Dec. 18-19, 2009
New storm closes NC 12 again
Same area north of Rodanthe that was washed out last month
A low pressure system northeast of Cape Hatteras and wind-whipped high tides of 6 feet caused coastal and soundside flooding along the northern Outer Banks Saturday and the temporary closure of NC 12 at Mirlo Beach, north of Rodanthe, due to ocean overwash.
It's the same area as shown here shortly before it was washed out by the Veterans Day nor'easter a month ago. It was reconstructed and reopened to two-way traffic just 9 days ago following extensive damage left by that storm. (Earlier story below.)
The highway at Mirlo Beach was later reopened on Saturday, but to one lane only at last report. No word yet on the extent of new damage, if any, or when Hatteras Island's only highway will be fully reopened again.
Portions of NC 12 were also reported under water Saturday at Pea Island, Frisco, Avon, and Kitty Hawk, and soundside breakers sprayed the causeway between Nags Head and Manteo. The photo to the right of soundside overwash at Buxton was taken Saturday afternoon by Hatteras Realty.
As the storm moved north, The Weather Channel was calling it the "Blizzard of 2009" – an intense pre-winter coastal system that was blamed for at least five deaths on the east coast Saturday and, TWC said, "will be a historic snow event for parts of the I-95 corridor" from Richmond to Washington and Baltimore, and on into southern New England.
Significant accumulations occurred from Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem (the Triad area) westward into the North Carolina mountains.
Fourteen inches of snow fell Saturday at Reagan National Airport across the Potomac from Washington, the most ever recorded for a single December day; while about 9 inches had fallen in Philadelphia.
The system was moving northeast in the early hours of Sunday morning and forecasters predicted more than 16 inches of snow in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The flood warning for the northern Banks has been lifted but a freeze warning is in effect until 8 o'clock this morning (Sunday).
State Supreme Court halts release of two convicted murderers
In what has become a bizarre legal conflict between North Carolina courts over life sentences issued in the 1970s, the state's highest court agreed Friday afternoon to keep two "lifers" behind bars, but only for the time being.
The court is expected to decide within the next 10 days whether to grant a hearing on the matter. If it declines, a Superior Court judge's order would stand, allowing the two elderly convicts to be released. The latest...
N.C. jobless rate improves slightly
Unemployment in North Carolina eased just a fraction of a percent, from 10.9 to 10.8% in November, according to figures releases Friday by the state Employment Commission. The national rate was 10% unemployed in November.
Michigan again had the highest unemployment rate, 14.7%, followed by Rhode Island, 12.7%, and California, Nevada, and South Carolina, each with 12.3%. Virginia, with 6.6% jobless, was among states with the lowest unemployment.
County jobless rates in North Carolina will be released Jan. 5.
First military pilots honored at Wright Brothers Memorial
Two Army lieutenants with only three hours of flight training each became the nation's first military pilots 100 years ago when each made three solo flights in a Wright brothers plane in the Washington, D.C. area.
The two were honor at Thursday's 106th anniversary First Flight ceremonies at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Details...
Ocracoke newcomers...
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Two fillies from the southern Outer Banks, Jitterbug (left) and Sacajawea (below), both about 2 years old, have joined the "Banker" pony herd at Ocracoke to help maintain the genetic diversity and health of the herd descended from 16th century Spanish horses.
Banker ponies, as the Outer Banks horses are called, typically have brown to reddish brown bodies and white markings, particularly on the face.
Jitterbug and Sacajawea were adopted by the National Park Service from the Shackleford Banks herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore back in September and received special veterinary and blacksmith care prior to last Sunday's ferry trip to their new home on Ocracoke.
If the two young ladies appear somewhat standoffish or aloof in this photo by Mickey Roberson of Ocracoke on the day of their arrival, it's probably because they were still a bit overcome by their new surroundings. But they'll make new friends in the Ocracoke pony pen and help raise new a new generation of Banker ponies descended from the Spanish horses brought to the Outer Banks from Hispaniola centuries ago.
