Hatteras and Ocracoke islands had a rocking and rolling Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning as heavy thunderstorms ahead of a powerful cold front brought south winds that gusted to 50 to 60 mph and two to three-plus inches of rain. One of the highest winds gust was reported on Ocracoke – 67 mph. Laura […]
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Park Service announces reductions in visitor services
By IRENE NOLAN The National Park Service today announced changes to several visitor services made necessary by the parks’ budget. In October, to re-open the government, Congress provided funds at Fiscal Year 2013 levels through January 15, 2014. Final funding for FY 2014 may not be resolved before then. “Given our current budget realities and […]
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Ocracoke woman with metal legs aims to spread her message about life with disabilities
Kelley Shinn finds Ocracoke the perfect place to write her memoir about losing her legsāand almost her life–when she was 16. Shinn, 40, an adjunct professor of writing at the University of Akron, is living on the island with her two children on a writer-in-residence fellowship to chronicle her life. She also is conducting a […]
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Ocracoke ABC store still struggling with cash flow
The Ocracoke ABC store is once again struggling with seasonal cash flow and will certainly welcome shoppers purchasing spirits for the holiday season. Information revealed at a public meeting on Nov. 18 shows that sales began to slow down in September, and the Hyde County ABC Board is still trying to resolve some of the […]
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Seashore finalizes addition of new public access facilities
The National Park Service is ready to move ahead with adding new public access facilities at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Seashore superintendent Barclay Trimble announced today the approval of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Construction of New Development that Facilitates Public Access Environment Assessment (EA). The FONSI was approved on […]
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2014 ORV permits go on sale Dec. 1 and will be offered online
The National Park Service announced today that annual and weekly off-road vehicle permits for designated ORV routes in Cape Hatteras National Seashore for the 2014 season will go on sale Dec. 1 and for the first time will offer the option to purchase the permit online. Offering the online option will further streamline the process […]
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Beach access advocacy groups: By the numbers
Over the two months, we have published a series of blogs that cast light on the finances of the five environmental activist groups that are involved in lawsuits that have had and will have a profound effect on our islands. We looked at Form 990, the form that non-profit, tax-exempt organizations must file with the […]
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Residents protest designation of offshore waters as loggerhead critical habitat
Facing the prospect of yet more regulation off their beaches, Outer Banks residents at a hearing Thursday in Manteo took to appealing directly to agency officials for relief. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing to designate northern North Carolina offshore waters as critical habitat for loggerhead turtles. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service […]
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Hatteras Village Medical Center to open on Monday, Nov. 25
When the Hatteras Village Medical Center closed its doors in December 2010, it left a big void in the community. Beyond the loss of convenient access to medical care, there was a general feeling of having lost an important piece of island history—a piece that spoke to the independence and resourcefulness that characterizes islanders and […]
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Kiteboard lost at sea for a week travels 20 miles and is reunited with owner
“I wanted to share with you a story with a bad start but a happy ending,” Charles Littwin of Mooresville, N.C., wrote in an e-mail to The Island Free Press this week. Littwin says he lost his kiteboard at sea at the Avon Pier last week. He writes that it’s a long story, but the […]
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