Wednesday at around 9:30 pm a fire broke out in building “A” of the Ocean Club Condo complex in Indian Beach. Damage estimates are over seven million dollars. Three firefighters were also reported to have been injured, two of which were sent to the hospital. All occupants made it out safely despite the speed of the flames.
This alert comes about after samples collected from Core Banks near Barden Inlet revealed elevated levels of bacteria. Officials from the North Carolina Division of Environmental Health will test the waters again today. These test results will determine how the division proceeds. The advisory
Today the slow moving system responsible for bringing all this rain to the Crystal Coast and Carteret County will continue its slow drift away from the North Carolina coast. It’s a good thing too if you ask me. Last week we were teased with really nice spring weather that reminded us summer is not far away. Then this week it turned fairly chilly some nights and rained almost everyday it seemed for almost a week.
Wednesday April 9th, Morehead City police descended upon a detached building at O’Malley’s Pub and Grill on Arendell St. Five men were in the middle of a poker game when the authorities arrived. The police confiscated a poker table, chips and cards, as well as ledgers indicating gambling was involved.
Way back in 2006 a fellow by the name of Nelson Paul decided he wanted to put a windmill project on his farm in the town of Bettie in Carteret County, North Carolina. It seems back in 2006 there were no restrictions on height that pertained to cell phone towers or wind turbines. But being a smart project manager, he decided it best to open a dialogue with Carteret County zoning officials. And he was met with little opposition.
In the month of February alone I have seen two vehicle rollovers on NC highway 24 between Morehead City and Cape Carteret. The first I saw on way my way from Morehead City to Emerald Isle after stopping by the pet store. I had my friend from Missouri, Rob, riding shot gun. This wreck involved a pickup truck hauling a trailer with several engine blocks on it.
The beaches of the Crystal Coast attract thousands of visitors each year. For those visitors that are handicapped though, they weren’t very wheelchair friendly. That is all changing with a grant from the Carteret Community Foundation. The foundation has helped purchase several beach wheelchairs. The wheelchairs were given to Atlantic Beach, Fort Macon State Park, and Pine Knoll Shores. Emerald Isle now has six of the lightweight beach chairs. Fort Macon has three chairs now that are available to handicapped visitors to the park. This donation by the foundation gives Pine Knoll Shores its first beach chair.
The Point in Emerald Isle has seen better days as far as sand is concerned. The town deployed the sandbags back in 2001 due to Bogue Inlet Channel eroding the sand there. Some houses were losing their decks and stairs that used to lead to the beach. Other houses like the octagonal shaped Carousel were near falling into the channel.
That all changed in 2005 as a result of an expansive effort to shift Bogue Inlet westward. For a time it looked as though the engineers had achieved the unachievable and tamed the rushing tides as well as their impact to Emerald Isle’s shoreline. The sandbags became buried under the newly “accreted” sand. Native plants even started taking root on the new real estate.
Morehead City council members agreed to apply for a $1.15 million dollar grant from the NC Waterfront Access and Marine Industry, or WAMI. The WAMI is supposed to procure waterfront property and improve or develop public waterfront access areas. This project if all goes according to plan will construct a boat ramp as well as extend the public fishing pier on Radio Island, which is just over the bridge from Morehead City to Beaufort.
I wasn’t surprised at all when I learned Morehead City had been named among the top fishing towns in the US. It is hardly a secret that the fishing along the Crystal Coast is truly second to none. We’re blessed with excellent inshore fishing, offshore fishing, and surf/pier fishing. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream keep different fish species within range year round. We’re known for record catches of redfish. They can be found in many types of water from the marsh to the surf. If you want to catch something a little bigger the giant bluefin generally pass by our coast each winter.
I had to work in Raleigh last night from 11:30p.m. to 3:30a.m. this morning. I of course still had my best friend Rob visiting from Missouri visiting the Crystal Coast. I felt bad for dragging him with me to Raleigh since I am basically unfamiliar with the city and would be working most of the time. So needless to say, there wasn’t much sight-seeing going on during his trip to Raleigh. But I hope the week spent visiting the Crystal Coast and staying in Emerald Isle may have made up for the stay in Raleigh.
