Guest opinion by Congressman Greg Murphy: Allowing National Flood Insurance Program payouts to remove a threatened oceanfront structure before it collapses, rather than wait until it creates an environmental disaster, will add flexibility while mitigating risks.
Spotlight
NAACP joins fight for Chemours to disclose documents
The NAACP New Hanover County Branch’s motion to intervene in a lawsuit against Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont is the latest is an ongoing fight to keep public thousands of pages of documents.
Historian David Cecelski: Carolina coast still worth the fight
The recent shackling of the Environmental Protection Agency “foreshadows the breathtaking descent back into the worst days of our coastal past, when our estuaries, our beaches, our fisheries and the sources of our drinking water were a free-for-all, open to plunder, pillaging and poisoning.”
For gardening success, it’s all about timing — and old wisdom
The endless old sayings about when to plant are never failsafe, but there is ancient understanding of the natural world, and following its cycles can improve your odds, no matter what kind of gardener you may be.
Moratoriums threaten aquaculture, environment, say farmers
Shellfish farmers say their industry’s positive benefits have been proven elsewhere in the country, but holds on new state aquaculture leases and a moratorium that Topsail Island residents want could sink businesses.
Hatteras windsurfing spot mirrors US-Canada tensions
A windsurfing and kiteboarding destination off Hatteras Island known as Canadian Hole and the businesses that support visitors from up north have become a microcosm and barometer of a newly fraught international relationship.
Budget proposal would toll free ferries, hike fees on others
The state Senate’s proposed budget approved Thursday includes new tolls to ride the currently free state ferries and increases costs to transit rivers and sounds elsewhere along the coast.
Agencies set to spread word on mandatory harvest reporting
Division of Marine Fisheries and Wildlife Resources Commission, the two agencies that manage state fisheries, are working to prepare recreational and commercial fishermen for the mandatory harvest reporting rules that are to go in effect Dec. 1.
Fishermen, scientists differ on whale mortality, wind energy
Opinions up and down the North Carolina coast differ on the reasons behind rising numbers of Atlantic whale deaths, but marine researchers say the science is clear.
Groups move for disclosure of Chemours’ sealed documents
The advocacy organizations’ motion against the chemical company argues that unsealing the 21,000 pages of documents “will help communities understand the harm the facility has caused, and will continue to cause, to their own health, their property values, and even the lives of future generations.”
Invasive bass species spreads to North Carolina coastal areas
Alabama bass, which are often mistaken for spotted or largemouth bass, are an invasive species to North Carolina that are now being found in the state’s coastal areas.
Tariffs not a long-term fix for shrimping industry: shrimpers
While U.S. shrimpers lauded the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported shrimp, their message to the government is to stop subsidizing foreign shrimp production.
Ocean industries outperform major market indices in March
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Blue Economy Index delivered a positive return during March amid a troubled and volatile broader market.
Sandy Run Park: Town trail an overlooked Outer Banks gem
Tabb’s Trails: In our new photo-essay series, coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb takes you along, starting with this easy half-mile loop around a pond and marsh in Kitty Hawk.
Plan aims to curb shellfish lease conflicts, moratorium fervor
Concerns over damping the state’s growing aquaculture industry amid a push for a halt to new leases by leaders of Topsail Island three towns have sparked a proposal to create a GIS tool to improve site selection.
Decades on, mid-Currituck bridge plan faces same hurdles
Fifty years after the need for a bridge between mainland Currituck County and its barrier island beaches was first identified, and 30 years after a draft planning document for the proposed mid-Currituck bridge was first released, a recent public meeting revealed that the same issues are still being vigorously debated, costs have skyrocketed, and funding is still lacking.
