With no fanfare, NC General Assembly House Speaker Tim Moore visited Ocracoke on Wednesday. When asked how he was doing, after having lunch at Howard’s Pub, he replied, “I’m on Ocracoke, it couldn’t be any better.” Coming down Hatteras Island, Moore (R-Cleveland) boarded the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry along with Jed Dixon, deputy director of […]
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Ocracoke School year to begin online only
July 29, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
Ocracoke and Mattamuskeet schools will begin the first nine weeks of the academic year online only. The Hyde County Board of Education voted unanimously Saturday to begin the school year Aug. 17 with the state Plan C. Prior to the vote, Superintendent Steve Basnight briefed the education commissioners on the options of Plans B and […]
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Ocracoke passenger ferry service funding clears General Assembly
June 25, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
Perhaps few were surprised on April 28 when the N.C. Department of Transportation announced that it canceled its 2020 contract for the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry. Financial woes and a pandemic were a bad combination for it to resume this year. Then word got out that the North Carolina General Assembly was working on legislation […]
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Ocracoke School graduation to adapt to the times
June 10, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
After a tumultuous year, Ocracoke School will end with graduation like none other. Rocked by Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19, Ocracoke School students will long remember this academic year. The school year had barely started before Hurricane Dorian struck on Sept. 6 and damaged the school so badly, it couldn’t be used. Classes were canceled for […]
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Hyde County begins work on plan to reopen
April 24, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and a statewide Stay at Home order, Hyde County has begun work on how to safely reopen the county, said Kris Noble, Hyde County’s manager, in a recent interview. “This week, we are beginning with the county’s health care workers, the health department, medical center and EMS as […]
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Ocracoke Variety Store adopts new shopping option
March 23, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
With the COVID-19 pandemic well underway, vital services such as grocery stores are taking steps to help ensure the safety of both their customers and staff. The Ocracoke Variety Store is one of them. Owner Tommy Hutcherson said today (March 22) that the the store will remain open for all who want to shop as […]
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Dorian-related debris stored in the National Seashore set to be gone by April
February 6, 2020 | Seashore News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent Dave Hallac praised Hyde County and their contractors on the progress removing the demolition debris from the Ocracoke Beach Access parking lot (lifeguard beach). The Seashore also on Tuesday released its 2019 visitor statistics posted below. “I am very impressed with their progress, especially in light of the myriad efforts […]
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Ocracoke Health Center back up and running
January 24, 2020 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
Sometime during the long, slow process of getting Ocracoke somewhat back to normal after Hurricane Dorian hit on Sept. 6, someone must have created a check-off list of what needs to be accomplished. In the days following this devastating storm, for variable times, the island was without electric power, an open bank, grocery store, post […]
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Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count post-Hurricane Dorian
January 20, 2020 | Island Features | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
It takes about a half-hour by boat from Ocracoke’s Silver Lake harbor to the loading dock at Portsmouth village. A group of birders took the ride in the early morning of the last day of 2019 to participate in that island’s annual Christmas Bird Count. This census started in 1988 and attracts between 15 to […]
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Looking back: New pastor’s intro to Ocracoke is a baptism by water
December 26, 2019 | Island Features | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
As the year winds down, there is the realization that Hurricane Dorian’s damage will continue to impact almost all aspects of Ocracoke. Stories of that infamous day and onward will be told for a long time. Here is one story. Church sermons have a long history using the theme of testing one’s character and will […]
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