Wilmington, NC News

Construction crews working to repair a bulkhead by the riverfront inadvertently cut a power line Thursday, which left downtown businesses without electricity for nearly eight hours.

Despite the lost revenue, there are no plans to reimburse the business owners.

City spokesperson Malissa Talbert said the power line was deeper in the ground than the crews expected. “It really illustrates why we’re making that repair down there because the line is settling and that’s what’s happening to the whole street. That means it’s slowly eroding away.”

The power outage also affected the traffic lights at the corner of front and market streets.
Luckily, no accidents were reported.

Many people are facing tough economic times. So, are they still willing to open their wallets for Valentine’s Day?

Some area businesses said this lovers’ holiday is treating them very well.

What better place to look for business on Valentine’s Day than a florist. A steady stream of customers has been flowing into Julia’s Florist Shop in Wilmington for weeks, and even during tough times, business is good.

Julia’s manager Dana Cook said, “Love is a great thing the guys are still coming in, the ladies are still coming and they are expressing that through Valentine’s Day and we are seeing very similar sales to what we had in years past.”

For the hopeless romantic on a budget, Julia’s caters to all price points; flower arrangements can range from 14 dollars into the hundreds.

The jewelry business considers itself recession proof. East Coast Pawn’s jewelry sales are up with people purchasing one-of-a-kind items with a small price tag.

Sales associate Sherry Reid said, “With tax time and like I said the economy, we have had people come in and hit these jewelry cases hard.”

If you’re still looking to earn some brownie points, you can always treat your significant other to a day at the spa. There’s nothing like pampering your special someone.

Once gifts have been exchanged, it’s time to eat, and Italian restaurant Cosmo’s is offering a Valentine’s Day dinner special with complimentary wine and music.

At every business we stopped by, employees reported sales are better than expected this Valentine’s Day.

Air Sheriff One dropped in at Ashley High School during lunch on Friday.

Students signed up to learn about the helicopter, and careers with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department as part of National Career Awareness Month.

The first one hundred students who signed up got to attend.

Senior Martin Clugstone said, “I’m not too much about interesting in being a police officer, but more along the lines of and like flying and stuff, but it was very informative very good, I liked it.”

The event was called a lunch and learn. Many of the students are either enrolled or have taken a criminal justice class.

There is an update Friday on the 11-year-old boy hit by a car in New Hanover County Wednesday night.

Rayvon Malik Davis has been upgraded from critical to serious condition.

12-year-old Tyler Wheeler also suffered minor injuries in the accident on Lord Tennyson Drive.

The driver of the car that hit them was not charged. Authorities said he was going the speed limit, and the kids were playing in the middle of the road after dark, wearing dark clothing.