News & Features

  • terminal groin

    Analysis: Support For Terminal Groins Erodes

    Eight years after state lawmakers repealed a longstanding ban on hardened shoreline erosion-control structures, only one has been built, as other beach towns weigh costs, consequences.

  • Dare Waterways Commission Shifts Focus

    With attention long spent on navigation in Hatteras Inlet, Dare County Waterways Commission discussions recently turned to Oregon Inlet, where shoaling at the old bridge is too severe for dredge access, and other problem areas.

  • Legislators Preview New Shellfish Bill

    Rep. Pat McElraft and Sen. Norm Sanderson told attendees at the annual Oyster Summit in Raleigh they plan to introduce legislation that addresses conflicts related to the state’s shellfish leasing program.

  • Planning Board OKs Sand Mine Permit

    Despite residents’ objections, the New Hanover County Planning Board has approved a special use permit allowing a sand mine next to a site with toxic groundwater pollution.

  • Topsail Towns Prioritize Storm Projects

    North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach are selecting storm mitigation projects to be funded with multi-million-dollar state grant from the state Division of Water Resources.

  • Local Taxes Could Fund Storm Repairs, Inlets

    Legislators included new ways to raise cash for coastal towns’ storm-related expenses and infrastructure needs, such as local-option sales taxes, in a spate of bills filed in recent days.

  • Landowner Challenges Conservation Terms

    The owner of a 12-acre property in Morehead City that was set aside for conservation more than a decade ago is asking a judge to remove deed restrictions and allow the land to be developed.

  • New Signs Warn of Lake’s Troubled Waters

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posted new signs this week at Lake Mattamuskeet to warn the public about the harmful algal blooms, another problem associated with the lake’s deteriorating water quality.

  • Retired General Frames Climate Change Risks

    Retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Stephen Cheney, now CEO of the American Security Project think tank, told an audience in Wilmington this week that climate change poses a national security threat.