The Buxton Civic Association has launched its first-ever scholarship fund in memory of beloved community member and bookstore owner Marjean “Gee Gee” Rosell, aiming to support Hatteras Island students as they pursue higher education.
The BCA Marjean “Gee Gee” Rosell Memorial Scholarship was created by the civic association in collaboration with Rosell’s siblings and a group of close friends. Organizers say the scholarship reflects Rosell’s lifelong commitment to books, learning, and the Hatteras Island community.
Rosell, the longtime owner of Buxton Village Books, shared her love of literature with generations of residents and visitors after opening the independent bookstore in 1984. The shop, located in a historic kitchen house built from shipwreck timbers, became a well-known gathering place where customers often left with both a book and a conversation.
Originally arriving on Hatteras Island in 1974 to work for the National Park Service, Rosell planned to continue her career elsewhere before realizing the island had become home. She left the Park Service after roughly a decade and opened the bookstore, which she operated for more than four decades.
Community members say her influence extended far beyond the store’s walls. Rosell supported reading programs in local schools, encouraged aspiring writers, and quietly backed numerous community and environmental efforts across the island.
According to the Buxton Civic Association, establishing a scholarship in her name felt like a natural tribute.
While many memorial scholarships honor someone’s life, organizers said Rosell’s deep appreciation for education, literature, the arts, and the natural world made the effort especially fitting. The fund is intended to help local students continue their educational journeys while reflecting the values she championed throughout her life.
Rosell died on Jan. 29, 2026, following a brief illness. She was 73.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at Our Lady of the Sea Catholic Church in Buxton, and the public is invited to attend.
Light refreshments will be provided as friends, family and community members come together to remember Rosell and her lasting impact on Hatteras Island.
Work is underway on a sandbag replacement project along a vulnerable stretch of N.C. Highway 12 on northern Ocracoke Island, and motorists should expect minor delays due to ongoing single-lane traffic controlled by a temporary signal.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is replacing deteriorated sandbags north of the National Park Service’s pony pens, an area that has experienced repeated ocean encroachment during storms and extreme high tides.
According to NCDOT, the sandbags are being replaced using the same configuration. The bags measure roughly 15 by 5 by 2 feet and are stacked three bags high to form a temporary protective barrier along the highway’s oceanfront edge.
The project is the latest in a series of efforts aimed at keeping Ocracoke Island’s only roadway open as erosion and overwash continue to threaten the corridor. This stretch of N.C. Highway 12 has required frequent maintenance in recent years, with crews repeatedly rebuilding dunes, installing sandbags, and repairing pavement damaged by ocean flooding.
A similar sandbag replacement project was completed in 2024, when compromised bags were removed and new barriers were installed, while dune elevations were rebuilt along the oceanfront side of the highway.
State regulators have also recently adjusted how the highway can be protected when it comes to temporary measures. In November, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission approved a rule change allowing NCDOT to use more durable alternative sandbag designs for safeguarding imminently threatened roadways such as N.C. Highway 12.
The work on northern Ocracoke comes as officials continue to examine longer-term challenges in the area. Studies shared during a 2025 Ocracoke community meeting described a difficult outlook, citing inlet shoaling, shoreline retreat, and rising water levels that continue to compromise ferry access.
Winter dredging projects have been deployed to maintain navigability through the inlet, but when it comes to the highway, officials have noted that sandbag placement provides only temporary relief.
Hyde County officials have urged state leaders to pursue more lasting solutions, calling for repairs to protective infrastructure as well as a beach nourishment study for the area.
For now, however, access to the island continues to rely on interim measures such as sandbag replacement, dune rebuilding, and periodic dredging projects to keep nearby channels navigable.
Motorists traveling through the construction area are advised to slow down and be prepared for brief delays while work continues.
The project is expected to continue for the next few weeks.
Hyde County Commissioners meet, 6 pm. Community Center. See agenda below.
Ocracoke Alive: ESL English/Spanish, 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Library
Ocracoke Alive: Envisioning the future of Ocracoke, the first of eight discussion-based, creative workshops about the island’s long-term future, with Hannah Aronson, a master of city planning student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will facilitate the sessions that will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays; also March 9, 17 and 23, in the Deepwater Theater.
