From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A mechanical issue with the state-owned Ocracoke Express passenger ferry has been repaired at the state shipyard in Manns Harbor, and plans are for service to resume on Tuesday. The catamaran-style vessel, which is now in its sixth season, transports passengers via a 70-minute trip between Hatteras Village and Silver Lake Harbor in Ocracoke […]
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Occupancy and meals up in March; Tourism Board updating strategic goals
June 12, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker | 2
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com While occupancy and meals income in Dare County was up in March, the total numbers for the year so far continue to reflect a long-predicted reset of visitation to the Outer Banks. In a report issued to the Dare County Tourism Board ahead of their May 16 meeting at the reopened Graveyard of […]
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New Dare County MedFlight Hangar/EMS Station facility opens on Roanoke Island
June 4, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday at the new Dare MedFlight Hangar/EMS Station at the Dare County Regional Airport on Roanoke Island. Located at 1078 Driftwood Drive in Manteo, the 14,320-square-foot facility includes a hangar for the medical helicopter, an area to work on repairs including a paint booth, onsite […]
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Causey settles again with insurance companies, another rental home rate hike on the way
May 31, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker | 1
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has reached a settlement with companies that insure rental homes, which means rates for some coverage will be jumping again for a second straight year. The Republican who is running for a third term this fall announced late Thursday he had reached an agreement with the North […]
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Bill repealing Dare housing money overrides now state law
May 21, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Governor Roy Cooper has signed a bill that includes rolling back a stipulation put on $35 million allocated to address housing needs in Dare County that would supersede town zoning regulations from blocking developments that used the funds. But the money will not be used for those purposes anyway, after a pair of […]
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Communications on Hatteras Island restored after fiber cut
May 8, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Communications to-and-from Hatteras Island, including cell phones and internet, was knocked out Tuesday afternoon due to a damaged fiber optic cable. Information about the nature and location of Tuesday’s cable cut was not immediately available, and service was restored just before 11 p.m. Dare County Emergency Management’s “Compact Rapid Deployables” were set up […]
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Solid visitation at OBX attractions in first quarter of 2024
May 5, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com While occupancy and meals collections were lower than the last several years in Dare County to start 2024, a look at the number of visitors at key attractions seems to contradict a predicted slowdown in tourism on the Outer Banks. According to statistics reported by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau for January through March 2024, […]
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Outer Banks named one of the top July destinations in Travel+Leisure magazine
April 29, 2024 | Island Features | By: Sam Walker | 1
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com Travel+Leisure magazine has released its international list of the “15 Best Places to Travel in July,” and includes the Outer Banks among some very elite company. Using their own research and experience, along with suggestions from local experts, they rounded up the best places to travel this July in the United States and […]
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NC State researchers predict active 2024 hurricane season
April 18, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season begins in less than two months, and already a pair of preseason predictions are calling for it to be a busy one. On the heels of researchers at Colorado State University making their highest-ever early call for the number of hurricanes, a team at N.C. State University is […]
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Federal grant to pay for study of N.C. Highway 12 on Pea Island
April 15, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker | 3
From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A federal grant aimed at improving transportation resiliency will pay for a study of options for the future of N.C. 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that $1.8 million has been earmarked for the study of the 11-mile section […]
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