My friend Rob from the Show-Me-State is still visiting me in Emerald Isle. Yesterday I managed to get off of work early so we would have some time to do some tourist type activities. It turned out to be a very nice day. I opted to take him to the NC Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. The aquarium is a great place for visitors to our area. There are a lot of educational exhibits. Hopefully aquarium visitors leave with an increased appreciation for our coastal waters as well as their own.
Yesterday my good friend from Missouri, Rob, arrived in Jacksonville. He agreed to help one of his friends from back home move down here. I guess his wife’s friend’s husband is in the Marines and stationed in Jacksonville. Rob was kind enough to offer to drive her down here so she wouldn’t have to make the trip alone. I guess it ended up to be like a twenty hour drive for them.
If you’re traveling around the Crystal Coast and find yourself approaching Cape Carteret, make sure to adhere to posted speed limits and buckle your safety belt. This town is infamously known by many travelers as a speed trap. You’d be well advised to slow down, make sure your belt is fastened and not even think of drinking and driving if you’re coming through this town.
Cedar Point is under fire and being sued by one Charles Bayer and family. They contend the moratorium from September 25th, 2007 through March 25th, 2008 should not apply to the Bayers’ 42 unit condominium development project behind Waterway Drive.
The Sept. 25th moratorium was intended to give the town time to rewrite multi-unit development policies and regulations. These modifications to Cedar Point’s multifamily development policies are to be reviewed by the board of commissioners on February 26th. The board has many apprehensions with regard to the town’s current development practices.
Monday in Beaufort, Carteret County judge Russell Lanier Jr. allowed a gender discrimination suit to go to trial. Regina Lovoy, now released from the Atlantic Beach Police Department alleges she was wrongfully discharged for refusing a polygraph test required by an internal investigation.
The judge did rule the town does not have to give its employees Garrity warnings, the equivalent of a citizen’s Miranda rights given to employees who are asked to give information about alleged misconduct. On the other hand the judge did allow the action against Town of Atlantic Beach alleging Lovoy was dismissed because of her gender.
I was talking with a couple of friends the other day. And get this, there are apparently rumors circulating that Emerald Isle will be putting in a skate park. I know it would be a good thing for the youth that live in and visit Emerald Isle. It wouldn’t be too bad for us old guys that want to rip it up either.
After another great day of fishing in Emerald Isle I went home and washed the finger mullet off. I realized when I was all cleaned up it was right about sunset. I decided to head over to Bogue Inlet Pier and snap a shot or two of the sunset. I noticed on my way to the car the wind had really begun to lie down. This made me glad I had decided to head over there at this time. Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle is a neat place to watch the sunset.
The state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is mulling over the idea of installing a yellow flashing light at the intersection of NC-58 and Taylor Notion Rd. in Cape Carteret. The DOT officials have previously decided against a stoplight at the Cape Carteret intersection. They’ve also shot down recommendations to reduce the speed limit in the vicinity.
This morning was a little chilly, but definitely bearable if one was dressed appropriately. I decided to take my dog for a walk through the Croatan National Forest. There is a nice recreation trail in Cedar Point off of VFW road. My canine companion and I headed out around 10 am this morning. The skies were ominously grey and threatened rain the entire time. But we took our chances as you must often do to enjoy any outdoor fun on the Crystal Coast.
Today was cold in Morehead City, but not cold enough for me to enjoy a stroll along the Morehead City charter boats. I just got a new camera and had to check to see if there was any bluefin tuna action this morning. If nothing else just to snap a few photos to get the feel of my camera. Morehead City is home port to many charter fishing boats. I was hoping to get lucky enough to see a successful group of bluefin tuna fisherman. As my luck would have it, there wasn’t much action going on today. But I still managed to get a few good shots of some of the charter boats.
