Duke University professor and member of the Lumbee Tribe Dr. Ryan Emanuel is Coastal Carolina Riverwatch’s guest speaker next week in Morehead City to discuss links between historic Indigenous oppression and present-day efforts to promote environmental justice and Indigenous rights.
Our Coast
Coastal Land Trust director set to step back, become adviser
North Carolina Coastal Land Trust Executive Director Harrison Marks is officially stepping down as executive director to assume the role of senior adviser for the Wilmington-based nonprofit organization.
Pine Knoll Shores aquarium readies for ‘Birthday Splash’
With the North Carolina Aquariums celebrating 50 years in 2026, Coastal Review talks with Jay Barnes, the former Pine Knoll Shores site director about the early days of the facility, which is hosting two celebrations Saturday for the anniversary.
Albemarle Region’s tallest hotel offered luxurious amenities
The nine-story, 100-room Virginia Dare Hotel, completed in 1927 amid a hotel industry trend of going taller and taller, enjoyed a only a brief heyday but still stands as an Elizabeth City icon.
State names bridge for Cornelius Nixon; city recalls his grace
Wilmington’s staggering growth has displaced numerous homes and businesses, but “Sonny” Nixon refused to let his longstanding and pioneering Market Street wholesale and retail seafood business stand in the way of progress.
New book, ‘A Spectacular Coast and its Guardians’: An excerpt
Author Glenn Blackburn, professor emeritus of history at University of Virginia’s College at Wise, has written his second book about the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the nonprofit’s history, people and accomplishments.
Volunteer Pony Patrollers protect public, Carteret wild horses
For the fourth year, volunteers are spending their days on Shackleford Banks and Rachel Carson Reserve in an effort to guide visitors on safely observing Carteret County’s wild horses.
Serving public a passion for State Climatologist Jared Bowden
“I’m trying to help the public with their problems related to climate,” says Dr. Jared Bowden, a Rocky Mount native who became director of the North Carolina State Climate Office early this month.
Indigenous nonprofit’s seminar to center on agriculture
“In the Spirit of Wingina 3: Seeds of Wisdom and Sustenance,” set for May 29-30, will concentrate on agricultural patterns with an emphasis on ancient, indigenous agricultural methods and, on the second day, how they apply to modern-day gardening.
In death, a living legacy may thrive at Veterans Memorial Reef
Military veteran Thomas Marcinowski’s final wishes to be interred beneath the waves prompted him to form a nonprofit that enables others who served to have their cremains interred in eco-positive reef modules, including nine whose ashes are to be placed on the seafloor Monday.
Oral history project from 1977 connects App State, Core Sound
A project to digitize back editions of the local newspaper has led to Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island to acquire recordings of Beaufort residents made in 1977 as part of the Appalachian Oral History Project.
Our Coast: A Journey to Sleepy Creek
Historian David Cecelski writes that when the mailboat Violet arrived in Marshallberg, News & Observer correspondent C.J. Rivenbark discovered a whole village where life seemed to revolve around soft-shell crabbing.
Doris Creecy, 90, wields loving influence on Roanoke Island
“Senior Delight:” The elegant Ms. Doris Creecy isn’t letting age slow her down, as she continues sharing songs, wisdom and inspiration to countless numbers in her Roanoke Island community.
Rough dig: Dismal Swamp Canal never quite lived up to plans
With poor initial funding, shoddy engineering and enslaved laborers forced to work in awful conditions, the man-made connection between the Albemarle Sound and Chesapeake Bay fell victim to competition but is now thought to be the country’s oldest operating canal.
Bestselling author’s path to fiction began with journalism
Kristy Woodson Harvey, a New York Times bestselling author who resides in Carteret County, will begin her tour this weekend as part of the official launch of her newest contemporary women’s fiction novel, “Summer State of Mind.”
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.

















