The passenger ferry docked in 2019 at Silver Lake. Photo: C. Leinbach
General Assembly approves Ocracoke passenger funding; sent to Gov. Cooper for signature
By Peter Vankevich
Perhaps few were surprised on April 28 when the N.C. Department of Transportation announced that it canceled its 2020 contract for the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry. Financial woes and a pandemic were a bad combination for it to resume this year.
Then word got out that the North Carolina General Assembly was working on legislation that would fund the passenger ferry after all.
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 750, introduced by First District Sen. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan), passed unanimously and it is on its way for Gov. Cooper’s signature.
The legislation authorizes the Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division to lease, pending completion of a successful route verification, a passenger ferry vessel for operation between Hatteras and Ocracoke, starting July 1 and ending no later than Sept. 10.
It allows the DOT to use up to $1,146,179 of the contingency funds appropriated in the act to be used by the Ferry Division to lease and operate the ferry.
The bill also includes $6 million for a new heating and air conditioning system and chiller at Elizabeth City State University.
NCDOT spokesman Tim Hass said that once the bill becomes law, they will be able to move forward as to how it will operate amid the COVID-19 pandemic and if there will be a ticket price. “Our hope is that we can take all the necessary steps quickly,” he said.
Sixth District Rep. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck) introduced an amendment in a House subcommittee that added the $1.146 million from a legislative discretionary fund to cover the costs of leasing and operating the Hatteras-Ocracoke passenger ferry.
“Reviving the passenger ferry will be a much-needed boost to the Ocracoke and Hatteras economy that was devastated by Hurricane Dorian,” Hanig told the Ocracoke Observer in an email Wednesday night.
In a joint statement to the Observer, Steinburg and Hanig said, “We are pleased by the passage of the $1.2 million for the Hatteras-Ocracoke (passenger) ferry. Under the best of circumstances, we know that the ferry has been successfully operational. We know that the ferry is critical to Ocracoke as the island has taken a multitude of gut punches, starting with Hurricane Dorian last September. We are hopeful that the operation of the ferry will be a good start to making Ocracoke heal.”
The passenger ferry was introduced in 2019 as a transportation alternative for people traveling between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands with ferry going directly into Ocracoke village.
Last year, the Ferry Division leased a 150-passenger ferry, M/V Martha’s Vineyard Express, from Seastreak Marine out of New Jersey from late May to Labor Day.
Its popularity exceeded expectation with more than 28,600 people using it last summer.
With passenger-only ferry in service, the waiting times for the vehicle ferry between the islands were significantly decreased according to Ferry Division statistics, especially by visitors traveling to Ocracoke for day trips.
North Carolinians will stay in Phase 2 for three more weeks, until July 17, and also will have to wear face coverings in public because of the continued rise in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Roy Cooper announced today.
The announcement comes on a day when the U.S. broke its record for the highest coronavirus cases recorded in a single day, with 36,358 new positives reported on Wednesday, according to a tally by NBC News.
The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 9,385,200 people, according to official counts, the New York Times reported. As of Wednesday evening, at least 481,600 people have died, and the virus has been detected in nearly every country.
Cooper said in the press conference today that he is ordering mandatory face coverings in public places as officials seek to stabilize concerning trends of increasing viral spread. Phase 2, also called “Safer at Home,” was scheduled to possibly be lifted June 26.
“The next couple of weeks will be critical in the fight against COVID-19,” he said, noting that health experts need the time to analyze the data to determine if the state is heading in the right direction.
Growing evidence shows that cloth face coverings, when worn consistently, can decrease the spread of COVID-19, especially among people who are not yet showing symptoms of the virus. Until now, face coverings had been strongly recommended. Under today’s executive order, people must wear face coverings when in public places where physical distancing is not possible.
“North Carolina is relying on the data and the science to lift restrictions responsibly, and right now our increasing numbers show we need to hit the pause button while we work to stabilize our trends,” Cooper said. “We need to all work together so we can protect our families and neighbors, restore our economy, and get people back to work and our children back to school.”
Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of Health & Human Services
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services, stressed that wearing face coverings in public during this pandemic is the best way to control it and that scientific data confirms this.
“The increase in more cases indicates the virus is still prevalent,” she said. “Left unchecked, this virus will continue to spread. If we each do our part, we can get back to the people and places we love.”
