North Carolina will soon ban industrial-scale purse seine fishing for menhaden, a species long at the center of conflict between marine conservation interests and producers of a valued dietary supplement. Citing large by-catch kills, the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission has agreed to prohibit the practice of deploying smaller boats with purse seines from motherfull story »

A 23-year-old man who needed medical help was airlifted from a merchant vessel about 30 miles east of Kitty Hawk Monday, the Coast Guard said.
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By winning first and second place at the Odyssey of the Mind state tournament on March 30 at Wingate University, two First Flight Middle School Odyssey of the Mind teams are advancing to the World Finals at Iowa State University May 23 to 26. The final fund raiser for their trip is planned for Tuesday,full story »

Eighteen months after upending politics in Kill Devil Hills, a Lowe’s home improvement store is scheduled to open Thursday not far from the Wright Brothers memorial.
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Meet the Outer Banks SPCA’s Pet of the Week, Orbit. Orbit is a 2-year-old spayed female who came from Buxton. She is very lovey and will even tell you in her own words. The Outer Banks SPCA is located in Manteo at 1031 Driftwood Drive. Call (252) 475-5620 or go to the web www.obxspca.org.

After many years of planing, the National Park Service and Nags Head will mark completion of the replacement of the municipal water system serving the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Bodie Island. The event will center on a symbolic “valve turning,” according to Dave Clark, town public works director National Parks engineer, Capt. Gregory Robinson.

Incumbent Richard Johnson defeated Francis D’Ambra in Tuesday’s Republican primary race for a seat on the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
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A constitutional amendment that bans defines marriage as only the union of one and one woman easily passed Tuesday on statewide primary ballots. With all 100 counties reporting, 61 percent of 2 million voters favored the amendment, according to unofficial results. See complete and up-to-date election coverage » Related stories:Marriage amendment fallout hits local tourismfull story »

Paul O’Neal easily won the Republican nomination for his at-large seat on the Currituck County Board of Commissioners, out polling his opponent John D. Rorer by nearly 4 to 1. O’Neal, the incumbent, will face David Palmer, a Democrat from Barco, in November. In the primary race for the 4th District seat on the Boardfull story »

Dare County EMS workers are watching anxiously as plans unfold for creating new schedules and cutting overtime to address perennial budget overruns.
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The state Ferry Division said travelers should prepare for delays, suspension of operations and load weight restrictions because of the unpredictable situation.
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Coastal communities are lining up behind Nags Head as it seeks a North Carolina Supreme Court hearing on enforcement of state law along its beaches.
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