The North Carolina Department of Transportation completed additional inspections Friday of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which carries Highway 12 over Oregon Inlet, and confirmed the bridge support structure is in need of immediate repairs, but remains safe for the traveling public for now. Steps are already underway to secure a contractor and begin […]
Local News | Full Article
Judge Terrence Boyle: In his own words
For your reading pleasure this holiday weekend, the Island Free Press is sharing the transcripts of federal Judge Terrence Boyle?s two status conferences this year to hear updates on the 2008 consent decree that ended a lawsuit against the National Park Service by environmental groups. Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society, represented by […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
NCDOT conducting additional inspections of Bonner Bridge
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is conducting additional inspections of the Hebert C. Bonner Bridge, which carries Highway 12 over Oregon Inlet, Friday and Saturday to ensure the safety of the traveling public along the Outer Banks. Routine sonar scanning of the bridge recently identified additional scouring, or areas where sand has eroded from […]
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High winds, heavy storms rock Hatteras and Ocracoke islands
Hatteras and Ocracoke islands had a rocking and rolling Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning as heavy thunderstorms ahead of a powerful cold front brought south winds that gusted to 50 to 60 mph and two to three-plus inches of rain. One of the highest winds gust was reported on Ocracoke – 67 mph. Laura […]
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Ocracoke woman with metal legs aims to spread her message about life with disabilities
Kelley Shinn finds Ocracoke the perfect place to write her memoir about losing her legs—and almost her life–when she was 16. Shinn, 40, an adjunct professor of writing at the University of Akron, is living on the island with her two children on a writer-in-residence fellowship to chronicle her life. She also is conducting a […]
Island Features | Full Article
Park Service announces reductions in visitor services
By IRENE NOLAN The National Park Service today announced changes to several visitor services made necessary by the parks’ budget. In October, to re-open the government, Congress provided funds at Fiscal Year 2013 levels through January 15, 2014. Final funding for FY 2014 may not be resolved before then. “Given our current budget realities and […]
Seashore News | Full Article
Hatteras Village Medical Center to open on Monday, Nov. 25
When the Hatteras Village Medical Center closed its doors in December 2010, it left a big void in the community. Beyond the loss of convenient access to medical care, there was a general feeling of having lost an important piece of island history—a piece that spoke to the independence and resourcefulness that characterizes islanders and […]
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2014 ORV permits go on sale Dec. 1 and will be offered online
The National Park Service announced today that annual and weekly off-road vehicle permits for designated ORV routes in Cape Hatteras National Seashore for the 2014 season will go on sale Dec. 1 and for the first time will offer the option to purchase the permit online. Offering the online option will further streamline the process […]
Seashore News | Full Article
Ocracoke ABC store still struggling with cash flow
The Ocracoke ABC store is once again struggling with seasonal cash flow and will certainly welcome shoppers purchasing spirits for the holiday season. Information revealed at a public meeting on Nov. 18 shows that sales began to slow down in September, and the Hyde County ABC Board is still trying to resolve some of the […]
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Residents protest designation of offshore waters as loggerhead critical habitat
Facing the prospect of yet more regulation off their beaches, Outer Banks residents at a hearing Thursday in Manteo took to appealing directly to agency officials for relief. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing to designate northern North Carolina offshore waters as critical habitat for loggerhead turtles. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service […]
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