When asked why face coverings weren’t required before this, Cohen said a study done by UNC released last week confirmed that wearing face coverings slows the spread.
The executive order requires certain businesses to have employees and customers wear face coverings, including retail businesses, restaurants, personal care and grooming; employees of child care centers and camps; state government agencies under the governor’s cabinet; workers and riders of transportation; and workers in construction/trades, manufacturing, agriculture, meat processing and healthcare and long-term care settings.
“Wearing a face covering is an easy thing to do that can make a huge impact for all of us,” said Dennis Taylor, a nurse, and President of the North Carolina Nurses Association.“A major spike in cases would be catastrophic to the system, and without your cooperation, nurses and our fellow healthcare providers will have a harder time caring for sick patients for weeks and months to come,”
“As the leader of the state’s largest health system, I am pro-health and also 100 percent pro-business,” said Eugene A. Woods, President and CEO of Atrium Health. “Medical science says to reduce the spread of COVID-19 masking works, and my sincere hope is that all the people of North Carolina can join forces to make wearing a mask not something we feel we have to do – but something that we want to do to keep each other, our neighbors, our children and our loved ones healthy and safe”
Based on the metrics laid out in April by Cooper and Cohen, North Carolina is evaluating a combination of the data from the following categories that shows the indicators moving in the wrong direction, causing officials to implement today’s pause in Phase 2. Trajectory in COVID-Like Illness (CLI) Surveillance Over 14 Days North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance trend for COVID-like illness is increasing. Trajectory of Lab-Confirmed Cases Over 14 Days North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases starting to level but is still increasing. Trajectory in Percent of Tests Returning Positive Over 14 Days North Carolina’s trajectory in percent of tests returning positive remains elevated. Trajectory in Hospitalizations Over 14 Days North Carolina’s trajectory of hospitalizations are increasing, though we have capacity in our healthcare system.
In addition to these metrics, the state continues building capacity to be able to adequately respond to an increase in virus spread. These areas include:
Laboratory Testing North Carolina is averaging more than 17,000 tests a day for the past week and there are more than 500 sites listed on online plus additional pop-up sites.
North Carolina labs and labs around the country are seeing supply shortages for laboratory chemicals needed to process tests.
Tracing Capability There are over 1,500 full-time and part-time staff supporting contact tracing efforts at the local health department level, including the 309 Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative contact tracers. These new hires reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, and 44% are bilingual.
Personal Protective Equipment Our personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies are stable.
Businesses can download templates for signs on face coverings here. Downloadable social media graphicsare also available for use.
The following op-ed piece is by a former justice on the N.C. Supreme Court, Bob Orr. Orr was the first Republican to win a statewide judicial race in the 20th century and won four statewide races over the course of 18 years. Orr has also taught a course on the N.C. Constitution at UNC School of Law since 2002. Having been back in private practice since 2010, Orr has argued numerous cases in both state and federal court.
By Bob Orr Once again, a prominent leader in North Carolina is coming under intense criticism for responding to a “Black Lives Matter” inquiry with the “But All Lives Matter” retort. UNC-Wilmington Chancellor Jose Sartarelli, upon being requested to allow a “Black Lives Matter” painting to be placed on campus responded with the all too familiar “No. All lives matter.”
I confess that it is in so many ways presumptuous for those of us not in the communities of color to try to articulate the meaning of this movement sweeping the country. It is particularly presumptuous for those of us who grew up in a segregated South, whose life experiences in no way can be compared or identified with the life experiences in those communities. But I’m going to try.
At first blush, the response of “All lives matter” seems perfectly logical. The value of lives across the broad spectrum of our communities, state and nation does not just matter, but is an integral part of the fabric of our very existence.
The discomfort of focusing in on one community of color and acknowledging its unique importance, undoubtedly has left many outside that group uncomfortable. With few exceptions, most people don’t want to openly disagree with the declaration that Black lives matter. Thus, the easy retort is that “all lives matter.” In doing so, the Chancellor and so many others miss the point.
My personal perception to all of this, is that many of us don’t really understand the point of the declaration that “Black Lives Matter.” There is an extraordinary gap in the general public’s understanding and appreciation of the history of the Black race in America.
