Smoke rises in the pines Monday in a section of the Croatan National Forest after a prescribed burn of 561 acres in the area of Nine-Foot Road and Millis Swamp Road near Newport. The U.S. Forest Service also prescribed a burn of 499 acres off U.S. Highway 70, Hibbs Road and Shaver Road, near Newport. This controlled application of fire is to diminish fuel for wildfires and restore natural ecosystems. Note posted signs and watch for firefighters and personnel in the area. Helicopters assist during the burns, so drone use is prohibited. Photo: Dylan Ray
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EPA steps in on Lear Corp. permit; DEQ adds time for input
The Environmental Protection Agency has informed North Carolina regulators it has invoked a 60-day extension to review the automotive textile and technology manufacturer’s draft permit to discharge compounds into the Northeast Cape Fear River.
Journalists society gives Black Hole Award to NC legislature
The Society of Professional Journalists has named the North Carolina General Assembly the recipient of its annual Black Hole Award “for acts of outright contempt of the public’s right to know” in exempting its members from the state’s public records law.
Southport board OKs land offer to NC Wildlife Commission
The Southport Board of Aldermen voted 4-2 last week paving the way for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to purchase more than 400 acres in town for permanent conservation.
Cape Fear Creek Week to put focus on region’s waterways
Cape Fear Creek Week, March18-24, is a multi-organization educational effort to connect New Hanover and Brunswick counties with its creeks, rivers, and streams.
Old Manns Harbor Bridge speed limit to drop to 45 mph
The speed limit will be reduced from 55 mph as soon as Monday while work continues on the $33 million bridge preservation project.
Gullah Geechee Heritage Trail feasibility study input needed
The public can provide input on alternative routes for the Gullah Geechee Heritage Trail feasibility study at one of three events or with an online survey.
Neuse River salinity levels remain higher than average
The Neuse River estuary continues to be saltier than normal, particularly for late winter, according to the latest ModMon Project sampling.
CRC adopts 16 rules to keep natural resources protected
The Coastal Resources Commission on Wednesday unanimously adopted the rules that temporarily replace protections axed last October.
As timber declined, Buffalo City loggers made ’shine
Recently detailed by “When Ghosts Made Moonshine” author Chris Barber, loggers in the remote, deeply forested northeastern region of North Carolina supplied highly regarded whiskey to speakeasies up the East Coast during Prohibition.
Lingerfelt to direct Coastal Land Trust’s land protection
Lingerfelt has been the Coastal Land Trust’s GIS specialist and land stewardship associate and joined the organization in January 2022.
Funding resolution omits $14M for national wildlife refuges
The deal reached last week to avert a government shutdown further reduced funding for national wildlife refuges, including those already stretched thin along the North Carolina coast.
Elizabeth City to celebrate Max Roach with jazz festival
The Max Roach Centennial Celebration and Jazz Festival set for April 11-13 is being hosted by Elizabeth City State University and funded with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
North Topsail Beach board of adjustment sets hearing
The town zoning board of adjustment is set to hold an evidentiary hearing on a case of homeowners and their contractor cited for damaging dunes.
Slick’s dilemma: How to save Pine Island as a bird refuge
Earl Slick, who in 1972 purchased nearly 3,000 acres spanning from the ocean to the sound, didn’t want Currituck Banks to be swamped by development.
Science panel to continue inlet hazard, sea level rise reviews
The Coastal Resources Commission science panel’s virtual meeting March 15 will resume discussions of updates to inlet hazard boundaries and sea level rise data for a report to the commission in April.
