The issue of the Bonner Bridge replacement and access to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands has become an ever-increasing source of stress to our residents and visitors. There is the fear of physical danger involved in a bridge collapse and the anxiety about Highway 12 that accompanies each weather system that has been frustrating us even […]
Community News Brief | Full Article
Guest Column: The best path to a safe bridge and reliable highway By BETH MIDGETT
Sandy has moved the sand on Hatteras Island ……WITH SLIDE SHOW
Signs of normalcy began to appear today around the villages of Hatteras Island as floodwaters began to recede when Superstorm Sandy moved north of the region. Many awakened this morning to less water in their yards, weakening winds, and blue skies. After being cooped up inside for days, people were eager to move about the […]
Local News | Full Article
The Seneca Guns – mysterious booms that rattle windows and nerves of coastal residents – were quiet this past summer. The fearsome rumbles occur with no warning and leave no clues to reveal their origins. To be sure, the next Seneca Guns event will trigger frantic calls to local emergency management agencies. It probably will […]
Island Features | Full Article
The Seneca Guns – mysterious booms that rattle windows and nerves of coastal residents – were quiet this past summer. The fearsome rumbles occur with no warning and leave no clues to reveal their origins. To be sure, the next Seneca Guns event will trigger frantic calls to local emergency management agencies. It probably will […]
Island Features | Full Article
The Seneca Guns – mysterious booms that rattle windows and nerves of coastal residents – were quiet this past summer. The fearsome rumbles occur with no warning and leave no clues to reveal their origins. To be sure, the next Seneca Guns event will trigger frantic calls to local emergency management agencies. It probably will […]
Island Features | Full Article
The Albatross Fleet turns 75 with a celebration …WITH SLIDE SHOW By IRENE NOLAN
As folks were beginning to gather at the docks in Hatteras village Saturday afternoon for the Albatross Fleet’s 75th anniversary party, an uninvited guest blew in from across the Pamlico Sound. It was a really impressive Hatteras squall with buckets of great big rain drops that brought visibility down to about nothing, strong winds, and […]
Fishing | Full Article
The Albatross Fleet turns 75 with a celebration …WITH SLIDE SHOW By IRENE NOLAN
As folks were beginning to gather at the docks in Hatteras village Saturday afternoon for the Albatross Fleet’s 75th anniversary party, an uninvited guest blew in from across the Pamlico Sound. It was a really impressive Hatteras squall with buckets of great big rain drops that brought visibility down to about nothing, strong winds, and […]
Fishing | Full Article
The Albatross Fleet turns 75 with a celebration …WITH SLIDE SHOW By IRENE NOLAN
As folks were beginning to gather at the docks in Hatteras village Saturday afternoon for the Albatross Fleet’s 75th anniversary party, an uninvited guest blew in from across the Pamlico Sound. It was a really impressive Hatteras squall with buckets of great big rain drops that brought visibility down to about nothing, strong winds, and […]
Fishing | Full Article
For a tourist town, bathrooms are a big deal. For a tourist town surrounded by water, public access to the water is a necessity. For a tourist town dependent on the cleanliness of that water, stormwater runoff from the street should not be flowing into that water. Somehow, what seems like obvious planning details have […]
Island Features | Full Article
For a tourist town, bathrooms are a big deal. For a tourist town surrounded by water, public access to the water is a necessity. For a tourist town dependent on the cleanliness of that water, stormwater runoff from the street should not be flowing into that water. Somehow, what seems like obvious planning details have […]
Island Features | Full Article
This year’s Day at the Docks begins with a serious talk about fishing By JORDAN TOMBERLIN
Somewhere around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, under a large party tent in the backyard of the historic Seaside Inn, Ernie Foster stepped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. Just minutes earlier, an unexpected late-summer storm had unleashed torrential rains, forcing the 80 or so guests who had gathered for the first event […]
Fishing | Full Article
Leslie is currently a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to pass close to Bermuda over the weekend, perhaps as a Category 2, and long-period swells – 6 to 9 feet by the weekend in coastal waters with a period of 12 to 13 seconds – will bring dangerously rough seas. The National Weather Service […]
Local News | Full Article
Leslie is currently a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to pass close to Bermuda over the weekend, perhaps as a Category 2, and long-period swells – 6 to 9 feet by the weekend in coastal waters with a period of 12 to 13 seconds – will bring dangerously rough seas. The National Weather Service […]
Local News | Full Article
Leslie is currently a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to pass close to Bermuda over the weekend, perhaps as a Category 2, and long-period swells – 6 to 9 feet by the weekend in coastal waters with a period of 12 to 13 seconds – will bring dangerously rough seas. The National Weather Service […]
Local News | Full Article
