by Miles Daniels The annual Visit NC Tourism Conference was held in Asheville earlier this month, and as always there was a strong Greater Outer Banks presence. And the vibe around the Omni Grove Park Inn is that North Carolina’s visitor economy is set-up for another strong year, despite concerns about the overall economic climate in [...] Local News |  Full Article

On Wednesday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m., the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo (RWS) Civic Association will host its next “Speaker Series” event at the RWS Community Building, across from the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station in Rodanthe. “Join us for a panel presentation and discussion of ‘Emergency and Disaster Response,’ including topics of preparedness and recovery from disasters,” stated the RWS Civic Association [...] Local News |  Full Article

Veined with thousands of miles of streams and rivers, dotted by several national wildlife refuges, pocosin wetlands and state parks, the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine region is one of the nation’s ecological crown jewels. The estuary was designated in 1987 as “an estuary of national significance” and is listed as one of “America’s Great Waters.” But this [...] Local News |  Full Article

A prescribed burn is underway at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge as of Monday, March 20, per a recent update from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in North Carolina. “Refuge fire crews will be conducting a 1600-acre prescribed burn to set back woody vegetation, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce fuel loads,” stated [...] Local News |  Full Article

The N.C. Shell Club will hold its spring meeting Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25, on Ocracoke. Evening meetings are held in the Community Center and are open to all. Activities include a field trip to Portsmouth Island, a Celebration of Life for long-time club leader Everett Long, and silent and oral auctions composed of shells [...] Local News |  Full Article

Marshalls, one of the nation’s leading off-price retailers with over 1,100 stores currently operating in 48 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, will open at The Marketplace at Southern Shores on March 30. Marshalls buyers hustle year-round to bring the best deals on must-have products at exceptional value to its shoppers both online and at every [...] Local News |  Full Article

The Inter-County Public Transportation Authority, the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization and the North Carolina Department of Transportation Integrated Mobility Division are in the process of conducting a workforce transportation study to evaluate the feasibility of public transportation options for workers commuting to Dare County from Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, Washington, and Tyrrell counties. The study will [...] Local News |  Full Article

The Dare County Waterways Commission received updates on a series of dredging events that have taken place in the channels of Hatteras Inlet over the past few weeks at their monthly meeting on Monday, March 13. Miss Katie arrived in Hatteras village on Wednesday, March 8, and as of the time of the meeting, had [...] Local News |  Full Article

The Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry operations have been suspended due to high winds and rough conditions as of Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., per an update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division. Ferry service will resume once weather conditions improve. For the Ocracoke-mainland routes, the following departures have been canceled: Ocracoke to Swan Quarter 7 a.m. [...] Local News |  Full Article

Communication services were restored at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, after a fiber optic cable was damaged, leading to a widespread phone and internet outage. The outage occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. and affected all of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. During the outage, emergency personnel was placed at each of the volunteer fire [...] Local News |  Full Article

An oceanfront home at 23228 East Point Drive in Rodanthe collapsed at approximately noon on Monday, March 13. The home was unoccupied at the time of the collapse, and power was cut off to the structure in May 2022. Debris extending past the Rodanthe Pier was reported on Monday afternoon, and the public is advised [...] Local News |  Full Article

Dangerous marine conditions are expected to continue across the Outer Banks through the middle of the week, per an update from the National Weather Service Newport / Morehead City office. Widespread wind gusts of 35-40 mph are possible throughout the Eastern N.C. region through Tuesday night, and high seas and elevated surf, (especially north of Cape [...] Local News |  Full Article

Throughout the course of 2022, The North Carolina Coastal Federation in partnership with several other organizations made huge strides in removing marine debris from the North Carolina coast. The North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan (Action Plan) provides a strategic framework for the prevention and removal of marine debris along the North Carolina coast. After three [...] Local News |  Full Article

Governor Roy Cooper, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, and N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette highlighted a recent $110 million federal grant at the Alligator River Marina on Thursday that will fund the replacement of the primary link between the Outer Banks and the rest of North Carolina. “Strong communities require strong investments in [...] Local News |  Full Article

On March 5, 2023, at approximately 10:11 p.m., Dare County Sheriff’s Office Deputies working the C-District assisted N.C. State Highway Patrol with a traffic stop near South Beach Lane on N.C. Highway 12 in Rodanthe. During the stop, the vehicle was searched and an amount of Marijuana, MDMA, and Drug Paraphernalia were located and seized. [...] Local News |  Full Article