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Ocracoke Island will hold first-ever Earth Day Festival April 19-21

March 15, 2024 | Island Features

For the first time ever, the nonprofit organization Ocracoke Alive will be coordinating an Earth Day Festival on Ocracoke Island on April 19-21. A schedule of events for the weekend-long festivities is listed below, and folks can also visit their website at https://www.ocracokealive.org/earthday.html for more information, and to obtain a printable schedule. The festival is [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse named one of the best local treasures in ...

March 14, 2024 | Island Features | By: Sam Walker | 1

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is already the king of all the nation’s lighthouses, the unmistakable icon of the Outer Banks, and treasured by locals and visitors alike. This is probably why a survey last summer of over 20,000 Southern Living magazine readers for their The South’s Best 2024 lists ranked the lighthouse in [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Citizen Science Program needs volunteers to help with weather obse ...

March 14, 2024 | Community News Brief

Have you ever wondered how much rain fell during a recent thunderstorm? How about snowfall during a winter storm? If so, an important volunteer weather observing program needs your help! The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS, is looking for new volunteers across North Carolina. The grassroots effort is part of a growing national [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Large Item Pickup for unincorporated areas of Dare County begins M ...

March 14, 2024 | Local News

The Dare County Public Works Department has announced that large item pickup for the unincorporated areas of Dare County will begin on Monday, March 18, 2024, and run continuously for approximately 12-15 days. The large item pickup will be performed by a private contractor, Southern Disaster Recovery, and there will be a strict one-pass-only enforced due to budgetary and [...] Local News |  Full Article

Emergency dredging in Hatteras Inlet will continue through March a ...

March 13, 2024 | Local News | By: Catherine Kozak

After desperately needed emergency dredging in the Hatteras Ferry Channel was nearly impeded last month by a time-consuming permit requirement, members of the Dare County Waterways Commission on Monday applauded the remarkably fast resolution that allowed the project to start. “I think this was a very productive couple of months, or couple of weeks, especially,” [...] Local News |  Full Article

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station will open early for the 2024 season

March 13, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site and Museum will open for visitors on March 18, 2024, which marks an early start for the site’s season, which usually extends from late spring until late fall. “Our Marketing Committee suggested that an early opening – particularly during the 150th Anniversary Year – may better capture folks who are [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Summer Camp Scholarships available at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke ...

March 12, 2024 | Community News Brief

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarship opportunities for our week-long 2024 Summer Camps. This program is made possible by the receipt of a Student STEM Enrichment Program through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The award announcement by Burroughs Wellcome states that the goal of these scholarships [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Large Item Pickup for unincorporated areas of Dare County begins M ...

March 14, 2024 | Local News

The Dare County Public Works Department has announced that large item pickup for the unincorporated areas of Dare County will begin on Monday, March 18, 2024, and run continuously for approximately 12-15 days. The large item pickup will be performed by a private contractor, Southern Disaster Recovery, and there will be a strict one-pass-only enforced due to budgetary and [...] Local News |  Full Article

Emergency dredging in Hatteras Inlet will continue through March a ...

March 13, 2024 | Local News | By: Catherine Kozak

After desperately needed emergency dredging in the Hatteras Ferry Channel was nearly impeded last month by a time-consuming permit requirement, members of the Dare County Waterways Commission on Monday applauded the remarkably fast resolution that allowed the project to start. “I think this was a very productive couple of months, or couple of weeks, especially,” [...] Local News |  Full Article

Hatteras Islanders launch campaign to initiate immediate action at ...