Leslie is currently a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to pass close to Bermuda over the weekend, perhaps as a Category 2, and long-period swells – 6 to 9 feet by the weekend in coastal waters with a period of 12 to 13 seconds – will bring dangerously rough seas. The National Weather Service […]
Local News | Full Article
By ANNE BOWERS
FEMA trailers were a lifeline to several families who were living like nomads after Hurricane Irene, which slammed into the North Carolina coast one year ago. Metal structures that measured only 12 feet by 30 served as temporary homes for several families who crammed into them over the winter while insurance claims were settled and […]
Island Features | Full Article
Outer Banks Angling: The countdown has begun By ROB ALDERMAN
Labor Day weekend is less than a week away and to most locals and visitors, the holiday marks the end of summer — a sign that another year’s peak tourist season is over. This means a drop in visitation and money flowing into our economy, which is both welcomed and hated by most of the […]
Fishing | Full Article
It’s been a year since historic tides on the Outer Banks from Hurricane Irene hatched equally historic numbers of mosquitoes, prompting comparisons to locust plagues and bloodsucking vampires. Two aerial spraying sweeps by Dare County mosquito control killed off most of the insects, but apparently the extreme infestation inspired a new boutique market. No less […]
Island Features | Full Article
It’s been a year since historic tides on the Outer Banks from Hurricane Irene hatched equally historic numbers of mosquitoes, prompting comparisons to locust plagues and bloodsucking vampires. Two aerial spraying sweeps by Dare County mosquito control killed off most of the insects, but apparently the extreme infestation inspired a new boutique market. No less […]
Island Features | Full Article
It’s been a year since historic tides on the Outer Banks from Hurricane Irene hatched equally historic numbers of mosquitoes, prompting comparisons to locust plagues and bloodsucking vampires. Two aerial spraying sweeps by Dare County mosquito control killed off most of the insects, but apparently the extreme infestation inspired a new boutique market. No less […]
Island Features | Full Article
It’s been a year since historic tides on the Outer Banks from Hurricane Irene hatched equally historic numbers of mosquitoes, prompting comparisons to locust plagues and bloodsucking vampires. Two aerial spraying sweeps by Dare County mosquito control killed off most of the insects, but apparently the extreme infestation inspired a new boutique market. No less […]
Island Features | Full Article
Guest Column: Why Park Service policies are bad for wildlife protection By BOB DAVIS
Early results indicate a record breaking year in Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area for sea turtle nesting as global warming shifts the turtle population northward from Florida. Derb Carter of the Southern Environmental Law Center, as expected, took credit for the increased nesting in Cape Hatteras and shared the accolades with the friendly U.S. […]
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By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN Two visitors to the Outer Banks, a man and a woman in their 40s, died while swimming in the ocean in two separate incidents on Wednesday, June 20. Rip currents were implicated in both incidents. The first death occurred about 2 p.m. in Nags Head, south of Limulus Street, […]
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Where have you been, Secretary Salazar?
Earlier this month, outdoors reporter Eric Burnley wrote a column for the Cape Gazette, which covers the Delaware Capes Region, on the good Memorial Day weekend fishing, His column was mostly about weekend catches, but at the end of the column, there was a report that caught the eye of some folks who are advocates […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is still the best beach vacation
By all accounts, Memorial Day weekend was an encouraging start to the summer season. The weather was good overall ? great beach weather on Saturday and Monday and a few showers Sunday morning into early afternoon. Tropical Storm Beryl off the southeast coast increased the seas and the rip current threat, but did not cause […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Island Cooking: Adventures with yogurt and Middle Eastern spices
Yogurt has had a recent meteoric rise in popularity in this country. Once the favorite food of “hippies” and “health food addicts,” it is now eaten by just about everybody. I think it has a lot to do with the introduction of Greek yogurt. The yogurt we were used to had a slippery and, to […]
Local News | Full Article
Outer Banks Angling: Take a kid fishing By ROB ALDERMAN
Taking children fishing is a great way to promote the sport and a nice way to spend some time with a kid. In fact, it can be a lot of fun. The child may be yours, a friend’s, a relative’s, or maybe a kid from the local Big Brothers/Sisters program. Promoting fishing to a child […]
Local News | Full Article
He soon met his first prospective mate, Luna, a white pony who will hopefully soon be carrying his foal. It is hoped that this foal, and others like it, will carry on the heritage and history of Ocracoke’s beloved wild ponies. FOR MORE INFORMATION You can see a video about Alonso’s trip to Ocracoke at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSbzE7gdInc&feature=share For more information, go to the Corolla Wild Horse website at: http://www.corollawildhorses.org/ or for information about the Ocracoke ponies, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/ocracokeponies.htm.
