N.C. Department of Transportation officials will take comments and answer questions at an open house before a public hearing scheduled for Monday on the proposed Independence Boulevard extension project in Wilmington.
News Briefs
State sites offer holiday programs with a little history, education
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has a full schedule of holiday events taking place across the state, several of which in eastern North Carolina.
UNCW center awarded grant for flood planning, resilience
The Endowment, established from New Hanover County’s sell of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2020, has awarded a $500,000 grant to UNCW’s Center for Marine Science to help enhance flood safety and resilience efforts in the county.
Fisheries to host public hearing on Carteret shellfish leases
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is holding a public hearing Monday on two proposed shellfish leases in Carteret County waters.
Land Trust transfers 300 acres to state for conservation
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is now managing the Pasquotank River Preserve, which neighbors the state agency’s North River Game Land in Camden County.
Dredging, sand placement project underway on Oak Island
A dredging and sand placement project that began last week in Oak Island will continue through to January and is one of three projects that will result in the beachfront getting an injection of more than 1.6 million cubic yards of sand.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Commission holds PFAS, 1,4-dioxane vote for future meeting
The Environmental Management Commission voted to postpone hearing proposed rules to monitor and minimize the two human-made chemical compounds from industrial users and dischargers.
