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Fessenden Center’s spring programs announced; Online registr ...

February 11, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The Dare County Parks & Recreation – Hatteras Island Division has published their Spring 2025 program newsletter on the Dare County website, which includes a round-up of special programs offered by the Fessenden Center in Buxton from March through June Spring registration for Dare County programming opens Wednesday, February 19, at 8:30 a.m. and Hatteras Island [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Wildlife Resources Commission to consider spring speckled trout cl ...

February 11, 2025 | Fishing | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will consider closing the recreational harvest by hook-and-line of speckled trout in inland and joint fishing waters from May 1 through June 15, 2025. Enacting a temporary rule will help avoid public confusion given the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries recent proclamation to close [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week, Spot

February 10, 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/

Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival returns Feb. 21-22

February 10, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Celebrating its sixth year in 2025, the Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival (HVWF) is returning to Hatteras Island on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22. “Each year, [the festival] has grown and attracted more people, so we are hoping that trend continues,” said organizer Karla Jarvis of the Hatteras Village Civic Association. “There will be some of the [...] Island Features |  Full Article

OBCF is offering more than 70 scholarships for Outer Banks student ...

February 9, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Do you know a senior who is looking for a way to help pay for their college education? The Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF) manages over 70 scholarship programs for Dare, Currituck, and Ocracoke students, and now is the time to apply, with an application deadline of Monday, February 24. Last year, 92 named scholarships totaling nearly [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Traffic delays possible in Avon as CHEC replaces nearly 60 transmi ...

February 8, 2025 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

As work continues to replace nearly 60 transmission poles, drivers may experience brief traffic delays on N.C. Highway 12 in Avon as new poles are delivered over the next two weeks, according to an update from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC). “Our contractor, River City Construction, will require northbound lane closures on Highway 12 in [...] Local News |  Full Article

NCBBA makes donation to Hatteras Island Rescue Squad

February 8, 2025 | Community News Brief | By: Joy Crist

The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) recently made a $500 donation to the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that provides rescue and emergency services on the southern Outer Banks. The HIRS is a familiar presence on the beaches of southern Hatteras Island during the summer months, as the roughly 30-member volunteer [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Traffic delays possible in Avon as CHEC replaces nearly 60 transmi ...

February 8, 2025 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

As work continues to replace nearly 60 transmission poles, drivers may experience brief traffic delays on N.C. Highway 12 in Avon as new poles are delivered over the next two weeks, according to an update from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC). “Our contractor, River City Construction, will require northbound lane closures on Highway 12 in [...] Local News |  Full Article

Audit finds staffing, other issues at Richmond facility continue t ...

February 5, 2025 | Local News | By: Sam Walker | 2

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A newly-released audit of the U.S. Postal Service’s Richmond-area facility that processes mail for northeastern North Carolina found continued issues that are impacting delivery. One of the main problems identified in the 31-page report was that the Sandston, Virginia, facility ranks in the bottom 10th percentile in employee attendance across the postal service, [...] Local News |  Full Article

Aquatics facilities are the top request in Dare County Parks and R ...

February 3, 2025 | Local News | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Aquatics programs and facilities, more playgrounds, accessible spaces and athletic fields were among the main requests in a needs assessment survey of parks and recreation offerings in Dare County. Nearly 10% of the county’s population participated in an online survey, over 300 people attended community engagement meetings, and the assessment also included eight [...] Local News |  Full Article

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site reschedules shoreline stabilization public meeting and extends comment period

February 5, 2025 | Seashore News

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Fort Raleigh) has rescheduled its shoreline stabilization public meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Public comment on three preliminary alternatives for stabilizing approximately one mile of Fort Raleigh’s shoreline is open until Feb. 21, 2025, an extension of two weeks due to a weather-related public meeting postponement. Three preliminary alternatives are available for public comment in the Shoreline Stabilization for Erosion Control public scoping newsletter at parkplanning.nps.gov/FORA_shoreline. The public meeting is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at Fort Raleigh’s Visitor Center, 1500 Fort Raleigh Road, Manteo, North Carolina. Public participation is an important element of the planning process, and Fort Raleigh welcomes comments on the public scoping newsletter through Feb. 21, 2025. Comment [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Outer Banks Forever provides update on Bodie Island Light Station fire

January 30, 2025 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

Outer Banks Forever, the official nonprofit partner of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, provided an update in their January newsletter on the Jan. 7 fire at the Bodie Island Lighthouse’s Double Keepers’ Quarters. The organization noted that while remediation efforts were ongoing, the annual lighthouse climbing season, (which is scheduled to start in April), would [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Visitor facilities at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleig ...