Sure, people recognize that they were slaves, and went through the eras of white supremacy and “Jim Crow,” but this is the 21st century – and things have changed. Or have they, as seen in the brutal reality of the George Floyd killing?
I would submit that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is a recognition that for virtually 400 years of this country’s history – Black lives didn’t matter or if they did, they didn’t matter much. From the brutal and dehumanizing experience of institutional slavery (a condition those of us in contemporary society can hardly appreciate) to the systematic repudiation of freedom from slavery, through violence and intimidation in Reconstruction, Black lives did not matter. From the rise of the “white supremacy” movement to deprive and deny basic human and legal rights, through the institutional machinations of the “Jim Crow” era, Black lives simply did not matter.
Read the history of this state and country in its full, revealing and disturbing truth, and it is patently clear that Black lives have not mattered. Ironically, the controversy over Chancellor Sartarelli’s comment took place in Wilmington, the site of one of the most brutal and repressive acts of violence in the history of our state. In 1898, the Black community and elected leaders of Wilmington were systematically killed and run out of the state by white supremacists backed in part by “revered” leaders of North Carolina like Charles B. Aycock and Josephus Daniels. Interestingly, having grown up in North Carolina and being educated in the public schools and at UNC, I never knew or read about this stain upon our history. The history books I grew up with ignored what happened and glorified “the Lost Cause” of the Confederacy and leaders like Aycock and Daniels.
Black lives simply did not matter.
My sense is that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” isn’t so much a declaration focusing on Black lives, to the exclusion of any other group. I believe it represents a poignant reminder of our sordid history where for so long Black lives didn’t matter. Too many of our leaders – from Donald Trump, to leaders in our state, to the average citizen on the street, fail to fully appreciate and understand the message being articulated across the country.
“Black Lives Matter” is a reminder to all of us, of our collective failings over the generations, to fundamentally believe and honor that declaration. The challenge to all of us today outside the communities of color, is to fully embrace the present and move forward into the future understanding and committing to the proposition that finally – Black lives do matter.
Bob Orr
Bob Orr grew up in Hendersonville and practiced law in Asheville for several years before being appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Jim Martin in 1988.
A grassroots group of island residents, Ocracoke for Justice, plans a peaceful demonstration at 5 p.m. Sunday in solidarity with the recent protests around the nation and world.
Ocracoke is small and remote but is not removed from the important issues of these times.
The community has responded to national calls for action by organizing events for the Women’s March, March for Our Lives, Moral March, March for Families and Hands Across the Sand. Now we recognize the need to offer our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
All are welcome to join in the “March for Justice” on Sunday, June 28, beginning at the north end of the village near the entrance to South Point Road and move down Irvin Garrish Highway ending at Community Square.
On the Community Square docks, we will spread out and practice safe social distancing while we hear from local speakers and musicians. Seating will be available at the docks so those who can’t march can join us.
Face masks and extra signs will be available at the beginning of the march for a donation. All donations will be divided among the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (Durham), Carolina Justice Policy Center (Durham) and Democracy North Carolina (Morrisville).
These organizations work with communities of color in North Carolina to support racial and economic justice, promote voter participation, provide education and support legal aid.
Voter registration information and resource lists for other ways to help will be available at the docks.
Please wear a face mask. We expect all participants to be respectful of Ocracoke people and property.
Ocracoke for Justice is a group of Ocracoke residents committed to issues of Justice including, but not limited to: Black Lives Matter/Ending Racism; Police Accountability/Community Safety; LGBTQ+, Women’s, Minority, Disability, Indigenous & Immigrant Rights; Immigration Reform/End Family Separation; Voter Registration
Find out more information on the Ocracoke for Justice Facebook or Instagram page, or contact Echo Bennink, 252-921-0119
Originally published June 22, 2020, in NC Policy Watch. Reprinted by permission
By Lisa Sorg Buffeted by breaking waves and a brisk ocean breeze, the town of Rodanthe balances on a precarious shard of land along the Outer Banks. From here, the eastern-most point in North Carolina, it is less than 45 miles to an expanse of the sea where energy corporations plan to puncture the ocean bed in search of oil and gas.
But first, seismic testing companies must do their reconnaissance. To do so, they deploy a boat towing an array of 24 air guns firing every 10 to 15 seconds for 24 hours each day, as many as 208 days a year. At low frequencies, the sound ping-pongs among the ridges and valleys of the ocean bed, and the returning echo patterns can reveal the locations of the energy deposits.
