted photos on Sunday of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer runoff.
When it comes to movies & TV shows shot here, Wilmington has punched above its weight in terms of contributing moments to the annals of American popular culture. Here's 10 from "Blue Velvet," "One Tree Hill," "Dawson's Creek" and more.
10 of the most iconic scenes and images from Wilmington's film and TV history
It's fair to say that the Port City has punched above its weight in terms of contributing moments to the annals of American popular culture.
www.starnewsonline.com
May 12, 2025 at 1:40 PM
When it comes to movies & TV shows shot here, Wilmington has punched above its weight in terms of contributing moments to the annals of American popular culture. Here's 10 from "Blue Velvet," "One Tree Hill," "Dawson's Creek" and more.
Reposted by John Staton
Better access (and shots) than I usually get when I visit Airlie....
#Birds
www.starnewsonline.com/picture-gall...
#Birds
www.starnewsonline.com/picture-gall...
See pileated woodpeckers nesting at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington
Bird watchers have been out at Airlie Gardens keeping an eye on the pair of pileated woodpeckers nesting on the grounds.
www.starnewsonline.com
May 9, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Better access (and shots) than I usually get when I visit Airlie....
#Birds
www.starnewsonline.com/picture-gall...
#Birds
www.starnewsonline.com/picture-gall...
Reposted by John Staton
A developing political scandal in Florida has put Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive. Republican lawmakers are investigating how $10 million in state money was diverted for use in a campaign.
A developing political scandal in Florida has Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive
A developing political scandal in Florida has put Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive. Republican lawmakers are investigating how $10 million in state money was diverted for use in a campaign.
www.npr.org
April 24, 2025 at 9:10 PM
A developing political scandal in Florida has put Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive. Republican lawmakers are investigating how $10 million in state money was diverted for use in a campaign.
Wilmington shot Amazon show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” drops release date for 3rd and final season.
Wilmington-shot Amazon series 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' announces season 3 release date
Ready to head to Cousins Beach? The Wilmington-shot drama on Amazon's Prime Video is ready to heat up your 'Summer' this July.
www.starnewsonline.com
April 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Wilmington shot Amazon show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” drops release date for 3rd and final season.
Reposted by John Staton
Most Americans have encountered false claims about the measles vaccine, and many aren’t sure what the truth is, according to a KFF poll.
Misconceptions about measles, a highly contagious virus, and its vaccine abound as cases continue rising across the United States, according to the poll.
Misconceptions about measles, a highly contagious virus, and its vaccine abound as cases continue rising across the United States, according to the poll.
Americans unsure what to believe about the measles vaccine, poll shows
Parents who believe, or lean toward believing, false claims about the measles vaccine say they delayed or skipped some vaccines for their children.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Most Americans have encountered false claims about the measles vaccine, and many aren’t sure what the truth is, according to a KFF poll.
Misconceptions about measles, a highly contagious virus, and its vaccine abound as cases continue rising across the United States, according to the poll.
Misconceptions about measles, a highly contagious virus, and its vaccine abound as cases continue rising across the United States, according to the poll.
Reposted by John Staton
In just three months in office, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has produced a run of chaos that is unmatched in the Pentagon's recent history. His inner circle — military veterans who, like him, had little experience running large, complex organizations — is in shambles.
Under Pete Hegseth, Chaos Prevails at the Pentagon
The defense secretary’s inner circle is in disarray, and distrust is growing among civil servants and senior military officials.
www.nytimes.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:34 PM
In just three months in office, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has produced a run of chaos that is unmatched in the Pentagon's recent history. His inner circle — military veterans who, like him, had little experience running large, complex organizations — is in shambles.
Reposted by John Staton
BREAKING NEWS: The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The White House has begun process of looking for new secretary of defense
The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
www.npr.org
April 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
BREAKING NEWS: The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Reposted by John Staton
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April 12, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Federal workers: We understand you may be taking a risk in contacting us, and we take your confidentiality extremely seriously.
To collect tips, we use encrypted forms and apps, so messages cannot be read by anybody other than you and ProPublica.
➡️ Reach out here: propublica.org/tips
To collect tips, we use encrypted forms and apps, so messages cannot be read by anybody other than you and ProPublica.
➡️ Reach out here: propublica.org/tips
Reposted by John Staton
Adolf Hitler's “Mein Kampf” is still on U.S. Naval Academy shelves. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “Memorializing the Holocaust” are not.
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office led to a purge of books that are critical of racism — but preserved volumes defending white power.
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office led to a purge of books that are critical of racism — but preserved volumes defending white power.
Who’s In and Who’s Out at the Naval Academy’s Library?
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office resulted in a purge of books critical of racism but preserved volumes defending white power.
www.nytimes.com
April 11, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Adolf Hitler's “Mein Kampf” is still on U.S. Naval Academy shelves. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “Memorializing the Holocaust” are not.
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office led to a purge of books that are critical of racism — but preserved volumes defending white power.
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office led to a purge of books that are critical of racism — but preserved volumes defending white power.
Reposted by John Staton
April 9, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Dark new Wilmington-shot TV series from Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek") about a dysfunctional fishing family coming to Netflix in June.
Wilmington-shot TV series gets 'first look,' release date on Netflix
A TV series that shot in Wilmington and Southport in 2024 will soon head to Netflix.
www.starnewsonline.com
April 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Dark new Wilmington-shot TV series from Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek") about a dysfunctional fishing family coming to Netflix in June.