The new year begins with a good opportunity to look for the Orion Nebula, near the eastern horizon as the skies get dark and easy to see on a clear winter’s night.
Archives
Van Der Vaart Demotes Himself
State Environmental Secretary Donald van der Vaart has demoted himself to a position in the air quality division, a job apparently protected from political firing.
Bridge Work Brings Beneficial Reef Projects
Advocates say fishing and water quality will both improve thanks to a living shoreline reef under construction in Oregon Inlet and planned construction and restoration of artificial reefs in nearby waters using debris from the Bonner Bridge demolition.
Fees Rise As Demand for Recycled Items Dips
Demand for recycled materials has declined, resulting in higher costs for some local governments, where officials are considering changes, such as eliminating glass from curbside pickup.
Wood Pellet Operations Begin at Wilmington
The Enviva wood pellet export facility at the state port in Wilmington is now operating, with capacity to ship more than a million tons of the biofuel annually.
New Stormwater Rules Set to Take Effect
New state stormwater rules with a new express permitting process, the result of three years of development involving various stakeholders, are set to take effect on New Years Day.
Cape Carteret Pond Project Yields Results
The North Carolina Coastal Federation says its project to improve water quality in a tidal creek in Cape Carteret is working as designed.
Obama Blocks Drilling in Atlantic Waters
Using his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, President Obama is withdrawing 3.8 million acres in the north and mid-Atlantic Ocean from offshore drilling for oil and gas, protecting an area from New England to Virginia.
Our Coast’s Food: Holiday Cheese Ball
Cheese balls may not immediately come to mind when considering holiday food traditions, but the creamy spheres covered with nuts and served with crackers are a longtime favorite on the North Carolina coast.
NC Aquarium Opens Alligator Gallery
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island recently added four new juvenile alligators to its Seven Rivers gallery.
Holden Beach Renourishment Set to Begin
Holden Beach is set to begin this week its long-planned, locally funded Central Reach beach-renourishment project,
General Assembly: A Tale of Two Sessions
State lawmakers held two special sessions last week, unanimously approving disaster relief in one and enacting controversial limits on the incoming governor’s authority and sparking protests in the other.
‘Jug-Handle’ Bridge Plan OK’d for NC 12
N.C. Highway 12 is set to be replaced with a bridge after federal officials approved the proposal today.
‘Not So Summer Hummer’
Doug Waters of Morehead City recently captured this image of a hummingbird. Waters noted that hummingbirds remain in the coastal area despite the chill, so don’t put away the feeders just yet.
McCrory Signs $200M Recovery Bill
Gov. Pat McCrory signed a $200M Hurricane Matthew recovery bill, which includes funds for short-term housing and sustainable planning.
Topsail Beach Repeals Dune Ordinance
Rather than add controversial provisions to accommodate development, Topsail Beach commissioners voted 4-1 Wednesday to simply scrap the town’s longstanding dune-protection ordinance.