January 22, 2025 | Seashore News

National Park Service visitor facilities at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore), Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Fort Raleigh) and Wright Brothers National Memorial will remain closed Thursday, Jan. 23. Fort Raleigh’s shoreline erosion public meeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 23, is postponed—a new date will be announced in the coming days. All off-road vehicle (ORV) [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

All ORV routes temporarily closed on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands ...

January 22, 2025 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

As a safety precaution, Cape Hatteras National Seashore has temporarily closed all ORV ramps due to difficult beach driving conditions. The combination of snow and sand has resulted in numerous vehicles getting stuck on Hatteras and Ocracoke Island beaches. At least 5-6 inches of snow fell overnight on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, and another half [...] Seashore 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

Island History: The birth and resurrection of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

February 12, 2025 | Island Features | By: James D. “Keeper James” Charlet

North Carolina’s iconic Outer Banks are famous for numerous things - most are nationally famous, some are world-famous: the first English colony in the New World. the Wright brother’s first powered fight in a heavier-than-air machine controlled by a pilot, its seven lighthouses, its premier beaches, and the first national seashore, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Of all these, the one most profound in both space and time is the Outer Banks’ maritime history, past and present. Our region is a thoroughly maritime community, and the centerpiece is world-famous Hatteras Island. With its Cape Hatteras (or Cape Point), infamous Diamond Shoals, and the easily recognized Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Hatteras Island stands out when it comes to maritime culture. Celebrating this maritime history is best done by the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village, at the very southern [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival returns Feb. 21-22

February 10, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Celebrating its sixth year in 2025, the Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival (HVWF) is returning to Hatteras Island on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22. “Each year, [the festival] has grown and attracted more people, so we are hoping that trend continues,” said organizer Karla Jarvis of the Hatteras Village Civic Association. “There will be some of the [...] Island Features |  Full Article

OBCF is offering more than 70 scholarships for Outer Banks student ...

February 9, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Do you know a senior who is looking for a way to help pay for their college education? The Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF) manages over 70 scholarship programs for Dare, Currituck, and Ocracoke students, and now is the time to apply, with an application deadline of Monday, February 24. Last year, 92 named scholarships totaling nearly [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Can the Dare Task Force change minds about housing?

February 5, 2025 | Real Estate | By: Mark Jurkowitz

From OuterBanksVoice.com The nearly hour-long presentation of the Dare Housing Task Force’s recent 2024 report at the Feb. 3 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting did more than lay out the daunting obstacles to home ownership in Dare County. It also triggered an extensive discussion on how to get community buy-in for that elusive goal of generating significant new housing projects. The presentation was delivered by Donna Creef and Malcolm Fearing, Chair and Vice-chair of the Housing Task Force, which met for about a year before producing its report. And the data was sobering. For example, the report found that the median home sale price in Dare County leapfrogged from $325,000 in 2003 to $622,000 in 2024. While the median household income in the county is just under $80,000 ($79,742), the required household income for buying a house in Colington ($517,000) is more than twice that [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Homeowners insurance rate hikes coming over next two years that ar ...

January 18, 2025 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A settlement between homeowners insurance companies and state regulators has been reached that will lead to policies costing more across northeastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks over the next two years. And the North Carolina Rate Bureau, which represents companies writing policies in the state, will not be allowed to request an [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Dare County selected to participate in UNC Chapel Hill affordable ...