Serendipity has a serendipitous savior
The beach cottage made famous by "Nights in Rodanthe" has attracted a buyer willing to move and restore it. “We have a verbal agreement,” the current owner says, “and it’s just a matter of the paperwork coming through.” Details...
UNC backup quarterback plans transfer to William & Mary
Mike Paulus was a heralded member of Butch Davis' first recruiting class in 2007, but has played in only four games. Goodbye, Heels; I'm joining the Tribe!
Basnight questioned about his health
Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo, the president pro tem of the state Senate and the most powerful man in North Carolina government, suffers from a rare nerve disease that affects his balance and speech, and has fueled rumors he may not run again.
The Senator is shown here with Gov. Beverly Perdue, the second banana, after last November's elections.
“I walk, oh, gosh, about an hour a day, four days a week," he recently told the Washington Daily News of Washington, N.C. “I don’t know if that’s newsworthy, but that’s what I do.”
The newspaper said Basnight's speech "was clear but halting and a bit labored" during its telephone interview. More...
Pre-Christmas Cheer:
Storm ravaged NC 12 fully reopened on Hatteras Island
The 1,800 feet of the island's only highway that was washed out or severely damaged by the Nov. 11-12 nor'easter was fully reopened to two-way traffic at 2:15 Friday afternoon, Dec. 11.
Pablo Hernandez, state Department of Transportation assistant engineer on the job,
said all the repaving and marking of NC 12 at the Mirlo Beach area just north of Rodanthe has been completed, and all the yellow cones and temporary signs have been removed (as shown in this webcam photo of the area). Click to enlarge.
Hernandez praised RPC Contracting of Kitty Hawk, the low bidder, for its work on the $439,000 project. Traffic had been one-way through the construction area since Nov. 16.
For four days prior to that, motorists on the island were cut off from the rest of Dare County.
While reconstruction of NC 12 has been completed, other projects continue in the Mirlo Beach area: Replacement of sandbags where the damage occurred will take most of the winter; a $1.4 million project to widen some 2,000 feet of the beach with sand from the Oregon Inlet jetty is expected to resume next month and continue through March.
Fireworks company fined for Ocracoke explosion
A South Carolina pyrotechnics company has been fined by the N.C. Department of Labor for serious violations in connection with the fatal explosion on Ocracoke Island as the fireworks were being unloaded last Fourth of July. Four of the five hired hands on the job died from the blast and the fifth was seriously burned. More...
Frick is returned to his home...
Just in time for Christmas!
But oh what a fine time he had exploring the highways and byways of Kill Devil Hills.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9th, Animal Control Officer Jessica Helms responded to a call about a “big lizard” sitting in the middle of US 158 in front of the Wright Memorial. After rescuing the 4-year old iguana, Jessica learned that “Frick” had been missing from his home in Baum Bay since September 5th. His owners, brother and sister Stuart and Sarah Szymczyk, and iguana brother “Frack” all thought they would never see "Frick" again after all that time.
A merry Christmas for them, and our thanks to Mary Quidley of Kill Devil Hills for the story and photo. (Click photo to enlarge.)
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Oops!
Charles Cole of Virginia Beach was about to take off alone from unattended Billy Mitchell Airfield in Frisco on Sunday morning when an alarm sounded aboard his Piper Saratoga. He attempted to abort the take off but said his brakes failed, causing him to veer off the runway into a thicket. No injuries except to the plane, but the airstrip at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was closed for about four hours.
Life on the wild side...
Tarboro woman stampeded by herd of deer
Michelle Brewer was about to open the jewelry store on Main Street she owns with husband when about nine deer came barreling down the street on Saturday morning.
“I remember seeing them and that was it,” she said. “There was no time to do anything.”
Tony Battle saw what happed from his barber shop across the street. “It was amazing how that deer hit her and picked her up,” he said.
Ms. Brewer though battered and bruised didn't go to the hospital but says she is she is planning to visit her doctor, and also her dentist.
