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NC Aquarium Roanoke Island to close Jan. 27-31 for annual maintena ...

January 10, 2025 | Community News Brief

Staff at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will dive into 2025 with a renewed commitment to animals and visitors. Several priority endeavors include large, multi-day projects that can only be completed while the Aquarium is closed. While the team works on-site to accomplish projects and enrich animal care, the Aquarium will close to [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

CHEC’s first rate increase in seven years will take effect in May

January 9, 2025 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) recently concluded a cost-of-service study, which is conducted periodically to ensure that electricity rates are sufficient to cover the cooperative’s power costs and operating expenses. The cost-of-service study also ensures that rates are allocated equitably between residential and commercial members. CHEC’s rate consultant, along with management, reviewed the results of [...] Local News |  Full Article

Artificial Reef Program releases five-year ocean reef enhancement plan

January 9, 2025 | Local News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program has finalized its five-year timeline for ocean reef enhancements funded by Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues. The timeline follows public input on reef sites and materials the division received this fall. The Artificial Reef Program plans to complete one project per [...] Local News |  Full Article

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site invites public comments on pre ...

January 8, 2025 | Seashore News

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Fort Raleigh) invites public comments on three preliminary alternatives for stabilizing approximately one mile of its shoreline. Public comment on the preliminary alternatives is open from Jan. 8-Feb. 7, 2025. Erosion along a section of Fort Raleigh’s shoreline poses a serious threat to potential archeologically significant sites and park facilities. [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Outer Banks Forever seeks next Director

January 8, 2025 | Local News

Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, seeks its next Director to lead it in its mission to protect and enhance these special places, now and forever. Outer Banks Forever is a philanthropic branch of Eastern National (EN), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization [...] Local News |  Full Article

Construction to begin in coming weeks on replacement of Alligator ...

January 8, 2025 | Local News | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The North Carolina Department of Transportation has announced construction of a new bridge over the Alligator River between Dare and Tyrrell counties will begin in the next few weeks. A $450 million contract was awarded Wednesday to Skanska USA to replace the 65-year-old swing-span Lindsay C. Warren Bridge with a modern, two-lane fixed-span bridge [...] Local News |  Full Article

CHEC’s first rate increase in seven years will take effect in May

January 9, 2025 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) recently concluded a cost-of-service study, which is conducted periodically to ensure that electricity rates are sufficient to cover the cooperative’s power costs and operating expenses. The cost-of-service study also ensures that rates are allocated equitably between residential and commercial members. CHEC’s rate consultant, along with management, reviewed the results of [...] Local News |  Full Article

Artificial Reef Program releases five-year ocean reef enhancement plan

January 9, 2025 | Local News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program has finalized its five-year timeline for ocean reef enhancements funded by Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues. The timeline follows public input on reef sites and materials the division received this fall. The Artificial Reef Program plans to complete one project per [...] Local News |  Full Article

Outer Banks Forever seeks next Director

January 8, 2025 | Local News

Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, seeks its next Director to lead it in its mission to protect and enhance these special places, now and forever. Outer Banks Forever is a philanthropic branch of Eastern National (EN), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization [...] Local News |  Full Article

Construction to begin in coming weeks on replacement of Alligator ...

January 8, 2025 | Local News | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The North Carolina Department of Transportation has announced construction of a new bridge over the Alligator River between Dare and Tyrrell counties will begin in the next few weeks. A $450 million contract was awarded Wednesday to Skanska USA to replace the 65-year-old swing-span Lindsay C. Warren Bridge with a modern, two-lane fixed-span bridge [...] Local News |  Full Article

Ocracoke Island ferry operations temporarily suspended due to weat ...

January 7, 2025 | Local News

UPDATE: All three Ocracoke Island ferry routes have resumed normal operations as of Tuesday afternoon. The Hatteras-Ocracoke, Ocracoke-Swan Quarter, and Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry operations have been suspended as of Tuesday morning, January 7, due to windy weather conditions, per an update from the North Carolina Ferry System. Ferry service for all three routes will resume [...] Local News |  Full Article

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site invites public comments on preliminary alternatives to stabilize shoreline

January 8, 2025 | Seashore News

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Fort Raleigh) invites public comments on three preliminary alternatives for stabilizing approximately one mile of its shoreline. Public comment on the preliminary alternatives is open from Jan. 8-Feb. 7, 2025. Erosion along a section of Fort Raleigh’s shoreline poses a serious threat to potential archeologically significant sites and park facilities. Without action, the erosion will most likely continue, potentially jeopardizing the Waterside Theatre’s costume shop and parking lot, park roadways and park housing along Pear Pad Road. Three preliminary alternatives are available for public comment in the Shoreline Stabilization for Erosion Control public scoping newsletter at parkplanning.nps.gov/FORA_shoreline. Comments received through this public scoping period may be used by Fort Raleigh as it develops an environmental assessment. A public mee [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Dare County issues updated Public Health Advisory after Buxton Bea ...

