Hey Dive readers!
Johanna is still on parental leave for a few more weeks, but we have a story hot off the press we thought you’d want to read. It’s about a legal fight over leadership and work culture at the Battleship North Carolina, a beloved local landmark.
‘Til next time, hope your summer is off to a good start!
—Kate Sheppard, Managing Editor
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The Battleship North Carolina has sailed through storms before.
As a warship serving in World War II, she survived Typhoon Cobra, a massive 1944 storm that sank several ships in the Pacific Fleet. And she’s survived plenty of hurricanes during the 60 years she’s spent docked in Wilmington as a museum ship.
Now, she faces a storm of a different sort: a behind-the-scenes conflict over a recent leadership change that has spilled out into the public.
Christopher Vargo, who served as the battleship’s assistant director for 12 years, was fired in a unanimous vote of the Battleship Commission in January, without a public explanation. Vargo’s side of the story came out in the form of a wrongful termination lawsuit several months later against Jay Martin, the battleship’s relatively new executive director; the commission; and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Vargo alleges that Martin fraudulently claimed overtime hours, tried to isolate him in his work duties, and secretly recorded him in order to pin cost overruns with the Living With Water project on him. The commission, he claims, then retaliated against him for speaking up.
Reporter Ben McNeely has more about the allegations and response.
Battle on the Bridge
A lawsuit alleges tensions over leadership and work culture are plaguing the beloved USS North Carolina.
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Around the Region
Shelved: On Tuesday, the New Hanover County Board of Education voted 5-1 to maintain the ban on Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, a book exploring America’s history with racist ideas. WHQR has more.
Skewered: The state House put the kibosh on Senate legislation dealing with a shrimp trawling ban in inland waters this week, per Port City Daily. The bill had generated considerable backlash in the fishing industry.
Sheltered: The Greater Wilmington Business Journal reports that the Salvation Army of Cape Fear dedicated its new 20,500-square-foot homeless shelter in Wilmington this week. The facility has been in the works for 10 years and features beds for up to 75 people, including seven suites designed for families.
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