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.
* 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:
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
Same area north of Rodanthe that was washed out last month
A low pressure system northeast of Cape Hatteras and wind-whipped high tides of 6 feet caused coastal and soundside flooding along the northern Outer Banks Saturday and the temporary closure of NC 12 at Mirlo Beach, north of Rodanthe, due to ocean overwash.
It's the same area as shown here shortly before it was washed out by the Veterans Day nor'easter a month ago. It was reconstructed and reopened to two-way traffic just 9 days ago following extensive damage left by that storm. (Earlier story below.)The highway at Mirlo Beach was later reopened on Saturday, but to one lane only at last report. No word yet on the extent of new damage, if any, or when Hatteras Island's only highway will be fully reopened again.
Portions of NC 12 were also reported under water Saturday at Pea Island, Frisco, Avon, and Kitty Hawk, and soundside breakers sprayed the causeway between Nags Head and Manteo. The photo to the right of soundside overwash at Buxton was taken Saturday afternoon by Hatteras Realty.As the storm moved north, The Weather Channel was calling it the "Blizzard of 2009" – an intense pre-winter coastal system that was blamed for at least five deaths on the east coast Saturday and, TWC said, "will be a historic snow event for parts of the I-95 corridor" from Richmond to Washington and Baltimore, and on into southern New England.
Significant accumulations occurred from Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem (the Triad area) westward into the North Carolina mountains.
Fourteen inches of snow fell Saturday at Reagan National Airport across the Potomac from Washington, the most ever recorded for a single December day; while about 9 inches had fallen in Philadelphia.
The system was moving northeast in the early hours of Sunday morning and forecasters predicted more than 16 inches of snow in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The flood warning for the northern Banks has been lifted but a freeze warning is in effect until 8 o'clock this morning (Sunday).
State Supreme Court halts release of two convicted murderers
In what has become a bizarre legal conflict between North Carolina courts over life sentences issued in the 1970s, the state's highest court agreed Friday afternoon to keep two "lifers" behind bars, but only for the time being.
The court is expected to decide within the next 10 days whether to grant a hearing on the matter. If it declines, a Superior Court judge's order would stand, allowing the two elderly convicts to be released. The latest...
N.C. jobless rate improves slightly
Unemployment in North Carolina eased just a fraction of a percent, from 10.9 to 10.8% in November, according to figures releases Friday by the state Employment Commission. The national rate was 10% unemployed in November.
Michigan again had the highest unemployment rate, 14.7%, followed by Rhode Island, 12.7%, and California, Nevada, and South Carolina, each with 12.3%. Virginia, with 6.6% jobless, was among states with the lowest unemployment.
County jobless rates in North Carolina will be released Jan. 5.
First military pilots honored at Wright Brothers Memorial
Two Army lieutenants with only three hours of flight training each became the nation's first military pilots 100 years ago when each made three solo flights in a Wright brothers plane in the Washington, D.C. area.
The two were honor at Thursday's 106th anniversary First Flight ceremonies at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Details...
Ocracoke newcomers...
.jpg)
Two fillies from the southern Outer Banks, Jitterbug (left) and Sacajawea (below), both about 2 years old, have joined the "Banker" pony herd at Ocracoke to help maintain the genetic diversity and health of the herd descended from 16th century Spanish horses.
Banker ponies, as the Outer Banks horses are called, typically have brown to reddish brown bodies and white markings, particularly on the face.Jitterbug and Sacajawea were adopted by the National Park Service from the Shackleford Banks herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore back in September and received special veterinary and blacksmith care prior to last Sunday's ferry trip to their new home on Ocracoke.
If the two young ladies appear somewhat standoffish or aloof in this photo by Mickey Roberson of Ocracoke on the day of their arrival, it's probably because they were still a bit overcome by their new surroundings. But they'll make new friends in the Ocracoke pony pen and help raise new a new generation of Banker ponies descended from the Spanish horses brought to the Outer Banks from Hispaniola centuries ago.Serendipity has a serendipitous savior
The beach cottage made famous by "Nights in Rodanthe" has attracted a buyer willing to move and restore it. “We have a verbal agreement,” the current owner says, “and it’s just a matter of the paperwork coming through.” Details...
