Imelda Marcos was filmed saying something rather chilling in a 2019 documentary of her life: “Perception is real; the truth is not,” she says in “The Kingmaker,” a Showtime documentary.
This observation is at once disturbing and all too true.
For the last several years the polarization of American politics has borne this phrase out, and intolerance, it seems, is informing perception.
Democrats believe one thing; the Republicans another but neither side, it seems, is cordially allowing the other their views.
In 2017, a political operative in a Sunday morning Meet the Press interview used the term “alternative facts” in defending a false statement.
The Ocracoke Observer rarely strays into national politics, preferring to focus on the more influential county commissioners and the state’s legislature, the General Assembly. Their actions can have a major impact on the island’s community.
But the Nov. 3 General Election, in which we vote for the incumbent president Donald J. Trump or challenger Joe Biden, will be one of the most critical in American history in terms of the direction and stability of the country. We felt we had to weigh in.
A wary, cynical electorate is nevertheless galvanized as Republicans and Democrats play to their base and court the growing number of unaffiliated voters.
Voter registrations for all political parties have increased in the last few months and record numbers of mail-in ballots have been issued. As of Oct. 8, North Carolina voters have requested 1.25 million absentee ballots.
In 2016 on the same date only 152,030 requests had been made.
Already, of the 7.23 million registered voters, 420,695 votes, or 6%, have already been cast. A combination of high interest in choosing candidates coupled with safety concerns from waiting in long lines to vote account for such high numbers.
What is most disturbing during this election—indeed these last four years—is the vitriol with which the two political parties are going at each other and the attempts to crush any opposition viewpoint.
At the same time, others are working feverishly against mail-in voting due to concerns of unsubstantiated fraud.
Reporters who ask questions the president does not like and news outlets who question the president and report on his untruths are labeled as “fake” news. But the right to criticize our leaders was a crucial concept of our nation’s founders.
The first presidential “debate,” which featured a belligerent president railing and stomping on the challenger’s answers, demonstrated that (good and bad) behavior begins at the top.
Is this really us? Is this the way we want our leader to behave?
What happened to the give-and-take of ideas–without yelling or demonizing the opposition–that has been the hallmark of our free country?
The United States was founded on the right of the people to “petition the government” to seek redress and to peaceably assemble. In the last four years these values have been turned upside down.
Since the 2016 presidential election, our country has experienced great chaos and turmoil: An impeachment of the president (though failed removal from office), a pandemic that has already killed more than 200,000 Americans and still rages. Violence at protests over racial inequality in numerous cities recalls those of the 1960s.
But is this truth, or is it perception?
Whose truth/perception do you believe?
Whatever your viewpoint, your vote matters. Many elections have been won or lost by a few votes.
So, we can’t stress enough that truly, your vote does count, whether it be via mail-in or in person.
The North Carolina early voting period runs from Thursday, Oct. 15, to Saturday, Oct. 31, with Ocracoke’s early voting days of Oct. 22 and 23.
Information about local candidates is in this paper and online at ocracokeobserver.com., and information about state and federal candidates can be found at Ballotpedia.com.
We hope everyone takes this election very seriously and does what many in the world are not able to do and that is to vote.
The dredge M/V Merritt is seen dredging Big Foot Slough in the Pamlico Sound. Photo: P. Vankevich
Update Oct. 8. Additional runs for the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes have been added. Click here for the updated schedule.
By Connie Leinbach
If all goes well today, the U.S. Coast Guard will approve the recent dredging of Big Foot Slough in the Pamlico Sound and the three-boat ferry schedule can resume possibly on Thursday.
Hyde County Manager Kris Noble informed the board of commissioners on Monday night that the state sidecaster dredge M/V Merritt did 12 days of dredging and she is awaiting the Coast Guard report.
“It looks like they got to a depth of 10 feet,” she told the commissioners, “but it’s very narrow.”
After dredging finished on Sunday, the Merritt went back to the Ferry Division’s boat yard in Mann’s Harbor.
It is scheduled to return to Ocracoke after Oct. 15 when the new federal funding cycle starts again, she said. At that time, the dredge will work to widen the channel.
The federal allocation for dredging this slough is $500,000, Noble said, which typically is enough for 20 days of dredging broken into two 10- to 12-day dredging operations.
