Mara McJilton
Multimedia Journalist
Wilmington, N.C.
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Mara joined the WECT team in May of 2021 as a multimedia journalist/reporter.
Mara grew up outside of Atlanta in Dunwoody, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a B.S. in Agricultural Communications and a minor in Journalism & Electronic Media. While in college, Mara interned with WATE.
In her free time, she loves to spend time on the beach, with family and friends, cooking in the kitchen, or cheering on Pittsburgh sports teams!
Story idea? Email Mara at mara.mcjilton@wect.com, or you can find her on Facebook or Twitter.
Updated: 9 hours ago
|By Mara McJilton
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Updated: Jun. 2, 2023 at 6:10 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
If you want to sign up for these alerts all you have to do is text your zip code to 888777. If you have a landline, you’re automatically signed up to get these alerts at your home or business in Pender County.
Updated: Jun. 1, 2023 at 11:19 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
The process is at a place now where fundraising is at the top of the list.
Updated: May. 26, 2023 at 6:39 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
He says that day is still a blur for him, but he knows all of the signs of a stroke were there, but at the time he didn’t know those were the signs of a stroke.
Updated: May. 25, 2023 at 10:50 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Most importantly, make sure you hook up the propane tank to your grill properly to avoid a leak and potential hazard.
Updated: May. 24, 2023 at 11:22 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
The Port of Wilmington is expanding— with refrigerated containers to handle more of those perishable items.
Updated: May. 21, 2023 at 11:46 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Nataliya says she often wondered if they would survive after hearing constant shooting and bombings nearby, on top of not having much food, water, or any electricity.
Updated: May. 18, 2023 at 4:28 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Jim Blair, president of the VRP says they’re also aiming to help active-duty military personnel who will soon be transitioning to civilian life.
Updated: May. 17, 2023 at 11:37 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“It’s a real punch in the gut,” Cole said. “When we lose a cyclist, it’s like losing a member of the family. I mean, we all feel it very deeply.”
Updated: May. 11, 2023 at 11:12 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
She says the results were alarming, but also not surprising.
Updated: May. 10, 2023 at 10:49 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Zapple said this year he’s hopeful after years of this project failing to move forward.
Updated: May. 4, 2023 at 11:43 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
"The number one thing we need to do, academics are very, very important. But keeping students safe, is what we do. And that comes from my heart," Pete Wildeboer said.
Updated: May. 2, 2023 at 9:20 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Hundreds of people gathered from near and far for the start of the 90th annual North Carolina Strawberry Festival on Tuesday evening.
Updated: Apr. 29, 2023 at 10:37 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
He was on the department’s board of directors for 38 years and served as chairman for 23 of those years.
Updated: Apr. 28, 2023 at 11:50 PM EDT
|By WECT Staff and Mara McJilton
“I think in everything, prevention should be the first approach. Because if we prevent somebody to get cancer, it’s better than just trying to get the person treated after the cancer is there."
Updated: Apr. 27, 2023 at 10:51 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Jordan, the prosecutor, believes there will be more defendants in the future as this investigation continues.
Updated: Apr. 26, 2023 at 11:32 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“Hopefully we can be here to provide whatever support is needed,” Ferrer said.
Updated: Apr. 24, 2023 at 6:20 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Two people were injured with non-life-threatening injuries.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023 at 9:44 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Kings Grant was selected this time around due to the age of the homes.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023 at 9:30 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Thankfully, no one was injured.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023 at 2:34 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
"As a result, Bladen County Schools will resume a normal schedule on Monday, April 24. If there are any additional changes, we will let you know.,” BCS said in an email.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023 at 2:21 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
After making emergency repairs throughout the night, the N.C. Department of Transportation has reopened the U.S. 701 Bridge over the Cape Fear River.
Updated: Apr. 22, 2023 at 12:32 AM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“I was convinced that nobody cared about me," Jamir Jumoke said.
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023 at 11:47 PM EDT
|By WECT Staff and Mara McJilton
He first was a District Court Judge for Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus Counties, and then the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge.
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023 at 10:41 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
The chambers, however, passed different versions of the bill meaning they will need to agree on the same version before the bill could go to the governor’s desk.