The sounds also reveal the vulnerability of sea life to human-made intrusions. Scientific studies have shown the sound can injure, kill and deafen marine life, including fish, whales and dolphins — forcing them to flee their habitats and blunting their desire to eat and breed.
Last week, the federal government overruled North Carolina’s objection to seismic testing off the coast, saying the activity proposed by the company WesternGeco is in the national interest. The decision allows the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management to issue permits for seismic testing on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, roughly from Maryland to Florida. Four more companies have requested permits.
Environmental coastal advocates condemned the decision.
“The decision to overrule the state shows the unwillingness of the federal government to listen to the wishes of the people,” said Larry Baldwin, Crystal Coast water keeper. “That arrogance goes even further when a decision by the state of North Carolina, which has been very outspoken against seismic and drilling, is completely ignored.”
“This news again shows the total disregard for the citizens of North Carolina by this administration,” said Oceana Senior Campaign Organizer Randy Sturgill of Wilmington. “President Trump’s radical offshore drilling plan is a threat to all coastal communities. Seismic blasting and offshore drilling threatens our fishing, tourism, and recreation industries and everyone who visits or calls our coast home.”
The decision was signed by Neil Jacobs, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. (Jacobs was a central figure in “Sharpiegate” during Hurricane Dorian, in which a forecast path was altered to align with President Trump’s erroneous statement that Alabama could be hit by the storm. Earlier this month, a federal investigation found Jacobs “engaged in the misconduct intentionally, knowingly, or in reckless disregard” for the NOAA’s scientific integrity policy.)
The targeted area for seismic testing and energy drilling is known as “The Point,” about 38 miles from Manteo and 45 miles from Rodanthe. It is home to 60 species of whales, including the endangered Right Whale, and dolphins, said Doug Nowacek, professor and chair of Marine Conservation Technology at Duke University’s Marine Laboratory. “It is one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the western North Atlantic Ocean — maybe the Atlantic entirely. For some species of whales, like the sensitive Cuvier’s beaked whale, the density is higher than anywhere else in the world.”
In April 2014, WesternGeo applied to BOEM for a permit to conduct seismic testing on a stretch of the Outer Continental Shelf from Virginia to South Carolina. Then-Gov. Pat McCrory supported the testing and potential drilling.
But under Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration, the NC Department of Environmental Quality contested the permits, arguing that seismic testing, even conducted 40-plus miles off the coast, would reduce the volume of fish catches and harm the state’s fishing industry. That sector provides 50,000 jobs, $1.5 billion in annual income, $3.9 billion in annual sales.
Initially the state prevailed. In 2017, BOEM denied the applications of all five companies, saying the “value of obtaining the information from the surveys does not outweigh the risks of obtaining said informatics.”
But shortly after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order to expedite oil and gas exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf. As a result BOEM rescinded its denial of the permits and re-evaluated them.
In its recent decision, Neil Jacobs cited the need to for the U.S. to be energy independent. Although the U.S. is a net exporter of energy, that doesn’t mean the U.S. has energy self-sufficiency,” the ruling read.
“Our energy economy is trending toward wind and solar,” said Erin Carey, director of coastal programs for the NC chapter of the Sierra Club. “This action by the Trump administration is in line with propping up a dirty industry”
The federal government also cited a scientific dispute over the long-term and permanent harm marine life, including sea turtles, scallops and plankton, can suffer from the effects of seismic testing. Many marine mammals in particular, rely on sound to navigate, and the frequencies of the air guns can interfere with their ability to do so.
For example, a research team including Nowacek tracked sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 2000s and found the closer they were to air guns, the lower their rate of foraging attempts.
The National Marine Fisheries Service acknowledges that some “individual fin whales could experience minor permanent hearing loss” that “may affect their fitness” — meaning survival. But NMFS concluded the harm doesn’t rise to “a population level consequence for the species.”
The rest of whales suffered only “minor and temporary hearing threshold shifts,” according to NMFS.
NMFS also rebutted a study by Australian scientist R.D. McCauley, who found that the sounds from air guns killed plankton, the building block for the marine food chain. His team used just a single gun air gun pulled behind a boat and measured the amount of plankton before and after it fired. “They found a lot of dead plankton,” Nowacek said.
