Nov. 17, 2009
Hallelujah!
One lane of Hatteras Island's only highway reopened during State of Emergency
The lane for all vehicles, including regular passenger cars, was opened at 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon after the governor had declared Dare County in a State of Emergency and made a quick visit here to sign the document have a look at heavily damaged NC 12 just north of Rodanthe.
The new lane replaces the temporary one lane restricted to four wheel drive vehicles lane that had been in use since Sunday.
Shelby Kinnaird of Avon gives us a demonstration of what it was like driving the one lane last night. (At least there was no one coming the other way.) Here's the video.
To the left was the scene at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon on the "S-curves" at Mirlo Beach where last week's wipeout of some 700 to 800 feet of the highway occurred. State Department of Transportation crews are working 'round the clock to rebuild the highway. To the right in the photo, you can see where the temporary lane existed. (Click to enlarge.)
As you may have further noticed, we have been under construction on this site as well in attempting to keep up with fast-breaking developments and numerous copy changes.
Here you see what the road looked like after a monster high tide, whipped up by an ugly nor'easter that arrived on Veterans Day, surged over the Mirlo Beach dune line flattened only the week before by high winds rough and surf.
All traffic along the new gravel single lane road must wait its turn and give way to work crews and heavy equipment. But no longer is Hatteras Island in complete isolation, except for travel by boar, ferry or airplane.
Dare County State of Emergency
Gov. Beverly Perdue toured the county by air Tuesday after declaring it in a state of emergency as a first step toward federal aide for the state Transportation Department to help offset the high cost of reconstructing NC 12.
DOT crews having to clear up to 4-feet of sand and debris from what was left of the road have been limited to periods of low tide as unusually high ones continue to roll in. Even at low tide, waves washed across the highway.
Ocracoke was also swamped. Route 12 is now open there, but it was closed at the north end of the island during the height of the storm, as was Ramp 72, and ferry service to Hatteras was suspended.
However, the island once again has a direct link by ferry to the village and the northern Outer Banks - all ferry service resumed normal schedules today.
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Beachfront homes, such as this previously condemned cottage in South Nags Head which collapsed into the surf, will never recover. Many other cottages and permanent homes in towns and communities along the beaches were damaged during the storm.
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The Virginian-Pilot reports that "at least three houses were destroyed and 312 were damaged; of those, 71 are uninhabitable. Two motels in Buxton also sustained major damage."
While the nor'easter of Veterans Day, and days after, is long gone, a great of work needs to be done in addition to complete restoration of NC 12 at Mirlo Beach.
Beach house break-ins during the storm
Kill Devil Hills Police Chief Gary Britt says there seems to be a pattern and "it is our belief that there are several persons or groups responsible for these crimes."
His officers arrested and charged an Elizabeth City man with an outstanding warrant for Probation Violation from Pasquotank County and three counts of second degree burglary after responding to a Saturday afternoon call of forced entry at a Beach Road home.
John Antonio Boseman III is being held in lieu of bond set at $47,000. Police believe that Boseman had an accomplice and/or accomplices and may have friends in the Kill Devil Hills area, Chief Britt said. "The investigation continues and we expect other charges to be forthcoming."
Anyone with information is asked to call Capt. Johnson or Detective Towler at 449-5338.
Kill Devil Hills had eight breaking and enterings last month, but already has had 15 this month, most of them at Beach Road homes, according to Chief Britt. "The suspect(s) are taking cash, video games, and flat screen TV's," he said. "Some are forced entry and some are unforced where the suspects enter an unlocked window or door."
New Senate majority leader selected
Democrats in the North Carolina Senate have selected veteran Buncombe County lawmaker Martin Nesbitt as their new majority leader.
A veteran of 30 years in the legislature, Nesbitt, 63, of Asheville, succeeded his mother when she died in office. He will become the top lieutenant of Senate president pro tem Marc Basnight of Manteo who's been in charge of the Senate since 1993.
Indeed, the North Carolina General Assembly does have some lengthy in-house traditions.
Trivette appointed Judge
His wife reported that Kitty Hawk attorney Robert Trivette, a former assistant district attorney, received a phone call from the governor's office last Friday afternoon informing him that Gov. Perdue has appointed him a District Court judge for the First Judicial District.
Trivette will fill the vacancy created when Judge J.C. Cole of Hertford was recently elevated to Superior Court. The governor's office formally announced Trivette's appointment Tuesday.
"We are very excited!" Donna Trivette eariler told friends. Her husband, she said, "will be sworn in before the end of the year" and assume his new position on the bench January 1st.
Outer Banks debate about Sarah Palin's new book
Republican wife: "I'm going to vote for her as president."
Unaffiliated husband: "You won't have the opportunity, she'll never make it on the ticket."
