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Dare County announces Good Friday schedule changes and closures

March 29, 2023 | Local News

In observance of Good Friday, all Dare County offices and facilities will be closed on Friday, April 7, 2023.  In addition, Dare County Public Works—which provides trash collection for the unincorporated areas of the county as well as the Town of Kitty Hawk—has announced its revised collection schedule for the week of Monday, April 3, through Friday, April [...] Local News |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Mr. T

March 27, 2023 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, Mr. T, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on Mr. T, 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/

Dare County Transportation System announces purchase of three new ...

March 27, 2023 | Local News

The Dare County Transportation System—which provides curb-to-curb, ride-by-appointment transportation services to residents and visitors of the Dare County community—has announced the purchase of three new vehicles that were recently added to its fleet. The new vehicles, which arrived in Dare County earlier this month, are 2022 Ford X2C eight-passenger transit vans equipped with wheelchair lifts [...] Local News |  Full Article

Ocracoke Scotch bonnet breaks state record

March 27, 2023 | Island Features | By: Connie Leinbach | From The: Ocracoke Observer

A Scotch bonnet found by an Ocracoke resident broke the state record Friday night during the North Carolina Shell Club’s spring meeting on Ocracoke. Islander Felicity Gage is an avid beach walker and brought three large Scotch bonnets to the meeting for official measurement. One of hers measured 91.35 millimeters, which beat the previous record [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Dare County announces Good Friday schedule changes and closures

March 29, 2023 | Local News

In observance of Good Friday, all Dare County offices and facilities will be closed on Friday, April 7, 2023.  In addition, Dare County Public Works—which provides trash collection for the unincorporated areas of the county as well as the Town of Kitty Hawk—has announced its revised collection schedule for the week of Monday, April 3, through Friday, April [...] Local News |  Full Article

Dare County Transportation System announces purchase of three new ...

March 27, 2023 | Local News

The Dare County Transportation System—which provides curb-to-curb, ride-by-appointment transportation services to residents and visitors of the Dare County community—has announced the purchase of three new vehicles that were recently added to its fleet. The new vehicles, which arrived in Dare County earlier this month, are 2022 Ford X2C eight-passenger transit vans equipped with wheelchair lifts [...] Local News |  Full Article

Reminder: Large item pickup for Hatteras Island, Unincorporated Da ...

March 23, 2023 | 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 27, and will 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 [...] Local News |  Full Article

RWS Civic Association to host Emergency and Disaster Response prog ...

March 22, 2023 | Local News

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

Albemarle-Pamlico resilience gets $27.25 million boost

March 21, 2023 | Local News | By: Trista Talton | From The: Coastal Review

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

Marshalls opens store In Southern Shores

March 17, 2023 | Local News

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

Dare County workforce asked to participate in survey on public tra ...

March 16, 2023 | Local News

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

Bodie Island Lighthouse opens for climbing April 26

March 30, 2023 | Seashore News

The Bodie Island Lighthouse will be open for climbing this year beginning Wednesday, April 26. Standing nearly 165 feet tall, the Bodie Island Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the third lighthouse to serve this area. Climbing tickets go on sale at 7 a.m. and may only be purchased on the same day of your intended climb. Tickets are only available for purchase at www.recreation.gov/ticket/252034/ticket/10087143. Pro tip: Tickets sell out quickly, so create your www.recreation.gov account prior to the date you intend to purchase tickets. Learn more about climbing lighthouses at https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/lighthouseclimbs.htm. A climbing season at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is unlikely, due to restoration efforts. [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras National Seashore implements response to March 13 ho ...

March 14, 2023 | Seashore News

National Park Service employees at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) this morning began cleaning up debris associated with yesterday’s unoccupied, one-story house collapse at 23228 East Point Drive in Rodanthe, North Carolina. The proactive clean-up response is an effort to protect the Seashore’s natural resources and help ensure the safety of visitors. Almost all the [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

CHSS will host its first big theater production in 10 years with Finding Nemo Jr. on April 1

March 29, 2023 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

For the first time in a decade, a leading theater company is paying a visit to Hatteras Island to stage a big city-worthy musical, and to work with the talented students of the Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s (CHSS) Drama Club. The Hurrah Players, an acclaimed non-profit theater company out of Norfolk, Virginia, will be staging a one-night-only production of Finding Nemo Jr. on Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and the community is invited to come out to the CHSS auditorium to catch the show. “This show is really incredible,” said CHSS Drama Club Director Blake Taft. “It’s the East Coast premiere of the show, because before this production, Finding Nemo Jr. had only been adapted for the stage in Disneyland in California.” The upcoming visit by the Hurrah Players is notable for a range of reasons. For one thing, Hatteras Island visitors and residents will be among the first in the world [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse lens makes a temporary move during museum ...