By PAT GARBER The wild ponies of Ocracoke Island and Corolla have been an important part of Outer Banks heritage for centuries. Separated by two major inlets and a distance of more than 100 miles, the two herds have, until now, had no contact with each other. That changed in February when the National Park Service, which […]
Local News | Full Article
He soon met his first prospective mate, Luna, a white pony who will hopefully soon be carrying his foal. It is hoped that this foal, and others like it, will carry on the heritage and history of Ocracoke’s beloved wild ponies. FOR MORE INFORMATION You can see a video about Alonso’s trip to Ocracoke at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSbzE7gdInc&feature=share For more information, go to the Corolla Wild Horse website at: http://www.corollawildhorses.org/ or for information about the Ocracoke ponies, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/ocracokeponies.htm.
By PAT GARBER The wild ponies of Ocracoke Island and Corolla have been an important part of Outer Banks heritage for centuries. Separated by two major inlets and a distance of more than 100 miles, the two herds have, until now, had no contact with each other. That changed in February when the National Park Service, which […]
Local News | Full Article
Outer Banks Angling: March madness By ROB ALDERMAN
When I talk about March madness, I am not referring to basketball. I am talking about the overwhelmingly beautiful weather. Since my article late week, the daily average high temperature has been in the mid-60s. And the current seven-day forecast shows more of the same. March is known to go either way in its weather. […]
Local News | Full Article
A history of beach access – or how we got to where we are today
Last week, a regular reader of The Island Free Press sent me an e-mail and asked if I could publish a timeline on the beach access issue. He said he thought that a summary of what led us to where we are today would be useful to him and to others who are new to […]
Editor’s Blog | Full Article
Coastal Land Trust and partners plan project to stop erosion at Springer’s Point
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust will begin work this spring on a natural shoreline restoration project, known as a “Living Shoreline,” at its popular nature preserve on Ocracoke Island. “Springer’s Point is an ecological and cultural gem for locals and visitors alike,” said Lee Leidy, attorney and Northeast Region Director of the North Carolina […]
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Unimaginative meteorologists called it “The Great Atlantic Coast Storm of 1962.” The late Aycock Brown, though, was a more lyrical sort. As the longtime publicist for Dare County, Brown had a flair for turning a phrase. He was also a religious man. Brown looked at the calendar and noted that the great storm had hit […]
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Park Service issues annual resource, law enforcement reports
The National Park Service has issued its annual reports on protected species and law enforcement. The reports, posted on the NPS park planning website detail how threatened and endangered species –piping plovers, sea turtles, and seabeach amaranth – fared this year on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Also included are reports on two other protected […]
Seashore News | Full Article
Award-winning Ocracoke ranger is known for his boundless energy and gregarious nature By CONNIE LEINBACH
Award-winning Ocracoke ranger is known for his boundless energy and gregarious nature By CONNIE LEINBACH By CONNIE LEINBACH By CONNIE LEINBACH Ocracoke park ranger supervisor Kenneth C. Ballance never expected to be honored with a national award for excellence in the field of rangering. Ocracoke park ranger supervisor Kenneth C. Ballance never expected to be […]
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The story of one Kinnakeet family and the struggle to rebuild after Hurricane Irene
The Fullers are your typical Hatteras Island family with two young children. There’s curly-haired Grace, who will turn 5 in January and is too adorable for words, and Big Jack, who will turn 2, also in January, and whose size alone, despite his sweet nature, has prompted folks to say “Boy, I hope he’s not […]
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Island Living: Have yourself a merry little Christmas – island-style
So the first Christmas my family spent on Hatteras Island was, for lack of a better word, a little weird. I was a kid in Massachusetts when our family decided, somewhat spur of the moment, to head south to Hatteras for the holidays. We packed up the presents, the lights, the tinsel, and drove 14 […]
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Those left homeless on Hatteras are living a nomadic lifestyle By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS It was the day before the evacuation for Hurricane Irene was ordered, and Marilyn Midgett got the carpets cleaned in her Rodanthe home. One week later, her carpets were stripped out of her […]
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BRIDGING THE GAPS: Mother Nature is not cooperating with repair efforts on Highway 12
BRIDGING THE GAPS: Mother Nature is not cooperating with repair efforts on Highway 12 Strong northeast winds over the weekend created powerful ocean swells that pelted the Outer Banks coastline for the last four days. For the workers who are putting in long hours to restore road access to Hatteras Island, this is yet another […]
