The incredible, edible egg is also breakable, but at what height? Heidi Skinner has some questions about a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study on the “egg drop challenge.”
Spotlight
Cracks in lighthouse walls will stall, increase restoration costs
Halfway into the $19.2 million project to restore Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, potentially dangerous cracks were discovered in critical structural components of the tower’s ironwork, creating inevitable project delays and unbudgeted cost increases.
Proposed state rules on discharges defanged as EPA retreats
The Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement this week that it will rescind and reexamine four expected PFAS rules follows a state Environmental Management Commission committee’s opaque decision stalling proposed surface water rules on three compounds.
Zeldin says PFAS limits may get tougher, downplays layoffs
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told a Senate committee Wednesday that news reports about the EPA weakening PFAS were inaccurate and that the standards could instead get tougher.
Dredging near Ocracoke keeps ferries on spring schedule
The Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke ferry routes will remain on their spring schedule of six daily departures until channel dredging is complete.
Harbor seal spotted in Beaufort: anomaly or harbinger?
The harbor seal spotted this spring swimming in Beaufort’s Taylors Creek has inspired a team of researchers to reconstruct the timeline of this species in North Carolina.
Draft state rules for 1,4-dioxane, PFAS dischargers delayed
State staff need more time before presenting draft monitoring requirements for dischargers of PFAS and 1,4-dioxane for the Environmental Management Commission to consider.
Coastal towns awarded resilience grants see funding pulled
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants program, known as BRIC, a funding source for communities working to be better prepared for the next flood or weather catastrophe, has been axed as “wasteful” spending, leaving local governments in financial binds.
Coastal Commission rejects effort to drop rules lawsuit
Coastal Resources Commissioner Jordan Hennessy garnered only two other votes last week for his effort to withdraw from the commission’s successful lawsuit challenging the state Rules Review Commission, which is set to appeal the ruling.
Dare County board tables action on Buxton zone of influence
Dare County Commissioners voted Monday during its regular meeting to table any decisions on an environmental zone of influence that borders Buxton Woods Reserve for 90 days.
Coastal commission OKs limited use of wheat straw bales
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission has changed an oceanfront development rule to allow wheat straw bales be used under certain conditions as an alternative to sand fencing to try and fend off erosion, a move environmental and wildlife groups oppose.
Newport man lands new state record vermilion snapper
Colby Shaw of Newport has broken a 15-year state record with his recent catch of a vermilion snapper.
Preventing Environmental Hazards Act a commonsense bill
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.
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.
