In a statement this evening, Sen. Bill Cook explained why he opposes a 1/4-cent sales tax without a referendum that has been requested by the Dare County Board of Commissioners to pay for dredging of the county’s inlets. At the board’s request, Rep. Paul Tine introduced the bill, House Bill 388, in late March. It […]
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Leon Edgar Jennette, Jr.
BUXTON– Leon Edgar Jennette, Jr., 45, died on Saturday, June 20, 2015. Bornin Norfolk, Va., he was the son of Connie Basnett Fox of SouthernShores and the late Leon Edgar Jennette Sr. Leon attended Fork UnionMilitary Academy, where he was the lacrosse captain and his senior yearwas the captain of the football team. He was […]
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Outer Banks Angling: It’s blazing
After a harsh winter and a great spring, the temps have gone full-on summer. Recently, the area has been seeing some mid-July weather with record-high temperatures and heat indexes reaching well over a 100 degrees. But, that’s okay. The water temperatures have been phenomenal from one end of the Banks to the other. At times, […]
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Legislative Update: Senate passes its version of state budget
The North Carolina Senate created its own version of the state’s budget this week. House Bill 97, the proposed state budget for the next two fiscal years beginning July 1, 2015 and ending June 30, 2017, passed the House on May 22. When presented to the Senate, the bill included 329 pages and proposed spending […]
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Moving forward with the Bonner Bridge replacement
We’ve had a lot of good news this week on the islands, but topping the list has got to be the announcement of an end to the 25-year struggle to replacing the decrepit Herbert C. Bonner bridge over Oregon Inlet. All of the parties to the legal wrangling over the new bridge met at the […]
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BOC approves budget, lashes out at Senate’s sales tax plan
The Dare County Board of Commissioners passed a $102 million budget for the next fiscal year that requires no increase in property taxes at its meeting on Wednesday, June 17. And then the board members turned around and denounced the N.C. Senate’s budget plan, which would take $10 to $12 million in sales tax revenue […]
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Six seniors receive diplomas at Ocracoke graduation
Ocracoke’s six graduates contributed to many of the achievements the school garnered this academic year. One of the smallest public schools in North Carolina with 168 students in grades pre-K through 12, Ocracoke gained a lot of attention by obtaining an “A” rating from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). This was the […]
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Betty Elizabeth Austin
HATTERAS– Betty Elizabeth Austin, 92, died on June 18, 2015 at Colony RidgeNursing and Rehabilitation Center. A native of Hatteras, she was thedaughter of the late Crawford R. Austin and Inez Gaskill Austin. Bettyworked as a homemaker and was a member of Hatteras United MethodistChurch. Betty is survived by a son, Tracy S. Austin, and […]
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NPS takes steps to streamline Buxton beach nourishment
The National Park Service announced today that it will prepare an Environmental Assessment — instead of a more complicated Environmental Impact Statement — to streamline its assessment of a Dare County project to nourish beaches in north Buxton. The county’s project, which is being undertaken to protect Highway 12 from erosion and ocean overwash, will […]
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Commentary: Changes to flounder plan not fair to our commercial fishermen
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is meeting in New Bern today to take comments on draft proposals to supplement Amendment 1 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. That might sound like a routine housekeeping step needed to ensure the viability of the state’s fishery resources. However, it is not. For newcomers to the […]
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