January 1, 2025 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

The Dare County Department of Health & Human Services has issued a revised public health advisory for Buxton Beach, due to the December 19 reopening of a portion of the beach closure. Following a 60-day interim response action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) reopened an approximately two-tenths-of-a-mile section [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras National Seashore reports more than 2.67 million vis ...

December 23, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

With 2,678,290 visitors recorded during the first 11 months of 2024, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) is on track to have another busy year. Per statistics from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, CHNS recorded the following monthly totals for 2024: January – 77,193 February – 79,256 March – 154,935 April – 197,239 May – 267,243 June – 404,323 [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Old Lighthouse Beach reopens to the public, three-tenths-of-a-mile ...

December 19, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

Following a recent interim response action by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), and consultations with the Dare County Department of Health of Human Services (DHHS), the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) has reopened an approximately two-tenths-of-a-mile section of beach starting at the southernmost jetty in Buxton and continuing to the south, also known [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Record number of sea turtles rescued on Ocracoke Island during col ...

December 12, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Peter Vankevich

From OcracokeObserver.com The number of rescued sea turtles on the Outer Banks this past week was, well, stunning. A cold spell that dropped water temperatures into the 40s Fahrenheit resulted in hundreds of sea turtles drifting onto the shores of the Outer Banks. Sea turtles are ectotherms, meaning they are cold blooded and can’t regulate [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Ocracoke Light Station renovations continue; equipment delivers th ...

December 9, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Three separate deliveries of construction equipment associated with the lifting of the Ocracoke Double Keepers’ Quarters are scheduled to occur this coming week. During the deliveries, Lighthouse Road—between approximately Loop Road and Martha Jane Lane—will be closed for up to 30 minutes. Loop Road will remain accessible for those looking for an alternate [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Tickets are now on sale for Hatteras Island Oyster Roast on February 15

January 10, 2025 | Island Features

Join the North Carolina Coastal Federation for a laid-back oyster roast at Oden’s Dock in Hatteras Village on Saturday, February 15, from 1-4 p.m. The event will feature fresh oysters, clam chowder, corn bread and other refreshments. Be sure to save room for homemade dessert from the bake sale. You can also enjoy live music and a silent auction with many unique, regional items. The live auction will open in January and new items may be added weekly! Tickets are $55 and are on sale now. Ticket price includes all you can eat steamed oysters, one serving of clam chowder, corn bread and a nonalcoholic beverage. Alcoholic beverages will be available for additional purchase on site, thanks to support from Carolina Brewery. Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended, as this event has previously sold out. At the door ticket sales may be limited or not available. Guests 15 years old and [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Outer Banks non-profits and towns receive $1.16 million in Tourism ...

January 4, 2025 | Island Features

On December 2, the Dare County Tourism Board finalized awards of $1.16 million for twelve local non-profit organizations and governmental entities. The Tourism Impact Grants are for programs and services needed due to the impact of tourism. The expenditures received the unanimous consent of the Dare County Commissioners at its December meeting. Sponsored annually by the Dare [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Old Christmas Celebration in Rodanthe will be held on Saturday, Ja ...

January 2, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Rodanthe will once again host a local tradition that’s older than the village itself with the upcoming celebration of Old Christmas on Saturday afternoon, January 4. Old Christmas technically began centuries ago when word finally spread to isolated Hatteras Island that England had adopted the Gregorian calendar in the mid-18th century, (effectively changing Christmas to [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Dare County selected to participate in UNC Chapel Hill affordable housing initiative: “Our State, Our Homes”

January 10, 2025 | Real Estate | 1

The Dare Community Housing Task Force has been selected as one of 22 counties across North Carolina to participate in the innovative “Our State, Our Homes” program, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative. This highly competitive program will bring together experts, resources and community leaders to tackle the growing challenge of affordable housing in our region. “Our State, Our Homes” is a statewide program designed to improve access to and availability of affordable housing in North Carolina. Beginning on January 16, 2025, teams from 14 communities representing 22 counties—including Dare County—will collaborate across sectors, utilizing a variety of tools and resources to develop innovative, data-driven strategies tailored to their unique housing challenges. This comprehensive 18-month initiative will connect participa [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Casago to acquire Vacasa through stock purchase, possibly franchis ...