Funding of the $251,666 project was thanks to a partnership between the NC Ferry Division and Carteret County, which supplied the $62,916.50 local match required, along with the state contributing $188,749.50, she said.
Hyde County can thank Carteret County for coming to their aid by supplying the local match required for this most recent dredging, but this cost-sharing irks Ocracoke Commissioner Tom Pahl.
Requiring local governmental entities to supply matching funds is not a fiscal issue but a policy issue and is tantamount to a shake down, he said in an earlier interview.
Big Foot Slough is a federal channel and it’s the Army Corps of Engineers’ responsibility to dredge it, he said, and they’re not doing it.
“And they’re in effect holding Hyde county hostage until we come up with the dough,” he said. “And it’s not a lot of dough. It’s not a whole lot different than a mob underling going door to door to businesses, saying, ‘You know, we think you ought to buy a little protection.’”
In the overall budget the Army Corps of Engineers has for dredging the nations ports, the amount needed for Big Foot and even the Rollinson Channel at Hatteras are less than a pittance, he said.
“This is an increase in federal taxes, is what they’re attempting to do is to increase federal taxes by leaning on local governments and forcing them to cost share,” he said. “Even in the context of Hurricane Dorian in the context of COVID-19, they’re willing to lean on Hyde County in order to advance their policy position that local entities should cost share with the federal government.”
Pahl said our legislators need to know that if they want to raise taxes they should do it.
“They should have the guts to do it. They shouldn’t force the county government to raise taxes for them,” he said.
In the meantime, the Ferry Division is seeking a Federal Lands Access Project (FLAP) grant, which is a pot of money designated for communities adjacent to national parks, to fund permitting of and dredging another slough, called Nine Foot, which is west of Big Foot.
If the county gets a FLAP grant, they will begin the permitting process for this slough because continued dredging of Big Foot is just a band aid anyway.
“It seems every time the wind blows Big Foot shoals in,” Noble said.
Nine Foot is a natural channel and would require less maintenance, she said. Moreover, if the Ferry Division could use this channel for the long ferry routes in the Pamlico Sound, it could shave about 15 minutes off each ride.
For more details about the upcoming general election, click here for Hyde County information andhere for the State Board of Elections web site.
Voter registration deadline for the 2020 General election is at 5 p.m. Friday (Oct. 9).
Voters can register to vote online, by mail (postmarked by Oct. 9), or in person at the Board of Elections Office in the Public Safety Center in Swan Quarter.
After the regular voter registration deadline, you can still register and vote in person at one-stop sites during the early voting period, which runs from Thursday, Oct. 15, to Saturday, Oct. 31.
Ocracoke has two days of early voting, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 and 23, at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, 822 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of residence. Within two business days, the county board of elections will review the registration and the registrant’s address. Your vote will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that you are not qualified to vote.
Absentee ballots began to be mailed on Sept. 4. As of Oct. 5, of the 7,220,724 registered voters in North Carolina, 1,210,936 have requested ballots and 386,300 have already been cast.
The Hyde County Health Department on Tuesday reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases attributed to an outbreak in the Hyde County correctional facility.
Total cases as of Tuesday afternoon were 145– 17 active cases, 123 recovered cases and five deaths.
Luana Gibbs, Hyde Health Department director, said the following in a press release:
“The sharp rise in active cases are attributed to an outbreak in a local correctional facility. Proper measures are being taken by the correctional facility to mitigate the virus.
“The local nursing home outbreak status is nearing completion, which simply means this facility will have reached 28 days of no COVID-19 cases.
“The Health Department continues to offer testing to anyone who suspects they are sick with COVID-19 or has been in contact with someone who has the virus. They also test those who request testing even without symptoms. There are no out-of-pocket fees to individuals, but they do ask if you have insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, bring your card with you for testing. They also ask that clients call for an appointment as they do not see walk in clients.
“Drive through testing opportunities have been provided to the mainland with low participation rates. In order that we test as many people as possible and give Hyde citizens chances to test closer to home or work, it is important that citizens take advantage of these opportunities.”
As always, the Hyde County Health Department remains available to the public to answer questions and provide education.
