English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Wilmington, NC

WILMINGTON, N.C. — , one of the most high-profile churches in Wilmington, North Carolina, is facing intense scrutiny after former members accused its senior pastor of maintaining a secret long-term affair with the praise & worship leader, according to social media posts and a former member.

Pastor Daniel Cook, the longtime senior pastor of , has been accused on social media of maintaining a secret sexual relationship with his praise and worship leader while allegedly attempting to “groom” another female church member, according to posts and former congregants.

The allegations, which surfaced publicly last week, quickly spread across social media and have shaken one of Wilmington’s most talked-about churches.

“They’ve Been Sleeping Together for Seven Years”

On Tuesday, , a former member of the church, took to Facebook with a blistering post accusing Pastor Cook and the church’s praise and worship leader, Kishanda Canty, of carrying on a sexual relationship for years.

In her post, Spurgeon alleged that Cook and Canty “have been f*cking for the last seven years,” and claimed she herself was being positioned as the next target.

“Dear Sanctuary of Wilmington, your pastor & worship leader have been f*cking for the last 7 years. Then lied to my face, Aviana wrote.”

In another part of her post, she said:

“Daniel, we gave you the chance to tell the truth. We did it privately,” Spurgeon wrote. “It’s just not in you. At your mantle, you are a liar, manipulator, and abuser. Your ability to say something completely different from what is reality needs to actually be studied.”

Spurgeon said she was less concerned about the alleged affair itself than what she described as a pattern of spiritual control.

“I don’t care about the damn affair,” she wrote. “I do care about the fact that you’re building a cult and doing it by using Christ.”

Sanctuary of Wilmington Cancels RENEW U Service as Fallout Grows

Within 24 hours of the allegations going public, The Sanctuary of Wilmington abruptly canceled its midweek RENEW U service, fueling further speculation among current and former members.

Spurgeon’s husband, , a former member of the church and a U.S. military servicemember, told us the situation unraveled rapidly once he returned home and became more involved in church life.

He said his wife began attending The Sanctuary in early 2023 while he was on active duty. By May 2024, he said, he was attending full-time.

According to James, Aviana initially served as a guitarist before moving into a sound engineering role. He later joined her, helping operate the soundboard after other staff members left.

In 2024, James says Pastor Cook delivered what he described as a “fake prophecy” to his wife.

“He was like her, ‘ Oh, I’m like Elijah, you’re going to be my Elisha. I want you close to me,’” James said. “dude’s very charismatic, but it still kind of rubbed me a little wrong – cause like – excuse me?”

Job Offer, Pay Cut, and Red Flags

James said that months later after the prophecy, Pastor Cook offered Aviana a job as an administrative assistant after a previous staff member left. He said his wife quit her nursing job and was making “a fraction of what she used to” but it wasn’t a big deal.

According to James, the church office environment consisted of just three people during the workweek: Aviana, Pastor Cook, and Canty.

That’s when his wife began noticing what he described as weird behavior.

“One time, he just spazzes out on this woman [Canty], calling her, ‘you a btch, you—you have nothing without me, you’re nothing without me,’ just ragging on this woman, ” James alleged.

“He Was Trying to Hit on My Wife”

James said he learned of the alleged relationship between Cook and Canty the same day he believes Cook attempted to pursue his wife.

“I don’t know what he thought this was, but she immediately showed me the messages and was like, ‘Hey, I think you should see this,’ and I saw it and I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s hitting on you.’”

The next day, James said, his wife showed Canty the messages — who allegedly broke down and confirmed a pattern of behavior.

Wilmington's coffee scene got a jolt in 2025 with the arrival of several new ventures, and if baked goods and sweets are your thing, your opportunities for a sugar buzz got even bigger last year.From doughnuts to ice cream to Frappuccino, here's a look at coffee shops, bakeries and other new spots that opened in Wilmington in 2025.

The BakeShop by Three Friends Coffee: The local Three Friends coffee brand opened a bakery and coffee shop in the former Clean Eatz location at 203 Racine Drive in Wilmington in November.

Beach Break Donuts: Look for “always hot” doughnuts, ice cream and coffee made with water purified via reverse osmosis which is open seasonally at 1009 N. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach.

Beginner’s Luck Coffee: This family business has moved from West Virginia to start anew in Wilmington. They are now located in the storefront at Grateful Graze, 1616 Shipyard Blvd.

Boba N Latte: This spot offers fruit teas, milk teas, milk shakes/Frappuccino and other items at Independence Mall in Wilmington.

Boombalatti's Handcrafted Ice Cream: This local and beloved ice cream brand opened a location in Carolina Beach (in the Proximity development) and at University of North Carolina Wilmington this year.

Coastal Coolers: A dirty soda shop opened in February at 5214 Market St. in Wilmington. They add ingredients like creams, syrups and juice to sodas.