A separate study, though, found no effect on plankton, but that air gun was only fired once in a pond, instead of the tens of thousands of times that are required to map the sea floor.
In fact, since as many as five companies could receive permits to conduct the seismic tests within the same area — the information would likely be redundant — the number of shots and volume of sound could be overwhelming.
NMFS says it has found only “temporary and localized kills of marine life and only at relative close distances.”
The sound can injure, kill and deafen marine life, including fish, whales and dolphins. (Photo: Adobe Stock)
Nowacek said several studies have revealed that fish catches decrease after a seismic survey. It’s unclear if the animals fled, died or were injured.
“There is this idea that displacement is OK, but it’s not always,” Nowacek said. “As a scientist, my gut reaction is the jury is still out. But if seismic testing is going to continue, we need to really understand the impacts on turtles, fish and plankton. Seismic surveys are among the loudest sounds we put in the water. Air guns are controlled explosions. If all of the surveys occur as proposed, the number of shots is staggering.”
To read the Final Decision and Findings by the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in the Consistency Appeal of WesternGeco from an Objection by the State f North Carolina, click here.
To read the DEQ secretary statement on WesternGeco seismic testing decision, click here.
Stephen Basnight, superintendent of Hyde County Schools, in late May shows two proposed plans for a new Ocracoke School. Photo: C. Leinbach
Invitation to Bid
Hyde County Schools Ocracoke Campus Media Center and Elementary Wing Building Elevations Sealed proposals will be received until 3:00 PM on July 3, 2020, in the office of Cahoon and Kasten Architects, 118 W. Wood Hill Drive, Nags Head, N.C., and immediately thereafter publicly opened and read for the furnishing of labor, material, and equipment for the: Ocracoke Elementary Wing and Media Center Building Elevations Bids will be received for single prime bid contracts. All proposals will be lump sum. The owner will reserve the right to prioritize the Elementary Wing over the Media Center subject to the successful bidder’s schedule and capacity.
A pre-bid meeting will be held Wednesday June 24th at 11:00 AM. The location is 120 Schoolhouse Rd., Ocracoke, NC. Attendance at the pre-bid meeting is MANDATORY.
Bid documents are available for examination in the plan rooms of the offices of:
The Designer: Cahoon and Kasten Architects, PC
NC Institute of Minority Economic Development, Inc., 114 W. Parrish St., 5th Floor, Durham, NC
Hispanic Contractors Assoc. of the Carolinas (p) 877-227-1680
Associated General Contractors, Carolinas Branch, Raleigh
Builders and Contractors Exchange of Virginia, 118 Azalea Garden Rd, Norfolk, VA
Complete plans and specifications for this project can be obtained from Cahoon and Kasten Architects, PC at (p) 252-441-0271 beginning on Friday June 19, 2020, for the deposit of $50. The plan deposit will be refunded to all bidders and non-bidders, provided the plans are returned bound, and in good condition no later than 10 days following the bid date.
Plans and specifications can also be delivered as PDFs via email.
Preliminary plans for a new Ocracoke School. Photo: C. Leinbach
Ocracoke School Principal Leslie Cole recounts the unconventional school year for the Class of 2020, seated in front. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Connie Leinbach
Ocracoke School’s Class of 2020 had a memorable year, but nothing happened as they had planned.
Hurricane Dorian last fall and the current COVID-19 pandemic threw this senior class curve balls they did not expect, said Principal Leslie Cole, the commencement speaker at the June 14 graduation ceremony.
Due to social distancing concerns, graduation for the eight-member class was held outside at the NPS parking lot so that families and the community could watch from inside their cars or golf carts. It also was broadcast on Ocracoke’s community radio WOVV 90.1 FM.
The evening was clear though breezy and occurred in a short window of time between bouts of day-long rains.
Cole, who before she became assistant principal and then principal, said this group, in their eighth grade, was the last class she had taught before moving up the academic ladder.
“So I was so excited for them to have their senior year,” she said.
Only it did not happen as planned.
“September 3 was the last day of school as we knew it,” she said. “It was the last day before our lives would be turned upside down, and we didn’t even know it.”