January 10, 2025 | Real Estate | 2

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 [...] 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

State seeks feedback on proposed conservation access pass

February 12, 2025 | Fishing

From CoastalReview.org The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is hosting a series of public forums on its proposal to allow people who do not have state-issued hunting, fishing or trapping licenses access to state game lands, shooting ranges and boating access areas. The proposed Conservation Access Pass would grant non-license holders access to and use of more than 2 million acres of state game lands, five state wildlife-owned and managed shooting ranges, and more than 250 boating access areas to more than 100 bodies of water for non-registered vessel owners. The pass would allow those who do not have a state Wildlife Resources Commission-issued license to carry out a variety of activities on state-owned and-managed game lands, including hiking, birdwatching, biking, camping, dog walking, geocaching, and foraging, according to the commission’s website. Pass holders would al [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week, Spot

February 10, 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/

NCBBA makes donation to Hatteras Island Rescue Squad

February 8, 2025 | Community News Brief | By: Joy Crist

The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) recently made a $500 donation to the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that provides rescue and emergency services on the southern Outer Banks. The HIRS is a familiar presence on the beaches of southern Hatteras Island during the summer months, as the roughly 30-member volunteer [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Elementary School’s February Storm Report

February 7, 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

Pop-up library event will be held in Rodanthe on February 20

February 7, 2025 | Community News Brief | By: Joy Crist

The Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo (RWS) Community Building will host a pop-up library event with staff from the Hatteras Library on Thursday, February 20, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. During the event, Hatteras Library personnel will bring a selection of library materials for all ages to the RWS Community Building for visitors to browse and borrow. Folks [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Doug & Maureen King Scholarship to Support Students with Lear ...

February 7, 2025 | Community News Brief

Doug and Maureen King have established a new scholarship through the Outer Banks Community Foundation, aimed at supporting students with learning differences. The first Doug and Maureen King Scholarship will be awarded in 2025. “When you work with students who learn differently, you see firsthand how hard they try, even when things don’t come easily,” [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Gail E. Sonnesso

February 11, 2025 | Obituaries

March 24, 1947 – February 7, 2025 KILL DEVIL HILLS — Gail E. Sonnesso, a dedicated advocate for dementia care and community volunteer, passed away peacefully on February 7, 2025. She was 77 years old. The First Flight Lions invite you to join us for a memorial service celebrating the life of Lion Gail Sonnesso, [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Glynn Henderson Powell

February 10, 2025 | Obituaries

January 7, 1934 – February 6, 2025 KILL DEVIL HILLS – Glynn Henderson Powell, a cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on February 6, 2025, in Portsmouth, VA, at the age of 91. Born on January 7, 1934, in Danville, VA, Glynn led a life full of love, devotion, and service to others. [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Warren ‘Skip’ Teeple, Jr.

February 10, 2025 | Obituaries

March 25, 1946 – January 27, 2025 MANTEO — Warren ‘Skip’ Teeple Jr, aged 78, passed away Monday, January 27, 2025, at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, as a result of complications from a long illness. His wife, son, and daughter were with him. Skip was born on March 25, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland. [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Dr. Raymond Gratien LePage

February 10, 2025 | Obituaries

January 3, 1941 – February 6, 2025 Dr. Raymond Gratien LePage, born on January 3, 1941, in Lewiston, Maine, passed away peacefully on February 6, 2025, in Fairfax, Virginia, at the age of 84. A trailblazer in education, Raymond was the first student to participate in the Providence College Student Abroad program. He spent his [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Frances Cobb Peel

February 10, 2025 | Obituaries

  Rev. Frances Jane Cobb Peel was received joyfully into heaven on February 7, 2025 in Nags Head, NC surrounded by love and her family. She was born on April 27, 1938 in Oklahoma City, OK to t he late Francis Norton Cobb and Leona Jane Enders. During her youth, she developed a talent for [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Phillip Alan Greer

February 3, 2025 | Obituaries

Phillip Alan Greer, born September 28, 1959, in Boone, North Carolina, passed suddenly at his home in Kill Devil Hills, on January 11, 2025. In Phil’s early life, he left Boone to attend the University of Missouri where he graduated with a BA in Journalism. However, he never left either behind. He never strayed far [...] Obituaries |  Full Article