Palin's book is such a hot seller that it's currently being offered on television for only $4.75 with a magazine subscription thrown in.
Your Comment
Bonner Bridge replacement behind schedule
The chief operating officer of the state Department of Transportation says replacement of old faithful with a new bridge across Oregon Inlet is six to eight weeks behind schedule. Many would say its years overdue.
Nonetheless, Jim Trogdon told a meeting of the Dare County Committee to Replace the Bonner Bridge by telephone Tuesday that construction of a new bridge is still scheduled for completion in 2014.
The Pea Island refuge manager continues to call plans to build the new bridge parallel to the current one “incompatible" with the refuge. And Trogdon said "We’ve had strong indications that the (Southern Environmental Law Center) is considering a lawsuit.”
But, he said, “We have a high level of confidence from attorneys that the approach we are taking is legally defensible.”
Better than Candy
A middle school in Goldsboro, North Carolina, didn't raise much money selling candy last year, so it began selling grades – with the endorsement of its principal.
A $20 "donation" to Rosewood Middle School would get a student 20 test points – 10 extra points on two tests of his or her choice. That could raise a B to an A, or a failing grade to a D.
Principal Susie Shepherd said a parent advisory council came up with the idea, and she approved it. Were the parents of the inmates running the asylum? Seems they were for a while.
That was before Raleigh's News & Observer ran a story. Wayne County school administrators then stepped in and ordered Ms. Susie to stop the grade-selling immediately and return any money collected. The school district said further action will be taken if deemed necessary.
Beach Lifestyles – a go-cart track in Corolla?
The man who has dotted Dare County with eye-catching – some say eyesore – Wings variety stores from Duck to Nags Head and Buxton plans to add his special touch to Corolla in neighboring Currituck County.
If granted a special use permit by the county, Israel Golosa intends to plant a 3.3-acre fun park in the upscale beach community that will include an arcade, a 36-hole miniature golf course and a go-kart track. Residents are excited about the idea, to say the least. A report...
YMCA building in Maple to cost $12 million
The center as planned will be both a Currituck County recreation facility and a YMCA that will open no later that December of 2011, according to The Daily Advance.
Currituck officials have reportedly agreed to a deal with YMCA of South Hampton Roads in which the county will construct a 50,000 square-foot building and the 'Y' will provide up to $10,000 for "design and development" in return for a 30-year lease on space for its center in Maple.
The newspaper said construction is expected to begin in December of next year and quoted the Y's chief operating officer as saying “We want to build a YMCA in the middle of Currituck that gets people to drive” from different places in the Albemarle area. For a member living in Camden but working at Currituck County airport, he said, it will be only a mile-and-a-half drive to the YMCA.
Health Care
A hospital for sea turtles
The Star-News of Wilmington reports that a construction company of that city will design and build a 14,200 square foot facility to be known as the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center at Surf City on the southern Outer Banks.
The center will include 45 rehabilitation tanks, a laboratory, a surgical suite with an X-ray and an observation deck so the public can witness the care given sea turtles such as this loggerhhead, of a species that has been on the federal endangered list since 1978.
Daily Reports
Avalon Fishing Pier Reports
Cape Hatteras Fishing Reports
Oregon Inlet Fishing Reports
Golf Courses, Conditions
N.C. Lottery Results
Things to See and Do:
* Thursdays: Currituck County Yoga Class, classes are held twice weekly, 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Building. Call 232-3007 for more information.
* Saturday, Nov. 14: 29th Annual Kitty Hawk Turkey Shoot, 9 a.m. at The Promenade, sponsored by the Fire Department Association.
* Tuesdays: Bingo, Kill Devil Hills, at the Lions Club starting at 6:30 p.m.
* Wednesdays: Bingo, Kill Devil Hills, at the Colington Fire Department, 6:30 p.m., doors open at 5:30.
Links:
Currituck County
Dare County
- Animal Shelter and Adoptable Pets
- Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station
- Confederate Fortification Markers
- Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
- Lighthouses
- N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island
- Outer Banks History Center
- Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
- Roanoke Island Festival Park
- The Lost Colony
Hyde County
Other links of particular interest:
Carova Corner
Eastern Carolina Radio News
N.C. Beach Buggy Association
N.C. Fishing and Hunting Licenses
Ocracoke Newsletter
Outer Banks Free Press
Outer Banks Marinas
Russ's Outer Banks Journal
Southern Shores Times
Thanks for stopping by! Additional comments are welcome below. Sign up for emailed Alerts, if you wish; and please email us any news tips or photos of interest as well as your special event for listing under 'Things to See and Do.'
