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Move to relax federal coal ash rules ‘potentially concerning’
The proposed loosening of federal coal ash disposal regulations is not expected to affect North Carolina’s robust management rules — at least for the time being.
Spotlight
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Environmental advocate Debbie Swick, anglers club team up
Debbie Swick, in partnership with the Outer Banks Anglers Club, has launched a monofilament recovery and recycling program using collection vessels at sites across the Outer Banks.
News Briefs
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NCDOT to host meetings on plans to improve NC 12 access
The meetings in Hatteras, Rodanthe and Nags Head are an opportunity for the public to hear from transportation officials possible solutions for a vulnerable stretch of N.C. 12 in Dare County.
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Environmental advocate Debbie Swick, anglers club team up
Debbie Swick, in partnership with the Outer Banks Anglers Club, has launched a monofilament recovery and recycling program using collection vessels at sites across the Outer Banks.
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Pit viper stare-down
Two cottonmouths, aka water moccasins and known scientifically as Agkistrodon piscivorus, came face to face while foraging Sunday at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s 6,000-acre North River Wetlands Preserve, with one rising up and the other backing down. One of six venomous snakes in North Carolina, the cottonmouth is the most aquatic, preferring wetter habitats. It’s a pit viper, having a pit on its face that senses heat. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission offers tips on how to coexist with snakes. Photo: Doug Waters
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Public sways officials to ax parkway plan’s preferred NC route
State transportation officials, in response to public feedback, said Wednesday that the North Carolina portion of the formerly preferred Carolina Bays Parkway Extension Alternative 4 will not be built as initially proposed.
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Coastal Federation to break ground for mariculture hub
The planned Shellfish Mariculture Hub in Carteret County will provide logistical support such as shared refrigeration, equipment and water access.
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Special Coverage

America’s 250th Celebration
This July Fourth, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coastal North Carolina sites and residents played an outsized role in the Revolution. Explore their history.
News & Features
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Move to relax federal coal ash rules ‘potentially concerning’
The proposed loosening of federal coal ash disposal regulations is not expected to affect North Carolina’s robust management rules — at least for the time being.
Science
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Scientists record female sperm whales assisting in calf’s birth
A research team was working the summer of 2023 off the coast of Dominica when they made the “impossibly rare” observation of a mother sperm whale giving birth and the newborn assisted by the other whales in taking its first breath, all while recording their underwater vocalizations.
Commentary
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Ancient awareness: Moon phases and when to plant each crop
Human activities, including the chosen dates for religious holidays, animal behavior and the movements of all the water on the planet are in some way tied to our cyclical views of our nearest celestial neighbor, and so are our planting schedules.
Our Coast
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Chance encounter reveals shared family history of service
Joan Collins, director of outreach and education with the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc., relates how she happened to meet Johnnie Van Willis of Marshallberg and the discovery of what their two families have in common.
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First document to declare independence celebrated in Halifax
The first official action taken toward Independence by any colony was commemorated this past weekend with numerous dignitaries and more than 300 turning out for “Halifax Resolves Days.”
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Ocracoke decoy festival to highlight Eddie O’Neal’s carvings
Lifelong waterman and islander Eddie O’Neal is the featured carver for this year’s Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival Friday and Saturday in the Ocracoke School gym.
Featured Photo
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Pit viper stare-down
Two cottonmouths, aka water moccasins and known scientifically as Agkistrodon piscivorus, came face to face while foraging Sunday at the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s 6,000-acre North River Wetlands Preserve, with one rising up and the other backing down. One of six venomous snakes in North Carolina, the cottonmouth is the most aquatic, preferring wetter habitats. It’s a pit viper, having a pit on its face that senses heat. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission offers tips on how to coexist with snakes. Photo: Doug Waters