Thursday, March 5: Ocracoke Alive: 9:30am – 10:30am. Ukulele/Guitar with Lou Castro. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Nonfiction writing with Sarah Shellow, 1 to 2:15 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) meeting, New volunteers always welcome. 822 Irvin Garrish Hwy 6 pm.
Ocracoke Alive Theater performance: “Macbeth,” 7 to 9 pm. Ocracoke School Commons.
Ocracoke Decoy Carver’s Guild meeting, 7 pm. Community Center.
Friday, March 6: Ocracoke Alive: Spanish Creative writing class, 9 to 10 am. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Imrov theater class with Ella Ralston, 6 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Saturday, March 7: Ocracoke Alive: Melt and pour soap workshop, 1 pm. OUMC Rec Hall
Ocracoke Alive: Cooking/baking: Swedish saffron-almond buns with Matt Janson. 3 pm. OUMC Rec hall.
Sunday, March 8: Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960 but refresh your browser for it to work properly.
On the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Editor’s note: Background information about the ferry tolling process is at the end of this story.
By Connie Leinbach
If the North Carolina Legislature is bent on enacting a toll on the Hatteras ferry, then Ocracoke wants a say in the matter.
That was the message from the Ocracoke Access Alliance at the Feb. 16 Ocracoke Civic & Business Association meeting.
Members of the alliance, a nonprofit group organized last year to specifically advocate for adequate N.C. Ferry Division funding and addressing NC 12 on Ocracoke, reported on their trip to Raleigh in January to talk to legislators.
The prospect of a toll on the Hatteras ferry, which is free and is the most used in the system, has been dormant since 2016 when the legislature’s spending plan excluded a toll on the Hatteras ferry.
But last spring during budget talks, the N.C. Senate’s budget proposed doubling the rates on the Ocracoke long-route ferries and the passenger ferry and adding tolls to the Hatteras-Ocracoke, Currituck-Knotts Island, and two other routes.
The state House’s budget did not include new or increased tolls.
But the legislators adjourned in October without amending the 2025-2027 biennial budget and state spending continues at the previous budget levels.
When they return after the March 3 primary, legislators will resume budget talks, and Ocracoke wants to be ready.
“Our argument is that the ferries are part of the state highway system,” said Justin LeBlanc, alliance executive director.
According to state law, ferry tolls can be used only for ferry replacements, not for operations.
Right now, the Ferry Division operates on a $70 million budget, 70 % of which pays for personnel and fuel.
The Ferry Division wants that raised to $85.6 million.
Then there’s the $69 million in backlogged maintenance of the ferries, where only a fraction of these costs are in the proposed budget, but maintenance can be spread out over the years, LeBlanc said.
“That deferred maintenance is a safety issue,” he said. “We’re already seeing breakdowns.”
A ferry replacement study the Ferry Division conducted in 2024 said that to replace its 26 vessels every three years would take 37 years at a cost of $25 to $45 million per vessel in today’s dollars. The Ferry Division has 26 vessels: 23 are ferries and three are support vessels.
LeBlanc said the Ferry Division currently collects about $2 million from tolls and it would need to collect about $8 million annually to add to the replacement funds.
“How are we going to close this gap?” he said. “The OAA is working on a plan.”
Complicating the issue is the N.C. law that says if there’s a tolled road, there must be an alternative free route.
On Ocracoke, that’s the Hatteras route since the Pamlico Sound routes already are tolled.
LeBlanc said that from their January trip, they learned that the legislators are giving Ocracoke an opportunity to present something.
“Our fight against tolling the Hatteras ferry has run out,” noted Amy Howard at the meeting. She went to Raleigh with LeBlanc along with Bob Chestnut and Garick Kalna. “They are going to toll us.”
So, Ocracoke needs a voice in the plan.
“We need a plan to keep the ferries sustainable,” Howard said. “We’ve got to give something, too. If we have to toll the Hatteras ferry then we want something in return. We want the ferry system fully funded and with maintenance. We want better ferries.”
She and other members of the alliance are working through the math as to the toll prices and how they could be modified for residents and vendors.
Overwash
Along with the problem of funding ferries are the ongoing issues of the overwash area of NC12 and South Dock.
The NCDOT is preparing to replace the sandbags already in the 1.8-mile stretch at the north end. These will precede the installation of bigger, stronger sandbags on Ocracoke and elsewhere on Hatteras Island, but these larger bags need approval from the Coastal Resources Commission.
