Ocracoke will once again head to the beach and join more than 80 other locations from 12 states, as well as Canada, Australia, Belize and New Zealand, for the Hands Across America show of solidarity to protect the coasts and ocean. Florida has the most locations with 23 as of Sunday and more locations nationally […]
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Ferry Messaging Sign Back Up and Runnning
April 18, 2019 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
A picture is worth one thousand words. The electronic messaging sign is up and running again. Located at the north end of the village heading to the Hatteras Inlet ferry terminal, the sign was installed in early 2015 at the urging of the N.C. Ferry Division by the N.C. Department of Transportation which manages it […]
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Down East Community Thanks Ocracoke Islanders for Help During Florence
March 6, 2019 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich | From The: Ocracoke Observer
As Hurricane Florence headed to Eastern North Carolina last September, residents from Dare County all the way down to South Carolina had their personal Category 4 level of anxiety. Although Ocracoke and points further north were largely spared, it was not the case for those to the south and communities on the mainland that dealt […]
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Portsmouth Island Suffers Minor Damage from Hurricane Florence
Portsmouth Village suffered no major damage from the passage of Hurricane Florence Sept. 13. Cape Lookout National Seashore Superintendent Jeff West visited the village last week after the storm to assess the historic site. “We lost three structures–the Armtech (a modern building), a modern fishing shed and one of Henry Pigott’s out buildings,” West, said. […]
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Hands Across the Sand on Ocracoke Scheduled for Saturday
May 18, 2018 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich
In early January, President Donald Trump’s administration announced a five-year plan that would invite drilling in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. So, with the real possibility of offshore drilling off the mid-Atlantic coast looming again, islanders and visitors will once again have an opportunity to show their opposition by participating in Hands Across the […]
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Ocracoke’s First Waterfowl Festival Set for April 21
By Peter Vankevich Ocracoke Observer Ocracoke’s first Waterfowl Festival on April 21 in the school gym will celebrate renowned island carver Dave O’Neal. When you step inside his Down Point Decoys Shop, you may feel you have wandered into an earlier time. The small building that once served as the island’s post office is “downtown,” […]
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Ocracoke School needs SB15, Sen. Cook promises support
April 19, 2017 | Local News | By: Peter Vankevich
By Peter Vankevich If the North Carolina General Assembly’s Senate Bill 15 is not passed it could result in a loss of 4.5 teaching positions for Ocracoke School, according to an announcement released Friday by Hyde County. The bill, An Act To Provide For Teacher Allotments For Geographically Isolated K-12 Schools, is scheduled to be heard […]
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Ocracoke surf-fishing tournament still at top of its game
May 2, 2016 | Fishing | By: Peter Vankevich
The 71 fishing teams were all in a good mood Friday evening, April 29, as the 33rd annual Ocracoke Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament came to an end. Amidst the beer, good food — barbecue, black-eyed peas, potato salad and cole slaw — supplied by Jack Edwards and the Carolina Boys and under the big tent […]
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UPDATE: The roller coaster of ferry tolls hits a bump in Dare County
While N.C. Ferry Division officials were on Ocracoke yesterday assuring islanders that they would go along with islanders’ not wanting a toll on the Hatteras Ferry, the Dare County commissioners, after a presentation by the Ferry Division, voted 6 to 1 to approve tolling the Hatteras Ferry. Ed Goodwin, Ferry Division director, along with Rep. […]
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Commentary: About those ferry priority passes
Many summer visitors experience frustration with the long lines at the Hatteras ferry terminal to visit Ocracoke. (Hint: To avoid long lines, arrive early or late in the day.) If you haven’t been reading the Ocracoke Observer and other local news services over the last year, you may not be aware that the North Carolina […]
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