Wilmington officials have resolved to reduce plastic pollution and improve the city’s recycling program through outreach, education and support of businesses that minimize use of plastic straws and utensil.
News & Features
High bacteria levels force officials to cancel triathlon swim
YMCA Wrightsville Beach Sprint Triathlon organizers canceled the swim portion of the Sept. 25 race after state officials detected high levels of bacteria in Banks Channel.
Governor, legislative leaders in budget talks
With House and Senate agreement on a state spending plan, it looks like another drawn-out budget battle with the governor may be avoided.
Carp removal next step to healthier Lake Mattamuskeet
Plans are in the works to remove 1 million invasive carp from Lake Mattamuskeet, a move stakeholders hope will help with water quality and clarity.
Updated plan details human, climate damage to wetlands
The newly updated NC Wetland Program Plan details how climate change and nonpermitted human activities are causing wetland loss.
Swansboro family’s home kept flooding; state bought it
Zena Underwood and her husband Mark saw their home flood repeatedly, including during Hurricane Florence, before a state buyout program helped them move and took the property off the market for good.
Latest dig yields new clues at Fort Raleigh Historic Site
Artifacts found in the current dig include sherds from olive jars once common on ships, a gun flint and what may be a fragment of laboratory equipment from the 1585 worksite.
Coastal Resources Commission digs in on artificial turf
Addressing a growing number of permit questions, the coastal policy and rulemaking body has approved a prohibition on artificial turf within the 30-foot shoreline buffer in areas of environmental concern.
Lose the seagrass and lose the fisheries
Marine and estuary plant life on which North Carolina’s fish species depend are vulnerable to warming and rising seas, scientists say.
Holden Beach, Corps begin $3M storm risk planning study
The Holden Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management Project General Reevaluation Study is to consider feasibility and alternatives for federal participation in cost-shared management measures including beach nourishment for up to 50 years.
Transportation design with resilience in mind goal of effort
State transportation officials say they are collaborating with climate scientists to improve design standards for bridge and roadway projects that better anticipate the effects of climate change.
There’s consensus on resilience, but don’t say ‘climate’
Amid broad bipartisan agreement on resiliency, flood mitigation and land conservation policy and funding in Raleigh, there are certain terms that still raise suspicion among some in the legislature.
New Chafee map removes 2.5 acres in North Topsail Beach
Revised maps for the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System currently awaiting congressional approval remove only a small portion of North Topsail Beach from environmental protections that restrict federal funding that encourages development.
State, FEMA approves millions to help flooded homeowners
Dare County has been awarded $4.2 million to elevate homes, one of the many counties to be awarded through the North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program.
Brunswick officials’ worries over offshore wind unresolved
Officials along North Carolina’s southern coast say the federal government has yet to address their concerns over the distance of proposed offshore wind turbines.
House, Senate in budget talks as key differences remain
Both chambers plan to spend $25.7 billion this year and $26.7 billion next year, but a House and Senate conference committee are set to begin working through differences large and small.