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BRIDGING THE GAPS: High seas from Katia suspended road work Thursday night
BRIDGING THE GAPS: High seas from Katia suspended road work Thursday night “We would be a lot further along if it wasn’t for Mother Nature,” offered DOT project inspector Milton Joyner. Hurricanes continue to be problematic for Highway 12, which was severed in multiple areas by Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27. Yesterday, Hurricane Katia stayed […]
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDE SHOW
Progress on repairing Highway 12 is going blazing fast …WITH SLIDE SHOW By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS It’s a fast-paced scene as Barnhill Contracting moves at breakneck speed to repair the highway north of Rodanthe. In three days, crews made incredible progress on bridging the gap in Highway […]
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FERRY SCHEDULE The NCDOT Ferry Division is offering 16 departures from each side to assist with the re-entry process for Hatteras Island, on the following schedule beginning 5 a.m., Friday, Sept. 9: Departing Stumpy Point at 12:30 a.m., 2 a.m., 3:30 a.m., 5 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 11 p.m. Departing Rodanthe at midnight, 1:30 a.m., 3 a.m., 4:30 a.m., 6 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10:30 p.m. For ferry information and schedules, contact the NCDOT Ferry Division at 1-800-BY-FERRY.
Re-entry for Hatteras non-resident owners begin Saturday, Sept. 10 Re-entry for Hatteras Island non-resident property owners will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at the North Carolina Department of Transportation ferry dock at Stumpy Point on the Dare County mainland. All non-resident property owners will be required to show a 2008/2009 red re-entry permit […]
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The ugly realities of Hurricane Irene become more evident everyday as Hatteras Island works towards recovering from this huge storm. All of the once green vegetation is now dead and falling to the ground, beaten to death by winds that gusted to 88 mph on Saturday morning at 8:51 at Billy Mitchell Airfield . The […]
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UPDATE: Post Hurricane Irene information and news travels slowly to islanders …….WITH SLIDE SHOW By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS Without any type of phone service, Internet, electricity and warranted concerns about how long gasoline will be available for both generators and vehicles, people on the island probably know less about the […]
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UPDATE: Hurricane Irene Wallops Hatteras Island, Cutting the Island and all communications …….WITH SLIDE SHOW By ANNE C. BOWERS By ANNE C. BOWERS The outside world probably knows more of what has happened to Hatteras Island than the people who stayed during this major weather event. The storm, which approached from the south, impacted […]
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Restoring the Blanche, a traditional Ocracoke fishing boat
Seventy-five years ago an Ocracoke fisherman, Stacy Howard, commissioned a master boatbuilder, Tom ‘Neal, to begin building him a fine new fishing boat. The work was finished by another island boat-builder, Homer Howard, who added a rounded cabin near the prow. Proud of his well-designed craft–a traditional “deadriser,” Stacy Howard gave it the name of […]
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Ohio man apparently drowns in Waves rip current
Ohio man apparently drowns in Waves rip current Ohio man apparently drowns in Waves rip current By IRENE NOLAN By IRENE NOLAN A 43-year-old visitor to Hatteras apparently drowned today in the ocean in Waves, according to Paul Stevens, chief enforcement ranger for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Stevens identified the man as Todd Buchy […]
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Hatteras-based Citation ‘disinvited’ to Big Rock Tournament, still appealing last year’s decision
The Hatteras-based charter boat that gained worldwide notoriety last year for being disqualified from more than $1 million in winnings thanks to a lapsed $15 fishing license, won’t be fishing in next week’s Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Organizers apparently don’t want to risk more sticky publicity or making legal matters worse. “The Citation has […]
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Students learn a lesson outside the classroom as they help restore Durant’s Point
By JORDAN TOMBERLIN By JORDAN TOMBERLIN Any Hatteras local can tell you the importance of Hatteras Harbor. It’s the lifeblood of a community, both culturally and economically, and not having it would stifle one of the most popular and productive charter and commercial fishing fleets in the state. With that in mind, students from Cape […]
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In His Own Words: An Ocracoke teacher’s story of his big win on “Jeopardy!”
In His Own Words: An Ocracoke teacher’s story of his big win on “Jeopardy!” By CHARLES TEMPLE By CHARLES TEMPLE By CHARLES TEMPLE I’ll try to record my experience with “Jeopardy!” while it’s still fairly fresh in my mind, especially because I can’t really talk about it beyond just saying, “We had a great time.” […]
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