Kevin Hardy of Wilmar, near Vanceboro, fishes along Cape Lookout National Seashore as a commercial fishing trawler offshore heads southwest. Photo: Dylan Ray
News Briefs
Environmental Secretary Reid Wilson fills top agency roles
Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson last week named to his staff several individuals familiar to those in and around state government.
NOAA model designed to help assess coastal flood risks
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an online, visual, interactive tool based on decades of modeled and historical water level and wave information for roughly every quarter mile along the U.S. coastline.
Brunswick County seeks input on development ordinance
Brunswick County community members may ask questions and provide input on updates to the county’s unified development ordinance this month.
Fort Fisher to mark 160th anniversary of US forces’ capture
Daylong living history demonstrations and programs are planned for Jan. 18 at the state historic site, which during the Civil War was crucial in the Confederacy’s defense of the Wilmington port.
Historic Bodie Island structure closed indefinitely after fire
The fire on Tuesday in the Bodie Island Double Keepers’ Quarters was extinguished with no reported injuries.
Coastal Federation’s lost fishing gear recovery underway
The 2025 project to collect displaced crab pots is focusing on Marine Patrol Districts 1 and 2, the waters between the Virginia-North Carolina border and N.C. Highway 58 bridge to Emerald Isle.
Icy conditions
An egret hunts along the shore of an icy marsh Thursday near Pelletier Creek in Morehead City. Don’t look for a quick thaw as much of coastal North Carolina is under a winter weather advisory from 4 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday. The forecast calls for the potential for light accumulations of ice and snow, although little to none is expected from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island. Photo: Dylan Ray
Wilmington TreeFest to put up for dibs thousands of plants
Set for Jan. 17-18 in Wilmington’s Independence Mall, residents can select up to five trees or grasses from the available selection for free, but a minimum $5 donation is welcome.
State awards $450M deal to build new Alligator River bridge
The contract terms call for the new bridge to open to traffic in fall 2029, with demolition of the current one to begin in early 2030, officials said.
NC Aquariums to close Jan. 27-31 for deep clean, upkeep
North Carolina Aquariums at Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Fisher will close to the public the last week of January to tackle projects.
NC’s first pardon to be commemorated with marker
A highway historical marker commemorating a failed upraising against the state in 1777 and the resulting pardon by the governor of its leader will be dedicated during a ceremony Jan. 15 in Tarboro.
Guest lecturer to explore coastal Indigenous communities
Historian and North Carolina Central University College of Liberal Arts Dean Dr. Arwin D. Smallwood is set to deliver a lecture in Morehead City Saturday exploring the history, culture and resilience of coastal Indigenous communities in Coastal Carolina Riverwatch’s speaker series.
More than $1 million awarded in Dare County tourism grants
The Dare County Tourism Board has awarded a dozen local nonprofits and government entities $1.16 million for tourism enhancement projects.
EPA adds 9 more PFAS to chemical reporting requirements
Nine additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been added to the EPA’s annual Toxics Release Inventory reporting requirements.
What to do with natural Christmas trees after the holidays
Whether it’s for trapping beach sand or grinding it for fresh mulch, consider upcycling that live Christmas tree you’ll be undecorating as the holiday season comes to a close.