Calico Coffee Bar: This new coffee shop is at 1319 Military Cutoff Road, serving seasonal brews and bevs in the Landfall Shopping Center in Wilmington.

Cravings: This gluten-free and vegan bakery recently opened at 240 Princess St. in downtown Wilmington. The good-for-you treats are made with clean ingredients and no preservatives.

Crispý Cones: This Shark Tank-approved concept opened its first North Carolina location in April at 120 Market St. in downtown Wilmington.

Dis-fruta: This new “antojitos y frutería,” or snack-and-fruit shop, is now open at 4606 Maple Ave. in Wilmington serving drinks and treats like banana splits and churro bites.

Dwell House Coffee: A mobile coffee unit launched in August to serve good coffee and seasonal drinks in the Wilmington area.

The Green Bean: A husband-and-wife team also launched this coffee cart serving the greater Wilmington area this year.

Grumpy’s Soft Serve: This ice cream shop is new to The Bend at 7227 Market St. in Wilmington's Ogden area.

Jeremiah's Italian Ice: This frozen treat brand that serves soft serve, Italian ice and Jelati opened a location in downtown Wilmington at 306 N. Front St.

The Kozy Bean Cafe: This coffee shop has opened at 3280 George II Highway in Southport. It's in the former The Office Coffee & Wine Bar location.

Lil Bitty Donut Co. Southport: Fresh made mini doughnut and more can be found at this shop at 4961 Old Long Beach Road.

Mike & Benny’s Gelato: A new business at 9 Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach is serving gelato, ice cream and coffees. Look for flavors like pistachio and stracciatella.

Needful Things & Moody Bean Book Cafe: This coffee shop and bookstore merged at 114 E. Nash St. in Southport with a grand opening on Aug. 30 with giveaways and specials.

Power Bowls at the Village: A smoothie and bowl spot held a grand opening at 7964 Market St. in Wilmington in April.

Sinful Cupcakes: This local cupcake brand added a storefront location at Landfall Shopping Center, 1319 Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington.

Shaka-Laka Bowls of OIB: A Brunswick County location of this organic acai bowl cafe opened in April at 11 Causeway Drive in Ocean Isle Beach.

Skyline Cafe: The people behind Brooklyn Cafe in the Brooklyn Arts District have recently opened this spot on the ground floor of the Skyline Center at 929 N. Front St. in downtown Wilmington.

Sunset Slush: The Cargo West food hub is the new setting for this popular Italian ice business. They’re at 615 S. 15th St.

Tap Tea Bar: This local boba tea brand closed out 2025 with two new locations, at 304 N. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach and at 1 N Lumina Ave. in Wrightsville Beach.

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@usatodayco.com.

If you drive down the coast of Southeastern North Carolina, you'll come across one beach after another. There's around a dozen different beaches that are an hour or less drive from Wilmington, all of them popular destinations for tourists and locals alike.

But which beaches are the least crowded? For beachgoers that are looking for some quiet and seclusion, two local beaches have been noted to stand out above the rest.

Both are in Brunswick County. For different reasons, these two locations tend to be less crowded than other options, letting the natural beauty of the beaches define the experience.

The online publication Midlife Healthy Living highlighted Holden Beach and Bald Head Island in its list of "16 U.S. Beach Towns Known for Their Seclusion and Natural Beauty."

Many of the beach towns on the list, such as Bald Head Island, require a ferry trip to visit. Others, like Holden Beach, have simply maintained more of a small-town atmosphere.

Here's a look at what makes these two beaches so special.

Less crowds

For some Wilmington-area residents, winter is the best time to visit the beach. Summer crowds of tourists are long gone, making it easy to find the perfect spot on the sand to set up.

But there are some beaches that pride themselves on having fewer crowds even during the summer.

Take Holden Beach, for example. The town's website proclaims: "Holden Beach is proud of what we do not have."

Holden Beach, which is situated on a barrier island accessible by bridge, is small and primarily residential, lacking too much in the way of commercial areas. This is by design. The website notes that Holden Beach attracts visitors who want to experience a quiet and family-oriented atmosphere.

Instead of shopping, Holden Beach boasts activities that get visitors and locals out into nature, such as boating, fishing, hiking or hunting for shells on the beach.

Hard to access

Bald Head Island, on the other hand, takes seclusion to another level. The island is accessible only by ferry, and cars are not allowed.

Although Bald Head Island has some of the most unique, beautiful and untainted natural areas in all of southeastern North Carolina, the difficulty of accessing the island keeps many tourists away, especially anyone going for a daytrip.

The ferry will run passengers over $20 for a round trip, and it only departs from Deep Point Marina in Southport, which is close to an hour from the hub of Wilmington.

But the trip is very well worth it for nature lovers. Bald Head Island offers miles of beaches, marshes and maritime forests to explore.