Sandbags are a temporary solution while longer-term solutions are explored and decided on, Hyde County Manager Kris Noble has said several times.
Moving the road in this area could help, LeBlanc said.
If the road could just be shifted 30 feet towards the sound that would cost only a few million dollars, he said.
Beach nourishment also is a tactic to help this area and because there is no oceanfront development, beach nourishment could last longer on Ocracoke than up the beach.
“CPE, the Hyde County engineer estimated a cost of $25 million for beach nourishment at this area,” LeBlanc said, “and it could last 15 years or more.”
The group also is talking to legislators about protecting South Dock (where the Hatteras ferry lands) from further erosion.
A bulkhead installed there a few years ago was not extended further toward the ocean where it could possibly stop further erosion because North Carolina prohibits the use of hardened structures on the ocean side.
There have been a couple of exceptions to that law, notably the rock jetties at the Oregon Inlet, but lawmakers may be amenable to amending this law, LeBlanc said.
“Rep. Keith Kidwell (who represents Ocracoke) is interested in introducing a law to allow hardened structures,” he said.
After a long wait, Sloop Channel in the Hatteras Inlet will be widened from 100 feet to 200 feet. This is the area called “the horseshoe,” which skirts a heavily shoaled area.
After this area is widened, it should cut off about 10 minutes to the ferry ride.
In addition to these fixes, LeBlanc said there are some incredible innovations happening in the marine world that could benefit our ferry system, such as battery and hydrogen fuel-cell technology.
The OAA may have a plan to discuss at the March 17 OCBA meeting. If not, it will continue the converstation.
One of the Ocracoke Tram stops is in the Community Square. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Hyde County is looking for a firm to manage the passenger trams that operate in Ocracoke Village when the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry provides service.
This will be the seventh season for the passenger ferry, which sails from the Hatteras ferry terminal into Silver Lake harbor and this year will run from May 13 to Sept. 15.
The tram service requires two vehicles circulating the village during the hours of passenger ferry operations.
The term of the contract will be three years with two one-year extensions.
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) is available on the County of Hyde website, www.hydecountync.gov.
Proposals will be received until 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the Hyde County Manager’s Office, PO Box 188, Swan Quarter, N.C., 27885.
Questions regarding the RFP should be directed in writing to Kris Cahoon Noble, Hyde County Manager, knoble@hydecountync.gov.
Hatteras Ferry. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
HATTERAS – With the onset of warmer weather and longer daylight hours, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry System will be expanding the schedule on its popular Hatteras-Ocracoke route on Tuesday.
Daily departures will increase from 28 to 36 between March 3 and March 30. The schedule will be as follows:
A full ferry schedule can be viewed and downloaded here.
For real time text or email notifications on schedule adjustments and other ferry information, sign up for the Ferry Information Notification System at www.ncdot.gov/fins.
In the March 3 primary, Hyde County voters will decide whether to approve a local sales tax increase.
After reviewing the county’s voter information guide and the discussions at county commissioners’ meetings, we believe voters should say “Yes.”
Before anti-tax folks work themselves into a frenzy, let’s be clear about the scale: This is an increase of just one-quarter of one cent—1 cent for every $4 spent, 25 cents on a $100 purchase.
The ballot language is straightforward: “Local sales and use tax at the rate of one-quarter percent (0.25%) in addition to all other State and local sales and use taxes.”
To a large city, this might look like pocket change.
Here in Hyde County, where every dollar counts, it has the potential to generate up to $250,000 a year, according to the Hyde County website.
In a sparsely populated county, that is money that can make a real difference.
Crucially, this referendum is about who pays for the crucial services we all rely on.
EMS, law enforcement, and emergency management account for about 30% of the county’s 2025–26 budget.
Right now, property owners carry most of that burden through property taxes.
At the same time, tourism has become a cornerstone of our local economy.
Thousands of visitors drive our roads, depend on our first responders in emergencies and benefit from the safety and stability of our communities on Ocracoke and the mainland.
This small sales tax increase is a fair way to ask them to help pay for what they use.
If approved, the tax will spread the cost of public safety and education beyond homeowners and local businesses. Visitors and seasonal residents, who spend money in our shops and businesses, will contribute more directly to: – Funding EMS, deputies, and emergency management – Supporting Hyde County Schools, our children, and our teachers – Maintaining the core services that make life here possible and attractive
For most local families, this change will barely be noticeable at the checkout, and the law protects many essentials.