They can be reached at 252-926-4399 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. For 24/7 on-call services, dial 1-866-462-3821, the Coronavirus Hotline.
The Ocracoke Light Station, which includes the lighthouse and Lightkeeper’s Quarters. Photo: C. Leinbach
From our news sources
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is investigating two recent acts of vandalism at the Ocracoke Light Station and is seeking help from the public.
Seashore rangers on Sept. 27 noticed that a wooden ventilation slat was missing from the Ocracoke Lighthouse door. Additionally, the wire screening behind the missing wooden slat was forcibly detached from the door.
On Monday (Oct. 5), rangers discovered that numerous windows were damaged in the Keeper’s Quarters, the lighthouse and several outbuildings. It is believed that the damage was caused sometime between the evening of Saturday, Oct. 3, and Monday morning.
Anyone with information that may help determine the individuals, circumstances and events that led to the acts of vandalism are asked to contact the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch (ISB). Call or text the ISB Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or submit a tip at www.nps.gov/isb.
Completed in 1823, the Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Missing wooden ventilation slat and damaged wire screen on Ocracoke Lighthouse door. Photo courtesy of NPS.
Damage to Keeper’s Quarters window. Photo courtesy of NPS.
Damage to Keeper’s Quarters window and door. Photo courtesy of NPS.
To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here
OCRACOKE – The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded an emergency $1.7 million contract to repair damage to N.C. 12 that occurred on Ocracoke Island during a weeklong period of high tides and ocean overwash in September.
The contract was awarded to Barnhill Contracting of Rocky Mount and includes placing sandbags on the ocean side of the highway, rebuilding the protective dune line, and repairing pavement damage. The damage all occurred between Sept. 18 to 24 due to severe ocean overwash caused by a combination of seasonal high tides, strong northeast winds and long-form waves from Hurricane Teddy.
Construction is expected to begin within the next two weeks and last through March. Motorists can expect periodic lane closures during the construction process.
To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here
Monday, Oct. 5: The Hyde County Board of Commissioners meet virtually tonight in the Hyde County Government Center, Multi-Use Room, Swan Quarter.
Prior to this regular monthly meeting, the commissioners will hold a workshop to discuss the County’s Solar Energy Facilities Ordinance starting at 3:30 p.m.
Public viewing of the hearing and meeting will be available via livestreaming on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page.
The live stream will begin when the meeting is called to order. You do not need to be a Facebook member to view the live stream. You can access Hyde County’s Facebook page by going to the following website https://www.facebook.com/HydeCountyNC.
We are accepting public comments for all meetings and hearings via a web submission at https://forms.gle/qWzxU8EXfaQDahWp6, by sending an email to dshumate@hydecountync.gov, or by leaving a voicemail at 252-926-5288. Submissions must be received at least one hour prior to the start of the meeting.
The agenda is below.
Tuesday, Oct. 6:The Hyde County Board of Education will hold a special meeting via Zoom at 2 p.m., with the purpose of the board reviewing and discussing re-opening the schools to students due to the amount of information necessary to consider. There will be no public comment segment, votes or actions taken at this meeting. Those agenda items will take place during the regular meeting which begins at 5 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9, is voter registration deadline. You can register to vote online, by mail, postmarked by Oct. 9, or in person at the Board of Elections Office in the Public Safety Center in Swan Quarter.
After this regular voter registration deadline, you can register and vote in person at one-stop sites during the early voting period, which runs from Thursday, Oct. 15, to Saturday, Oct. 31.
This process is known as same-day registration. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of residence.
Within two business days, the county board of elections will review the registration and the registrant’s address. Your vote will be counted unless the county board of elections determines that you are not qualified to vote.
For more details about voting in the upcoming general election, click here.
Joebell flowers in Community Square. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Pat Garber
One of the first things I remember from my early years at Ocracoke was the presence of joebells, lovely red and yellow flowers that grew wild on the island. I loved the story folks here told about a love-sick, heartbroken man named Joe Bell who lived at Ocracoke in the early part of the 20th century.
The legend said that he had brought the seeds to the island and scattered them in his yard and across the village in honor of his love, hoping to win her back. Sadly, she did not return to her lover, but the flowers flourished and spread. They still grow here.