March 12, 2024 | Local News | 1

While government stakeholders are guardedly optimistic that the Buxton Beach Access clean-up is reaching a tipping point for action after years of military use, frustrated residents and visitors are simultaneously pushing legislators and stakeholders to resolve the matter without delay in a recently launched email and letter-writing campaign. Dare County officials have already received numerous [...] Local News |  Full Article

Ocracoke Island ferry operations suspended on Monday morning

March 11, 2024 | Local News

12:30 P.M. UPDATE: The Ocracoke-Swan Quarter and Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferries have resumed normal operations.  The Hatteras-Ocracoke, Ocracoke-Swan Quarter, and Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry operations have been suspended for Monday morning, March 11, due to inclement weather, per an update from the North Carolina Ferry System. Ocean overwash was reported on N.C. 12 on northern Ocracoke Island on Sunday, [...] Local News |  Full Article

Scaffolding around the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse grows as restoration work continues

March 17, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) recently posted an update on the progress of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project, which began in earnest at the start of 2024. Updates on the project’s status are regularly published on the CHNS website, but frequent visitors to the Buxton area have noticed these changes in person, as the tower of scaffolding around the lighthouse continues to grow, and surrounding areas are marked off for construction activities. Throughout March, visitors to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse site should expect increased preparation and work on the surrounding hardscape pathways, beginning near the Museum of the Sea. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse site will remain open to visitors throughout the ongoing work, although some areas will be marked off as landscaping work progresses. The National Park Service has had funding for the massive $19.2 million pr [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Demolition phase begins for extensive Ocracoke Light Station resto ...

March 4, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

Selected demolition has begun at the Ocracoke Light Station’s Double Keeper’s Quarter as a preliminary step in eventually raising the building to protect it from future soundside flooding. “Stoops to porches and other entrances have started to be removed,” stated the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) in a recent update. “Interesting finds during the removal [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Wright Brothers Monument to receive condition assessment from Feb. 5-8

February 1, 2024 | Seashore News

Contractors from Quinn Evans and Terracon will conduct investigative work from Feb. 5-8 on the Wright Brothers Monument to assess the monument’s condition. The assessment will inform the development of a Wright Brothers National Memorial project to address water intrusion and general maintenance needs for the 91-year-old structure. The Wright Brothers Monument is a 60-foot-tall granite monument that sits atop Big Kill Devil [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Construction work begins at Ocracoke Light Station; limited visito ...

January 29, 2024 | Seashore News

Construction work is proceeding for a $3.6 million project to raise and make repairs to the Double Keepers’ Quarters (DKQ) and other structures at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Ocracoke Light Station. Terra Site Constructors LLC has been contracted to complete the project. During the 12-month project, access to the boardwalk and lighthouse will mainly remain open, though there will be temporary [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Work begins in earnest for Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration pr ...

January 29, 2024 | Seashore News

On Monday, January 22, workers from Thorpe Landscapes of Wilmington, North Carolina, began to erect fencing and prepare the grounds surrounding the Cape Hatteras Light Station as an initial first step for the imminent $19.2 million restoration of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Stone and Lime Historic Restoration Services of North Brookfield, Massachusetts, was chosen to [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Portsmouth Island Homecoming returns for 2024 on April 27

March 18, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Every two years, deserted Portsmouth Island comes alive with hundreds of descendants, friends, and visitors during a springtime event that honors the once-thriving village’s roots, and rekindles the island’s inherent sense of community. The event that brings everyone together is the Portsmouth Island Homecoming, and the more than 30-year tradition is once again returning for 2024. The 2024 Homecoming will be focused on the Lifesaving Station, and updates and announcements from the host organization Friends of Portsmouth Island will be posted in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Friends of Portsmouth Island (FPI), which was formed in 1989, sponsored its first homecoming event on April 25, 1992, although similar Homecoming-style gatherings have occurred since 1973. Since then, the biennial gathering has attracted hundreds of family members, as well as newcomers, who tend to [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Ocracoke Island will hold first-ever Earth Day Festival April 19-21

March 15, 2024 | Island Features

For the first time ever, the nonprofit organization Ocracoke Alive will be coordinating an Earth Day Festival on Ocracoke Island on April 19-21. A schedule of events for the weekend-long festivities is listed below, and folks can also visit their website at https://www.ocracokealive.org/earthday.html for more information, and to obtain a printable schedule. The festival is [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse named one of the best local treasures in ...

