New Bern Now

Image of Jameesha Harris taken when she was running for reelection to New Bern’s Ward 2 alderman seat in 2022. Is it possible for two aldermen and a mayor to outvote New Bern’s six-member Board of Aldermen? After two elected officials — who live in Ward 6 — and the Ward 3 alderman voted to appoint former Alderman Jameesha Harris to the city’s Redevelopment Commission and four aldermen voted for three other candidates, New Bern’s mayor claimed she would be appointed.

City Manager Foster Hughes at City Hall in New Bern, NC. The New Bern Board of Aldermen and mayor voted on a motion to raise the city manager’s salary on Tuesday night.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attended an American First Speaker Series event in New Bern, NC on July 14, 2026. A c-span.org video shows the Secretary McMahon and Laurie Buckout, a congressional candidate, fielded questions from reporters at Baker’s Kitchen.

The Board of Aldermen meet on June 9, 2026 in City Hall courtroom in New Bern, NC. Requests and petition of citizens, Fiber optic installation, sale of city owned property, development, and more on aldermen meeting agenda.

City Hall in New Bern, NC City of New Bern Planning and Zoning Board to review rezoning requests and make recommendations to the city council. The Planning and Zoning Board will review four requests to rezoning property on July 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the second-floor courtroom at City Hall in New Bern, NC. The P & Z Board will make recommendations to the New Bern Board of Aldermen on whether the properties should be rezoned.

Biddle street pump station in New Bern’s Duffyfield community taken in November 2025. City to consider closing streets in Ward 2 to accommodate drainage improvements. City of New Bern aldermen to consider adopting an ordinance to closing portions of Biddle Street, F Street, Fowlers Lane and K Street during their meeting on July 14, 2026, in the second-floor courtroom at City Hall in New Bern, NC.

Proposed NCDOT long-range capital projects North Carolina Department of Transportation announced on July 1, 2026, they are asking the public to participate in prioritizing projects for the next long-range transportation capital plan, according to a press release. People can share their thoughts to help local transportation officials understand what transportation projects matter to them and indicate their priorities by submitting comments on NCDOT’s interactive prioritization map.

Neuse River in New Bern, NC. Sound Rivers announced on July 10, 2026, that four sites failed to meet recreational water-quality standards on the lower Neuse this week: Lawson Creek in New Bern, Brices Creek in James City, Trent Woods on the Trent River and Slocum Creek in Havelock, according to a press release.

Proposed site of The Coronado House in downtown New Bern, NC. City of New Bern Board of Adjustment to consider changes to certificate of appropriateness and other items on Wednesday. The New Bern Historic Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing and consider amending the approved certificate of appropriateness for a planned 3-story development at 226 E. Front Street on July 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the second-floor courtroom at City Hall in New Bern, NC.

Demolition of former Sudan Temple in New Bern, NC. Landmark structure was bought and demolished in three-and-a-half years. Craven County government purchased the Sudan Shriners complex (parking lots, the building, and the grassy parcel extending to the riverfront) for $6 million to be used for parking for the County Administration, Court Facilities Complex, among other things in downtown New Bern, NC.