After I bought my home Marsh Haven in 1995, I knew that I wanted to grow joebells in my yard. I had since learned that they are actually a strain of Gaillardia, known in other parts of the country as Indian blanket flower.
I have since planted joebells in my gardens numerous times, either transplanting flowers that I found elsewhere or sowing Gaillardia seeds. I have never had any success, so I finally gave up.
After Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on my house and destroyed my yard and gardens, including flowers and shrubs that I had planted just the spring before, I vowed never to try to garden here again. Several friends offered to share some of their plants, but I shook my head adamantly.
Months passed as I tried to find ways to get my house repaired, but I did nothing in my yard. Then one day last week, my house still in ruins, I went into my backyard to find a piece of wood.
I stopped abruptly. I stared in shock and amazement. There, blooming luxuriantly between my house and my fence, grew a whole array of joebells–an extravaganza of brilliant red and yellow.
Hurricane Dorian had planted joebells for me, a token of apology, perhaps for all the damage. Maybe even a token of love.
On Sept. 8, President Donald J. Trump signed an order prohibiting offshore leasing for energy exploration, development or production off the coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Trump said Sept. 25 during an event he would add North Carolina and Virginia to the moratorium.
“The withdrawal includes all energy leasing, including conventional and renewable energy, beginning on July 1, 2022,” Stephen Boutwell, BOEM spokesperson, told Coastal Review Online Wednesday. “No new leases will be issued offshore North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, for a 10-year period beginning July 1, 2022.”
Trump signed the memorandum Sept. 25 that states, “I hereby withdraw from disposition by leasing for 10 years, beginning on July 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2032: The portion of the area designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as the Mid Atlantic Planning Area that lies south of the northern administrative boundary of North Carolina,” as that administrative boundary depicted on the Atlantic NAD 83 Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Administrative Boundaries map. The memorandum does not appear to include Virginia.
The memorandum also states, “This withdrawal prevents consideration of this area for any leasing for purposes of exploration, development, or production during the 10-year period beginning on July 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2032.”
The move to prohibit renewable energy is counter to a June 2017 proclamation from the White House. “Today, our offshore areas remain underutilized and often unexplored. We have yet to fully leverage new technologies and unleash the forces of economic innovation to more fully develop and explore our ocean economy. In the field of energy, we have just begun to tap the potential of our oceans’ oil and gas, wind, wave, and tidal resources to power the Nation,” according to the proclamation.
The president announced Sept. 8 in Jupiter, Florida, the order to extend an earlier moratorium on offshore drilling on Florida’s Gulf Coast and expand it to Florida’s Atlantic Coast, as well as the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. North Carolina and Virginia were not included.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Sept. 21 that he had spoken with Trump who agreed North Carolina would be included in the presidential memorandum withdrawing new leasing for offshore oil and gas developments. Trump did not immediately confirm Tillis’ announcement.
National Ocean Industries Association, or NOIA, President Erik Milito told Coastal Review Online Wednesday that the interest and optimism in Atlantic offshore wind projects cannot be understated, and this includes opportunities offshore of the Carolinas.
“BOEM previously identified three proposed wind areas, not to mention one active lease offshore North Carolina, and four call areas offshore South Carolina. Wood Mackenzie published a report last month on the impact of expected near-term offshore wind leases, and a lease block offshore the Carolinas was included. That lease sale was predicted to support 37,000 jobs annually and $44.9 billion in total capital investment. The market is ready, it is just a matter of access,” he said.
Andrew Hutson, Audubon North Carolina executive director and National Audubon Society vice president, said in a statement Tuesday that “Banning offshore wind despite growing demand makes no sense and will be devastating for North Carolina’s clean energy economy, businesses, and workers. It’s bad news for birds too. When properly sited, wind power not only coexists with birds — it makes wildlife populations and local communities more resilient by cutting down on harmful carbon pollution.”
Sharon Martin, spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Quality, told Coastal Review Online Wednesday that North Carolina will continue to implement and remains committed to Executive Order 80 and transitioning the state to a clean energy economy, which includes achieving a 70% reduction in power sector GHG emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
“The NC Clean Energy Plan is a roadmap of actions to help NC achieve those goals,” she said. “The state continues to implement the NC Clean Energy Plan, NC Zero-Emission Vehicle Plan, and other aspects of EO 80 and we will continue working to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of clean energy, while protecting coastal communities from the threat of offshore drilling.”
