By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice. When 14-year-old Mackenzie Taylor was just six years old, she would go to the Jarvisburg Church of Christ (JCC) gym with her grandfather, who coaches weightlifting as part of an outreach program there. “She said she wanted to try it,” said her grandfather, Gene Berry. “So we put her in a contest and she won and broke records and hadn’t really even trained. She was extremely strong, just gifted in that way.” Full story

New Dare Supt. contract runs through 2026, starts at $190K By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice. Longtime educator Steve Basnight takes the helm of Dare County Schools as its new superintendent beginning Dec. 1, nearly six months after the sudden resignation of John Farrelly and the subsequent appointment of Steve Blackstock as interim superintendent. Full story

Travel on road significantly affected by traffic stops By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice ​Improvements to busy, flood-prone Colington Road are now 48 percent complete, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Full story

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice Enhancements and improvements to the Meekins Field Community Park in Kill Devil Hills are underway and expected to be complete by late spring or early summer, according to Kill Devil Hills Commissioner Terry Gray. Full story

Colington facility still needs Special Use Permit By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice The Dare County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 7 unanimously approved a request for a zoning text amendment that would allow for pet crematoriums as an accessory use to pet grooming and kennel facilities in certain areas of Colington. Full story

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice A representative of housing developer Woda Cooper made the case for building a 54-unit affordable housing complex called “Commons of Nags Head” during a presentation at the Nags Head Commissioners’ Nov. 2 meeting. Full story

Educator had previously spent 28 years in the district By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice. Steve Basnight, a longtime Dare County educator and former Hyde County Superintendent, will return to Dare County Schools as its new superintendent following the unanimous approval of his contract by the Dare County Board of Education during a special meeting on Nov. 2. Full story

Speculation centers on Sugar Kingdom By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice Construction is underway of a two-story 7,500-square-foot retail candy store with 24 parking spaces at 5201 N Croatan Highway in Kitty Hawk. T Full story

Chock full of events, OBX Veterans week begins Nov. 4 By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice On Friday, Nov. 11, the nation pauses to honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces to protect the United States. Here in Dare County, there are a number of ceremonies and events on that day, as well as throughout Outer Banks Veterans Week, which runs from Nov. 4 to Nov. 13. Full story

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice Unaffiliated candidate Jessica Fearns and Republican candidate Ron Payne are competing for the District 2 seat on the Dare County Board of Education in the Nov. 8 election – one of three seats that will be filled by newly elected members when their terms begin in December. Full story

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice The Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners and Planning Board met in a two-hour-long joint work session on October 20 to discuss potential regulatory changes and incentives it could initiate to encourage more long-term housing in the municipality. Full story

Town and county officials at odds during public hearing By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice. During its Oct. 19 meeting, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt a 150-day moratorium that temporarily halts development in the C-2 General Commercial district and within the Historic Character Area between U.S. 158 and N.C. 12 from Hollowell Street to Danube Street. Full story