UNC backup quarterback plans transfer to William & Mary
Mike Paulus was a heralded member of Butch Davis' first recruiting class in 2007, but has played in only four games. Goodbye, Heels; I'm joining the Tribe!
Basnight questioned about his health
Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo, the president pro tem of the state Senate and the most powerful man in North Carolina government, suffers from a rare nerve disease that affects his balance and speech, and has fueled rumors he may not run again.
The Senator is shown here with Gov. Beverly Perdue, the second banana, after last November's elections.“I walk, oh, gosh, about an hour a day, four days a week," he recently told the Washington Daily News of Washington, N.C. “I don’t know if that’s newsworthy, but that’s what I do.”
The newspaper said Basnight's speech "was clear but halting and a bit labored" during its telephone interview. More...
Pre-Christmas Cheer:
Storm ravaged NC 12 fully reopened on Hatteras Island
The 1,800 feet of the island's only highway that was washed out or severely damaged by the Nov. 11-12 nor'easter was fully reopened to two-way traffic at 2:15 Friday afternoon, Dec. 11.Pablo Hernandez, state Department of Transportation assistant engineer on the job,
said all the repaving and marking of NC 12 at the Mirlo Beach area just north of Rodanthe has been completed, and all the yellow cones and temporary signs have been removed (as shown in this webcam photo of the area). Click to enlarge.Hernandez praised RPC Contracting of Kitty Hawk, the low bidder, for its work on the $439,000 project. Traffic had been one-way through the construction area since Nov. 16.
For four days prior to that, motorists on the island were cut off from the rest of Dare County.While reconstruction of NC 12 has been completed, other projects continue in the Mirlo Beach area: Replacement of sandbags where the damage occurred will take most of the winter; a $1.4 million project to widen some 2,000 feet of the beach with sand from the Oregon Inlet jetty is expected to resume next month and continue through March.
Fireworks company fined for Ocracoke explosion
A South Carolina pyrotechnics company has been fined by the N.C. Department of Labor for serious violations in connection with the fatal explosion on Ocracoke Island as the fireworks were being unloaded last Fourth of July. Four of the five hired hands on the job died from the blast and the fifth was seriously burned. More... Frick is returned to his home...
Just in time for Christmas!But oh what a fine time he had exploring the highways and byways of Kill Devil Hills.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9th, Animal Control Officer Jessica Helms responded to a call about a “big lizard” sitting in the middle of US 158 in front of the Wright Memorial. After rescuing the 4-year old iguana, Jessica learned that “Frick” had been missing from his home in Baum Bay since September 5th. His owners, brother and sister Stuart and Sarah Szymczyk, and iguana brother “Frack” all thought they would never see "Frick" again after all that time.
A merry Christmas for them, and our thanks to Mary Quidley of Kill Devil Hills for the story and photo. (Click photo to enlarge.)
.jpg)
Oops!Charles Cole of Virginia Beach was about to take off alone from unattended Billy Mitchell Airfield in Frisco on Sunday morning when an alarm sounded aboard his Piper Saratoga. He attempted to abort the take off but said his brakes failed, causing him to veer off the runway into a thicket. No injuries except to the plane, but the airstrip at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was closed for about four hours.
Life on the wild side...
Tarboro woman stampeded by herd of deer
Michelle Brewer was about to open the jewelry store on Main Street she owns with husband when about nine deer came barreling down the street on Saturday morning.“I remember seeing them and that was it,” she said. “There was no time to do anything.”
Tony Battle saw what happed from his barber shop across the street. “It was amazing how that deer hit her and picked her up,” he said.
Ms. Brewer though battered and bruised didn't go to the hospital but says she is she is planning to visit her doctor, and also her dentist.
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.
* 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.
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:
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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