March 14, 2024 | Island Features | By: Sam Walker | 1

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is already the king of all the nation’s lighthouses, the unmistakable icon of the Outer Banks, and treasured by locals and visitors alike. This is probably why a survey last summer of over 20,000 Southern Living magazine readers for their The South’s Best 2024 lists ranked the lighthouse in [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station will open early for the 2024 season

March 13, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site and Museum will open for visitors on March 18, 2024, which marks an early start for the site’s season, which usually extends from late spring until late fall. “Our Marketing Committee suggested that an early opening – particularly during the 150th Anniversary Year – may better capture folks who are [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Weekly Avon Farmers Market returns for the 2024 season on Tuesday, ...

March 12, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The Avon Farmers Market is returning for the 2024 season on Tuesday, June 11, at their new-in-2023 location next to the Vacasa office along N.C. Highway 12. The market is sponsored by the Avon Property Owners Association, and will feature a variety of local artists, craftsmen, regional farmers, and other homegrown entrepreneurs stationed on the [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Island History: A spotlight on stories from the Outer Banks’ Lif ...

March 9, 2024 | Island Features | By: Jen Carlson

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (CLSS) is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, as one of the seven original Life-Saving Stations to be built in North Carolina in 1874. As such, the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Historic Site in Rodanthe will be sharing stories about the seven 1874 Outer Banks stations in the months ahead, leading [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Island Real Estate: Hatteras Island home sales and trends for March

March 12, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Stephen Smith

Real Estate Market Update - March 2024 My main takeaway from the latest Outer Banks Association of Realtors (OBAR) monthly statistical report was land - vacant lot inventory is down even further than it was last year. Residential home inventory is improving (thank goodness) but land inventory is trending the opposite way. I touched on the growing scarcity of buildable lots in August of last year, and had this to say - We all know what happens to prices when supply dries up, and how many buildable lots will remain in another 5, 10, or 20 years? Something to think about… Well, year-over-year lot listings on the Outer Banks are down 7%, and on Hatteras Island specifically, we have just 69 active residential lot listings. The median list price on these lots is $200k. If you are looking to own your “slice of the beach” on Hatteras Island, the window for buildable vacant lots seems to b [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Dare County expresses strong opposition to proposed homeowners ins ...

January 20, 2024 | Real Estate

The North Carolina Rate Bureau has filed a request with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that proposes to increase homeowners insurance rates statewide by an average of 42.2 percent effective August 1, 2024. If approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, homeowners insurance rates in Dare County would increase by 45.1 percent for properties [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Insurance companies ask for hike on OBX homeowners’ insurance po ...

January 6, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker

  From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Companies that underwrite homeowners’ insurance policies are seeking another massive rate hike in North Carolina, with coastal areas again taking the brunt of the proposal. “Rising insurance costs are a real concern and will add to the increasing inability of North Carolinians to realize the dream of home ownership,” said Outer Banks [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Outer Banks watermen call on lawmakers to cut dredging red tape

March 7, 2024 | Fishing | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com At a meeting of a N.C. General Assembly commission in Manteo on Wednesday, members of the Outer Banks' fishing and marine industries and other local officials called on lawmakers to stop regulatory measures that have hampered dredging of local waterways. A handful of members of the legislature's Environmental Review Commission spent the day in Dare County visiting Jockey's Ridge State Park, Jennette's Pier and the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island. The bipartisan commission is composed of 18 members of the state House and Senate, chaired by Sen. Norm Sanderson (R-Pamlico) who represents Dare and Hyde counties, and Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin). Members of the panel include Sen. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck). Among the missions of the non-standing committee is "to evaluate actions of all boards, commissions, departments, and other agencies of the state and local governm [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Citizen Science Program needs volunteers to help with weather obse ...