Community members attend the Ocracoke School Class of 2020 graduation in their vehicles. Photo: C. Leinbach
The morning of Sept. 6, Hurricane Dorian, brushed by the island swamping it in a 7.4-foot high storm surge that flooded and devastated the island. Ocracoke School was unusable and is undergoing rebuilding.
School will take place later this year in 11 modular units that will be set up on the school lawn along Back Road while the old building is torn down and a new one built.
After a month off from classes last September, Ocracoke School resumed in three locations: preschool and kindergarten in the Ocracoke Child Care building; elementary grades in the second floor of Ocracoke School; and high school classes in the NCCAT building and online.
For these changes alone, the students would have had plenty of changes to deal with, particularly the new reality of rebuilding the village.
“You learned what it was like to endure–endure when you didn’t think it was possible to go on in the early days after to this storm and that life would never be okay again,” Cole said. “You learned what it was like to help others and that the kindest act or gesture sometimes came from complete strangers.”
Then, a second disaster hit.
Members of the class of 2021 line up with the 2020 graduates. Photo: C. Leinbach
“So, as all of you were learning these things after the hurricane, what could possibly make this year more interesting?” Cole asked. “Enter COVID-19 to make sure that you really, really understood this from Dorian.”
One hallmark for this class was that it had three “first days”: The actual day on Aug. 29; the first day returning after Dorian; and then a first day of virtual classes due to the pandemic.
Valedictorian Mila Ortiz, after thanking the Ocracoke community, encouraged her classmates to be receptive to change.
“Allow yourself to be influenced and strengthened by it rather than intimidated,” she said. “As you move forward in your lives seek to be different, because differences are what make us strong.”
Salutatorian Jesi Franklin said the class had to give up many senior traditions, such as prom and senior night.
“However, we would not let these series of events taught us our senior year,” she said. “We certainly would not let these events take away our graduation, the moment we have dreamed of since we were children.”
Ocracoke School’s graduating class each year present a community service award. This year the award went to Rev. Ivey Belch, pastor of Ocracoke Life Saving Church, for his efforts establishing the Bread of Life Food Pantry and for his leadership aiding the community after Dorian.
Emily Trejo Contreras The Beveridge and Mayo Scholarship ($500) Eden and Greg Honeycutt ($2,000)
Floyd Alan Doshier Dare County Boat Builders Foundation ($2,000)
Jessica Marie Franklin (salutatorian) Ocracoke Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament ($2,000) In memory of Charlotte Castro ($1,000) Ocracoke Civic & Business Association ($500) Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers’ Guild ($500) In memory of David Esham ($3,000)
Vanessa Michel Garcia Lora Ocracoke School Athletic Booster Club ($1,000) Village Realty and Ocracoke Island Realty Scholarship ($2,000)
Jesus Armando Gutierrez Morales The Beveridge and Mayo Scholarship ($500)
Ethan Somers O’Neal Ocracoke Alumni Association ($500) Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers’ Guild Scholarship ($500)
Milagro Raquel Ortiz (Valedictorian) Athletic Scholarship in Memory of Anna and Edward Fryer ($1,500) In Memory of Bill Miller ($1,000) George and Frances London Scholarship ($30,000) OBX Scholars Program ($6,000) Outer Banks Association of Realtors Scholarship ($1,000)
David Barnett Styron Ocracoke School PTA ($1,000) North Carolina Beach Buggy Association ($2,000) Athletic Scholarship in memory of Anna and Edward Fryer ($1,500) Ocracoke School Athletic Booster Club ($1,000) Golden Leaf Scholarship ($12,000) Dare County Boat Builders Foundation ($2,000) Village Realty and Ocracoke Island Realty Scholarship ($2,000)
It would be tempting to write that Hyde County cases of COVID-19 have doubled in one day with the Hyde County Health Department announcement today of three new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
That brings Hyde’s total number of confirmed case to six. Prior to today’s announcement, the most recent report was on June 13. The first confirmed case was on April 29.
Luana Gibbs, Hyde County health director, said in a press release that all of the individuals are in isolation at home and close contact investigations have occurred. Of the six, three of those cases have recovered, she said.
There are no current hospitalizations and no deaths. Individuals should continue to be mindful of prevention practices, and feel free to contact the Health Department, Engelhard Medical Center, or Ocracoke Health Center should you desire testing.