January 6, 2025 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker | 1

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Vacation property management rental companies Vacasa and Casago announced last week they will be merging later this year through a stock purchase that will take the new company private. And more details have surfaced about Casago’s purchase of the company that manages more than 969 properties and employs 223 people on the Outer [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Reminder: Dare County property revaluation effective as of January 1

January 2, 2025 | Real Estate

The Dare County Tax Department reminds property owners that the countywide revaluation of all real estate—including residential and commercial improved properties, as well as vacant land—is effective starting January 1, 2025. Required by North Carolina law to be performed at least once every eight years, revaluation is the process of updating property values to reflect [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Hyde County homeowners can apply for FEMA grants to raise flood-pr ...

December 22, 2024 | Real Estate

As a result of Tropical Storm Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a grant opportunity for Hyde County homeowners to elevate their houses above base flood elevation through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to local and state governments so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

DMF will host training sessions for the Observer Trip Scheduling System in Dare County on Jan. 21 and 22

January 10, 2025 | Fishing

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries is hosting a series of public outreach meetings to train fishermen on the Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS). The OTSS is an automated system that will be used to schedule observer trips for Estuarine Gill Net Permit (EGNP) holders in North Carolina. The Division has worked with the N.C. Department of Information Technology and volunteer commercial fishermen to develop OTSS. Testing is nearing completion, and the Division anticipates it will release the system to the public in February 2025. All EGNP-holders will be mailed an informational packet prior to the outreach meetings. The Division holds an Endangered Species Act Section 10 Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for the incidental take of five species of sea turtles and two species of sturgeon associated with lawful use of EGNP-permitted gill nets. The ITP’s Co [...] Fishing |  Full Article

NC Aquarium Roanoke Island to close Jan. 27-31 for annual maintena ...

January 10, 2025 | Community News Brief

Staff at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will dive into 2025 with a renewed commitment to animals and visitors. Several priority endeavors include large, multi-day projects that can only be completed while the Aquarium is closed. While the team works on-site to accomplish projects and enrich animal care, the Aquarium will close to [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week, Candy

January 7, 2025 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on this pet, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/  

Cape Hatteras Elementary School’s January Storm Report

January 6, 2025 | Community News Brief

The Cape Hatteras Elementary School (CHES) publishes a monthly newsletter called The Storm Report for students, parents, supporters, and friends. The newsletter is a nod to the school’s mascot, the Cape Hatteras Tropical Storms. The newsletter covers everything from upcoming special events to recent initiatives in art, technology, music, media, and more. It is a [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Gary Edward Ferguson

January 9, 2025 | Obituaries

It is with great sadness we announce the death of Gary Edward Ferguson of Nags Head, North Carolina. Gary passed away on December 12, 2024 after sustaining a severe brain injury. Gary was born on June 23,1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, to Elizabeth Anne and Cecil Ferguson, Jr. After graduating from Stephen Decatur High School in [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Margaret Ramsey Roughton

January 9, 2025 | Obituaries

KITTY HAWK — Margaret Ramsey “Peggy” Roughton passed away of natural causes January 6, 2025 at her Kitty Hawk, NC home. Peggy was 93 years old. She was born in Mount Carmel, PA, the daughter of the late William and Mary Ramsey. Peggy was active, extremely smart, and a kind and loving wife and mother. [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Donna Lee Price Savage

January 9, 2025 | Obituaries

February 24, 1946 – January 7, 2025 NAGS HEAD — Donna Lee Price Savage passed away peacefully on January 7, 2025, in Nags Head, NC, at the age of 78. Born on February 24, 1946, in Lancaster, PA, she was the daughter of the late Katherine Fletter Price and Arthur Price. She was also preceded [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Kerrie Jean Lanigan Daly

January 9, 2025 | Obituaries

KITTY HAWK — Kerrie Jean Lanigan Daly, 56, of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, passed away unexpectedly on January 8, 2025. Kerrie was born on May 15, 1968, in Greenlawn, New York, to Donald and Edna Lanigan. Kerrie graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a degree in political science and earned a paralegal certificate from The George [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Megan Elizabeth Zobel

January 9, 2025 | Obituaries

KILL DEVIL HILLS — Megan Elizabeth Zobel was born on July 4, 1994 as a beloved daughter to Reid and Linda passed away on January 2, 2025. As the oldest sister to Hannah, Katelyn, David, she always loved her family- growing up playing barbies and dress up. Megan loved music and singing- from a young [...] Obituaries |  Full Article