March 23, 2023 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse lens is on the move. The roughly 20-foot-tall structure, which is housed within the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, is painstakingly being taken apart and relocated to a secure and on-site storage area while work progresses on the museum’s total renovation. Though the prospect of a museum renovation [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Surfrider Foundation Kicks Off Specialty License Plate Campaign

May 27, 2022 | Watersports

As the unofficial start to the summer season kicks off this weekend, the Surfrider Foundation chapters in North Carolina are launching a campaign to establish a specialty license plate for drivers who “protect & enjoy” the state’s treasured beaches, waters, and waves. The specialty plate features a sunrise beachscape design with the Surfrider Foundation logo [...] Watersports |  Full Article

Island Real Estate: Highlights from the February 2023 OBAR Statistical Report

March 21, 2023 | Real Estate | By: Stephen Smith

Are you a buyer looking for some good news in this rapidly changing real estate market? The February Outer Banks Association of Realtors (OBAR) statistical report has one very interesting stat for Hatteras Island in 2023. Median sale prices so far YTD are down 17%. This comes with some caveats, however, as it reflects a very limited number of closings. But there have been quite a few sales this year where the final price was $400k or less. Median Sales Prices Are Down In areas like Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, home prices are up YTD but it’s important to remember that we are dealing with a very small sample size so far in completed sales. In two months there were a total of 35 sales on all of Hatteras Island.   Sales Volume Has Slowed Significantly This graphic is for all OBX areas, but you can see that home sales are less than half of what they were in 2021 when we had more [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Nearly 40 percent of Americans plan their domestic travel more tha ...

February 20, 2023 | Real Estate | From The: WOBX

Recent research from Destination Analysts reports that the planning window for domestic leisure travel is approximately 12 weeks, with nearly 40 percent of travelers planning more than 12 weeks in advance. Top inspiration sources for trip planning include websites, Facebook, online content, review websites, and streaming video services. Gen Z is primarily using TikTok and Instagram, and [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

N.C. reaches settlement on rental property insurance rate increase

January 31, 2023 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker | From The: WOBX

  State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has announced a settlement has been reached with insurance companies that will allow rates to increase an average statewide of 9.9 percent for rental properties starting in June. Last August, the North Carolina Rate Bureau requested a statewide average 42.6 percent rate hike for dwelling policies spread over two [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Rodanthe Pier will open for the 2023 season on April 1

March 27, 2023 | Fishing | By: Joy Crist

After a winter of various repairs and updates, the Rodanthe Fishing Pier will reopen for the 2023 season on Saturday, April 1, per a recent update. There has been a wave of improvements at the Rodanthe Pier over the past few years, which includes a new ramp that was installed in 2020, and a number of structural repairs that were necessary after various nor'easters, including a November 2021 storm that led to severe damage at the end of the pier. “[This year], we made some structural repairs to the end of the pier and replaced some deck boards,” stated Terry Plumblee, pier owner and manager. “[We] also updated our lights with LED lighting.” Once open, the pier’s scheduled hours will be from 7:00 a.m. until dark. For more information on the Rodanthe Pier, including hours of operation and recent catches, visit https://www.rodanthepierllc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/RodantheP [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Mr. T

March 27, 2023 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, Mr. T, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on Mr. T, 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 March Storm Report

March 23, 2023 | Community News Brief

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

Mark William Ferdinandsen

March 27, 2023 | Obituaries

June 16, 1951 – March 24, 2023 MANTEO — Mark “Ferdi” William Ferdinandsen, a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2023, in Manteo, North Carolina. Born on June 16, 1951, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mark brought joy, love, laughter, and wisdom to everyone he encountered. Mark is survived [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

“Stoney” Merritt Calvin Stone

March 27, 2023 | Obituaries

October 31, 1949 – February 16, 2023 “Stoney” Merritt Calvin Stone passed away unexpectedly on February 16th while doing one of his favorite things—traveling and spending time with his beautiful wife and best friend, Carol, and his beloved dogs, Billy and Charlie. Stoney is survived by his wife Carol Abbey Stone, his sons, Danny and [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Norma Eliana Barreto

March 25, 2023 | Obituaries

June 19, 1941 – March 21, 2023 MANTEO — It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mother Norma Eliana Barreto at the age of 81 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Norma was born in 1941 to Julio Zafra, Sr. and Juana Barreto in Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru.  She worked [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Ila Jean Wall

March 24, 2023 | Obituaries

The family of Ila Jean Wall has announced her death today March 23, 2023 in Colington, NC. She was born May 13, 1929 in Leeds, Alabama. In her long life, she weathered the passing of her parents, Shelly Bragg and Naomi Mitchell Bragg; her husband, William E. Wall; her sons, Nicky Wall, Charlie Wall, and [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Sarah Dee Scarborough Wise

March 23, 2023 | Obituaries

July 27, 1959 – March 20, 2023 MANTEO — Sarah Dee Scarborough Wise, 63, of Manteo, NC died Monday, March 20, 2023, at her home. Born in Baltimore, MD on July 27, 1959, Sarah Dee was a faithful servant of the Lord and loving mother, daughter and wife. She joyfully served in many different areas [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Robert Benjamin O’Neal

March 23, 2023 | Obituaries

April 7, 1954 – March 21, 2023 OCRACOKE — Robert Benjamin (Ben) O’Neal, 68, of Ocracoke, NC passed away on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Ben was a native of Ocracoke, NC and a graduate of Ocracoke High School. He had numerous jobs after high school; working with Army Corps of Engineers on a dredge in [...] Obituaries |  Full Article