According to the Sept. 25 memorandum, “nothing in this withdrawal affects the rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas,” which would include Avangrid Renewables’ Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind project that will be developed more than 27 miles from the Outer Banks.
Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind is a proposed offshore wind energy project to be built in the Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Area, designated by BOEM. The commercial lease for the 122,405-acre area was awarded to Avangrid Renewables by BOEM in 2017. The company, which has been studying the area since, launched in July an advanced meteorological buoy, according to the clean energy company headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Once complete, Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind is projected to have a generation capacity of up to 2,500 megawatts, or enough to power about 700,000 homes.
BOEM since 2009 has been responsible for offshore renewable energy development in federal waters. The program began when the Department of the Interior, or DOI, announced the final regulations for the Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Program authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. These regulations provide a framework for all of the activities needed to support production and transmission of energy from sources other than oil and natural gas, according to BOEM. These include offshore wind energy, ocean wave energy, ocean current energy and offshore solar.
This isn’t the first roadblock for offshore wind energy production.
In August 2019, the Department of the Interior formally decided to delay Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the U.S. planned for 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, to conduct a supplemental study.
The decision contrasts with bipartisan support for offshore wind from federal and state officials, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
“The Department of the Interior’s regrettable decision to further delay the review of the Vineyard Wind project undermines the Trump administration’s American energy dominance agenda and a major U.S. economic growth opportunity. Offshore wind development is expected to result in a $70 billion investment into the American energy supply chain,” said Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO, in a statement at the time.
In February of this year, the Trump administration provided a revised Vineyard Wind Offshore Wind Facility permitting timeline. The permits will be issued by the EPA in March of 2021, pushing completion well past the intended 2022 date.
Trump has made false statements about wind turbines in the past, particularly about those on land, stating that if the wind stops blowing, your power will turn off. He has said that turbines kill birds including Bald Eagles and that production of the turbines in China and Germany creates “tremendous fumes.” He said few are made in the United States.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, wind energy is fed into the U.S. power grid via transmission lines that connect a variety of energy sources. “Grid operators use the interconnected power system to access other forms of generation when contingencies occur and continually turn generators on and off when needed to meet the overall grid demand.”
The EPA also states that birds and bats are only occasionally killed in collisions with wind turbines and that bird kills are limited to less than 0.02% of the total populations of songbird species, “and orders of magnitude less than other causes.”
Also, most components of wind turbines installed in the United States are manufactured in the county, according to the EPA.
The Department of Energy did not respond to Coastal Review Online’s request for comment for this report.
The American Wind Energy Association declined to comment.
Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen of Swansboro has been a member of the CRO staff since 2017.
This shot of the debris mountain in the NPS parking lot following Hurricane Dorian destruction is one of several of Ann Ehringhaus’s photos on view in the Photoville Pecha Kucha outdoor exhibit in Durham Oct. 6 to Nov. 15.
Ocracoke’s Ann Ehringhaus is one of eight regional artists who will be featured in the nationwide outdoor Photoville Pecha Kucha Event exhibit in Durham Oct. 6 to Nov. 15.
The artwork is on a vinyl banner in the green space between Main Street and Chapel Hill Street adjacent to City Hall and the historic Black Wall Street district.
Photoville FENCE is a year-round public photography project exhibited in major parks and downtowns throughout the United States and Canada.
It spotlights a wide range of photographic and lens-based stories that elevates the understanding of the world-at-large and issues close to home by exploring the universal themes of people, streets, play, creatures, home, food and nature.
Durham’s participation is part of the Click! Photography Festival in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
“My images are in the category of Home and show many empty or unusual spaces on Ocracoke after Dorian,” Ehringhaus said. “No people are shown. I was and am deeply affected by the empty spaces and all the memories they hold.”
Ehringhaus will participate in an artist webinar about their work at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. To participate and learn more about the exhibition, visit online https://clickphotofest.org.
FENCE was conceived and produced by Photoville in partnership with Photo District News and the first edition was exhibited in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2012.
The project has grown since then through strategic partnerships with civic and cultural organizations across North America.
Other cities exhibiting this fall are Atlanta, Denver, Houston and Seattle.
