1on1 with Jon Evans

Bethany Joy Lenz’s acting career took off in 2003, when she got the role of Haley James Scott on the hit show One Tree Hill. Fans of the Wilmington-based show didn’t know that while Lenz enjoyed success on-screen, her personal life was being manipulated by leaders of a religious cult. Lenz’s bestselling 2024 memoir, Dinner for Vampires, ...

Mike Krzyzewski would be at or near the top of any short list ranking history’s best college basketball coaches. He won more games than any other coach in his 46-year career, leading Duke University to five men’s national championships. He also won Olympic Gold Medals coaching Team USA, and prepared countless young men for their post-college c...

Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield formed the Righteous Brothers in 1962, after leaving the singing group they were in called The Paramours. The soulful duo topped the music charts with You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin' and (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration, and hit the top-ten with others including Unchained Melody and Rock and Roll Heave...

As Editor-in-Chief of her Tell-Tale TV website, Ashley Bissette Sumerel has reviewed some of the top shows on television and interviewed some of its’ biggest stars. Sumerel is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Critics Choice Association, where her vote counts in deciding the year’s best performances. Her “Talking TV&r...

Kathleen Baker overcame being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease to become one of the best swimmers in the world, winning gold and silver medals in Rio de Janeiro with the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Baker set her sights on returning to the games in 2020, but she never got that second chance at Olympic gold. Now the North Carolina native is supporting a pro...

Ben Folds, the acclaimed singer/songwriter and founder of the 90’s indie rock band Ben Folds Five, is returning to his home state of North Carolina to headline From Wilmington With Love, a benefit concert supporting Hurricane Helene relief. But there’s more on the platinum-record selling performer’s plate. Folds is preparing to record a...

Mike Oblinger took over as Athletic Director at UNCW in April of 2023, coming to Wilmington from the University of Connecticut where he worked alongside coaches and administrators who won several national championships. Oblinger brings years of experience in fundraising and administration, looking to take Seahawk athletics to the next level, while ensurin...

They fly at 400 miles per hour in fighter jets that are inches apart. The Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron has entertained crowds for decades with precision mid-air maneuvers, and U.S. Marine Corps pilot Major Frank Zastoupil had one of the best seats in the house. Major Zastoupil, who is now stationed in North Carolina, is featured in new movie ...

Erika Arlee and Kristi Ray are kindred spirits. A casting call on Craigslist brought them together a decade ago, sparking a friendship that helped launch their production company, Honey Head Films. Their mission is to tell strong stories from the often-overlooked female perspective. The duo’s debut feature film, the multi award-winning A Song for Im...

When Jessica Holmes took the oath of office to become North Carolina’s State Auditor in December 2023, she added another “first” to her growing list of accomplishments. It’s even more impressive when you learn Jessica Holmes experienced homelessness as a child while growing up in Pender County. But thanks to adults who took the tim...

Kayla Thompson had success as a member of the West Bladen High School and UNCW women’s golf teams. Since turning professional in 2019, Kayla has chased the dream of earning her card and playing on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. After several years of ups and downs, Kayla has now earned the chance to...

Kody Kinsley’s life came full circle in 2023. The man who grew up in Wilmington without health insurance helped roll out a program that will provide coverage for 600,000 North Carolinians. That’s the latest accomplishment for the state’s Health and Human Services Secretary, whose career of firsts has combined his two passions, health car...

Terry Hayes found international success when his 2014 debut novel I am Pilgrim became a critically-acclaimed best seller. But in achieving his lifelong ambition, the former journalist and Hollywood screenwriter suddenly found himself in an abyss, searching for the emotional drive to take readers on another page-turning thriller ride. Now, with The Year of...

Jim Shockey is considered one of the world’s best outdoor sportsmen. He’s taken audiences along on wildlife adventure television shows, and led hunting expeditions and conservation efforts into some of the most remote locations on earth. Shockey’s passion for folk and tribal art can be seen in the Hand of Man Museum in his native Canada. Shockey has now e...

In the decade since the death of New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy, Don Bentley is one of the novelists that have continued to bring life to Clancy’s characters. Tom Clancy: Weapons Grade, Bentley’s newly-released fourth thriller featuring Jack Ryan, Jr., ends one chapter in the former Army Apache helicopter pilot’s writing career, while anothe...

Takayo Siddle and Nicole Woods have a lot more in common than being head basketball coaches at UNC Wilmington. They both grew up in North Carolina, played high school and college basketball in the state, and worked as assistant coaches at in-state universities before landing their first head coaching jobs in Wilmington. Woods hopes to add another similari...

While most little league baseball players dream about making the major leagues, that’s never been enough for Walker Jenkins. Setbacks like not making the all-star team as a six-year-old have fueled his competitive fire to work harder and be better than everyone who has played the game. It made him a top draft pick of th...

At the height of America’s civil rights movement, a school board vote closed the only all-Black high school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Generations of families had graduated from Williston Senior High School since its’ inception in 1866. But, in June 1968, facing the possibility of losing federal funding over the school system’s delaye...

With the uniform, badge, helmet, motorcycle and million-dollar smile, Erik Estrada rocketed to television stardom as Officer Frank Poncherello on CHiPs, one of NBC’s most successful shows of the 70s and 80s. More than 40 years and dozens of roles later, Estrada’s on-screen career brought him to Wilmington for Divine Renovation. It's a home remodeling show...