The Editor
One lane of Hatteras Island's only highway reopened during State of Emergency
The lane for all vehicles, including regular passenger cars, was opened at 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon after the governor had declared Dare County in a State of Emergency and made a quick visit here to sign the document have a look at heavily damaged NC 12 just north of Rodanthe.
The new lane replaces the temporary one lane restricted to four wheel drive vehicles lane that had been in use since Sunday.
Shelby Kinnaird of Avon gives us a demonstration of what it was like driving the one lane last night. (At least there was no one coming the other way.) Here's the video.
To the left was the scene at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon on the "S-curves" at Mirlo Beach where last week's wipeout of some 700 to 800 feet of the highway occurred. State Department of Transportation crews are working 'round the clock to rebuild the highway. To the right in the photo, you can see where the temporary lane existed. (Click to enlarge.)As you may have further noticed, we have been under construction on this site as well in attempting to keep up with fast-breaking developments and numerous copy changes.
Here you see what the road looked like after a monster high tide, whipped up by an ugly nor'easter that arrived on Veterans Day, surged over the Mirlo Beach dune line flattened only the week before by high winds rough and surf.All traffic along the new gravel single lane road must wait its turn and give way to work crews and heavy equipment. But no longer is Hatteras Island in complete isolation, except for travel by boar, ferry or airplane.
Dare County State of Emergency
Gov. Beverly Perdue toured the county by air Tuesday after declaring it in a state of emergency as a first step toward federal aide for the state Transportation Department to help offset the high cost of reconstructing NC 12.
DOT crews having to clear up to 4-feet of sand and debris from what was left of the road have been limited to periods of low tide as unusually high ones continue to roll in. Even at low tide, waves washed across the highway.
Ocracoke was also swamped. Route 12 is now open there, but it was closed at the north end of the island during the height of the storm, as was Ramp 72, and ferry service to Hatteras was suspended.However, the island once again has a direct link by ferry to the village and the northern Outer Banks - all ferry service resumed normal schedules today.
.jpg)
Beachfront homes, such as this previously condemned cottage in South Nags Head which collapsed into the surf, will never recover. Many other cottages and permanent homes in towns and communities along the beaches were damaged during the storm..jpg)
The Virginian-Pilot reports that "at least three houses were destroyed and 312 were damaged; of those, 71 are uninhabitable. Two motels in Buxton also sustained major damage."While the nor'easter of Veterans Day, and days after, is long gone, a great of work needs to be done in addition to complete restoration of NC 12 at Mirlo Beach.
Beach house break-ins during the storm
Kill Devil Hills Police Chief Gary Britt says there seems to be a pattern and "it is our belief that there are several persons or groups responsible for these crimes."
His officers arrested and charged an Elizabeth City man with an outstanding warrant for Probation Violation from Pasquotank County and three counts of second degree burglary after responding to a Saturday afternoon call of forced entry at a Beach Road home.
John Antonio Boseman III is being held in lieu of bond set at $47,000. Police believe that Boseman had an accomplice and/or accomplices and may have friends in the Kill Devil Hills area, Chief Britt said. "The investigation continues and we expect other charges to be forthcoming."
Anyone with information is asked to call Capt. Johnson or Detective Towler at 449-5338.
Kill Devil Hills had eight breaking and enterings last month, but already has had 15 this month, most of them at Beach Road homes, according to Chief Britt. "The suspect(s) are taking cash, video games, and flat screen TV's," he said. "Some are forced entry and some are unforced where the suspects enter an unlocked window or door."
New Senate majority leader selectedDemocrats in the North Carolina Senate have selected veteran Buncombe County lawmaker Martin Nesbitt as their new majority leader.
A veteran of 30 years in the legislature, Nesbitt, 63, of Asheville, succeeded his mother when she died in office. He will become the top lieutenant of Senate president pro tem Marc Basnight of Manteo who's been in charge of the Senate since 1993.
Indeed, the North Carolina General Assembly does have some lengthy in-house traditions.
Trivette appointed JudgeHis wife reported that Kitty Hawk attorney Robert Trivette, a former assistant district attorney, received a phone call from the governor's office last Friday afternoon informing him that Gov. Perdue has appointed him a District Court judge for the First Judicial District.
Trivette will fill the vacancy created when Judge J.C. Cole of Hertford was recently elevated to Superior Court. The governor's office formally announced Trivette's appointment Tuesday.
"We are very excited!" Donna Trivette eariler told friends. Her husband, she said, "will be sworn in before the end of the year" and assume his new position on the bench January 1st.
Outer Banks debate about Sarah Palin's new book
Republican wife: "I'm going to vote for her as president."
Unaffiliated husband: "You won't have the opportunity, she'll never make it on the ticket."
Palin's book is such a hot seller that it's currently being offered on television for only $4.75 with a magazine subscription thrown in.