Atlantic Beach – Friday in Atlantic Beach the Sheraton Hotel hosted the N.C. Aquaculture Development conference. Speakers at the conference suggested 2007 was a little challenging for aquaculture. The drought across the state was a major factor.
In coastal North Carolina farming fish using ponds is a popular practice. Conservation and protection of groundwater is paramount. Our coastal wetlands are delicate pieces of real estate. It’s great that a major part of the conference was how aquaculture can be an environmentally friendly industry. It can also become a sustainable and renewable way to produce seafood. However, it will not, nor can it replace the natural harvest. Rather it can and should supplement the natural harvest.
Morehead City – Everything these days seems to be about “go green” or “going green” and “think green”. I am totally into it though. And realistically any of us that enjoy the coastal waters in and around the Crystal Coast should try and be more “green friendly”.
The Student Government Association (SGA) and Science Club of Carteret Community College are actively trying to raise awareness in the community as well as a Green Initiative Fund for the college. The fund will provide recycling projects and help to incorporate renewal energy around campus. This fund will be administered by the CCC Foundation.
The town of Beaufort has been getting some flack from numerous people about the new boardwalk that’s been erected along Turner St. When I first saw this new boardwalk I was impressed by its large size and convenient location for town residents. But alas the boardwalk is allegedly in violation of a town ordinance that prohibits a structure of this type from obstructing the view from street level. In my opinion, one of the greatest things about living on the Crystal Coast is the magnificent views we’re blessed with whenever we drive anywhere.
Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation in conjunction with Emerald Isle surf shop are bringing us Surf Night. Noah Snyder, Hurley International, and Steve Head the “Superheat” card game creator will be at the Emerald Isle Community Center at 6pm on January 19th.
Its five dollars to get in but this provides you pizza, drinks, and tons of other stuff. “Superheat” is a card game created by surfers to help pass time during long flights and periods of no surf. The game is similar to real surfing competition in that the object is to combine the highest scoring tricks into one combination and crush your opponents.
I just saw a third person enter Tattoo Tony’s East Coast Ink (tattoo shop in Morehead City). I have to admit when I saw them first opening, I thought to myself, “they’ll never make it long”, well its been a while now since they opened. And each day I see they have people going in there, my office window looks right at them, so I see pretty much anyone going in there during the day. I also heard through the grapevine, you know a friend of a friend got a tattoo there, and I heard it was very good.
Now is the time to get your Emerald Isle vacation rental in tip top shape before spring sneaks up on you. I look around at the houses within a few blocks of me and notice a lot of them really need their siding pressure washed. Almost every home in Emerald Isle needs this at least annually. Otherwise you end up with a green tint on your house. This is unattractive to potential renters, not to mention it just looks gross. Now there is a professional, reasonable, and local pressure washing company in Emerald Isle.
Yesterday while working on a home in Ocean Oaks, an oceanfront community in Emerald Isle, members of a Delzer Construction crew reported a whale sighting. According to Billy Ludwig of Cape Carteret the spray from the mammal’s blowhole was easily recognized. I’ve been living here for a few years now, and haven’t had the privilege of witnessing a whale from the shores of the Crystal Coast. It would be an awe inspiring sight indeed.
I found a great local web designer. She’s designed and maintained several prominent real estate sites in the Crystal Coast area. If you’re looking to update your website with a fresh design, you’re in luck, she’s for hire. The quality of work she can produce will be at a better price than most, and is unparalleled in the Crystal Coast area. When it comes to web design I think she has over 10 years of professional experience. She’s what you would call an actual graphic designer or artist. When you contract her for your web design you will stand out among the many other websites in our area.
This evening after work I was headed to Beaufort and whilst making my left turn onto Arendell St. I ran a red light. Now truth be told, it wasn’t my fault I ran the red light. You see the three cars in front of me failed to get out of the way in time for me to make the light. Don’t ask me how a light is even allowed to change after only three cars get through, seems like that is the real crime here. I did notice an officer rummaging through his car from the passenger side in the parking lot of the Trade Wilco gas station in Morehead City, and figured he wouldn’t even see me and would not witness the red light I was about to run.
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