At her first informal meeting with her Outer Banks constituents on Wednesday, Jan. 12, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan moved easily among tables at the Dare Center, stopping at each one to chat and listen. Moments before, the North Carolina Democrat breezed into the room, greeting local officials with familiar back-pats and banter about rock fishing […]

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BY CATHERINE KOZAK

Doug Doughtie has taken over the Dare County Sheriff’s Office at a tough time, handicapped by government budget crunches and a disengaged, discouraged citizenry. But the veteran lawman, a big man who greets visitors with a cheery smile and a vigorous handshake, said that the key to effective law enforcement comes down to being more […]

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It’s official. HeathEast Family Care will close its Hatteras office on Dec. 30.     Contents, including patient files, will be transferred to the remaining HealthEast clinic in Avon starting the first week of January, said Travis Douglass, vice-president and executive director of University Health Systems physicians, which contracts the three UHS doctors on Hatteras Island. […]

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By CATHERINE KOZAK

By CATHERINE KOZAK Bob Steinburg didn’t think it was right that a candidate for state office should go unchallenged in November’s election. Before he knew it, the Edenton Republican had filed to face off against incumbent Democrat Tim Spear for the District 2 seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Active for years in […]

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Officials talk about emergency plan in case bridge fails again BY CATHERINE KOZAK The planning process to replace the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, begun soon after the ship hit the span 20 years ago, has turned out to be as difficult and unruly as some trips through Oregon Inlet. At the brink of approval of […]

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BY CATHERINE KOZAK A hard nor’easter was pounding the Outer Banks as Mickey Baker and  Carmie Prete hustled home to Ocracoke Island that October night 20 years ago, intent on beating the heavy weather before Highway 12 flooded. As they crossed the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, they spied something odd looming in the darkness, just […]

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Boiled down to its essence, replacement of the decrepit bridge over Oregon Inlet comes down to building a new span at about the same place as the existing one. So why, after nearly two decades of planning, is the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge replacement project still stuck in a bureaucratic impasse? That’s one dilemma Assistant […]

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(Editor’s Note:  It’s been almost five years since a ban on plastic bags on the Outer Banks became effective.  It has not eliminated litter on OBX highways, but it surely is a good thing to see fewer of the bags flying around on the roadside.  Most shoppers have gotten used to taking their cloth bags […]

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