A would-be beach access that Dare County has eyed since the Coast Guard abandoned its oceanfront base in Buxton eight years ago is apparently still a distant dream, as environmental cleanup of contaminants has yet to begin.
Super-Sized Restoration Projects Begin in Hyde County
Ground-breaking is imminent on two of the N.C. Coastal Federation’s large-scale hydrologic and habitat restoration projects in Hyde County. A previously unheard-of partnership of farmers, a conservation nonprofit and others have combined forces on projects that provide benefits for all concerned.
No Relief in Sight for Battered Road
A project to widen the beach to protect beleaguered and battered N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island will not start for months, despite the public perception that it would be completed before hurricane season.
State Senate Takes Ax to Ocracoke Center
North Carolina spent $7 million to renovate an old Coast Guard Station on Ocracoke for the east campus of the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Now the Senate wants to shutter the place.
State Could Acquire Oregon Inlet?
The Senate’s proposed budget contains a provision that creates a task force to look into acquiring the notorious inlet in Dare County from the federal government.
How Much Freshwater Can a Swamp Take?
That’s the main question being asked about two proposed quarries that will dump almost 24 million gallons a day of freshwater into brackish, blackwater creeks.
Hydrilla: ‘The Kudzu of the Water’
A little plant from Korea showed up in lakes around Raleigh 30 years ago. It now plagues the Roanoke, Chowan and Pasquotank rivers and has been spotted in Albemarle Sound. Biologists fear that pristine Lake Mattamuskeet and Lake Phelps could be next.
Bridge Projects Still Kicking, Proponents Say
A proposed state bill that would change the way the planned Mid-Currituck Bridge and Cape Fear Skyway would be funded gives proponents the jitters, but the projects may not be doomed.
Gussied Up and Ready for Company
With restoration work complete, the Bodie Island Lighthouse on the Outer Banks will open to visitors on Thursday.
State Awaits Judge’s Ruling on Bonner Bridge
The state DOT says it’s ready to start construction on a new bridges across Oregon Inlet and on Pea Island on the Outer Banks but is awaiting the outcome of two legal challenges.
Titanic’s Chilling N.C. Connection
Weathermen manning the U.S. weather station in Hatteras almost 101 years ago received the first telegram from the sinking ship more than 1,000 miles away. When they relayed the message, they were told to get off the line.
Public Hearing Set for Proposed Mine
People will have a chance to comment Thursday on a permit for a proposed limestone mine near Vanceboro that will discharge 12 million gallons of water a day into the headwaters of Blounts Creek.
DOT Torpedoes Ferries at Oregon Inlet
No high-speed ferry exists today that could safely carry millions of vehicles a year across the heavily shoaled Oregon Inlet and Pamlico Sound, according to a new transportation report.
Sea-Level Rise? Get Used to It
That’s professor Michael Orbach’s tough-love message. There’s little we can do at this point to significantly slow the rate of sea-level rise, he says. He warns that we best learn to adapt to our watery future.
Wind Projects on the Ropes, But Not Out
Land-based wind power projects in Beaufort and Pasquotank counties are still in the works, despite considerable challenges that have raised doubts about their future.
Opponents of Uranium Mining Breathing Easier
N.C. opponents of lifting a ban on uranium mining in neighboring Virginia have high hopes that the proposal has perished on the political vine, but they’re still wary of backdoor maneuvers that could lead to mining.
