By Connie Leinbach | Ocracoke Observer

June 10

Ocracoke got a step closer to the return of the passenger ferry this summer when the N.C. Senate today passed a bill that includes funding for this service between Hatteras and Ocracoke. Although a start date has not been set, the breakthrough came today when the Senate passed Bill No. 241 — a bill to regulate all-terrain vehicles but which includes an amendment for $700,000 to fund passenger ferry service to Ocracoke.

More »

Plans no longer hampered by COVID uncertainty After dealing with the wildcard of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting last year’s budgets, Dare County’s municipalities have been able to develop their fiscal year 2021-2022…

With the first meeting of the NC12 Task Force held on May 19, the initial steps toward developing a long-range plan to address concerns about the often-perilous state of NC12 south of…

(First Bancorp, Select Bancorp) First Bancorp (Nasdaq: FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, and Select Bancorp, Inc. (“Select”) (Nasdaq: SLCT), the parent company of Select Bank and Trust Company (“Select Bank”),…

By Joy Crist | Island Free Press The 2.4 mile-long Jug Handle Bridge is 75% complete as of June 3, with a projected opening date of late 2021 or early 2022, per an…

After joining forces with the Dare County Tourism Board more than a decade ago to purchase property that would eventually become the Soundside Event Site, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners on…

At their June 1 special meeting, the Dare County Commissioners agreed to ask the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to develop a conceptual plan for affordable housing at the…

67 vendors selected out of about 90 applicants The Dowdy Park Farmer’s Market in Nags Head will feature the largest number of vendors the market has hosted since debuting in 2017, with…

Here’s more evidence of the rocket-fueled visitor boom this area has experienced ever since the bridges to Dare County were re-opened on May 16 of last year. On May 27, the Cape…

OBX worker woes complicated by shortage As the summer season officially kicks off on Memorial Day weekend, the Outer Banks is still missing a key element of what makes its workforce tick…

No tax increase, new EMS spending in 2021-2022 plan Dare County property owners will see no increase in property taxes under the county’s proposed 2021-2022 General Fund budget of $112.7 million –…

(Dare County Emergency Management) Hurricane season officially begins on Tuesday, June 1, and Dare County Emergency Management encourages all Dare County residents, non-resident property owners, and business owners to visit www.DareNC.com/Reentry to obtain a…

But board keeps door open for future deal By a 5-0 vote, the Manteo Board of Commissioners on May 19 rejected a zoning text amendment application by SAGA Construction that would have…

Lee Nettles, Executive Director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau recounts highlights from the May 2021 meeting of the Dare County Tourism Board.

OBX responds to sudden end of COVID restrictions. On May 13, in a move that surprised experts and the public alike, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its guidelines in announcing…

(Town of Nags Head) This statement has just been issued by the town of Nags Head. Nags Head’s Board of Commissioners was notified today that Michael C. Silverman has withdrawn from his…

The law firm of Rose Harrison Gilreath & Powers, P.C. of Kill Devil Hills, was recently awarded the Attorney General’s Cup as the 2021 Legal Feeding Frenzy winner. The Attorney General’s Cup…

Announcement comes after Cooper eases COVID restrictions Nags Head is the latest town to react to Governor Roy Cooper’s May 14 announcement that lifted mask-wearing mandates in most circumstances and cancelled social…

KDH allows continued outdoor dining in restaurants In the wake of Governor Roy Cooper’s May 14 Order lifting the state’s indoor mask mandate, Dare County Manager Bobby Outten told the Voice that…

NC also ends social distancing, mass gathering limits Declaring that “Today, I have great news to share with the people of North Carolina,” Governor Roy Cooper lifted the indoor mask mandate for…