Plans for a Hertford County for-profit prison that closed in 2021 to reopen as an immigrant detention center drew a few dozen protestors Saturday in this sparsely populated, rural part of the coast.
News & Features
Public comments regarding river basin transfer plan pour in
New issues of concern keep arising as officials in Wilmington and Brunswick County urge rejection of Fuquay-Varina’s plan on file with the state to take more than 6 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River to meet its growth demands.
NOAA Fisheries considers changing right whale protections
As more than 20 North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pairs prepare to migrate up the U.S. Atlantic Coast, the Trump administration is considering rolling back protections for the critically endangered species.
New cost report puts proposed Mid-Currituck bridge at $1.2B
A new analysis of two revenue options has cast doubts on the project’s future, with serious concerns raised about the latest estimated construction costs that hover around $1.2 billion.
Population growth to impact water infrastructure: Forum
The 2026 Emerging Issues Forum held last week evaluated challenges associated with the state’s aging water infrastructure and its workforce, and possible solutions.
Coastal commission holds off changing septic system rules
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is holding off on amendments to oceanfront septic tank rules to give the state’s environmental and health departments time to collaborate on the rulemaking process.
Restoration plan for lower New River geared to advance
As work on restoring the upper reaches of the exclusively Onslow County river is on track for completion next year, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch is finalizing the Lower New River Watershed Restoration Plan, which looks toward areas where saltwater creeks drain into shellfish waters.
New sheepshead regulations to begin March 1
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries says the new regulations are needed due to increases in sheepshead harvest, particularly juvenile fish.
Port plan would have ‘significant adverse impacts’: DCM
N.C. Division of Coastal Management objected to the proposed Wilmington Harbor project to deepen and widen the channel, stating that the Army Corps of Engineers’ review of the project fails to fully evaluate potential impacts to the environment, people and historic and cultural resources.
EPA eliminates emission standards for new vehicles, motors
President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Feb. 12 that the administration was rescinding its own endangerment finding that set the legal limits on the amount of pollutants a vehicle can emit.
Amid record growth, groups protect tracts from development
Population growth on the North Carolina coast has ramped up pressure on conservation groups to acquire and set aside land, such as the more than 2,000 acres in coastal counties recently protected from development, areas with natural landscape features that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and provide vital habitat.
With court relief, work resumes on Virginia offshore wind
Dominion Energy’s 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which was ordered by the Trump administration to stop work in December, is now on track for completion by early next year — but at a considerably higher cost.
Judge upholds that DEQ can set wastewater permit limits
A Wake County Superior Court decision upholds that N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has the authority to set limits of 1,4-dioxane discharges from public wastewater utilities.
Ocean Isle seeks to modify permit, nourish beach at east inlet
Officials in Ocean Isle Beach seek federal approval to have up to 70,000 cubic yards of sand placed east of the Brunswick County town’s terminal groin where erosion gnaws at the shoreline in front of a luxury neighborhood.
NC’s PFAS crisis a warning as Congress debates chemical laws
Supporters call the changes modernization; critics warn they could weaken safeguards in the Toxic Substances Control Act, the nation’s primary chemical safety law.
Causey urges council to help Outer Banks as more homes fall
“There’s some angry people out there,” Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey told members of the Council of State Tuesday, referring to the four houses that fell into the ocean last weekend, a total of 31 homes since 2020, and calls to end the ban on beach hardening.
