Petitioners were granted permission to build a sandbag wall to protect their oceanfront properties at The Pointe in Ocean Isle Beach, with a stipulation that the public area of the beach remain unimpeded by the structure.
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Offshore drilling proposal comment period opens Monday
The draft program proposes up to 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing outer continental shelf planning areas, none of which is on the Atlantic Coast.
Refuge among the trees
A recent visit to Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge offered little in the way of migratory waterfowl viewing for which it’s known but did yield this glimpse of a whitetail doe through the trees. The refuge, which was established in 1934, spans some 50,000 acres, including the 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in North Carolina. Photo: Kip Tabb
Vessel operators urged to slow down for endangered whales
Aerial surveyors spotted four critically endangered North Atlantic right whales off Ocracoke Island, and operators of vessels of all sizes are asked to travel no faster than 10 knots through the area.
Timbermill Wind celebrates becoming Chowan’s top taxpayer
The company’s annual payments to the county over the project’s 30-year lifespan are expected to total $50 million, and the infusion of revenue this year totals more than last year’s top nine taxpayers combined.
EPA, Army Corps leaders publish revised ‘WOTUS’ definition
Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers officials said Monday that proposed changes to the existing “waters of the United States” definition are to focus on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water.
Justice, representative, senator Willis P. Whichard has died
Former state Supreme Court Justice Willis Whichard, one of four individuals widely credited for securing passage of the state’s Coastal Area Management Act, died Monday in Chapel Hill.
Wilmington residents see no good in proposed harbor project
None of the proposed alternatives for the State Ports Authority’s plan to accommodate larger container ships at the Wilmington port would boost the local economy and any benefit would be offset by environmental costs, public hearing attendees said.
There’s no substitute for total tidal understanding in fishing
Any saltwater angler worth their salt will know before they go when to go, so, understanding the tides and how they affect fish behavior is a must.
Free lecture to highlight satellites’ role in resilience planning
“Watching the Tides Roll: How Satellites Inform the Future of Coastal Communities“ with Dr. David Lagomasino begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Coastal Studies Institute.
Sediment Control Commission to meet Thursday
The North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission during its meeting Thursday is to consider continuing to give N.C. Department of Transpiration authority to review and approve erosion and sedimentation control plans for land-disturbing activities.
What about those ‘other’ pollinators? No honey, no sting
Lepidoptera, as they are known to scientists, are familiar creatures that are not only welcome guests in many gardens, they are also essential to certain flowering species’ survival.
Asheboro plant discharges elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane
Sampling at Asheboro’s wastewater treatment plant revealed elevated discharges of 1,4-dioxane, a likely human carcinogen, in a waterway upstream of drinking water sources for some 900,000 North Carolinians.
Update: Blue crab harvest vote removed from agenda
The Marine Fisheries Commission was expected to consider adopting more restrictions on the commercial harvest of blue crabs, a move the N.C. Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition opposes, but the item has been removed from an updated agenda.
Carolina Beach nourishment project kicks off this weekend
Carolina Beach’s federally authorized beach nourishment project scheduled to begin this weekend is expected to continue for the next four to five weeks, depending on the weather.
Crossing the Neuse River the easy way
A gull keeps watch from atop the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division’s vehicle ferry Kinnakeet as it plies the Neuse River between Minnesott Beach and Cherry Branch. Photo: Mark Hibbs