Your Comment
Bonner Bridge replacement behind scheduleThe chief operating officer of the state Department of Transportation says replacement of old faithful with a new bridge across Oregon Inlet is six to eight weeks behind schedule. Many would say its years overdue.
Nonetheless, Jim Trogdon told a meeting of the Dare County Committee to Replace the Bonner Bridge by telephone Tuesday that construction of a new bridge is still scheduled for completion in 2014.
The Pea Island refuge manager continues to call plans to build the new bridge parallel to the current one “incompatible" with the refuge. And Trogdon said "We’ve had strong indications that the (Southern Environmental Law Center) is considering a lawsuit.”
But, he said, “We have a high level of confidence from attorneys that the approach we are taking is legally defensible.”
Better than Candy
A middle school in Goldsboro, North Carolina, didn't raise much money selling candy last year, so it began selling grades – with the endorsement of its principal.
A $20 "donation" to Rosewood Middle School would get a student 20 test points – 10 extra points on two tests of his or her choice. That could raise a B to an A, or a failing grade to a D.
Principal Susie Shepherd said a parent advisory council came up with the idea, and she approved it. Were the parents of the inmates running the asylum? Seems they were for a while.
That was before Raleigh's News & Observer ran a story. Wayne County school administrators then stepped in and ordered Ms. Susie to stop the grade-selling immediately and return any money collected. The school district said further action will be taken if deemed necessary.
Beach Lifestyles – a go-cart track in Corolla?
The man who has dotted Dare County with eye-catching – some say eyesore – Wings variety stores from Duck to Nags Head and Buxton plans to add his special touch to Corolla in neighboring Currituck County.
If granted a special use permit by the county, Israel Golosa intends to plant a 3.3-acre fun park in the upscale beach community that will include an arcade, a 36-hole miniature golf course and a go-kart track. Residents are excited about the idea, to say the least. A report...
YMCA building in Maple to cost $12 million
The center as planned will be both a Currituck County recreation facility and a YMCA that will open no later that December of 2011, according to The Daily Advance.
Currituck officials have reportedly agreed to a deal with YMCA of South Hampton Roads in which the county will construct a 50,000 square-foot building and the 'Y' will provide up to $10,000 for "design and development" in return for a 30-year lease on space for its center in Maple.
The newspaper said construction is expected to begin in December of next year and quoted the Y's chief operating officer as saying “We want to build a YMCA in the middle of Currituck that gets people to drive” from different places in the Albemarle area. For a member living in Camden but working at Currituck County airport, he said, it will be only a mile-and-a-half drive to the YMCA.
Health CareA hospital for sea turtles
The Star-News of Wilmington reports that a construction company of that city will design and build a 14,200 square foot facility to be known as the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center at Surf City on the southern Outer Banks.
The center will include 45 rehabilitation tanks, a laboratory, a surgical suite with an X-ray and an observation deck so the public can witness the care given sea turtles such as this loggerhhead, of a species that has been on the federal endangered list since 1978.
Daily Reports
Avalon Fishing Pier Reports
Cape Hatteras Fishing Reports
Oregon Inlet Fishing Reports
Golf Courses, Conditions
N.C. Lottery Results
Things to See and Do:
* Thursdays: Currituck County Yoga Class, classes are held twice weekly, 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Building. Call 232-3007 for more information.
* Saturday, Nov. 14: 29th Annual Kitty Hawk Turkey Shoot, 9 a.m. at The Promenade, sponsored by the Fire Department Association.
* Tuesdays: Bingo, Kill Devil Hills, at the Lions Club starting at 6:30 p.m.
* Wednesdays: Bingo, Kill Devil Hills, at the Colington Fire Department, 6:30 p.m., doors open at 5:30.
Links:Currituck County
Dare County
- Animal Shelter and Adoptable Pets
- Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station
- Confederate Fortification Markers
- Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
- Lighthouses
- N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island
- Outer Banks History Center
- Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
- Roanoke Island Festival Park
- The Lost Colony
Hyde County
Other links of particular interest:
Carova Corner
Eastern Carolina Radio News
N.C. Beach Buggy Association
N.C. Fishing and Hunting Licenses
Ocracoke Newsletter
Outer Banks Free Press
Outer Banks Marinas
Russ's Outer Banks Journal
Southern Shores Times
Thanks for stopping by! Additional comments are welcome below. Sign up for emailed Alerts, if you wish; and please email us any news tips or photos of interest as well as your special event for listing under 'Things to See and Do.'
The Editor
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1 comments:
Ok...so the road on Hatteras Island was opened at 3:00 p.m. today, only a few hours after ferry service was begun from Rodanthe to Stumpy Point. It begs the question, "Who's doing all the co-ordination of emergency services during this storm event?"
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