Future growth

No one can deny that Southeastern North Carolina is becoming a bigger place to live in and travel to. Up and down the coast, beach towns in the Wilmington area are seeing more development and population growth.

This will undoubtably impact even places like Bald Head Island and Holden Beach. But at the same time, both of these beaches are proud to be more subdued than their neighboring destinations, and many of their residents hope to keep it that way.

Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.

The species has been found in its present form in the fossil record dating back as far as 30 million years ago. A large adult is capable of exerting a bite force of 2,100 pounds. They can go for months without eating and can hold their breath for up to 24 hours.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a remarkable animal.

Eleven states have alligators, but North Carolina alligators are rather unique since that is as far north as they live naturally.

What do alligators do in the winter?

So, what do alligators do in the wintertime? Where do they go?

When the weather turns chilly, alligators seem to disappear from local waters. They’re still there, though, just not as noticeable as they are in the warmer months.

“It’s more like you’re walking by them and not even realizing they’re there,” said Samantha Washburn, a boat captain for Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach.

When the temperature drops below 60, the ectothermic (coldblooded) alligators go into brumation, a state of sluggishness and inactivity similar to hibernation in mammals. They stay in the water to regulate their body temperature, digging dens in the banks of waterways, with an entrance usually below the waterline, said Alicia Wassmer, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission alligator biologist. When freezing temperatures arrive, she said, alligators will maintain a hole in the ice to come up and breathe.

“This is one of the only places where it’s going to happen in the world,” said Washburn.

Because alligators cannot metabolize food when they are in brumation, they are not stimulated to eat, said Wassmer, who has heard estimates of alligators going a year or longer without eating. Generally, she said, North Carolina alligators don’t feed between mid-October and mid-April.

Male alligators can grow to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 500 pounds while females can reach nine feet and 200 pounds. However, because of their adaptation to the colder North Carolina climate, alligators in the state have a slower growth rate than those in more southern areas.

What is the survival rate for alligators?

Although an alligator is an apex predator in adulthood, it begins life at the other end of the food chain. Only about 20% of alligators survive their first two years, said Wassmer.

As a species, alligators are highly successful, though.

“The fact that they haven’t changed (over millions of years) is more relative to if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Wassmer said. “Their biology works so well for what they do and where they live.”

Washburn said: “They’re genetically extremely old. They’re genetically older than cancer.”

Alligators have been around for so long, and yet there is more to learn about them.

Wassmer said, “We’re just scratching the surface on what we know about these things.”

Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at RLiepa@usatodayco.com.

It’s hard for me to believe, but 1986 in Wilmington was 40 years ago.

I was a sophomore and junior at Hoggard High School back in ‘86, which was the last year students could smoke cigarettes on campus (as long as they were outside the building, of course).

Hoggard didn’t have a football stadium back then, but there was a student parking lot in the woods along Shipyard Boulevard, where a retention pond sits today.

Those of us who couldn’t secure a space in that lot parked across the street at Long Leaf Mall and crossed Shipyard to get to school. We were even allowed to leave campus for lunch, although the Long Leaf Mall Hardee’s was pretty much the only place we had time to go without being late to class after lunch.

I remember going to see movies, including “Pretty in Pink,” at the Long Leaf Mall cinema (where Medac is now) in ‘86, and to the old New Hanover County Fair when it was on Carolina Beach Road across from Echo Farms.

Teens hanging out at Independence Mall on the weekends was a big thing, and the Space Station arcade at the mall’s west entrance between Belk and JCPenney was ground zero for teen meetups.

I wasn’t old enough to get in, but the Mad Monk on Market Street, just west of the College Road overpass, was a hotspot for live music.

Summer of ‘86 certainly meant time spent at Wrightsville Beach, where Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier was still wooden and one could park for a few quarters if you couldn’t find a free space.

The old Galleria shopping center opened near Wrightsville in ‘86, the bustling Leland of today was unrecognizable and the Jubilee Park amusement facility at Carolina Beach was a big draw for tourists.

Closer to downtown, the no-pads, full-tackle Turkey Bowl game near Williston Junior High drew crowds, the visitors center at the foot of Market Street made its first appearance and the World’s Largest Living Christmas Tree was Wilmington's longest-serving holiday attraction.

Soap opera star Kim Zimmer was that year’s Azalea Festival queen, with blues legend B.B. King the main concert draw at Trask Coliseum. Joe McQueen was four years into what would be a 22-year run as New Hanover County Sheriff.

And 1986 was a huge year for Wilmington’s film industry, with David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Raw Deal” and Stephen King’s “Maximum Overdrive” hitting theaters nationwide and both Oscar nominees (“Crimes of the Heart”) and big-name creature features (“King Kong Lives”) shooting in and around the Port City.