The controversial gamefish bill that would have made three species of wild-caught fish unavailable to watermen and consumers in North Carolina was killed late Wednesday, making it the fourth time a gamefish measure has perished in the state. “It is officially dead,” said Rep. Paul Tine, a Kitty Hawk Democrat. “It will not run.” […]
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Senate budget includes tolls on all ferries—again – but not by July 1
By CATHERINE KOZAK Tolls for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry are included in the proposed state Senate bill, but another measure that would eliminate tolling for all state ferry routes is still kicking around. The uncertainty has resulted in a reprieve for the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes, which were scheduled to have toll increases by […]
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Provision in Senate budget proposes that state try to acquire Oregon Inlet
A provision in the proposed state Senate budget that would consider options to acquire Oregon Inlet was a surprise to officials at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the owner of the waterway’s submerged land and much of the adjacent property. “We have not had conversations with anybody at all about acquiring Oregon Inlet,” said Darrell Echols, […]
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UPDATE: Shoaling keeps ferries on longer route, but more runs added for the holiday
Shifting sand continues to cause problems for returning the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferries to their original route. However, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will add more runs on the route to handle increased demand during the coming Memorial Day holiday weekend. Tests conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers late last month showed […]
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Shipwreck museum presents first plans for exhibit design
The presentation was broad, lacked specifics and barely mentioned any artifacts, but after years of waiting, an exhibit design for the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is finally starting to take shape. Members of the museum’s design team made their first presentation to the community Wednesday to explain the conceptual plan for the lobby, gallery, […]
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UPDATE: Another dredge will try clearing sand out of ferry channel
Consecutive surveys of the traditional Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route illustrate the alarming rate of shoaling in Rollinson Channel, especially at the location in the federal navigational channel where utility lines are buried. “Even from the last month’s survey, it’s showing more deterioration,” said state Ferry Division Deputy Director Jed Dixon. “That section has to be addressed […]
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UPDATE: Watermen plan a show in force in Raleigh to oppose gamefish bill
Watermen in North Carolina plan a show of force in Raleigh on Monday, when members of the public have been invited to give feedback on a proposed gamefish bill that would make specked trout, red drum, and estuarine striped bass no longer available to consumers and commercial fishermen. “Folks are very concerned about this legislation,” […]
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UPDATE: Army Corps again surveying inlet after dredging project fails to solve ferry problems
A survey team is working to determine the degree of shoaling in the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry channel, which ferries still can’t transit after a months-long dredging project. “I’m not clear what’s going on,” Roger Bullock, chief of navigation for the Wilmington district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said late Wednesday. Ferry captains have reported […]
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Political terrain is rougher in new version of the gamefish bill
BY CATHERINE KOZAK Commercial fishermen for the fourth time are fighting against passage of a gamefish bill that is winding its way through the North Carolina General Assembly, but this time the political terrain is rougher and the legislation is an entangled mix of actions. The bill, HB 983, proposes to remove red drum, speckled […]
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A celebration of the restoration and relighting of the Bodie Island Lighthouse….WITH SLIDE SHOW
Sometimes reporters get attached to the subject of their coverage, especially if that subject is an underdog unjustly outshined by another that’s taller and more popular. The Bodie Island Lighthouse has been that underdog for me. On Thursday evening, the fully restored lighthouse was officially relighted, and it opened today for the first time to […]
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