A North Topsail Beach couple and their contractor cited for damaging dunes hope to settle the alleged violation through mediation, a process allowed under a new state law.
Spotlight
Homecoming: Portsmouth Island descendants set to gather
The Friends of Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout National Seashore are expecting hundreds for the event that happens every two years and this year includes a celebration of the 1894 U.S. Life-Saving Station here.
Conditions prompt continued closure of NC 12 on Ocracoke
Closed since Sunday because of ocean flooding, N.C. Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island will likely remain closed for several more days.
Researchers work to improve compound flooding forecast
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill researchers have been developing a forecast model that will help predict in real time whether worst-case scenario conditions might occur in communities with multiple flood risks.
Academy aims to make living shorelines more accessible
The N.C. Living Shoreline Academy at Carteret Community College is translating years of research into practical application for waterfront property owners and marine contractors.
EPA steps in on Lear Corp. permit; DEQ adds time for input
The Environmental Protection Agency has informed North Carolina regulators it has invoked a 60-day extension to review the automotive textile and technology manufacturer’s draft permit to discharge compounds into the Northeast Cape Fear River.
Journalists society gives Black Hole Award to NC legislature
The Society of Professional Journalists has named the North Carolina General Assembly the recipient of its annual Black Hole Award “for acts of outright contempt of the public’s right to know” in exempting its members from the state’s public records law.
Southport board OKs land offer to NC Wildlife Commission
The Southport Board of Aldermen voted 4-2 last week paving the way for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to purchase more than 400 acres in town for permanent conservation.
Cape Fear Creek Week to put focus on region’s waterways
Cape Fear Creek Week, March18-24, is a multi-organization educational effort to connect New Hanover and Brunswick counties with its creeks, rivers, and streams.
CRC adopts 16 rules to keep natural resources protected
The Coastal Resources Commission on Wednesday unanimously adopted the rules that temporarily replace protections axed last October.
As timber declined, Buffalo City loggers made ’shine
Recently detailed by “When Ghosts Made Moonshine” author Chris Barber, loggers in the remote, deeply forested northeastern region of North Carolina supplied highly regarded whiskey to speakeasies up the East Coast during Prohibition.
Funding resolution omits $14M for national wildlife refuges
The deal reached last week to avert a government shutdown further reduced funding for national wildlife refuges, including those already stretched thin along the North Carolina coast.
Slick’s dilemma: How to save Pine Island as a bird refuge
Earl Slick, who in 1972 purchased nearly 3,000 acres spanning from the ocean to the sound, didn’t want Currituck Banks to be swamped by development.
Murphy honors deceased boater Chad Dunn in US House
Rep. Greg Murphy spoke during the morning session to remember the life of the 36-year-old who died Sunday in a boating accident in Oregon Inlet.
State’s climate plan adds carbon sequestration component
State environmental officials’ new, “different approach” to reducing greenhouse gas emissions puts the spotlight on the climate benefits natural and working lands conservation brings.
Dirty birds prompt worry over shellfish safety, state staffing
It’s rare for bird droppings to cause shellfish illness, but officials say there is potential, and the state Division of Marine Fisheries has fewer than 60 officers along the entire coast to do federally required inspections and check deterrent effectiveness.
