Special Reports

  • Planting For Pollinators Brings Benefits

    Habitat loss and pesticide use have made planting for pollinators more important than ever, and adding native, diverse plants can help create a haven for pollinators and wildlife.

  • Derelict Boats Remain A Local Issue In NC

    The N.C. General Assembly has granted certain local governments authority to manage and remove derelict or abandoned vessels in public waters, but there’s no law addressing the problem statewide.

  • State Law Dictates Displaced Boat Response

    When the Coast Guard and other agencies and contractors responded after Hurricane Florence to the preponderance of storm-tossed and damaged boats, they were restricted by state law in what they could do.

  • Sutton Spill: Selenium Levels Before, After

    Elevated selenium levels were found in Sutton Lake before Hurricane Florence flooded Duke Energy’s coal ash pond. Now researchers plan to study the breach’s long-term effects.

  • Sutton Spill: Debate Over Data Continues

    Duke Energy says its sampling of the Cape Fear River shows no significant harm resulted from the Sutton Plant coal ash spill, but others contend the utility’s own results and state standards raise red flags.

  • Sutton Spill Damage: Answers Lie Below

    Activists sounded the alarm about the recent Cape Fear River coal ash spill as Duke Energy downplayed the damage, but researchers say determining the true extent of contamination requires digging deeper.

  • Test Case for Oceanfront Development Risks

    In real estate, location is everything, and the perilous site of the Kure Beach condominium complex called The Riggings make it a textbook example of challenges in managing coastal development.

  • New Rule Latest Effort to Save The Riggings

    The legislature in June threw a lifeline to The Riggings, a condo complex in Kure Beach threatened by erosion since its construction, but the sandbag rule change is just another short-term fix in a losing battle with the ocean.