Historian David Cecelski looks beyond the tranquil scene in this image featuring Capt. Stacy Davis, his fish house and nets on Harkers Island, and at the great upheaval here in the years between the 1933 hurricane and just after World War II.
infrastructure
Hertford County to receive grant for water pump replacement
The northeastern North Carolina county has been selected to receive $400,000 to replace a water pump that serves 32 businesses and 644 households.
UNCW Blue Economy Index dips 1.36% in November
The sector known as the Blue Economy — companies operating on oceans and waterways that are focused on environmental sustainability — still showed relative stability during the month, compared with industrial benchmarks.
Opponents say river water transfer puts Cape Fear in peril
Fuquay-Varina seeks to transfer 6.17 million gallons per day from the Cape Fear River Basin to the Neuse River Basin to meet the Piedmont town’s projected water demands.
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away
Drainage systems that rely on gravity fail when the difference in elevation that drives water from land to sea has been shrinking as sea level rises.
State inks $11 million contract to replace Blounts Creek bridge
Sanford Contractors Inc. can begin construction of the new span as early as Dec. 1, and the project is set to be completed by fall 2028.
Steel manufacturer to announce big Hertford County project
Currituck County Republican Sen. Bobby Hanig says the forthcoming announcement of a new company’s nearly $1 billion investment in Hertford County will be “transformational” for the area.
Beaufort seeks $6.5M in funding for water system upgrades
Town commissioners plan to seek an additional USDA loan to complete the work that’s months behind and designed to reduce flooding, improve water quality and repair old infrastructure.
Wilmington Harbor maintenance dredging to begin this year
About 3 million cubic yards of material is estimated to be removed from the Wilmington Harbor’s anchorage basin and mid-river area beginning some time later this year.
Work to build statewide flood mitigation program continues
The North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint is a program being built in three phases to provide communities help planning and preparing for flooding.
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.
North Carolina among most successful states for BRIC awards
Since the first applications were accepted for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants in 2020, state and local-government officials have been successful applicants.
EPA drinking water grant for Brunswick snarled by DOGE
The Trump administration tried to cancel as “wasteful” a $20 million federal award to help Brunswick County’s rural communities of Supply, Ash and Longwood replace lead water pipes and clean up nearby wetlands, while the cofounder of a recipient nonprofit insists, “Our grant is so much about community.”
Harkers Island bridge replacement earns national award
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognized the bridge project during its annual America’s Transportation Awards contest.
Beaufort to extend dock operator’s lease, reset selection
The town commission came together Thursday on the issue of the waterfront docks that had divided it earlier this week.
State Ports Authority year-end results ‘mixed, yet balanced’
The authority said strong cash flow from operations and state appropriations allowed it to pour $80 million into its Wilmington and Morehead City seaports and its inland facility in Charlotte.