According to the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services website, June 18 marked another high day of new confirmed COVID-19 cases with more than 1,300 reported. The percent of positive tests remains elevated at 9% and statewide hospitalizations increased to a new high of 857.
The state and county urge all that the way to help protect yourself and help slow the spread include is to follow the three Ws: Wear (a mask); Wait (six feet away) and Wash (your hands).
Get your information from reliable sources, such as:
The rented passenger ferry, in August 2019, on its way into Ocracoke’s harbor. Photo: C. Leinbach
By Sam Walker June 18, 2020 Reprinted courtesy of OBX Today
A bill in the N.C. General Assembly awaiting a final vote and the governor’s signature would provide funding for the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry to operate this summer and much-needed repairs at Elizabeth City State University.
Senate Bill 750, introduced by First District Sen. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan) on May 14, was originally written to payoff the over $3.3 million in debt owed by the Town of Columbia for water and sewer upgrades to handle the Tyrrell Prison Work Farm.
The facility was shuttered last year in an effort to address staffing shortages at other prisons in North Carolina, leaving Columbia with no way to pay down the bonds after losing its largest customer.
That appropriation was shifted to Senate Bill 753that also includes handling another roughly $2 million owed by Tyrrell County for the treatment facility.
On May 18, S750 was amended to earmark $6 million for a new heating and air conditioning system and chiller at ECSU.
After clearing the state Senate on June 11 by a unanimous vote, Sixth District Rep. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck) introduced an amendment Wednesday in a House subcommittee that adds $1.146 million from a legislative discretionary fund to cover the costs of leasing and operating the Hatteras-Ocracoke passenger ferry.
The N.C. Department of Transportation canceled its 2020 contract to lease a passenger vessel in April due to the financial impacts of COVID-19, along with major budgetary issues within the department.
NCDOT leased the ferry, the M/V Martha’s Vineyard Express, from the New Jersey-based ferry company Seastreak Marine in 2019, and transported more than 28,600 passengers between mid-May and late-August.
Wait times for the vehicle ferry across Hatteras Islands were significantly cut by the decreased demand, according to Ferry Division statistics, especially by visitors traveling to Ocracoke for day trips.
“Reinstating this ferry service will be a much-needed boost for tourism in Ocracoke, Hatteras and North Carolina,” Rep. Hanig said. Sen. Steinburg was not immediately available for comment.
The amended bill passed the House unanimously on Thursday, and now awaits a concurrence vote by the Senate before it heads to the desk of Governor Roy Cooper (D).
Hanig was confident that the bill will be approved, and pending getting a vessel in place and the route through the Pamlico Sound verified, he said the Ocracoke Express could be back in service in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
Doris Katherine Hoggard O’Neal, 66, of Ocracoke, died on June 15.
She was the wife of David Farrow O’Neal Jr.
Born, Sept. 6, 1953, Kathy, as she was known, was a devoted housewife for over 46 years and spent the last 21 years doing what she loved the most–raising her grandchildren.
She took great pride in taking care of her family and could be found cooking meals for at least 12 or more on a regular basis. A longtime seamstress with a passion for sewing, she was often called on by community members needing help with alterations.
She was known by locals and tourist alike as the” Mammy on the beach with all the kids,” or as she liked to call it “keeping a local presence on the beach.”
In addition to her husband, Kathy is survived by her son, David Fletcher O’Neal and wife Heather; daughter, Rachel Cameron O’Neal; and six grandchildren, Hunter, Ethan, Brandt, Will, Maranda, and Austin.
Also, surviving is her mother, Merian Bell Hoggard of Ocracoke; aunt, Agnes Garrish of Ocracoke; and aunt Julie Coppedge; uncles, Bill Hoggard and Brove Hoggard; nephew, Eric Williams and wife Diana; and great-niece, Emma Jean all of Virginia.
She was preceded in death by her father, F.C. Hoggard; and sister, Melinda Jean Williams.
A private graveside service will be held at the Ocracoke Community Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Salvation Army – Carolinas, P.O. Box 241808, Charlotte, NC 28224, or the N.C. Baptist Men/Baptists on Mission, PO Box 1107, Cary, NC 27512.
Twiford Funeral Homes is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and memories can be shared at www.TwifordFH.com.