March 14, 2024 | Community News Brief

Have you ever wondered how much rain fell during a recent thunderstorm? How about snowfall during a winter storm? If so, an important volunteer weather observing program needs your help! The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS, is looking for new volunteers across North Carolina. The grassroots effort is part of a growing national [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Summer Camp Scholarships available at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke ...

March 12, 2024 | Community News Brief

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarship opportunities for our week-long 2024 Summer Camps. This program is made possible by the receipt of a Student STEM Enrichment Program through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The award announcement by Burroughs Wellcome states that the goal of these scholarships [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

RWS Civic Association Accepting Scholarship Applications

March 11, 2024 | Community News Brief

The Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Civic Association (RWSCA) is currently accepting scholarship applications through April 1, 2024. Applicants must reside or be the dependent of a permanent resident of Rodanthe, Waves or Salvo. Graduating seniors and 2023 graduates are eligible to apply. Applicants can attend public, private or home school. A two-year window for the scholarships is available [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Coastal Human Society announces 27th Annual Walkathon in Kelly’s ...

March 11, 2024 | Community News Brief

The Coastal Humane Society’s Annual Walkathon in Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been a crowd-pleaser and major fundraiser for 27 years. This year will be no exception. Proceeds from the Walkathon underwrite the Society’s programs all year – helping OBX people help their pets. Here’s how the Walkathon works: OBX dog families gather donations [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Sarah Elizabeth Swayne Stafford Strickland

March 18, 2024 | Obituaries

Sarah Elizabeth Swayne Stafford Strickland, 83, passed away peacefully after several years of declining health Saturday, March 16, 2024, at her daughter’s Manteo home. She was born January 6, 1941 in Hertford, NC to Thomas and Pearl Swayne- both deceased. In addition to her parents, Sarah bid farewell to her first husband, Frederick Stafford, a [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Raymond Lee Horton

March 12, 2024 | Obituaries

July 12, 1964 – February 27, 2024 Dawsonville, GA — Raymond Lee Horton, age 59, of Dawsinville, VA, passed away on February 27, 2024, at Northside Hospital Cherokee in Canton, GA. A native of Richmond, VA, he was born on July 12, 1964. Raymond dedicated his career to long-haul truck driving, accumulating over five million [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Jon Adrian Presgrave

March 11, 2024 | Obituaries

February 23, 1943 – March 8, 2024 MANTEO — Jon Adrian Presgrave, 81, of Manteo, NC, passed away on March 8, 2024, at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Born on February 23, 1943, in Washington, DC, Jon lived a life filled with dedication and service. Jon grew up in Chantilly, VA, and graduated from Herndon High [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

David Gary Flanigan

March 11, 2024 | Obituaries

David Gary Flanigan was born in Norfolk, VA on April 27, 1946 to Clarence (Mike) and Doris Bazemore Flanigan. He passed away in Nags Head, NC on March 8, 2024. He attended High School at James Barry Robinson Catholic School for boys where he was on the championship basketball team. He then went on to [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Patricia A. Fleming

March 11, 2024 | Obituaries

NAGS HEAD — Patricia A. Fleming, 81, passed away January 8, 2024 at her home in Nags Head, NC. Patricia was born in Fairbury, IL, to Joseph and Thelma Slagel. She attended Prairie Central High School, earned her BS in Nursing from Millikin University, IL and her MS in Nursing from University of Connecticut. She [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Charles Marshall Griffin

March 10, 2024 | Obituaries

April 4, 1961 – March 4, 2024 NAGS HEAD — Charles Marshall Griffin (Charlie, also known as ‘Grif’), 62, of Nags Head, North Carolina, passed away suddenly on March 4, 2024, due to a tragic boating accident in the Outer Banks’ Oregon Inlet. Charlie was born on April 4, 1961, in Nürnberg, Germany to his [...] Obituaries |  Full Article