Stories by Island Free Press

OCEARCH conducts shark research expedition off of Ocracoke

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press OCEARCH, a non-profit organization that conducts research on sharks around the globe, is in the middle of its 45th ocean research expedition to learn more about these animals as they begin to leave the Carolinas region and transition north for the summer. Full story

Apr 24

House fire in northern Rodanthe contained; No injuries reported

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press
A house fire that occurred in northern Rodanthe on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, was contained as of Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Full story

Apr 19

Miss Katie arrives in Hatteras village for her first Hatteras Inlet dredging event

Dare County’s own dredge, the Miss Katie, arrived in Hatteras village on Thursday, January 26, in order to conduct a maintenance dredging event in Hatteras Inlet’s Connector Channel over the next few days. Full story

Jan 27

Critically endangered North Atlantic right whale spotted off the Avon Pier

A critically endangered juvenile North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the Avon Pier on Sunday, January 8, and the rare encounter was captured on video by beachgoer Mike Hysong. Full story

Jan 10

‘It’s a whole new beginning’; Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is undergoing a transformation

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is in the middle of a transformation. Full story

Dec 18

Dead whale washes ashore in between Avon and Buxton

On Monday, December 5, Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff responded to an approximately 30-foot-long dead humpback whale in the surf about two miles south of ORV Ramp 38, in between the villages of Avon and Buxton. Full story

Dec 7

CHEC prepares to transfer power to the Jug Handle Bridge

The Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) is undergoing the final steps to transfer power to the new-in-2022 Jug Handle (or Rodanthe) Bridge, with the transition expected to be fully complete by next week. Full story

Nov 28

GoFundMe page started for replacement of iconic attraction

Update: Photographer Wes Snyder has announced a GoFundMe page to finance a new Frisco UFO structure. Full story

Nov 6

Pirates invade Ocracoke Island for Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press
After being canceled in 2019 and 2020, (and edited in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic), pirates invaded Ocracoke Island in full force for the 2022 Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree, with many swashbucklers reporting that it was the island’s biggest Jamboree yet. Full story

Oct 31

Miss Katie’s public debut is a historic milestone, with a resonating namesake

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press. The Miss Katie made her public debut at a full-day event on October 13 that included tours of the 156-foot-long vessel, capped off by a Christening Ceremony with Senator Richard Burr’s wife, Brooke Burr, breaking the traditional bottle of champagne. Full story

Oct 15

Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative wraps up work on the Jug Handle Bridge

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press While the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recently began the final phase of the Jug Handle Bridge project – removing the pavement from a two-mile former section of N.C. Highway 12 – the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) also celebrated a corresponding milestone this week. Full story

Oct 10

Day at the Docks is returning in September for the first time since 2017

The annual Day at the Docks (DATD) festival is returning to Hatteras village after a lengthy hiatus, with a wide array of both familiar and brand-new events on the two-day schedule. Full story

Aug 29