Updated: Apr. 19, 2023 at 11:19 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Natalie English said she knows something needs to be done to improve roads in this part of the state, but right now her main concern is the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
Updated: Apr. 15, 2023 at 2:13 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
No injuries have been reported.
Updated: Apr. 13, 2023 at 11:30 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“We’re talking about how we fund education, the largest piece of the pie of our state budget in North Carolina as a whole. This isn’t going to be a bill that just kind of gets dropped and moves and gets passed. It’s really the beginning of a discussion that we’re going to have not just within the legislature, but you know, with school districts, and others in North Carolina.”
Updated: Apr. 12, 2023 at 10:50 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“In the Hampstead and Scotts Hill area, that’s where we’re having the most of these issues is along the US 17 corridor.”
Updated: Apr. 7, 2023 at 6:40 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“I was happy,” Jyquavion said excitedly.
Updated: Apr. 6, 2023 at 7:52 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
A few weeks ago, these men and women did a similar technical rescue training exercise, so their skills were up to par.
Updated: Apr. 5, 2023 at 10:35 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
A big part of the education now includes family members and caretakers helping to meet the child’s needs.
Updated: Apr. 1, 2023 at 9:06 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Multiple families have been displaced and Red Cross is assisting.
Updated: Apr. 1, 2023 at 9:01 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Participants learned about building model rockets and aerospace experts.
Updated: Mar. 31, 2023 at 7:58 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
“So, there’s the becoming the sense by many citizens that our concerns are not being taken as seriously as we hoped that they might have been and that’s very discouraging.”
Updated: Mar. 30, 2023 at 10:38 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
He said this will likely lead to a higher call volume for overdose calls in the area, but he doesn’t believe there will be a favorable outcome for many of those calls.
Updated: Mar. 29, 2023 at 10:39 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
While Sheriff McVicker thinks the bad guys will get their hands on guns no matter what—State Representative Deb Butler believes gun violence will only get worse.
Updated: Mar. 27, 2023 at 11:07 AM EDT
|By Mara McJilton and WECT Staff
Hays likely suffered from a heart attack.
Updated: Mar. 27, 2023 at 12:22 AM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Lightning was determined to be the cause of the fire and no injuries were reported.
Updated: Mar. 27, 2023 at 12:14 AM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Updated: Mar. 25, 2023 at 7:36 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Police say all three men are in the United States illegally
Updated: Mar. 24, 2023 at 11:26 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
They’re asking people to stop by their Be The Match event on Monday, March 27 to get screened and see if you might be a match for anyone waiting for this lifesaving treatment.
Updated: Mar. 24, 2023 at 5:17 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
The new data only accounts for patients through 2020 and Dr. Fillion said she knows that things worsened through the pandemic.
Updated: Mar. 23, 2023 at 7:59 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
"But I think the most important one is the water, like, we all need to pay attention to what’s in our drinking water," Dr. Soren Johnson, a pediatrician with Novant Health, said.
Updated: Mar. 22, 2023 at 8:46 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Noelle said thankfully she works from home and tries to help her parents a few days a week, but it’s become more difficult recently.
Updated: Mar. 17, 2023 at 10:52 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
NCDOT said they have heard concerns on that stretch of road for years. The Municipal and School Transportation Assistance Unit (MSTA) recently completed a traffic study to see how they can improve safety in the school zone.
Updated: Mar. 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
As of Thursday, all three major insulin manufacturers, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, have reduced their costs for patients.
Updated: Mar. 15, 2023 at 11:22 PM EDT
|By Mara McJilton
Stein said limitations for the drug place a burden on women who are trying to get access to what the FDA says is a safe and effective drug.
Updated: Mar. 11, 2023 at 3:43 PM EST
|By WECT Staff and Mara McJilton
The class action complaint was filed last month by four individuals who had previously worked for Seacoast Realty as real estate brokers.
Updated: Mar. 10, 2023 at 10:27 PM EST
|By Mara McJilton
“I finally see like differences in my day-to-day life in a month of taking one simple little medication. And knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get it, or I would have to struggle to get it was difficult," Megan Engle said.