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.
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Commission moves forward with inlet hazard area updates
The Coastal Resources Commission is in the rulemaking process to update boundaries and maps for high-hazard inlet and oceanfront shorelines.
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.
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.
Topsail Islanders amp up calls for hold on new shellfish leases
Densely allocated shellfish leases and the resulting conflicts and complaints have prompted a yearslong pause on new leases in New Hanover County and other nearby waters, and Topsail Island officials say a temporary moratorium on new leases is also needed in Stump Sound in Onslow and Pender counties.
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.”
Proposed industrial wastewater rules ‘completely inadequate’
Nearly all who spoke Tuesday during a public hearing in Fayetteville criticized the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission’s proposed industrial discharge rules fail to protect the drinking water supply of people who live farther down the Cape Fear River.
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.
Dare’s A250 Faire to honor ‘Liberty, Legacy and Lift-Off’
Dare County’s A250 Committee has planned two celebrations for Saturday in Manteo as part of its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
EPA adds microplastics, pharmaceuticals to contaminant list
In a first, the Environmental Protection Agency has included microplastics and pharmaceuticals on its draft list of substances in public drinking water that are unregulated but merit further scientific scrutiny.
The day Mrs. N.F. Harper sang ‘Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior’
Historian David Cecelski reflects on the interviews from the oral history project, “Preserving the African American Experience in Pamlico County, North Carolina,” which he calls “an invaluable historical record of life on the North Carolina coast throughout the 20th century.”
Just when you thought it was safe to … explore fishing on film
When you love movies and you love fishing, it’s only natural that you count movies about fishing among your favorites, and here are some of mine.
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.
‘Black Church Crawl’ to be immersive, historic experience
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridors’ North Carolina Summit is offering an immersive tour highlighting the history of Black churches in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Halifax to mark colonies’ first big step toward independence
Historic Halifax State Historic Site is commemorating Friday through Sunday the 250-year anniversary of North Carolina taking the first official action of any colony to call for independence of British rule.
Corps says initiative will streamline infrastructure permitting
An Army Corps of Engineers initiative announced earlier this year is geared to speed up and improve the permitting process for civil works projects, eliminating “bureaucratic delays” with new technology and tools, but when it comes to dredging and beach nourishment, nothing is as simple as that may sound.

