Under North Carolina law, the 0.25% local sales tax does not apply to: – Food groceries (unprepared foods) – Gasoline – Prescription medications
The increase falls on general retail purchases—many of them made by tourists. That is exactly where a tourism-based county should be looking for help.
This is not about expanding government for its own sake. Hyde County is already committed to funding EMS, law enforcement, emergency management, and our schools, whether this referendum passes or fails. The need will not disappear. The only question is whether property owners will continue to shoulder almost all of the cost, or whether visitors will finally pay a fairer share.
It is unusual in North Carolina for a referendum to appear only on a primary ballot and not on the November general ballot.
But this year, Hyde joins five other counties, Gates, Granville, Henderson, Martin, and Wayne, in placing a local sales tax referendum on the March primary ballot.
Art rocks at Ocracoke School. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer
Ocracoke Alive winter activities have begun. To see the full schedule, click here.
Monday, Feb. 23: Ocracoke Alive: Spanish/English Coffee hour, 8:30 to 9:30 am. Ocracoke Library, and every Monday through March 23
Ocracoke Alive: Self care workshop: Yoga for beginners, 5:30 pm. Ocracoke Island Yoga Studio.
Ocracoke Alive: Envisioning the future of Ocracoke, discussion-based, creative workshops about the island’s long-term future, with Hannah Aronson, a master of city planning student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will facilitate the sessions that will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, March 2, 9, 17 and 23, in the Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: English as a Second Language. 7 pm. Ocracoke Community Library
Tuesday, Feb 24: Ocracoke Alive: Cooking/baking with Eduardo Chavez; OUMC Rec hall. 6 pm. To RSVP, click here.
Ocracoke Alive: Yoga in Spanish, 7:30 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Wednesday, Feb. 25: Ocracoke Alive: Yoga in Spanish with Sarah Shellow, 8:30 to 9:30 am. Deepwater Theater
Ocracoke Alive: A Tale of Blackbeard sing-along with Julia Howard. 6 to 8 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Creative Writing ~ Fiction with Sarah Shellow, 1 to 2:15 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Ocracoke Alive: Latin cardio class with Arturo, 6 pm Community Center.
Ocracoke Alive: Art: Perspective with Kitty Mitchell, 6 to 8 pm. Deepwater Theater.
Friday, Feb 27: WOVV “What’s Happening on Ocracoke:” Host Peter Vankevich talks about the Occupancy Tax Board and grants with Bob Chestnut. 11:30 a.m. 90.1 FM.
Deepwater Theater: Potluck supper with Ocracoke Needle & Thread Club, 5:30 pm, followed by the short film “The Quilters” at 6:30. See flyer below.
Ocracoke Alive: Latin dance workshop 8 pm, followed by a dance at 9 pm. Community Center.
Saturday, Feb. 28: Ocracoke Alive: Quilting workshop with Lori Millsap of Island Time Quilting. 2 to 5 pm. Deepwater Theater
Sunday, March 1: Church services: Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960 but refresh your browser for it to work properly.
Barbecue Sandwich Fundraiser at Jason’s to benefit Ocracoke School fifth grade field trip. 11:30 am. See flyer below.
Ocracoke Alive: Quilting workshop with Lori Millsap of Island Time Quilting. 2 to 5 pm. Deepwater Theater
Ocracoke Alive: Games/Puzzles for Families & All Ages, 3 to 5 pm. Ocracoke Library.
Ocracoke Health Center Inc. has named Jamie Tunnell Carter as the organization’s next chief executive officer.
Carter, a Hyde County native, has been with Ocracoke Health Center since 2008, serving in several roles including front desk staff, billing manager, revenue cycle manager, and other key team leadership positions, the organization said in a press release.
She is a certified professional coder (CPC) and most recently she has served as interim CEO since April 2025.
Carter was born and raised in Swan Quarter, attended Mattamuskeet School, and lived on Ocracoke for 15 years.
She served as the Hyde County public information officer and was a member of the Deputy Control Group for Ocracoke during many adverse weather events.
She understands both the unique challenges and the beauty of Hyde County and takes great pride in her roots there.
“I am bringing the values I learned growing up in this beautiful place into our workplace and reflecting them in the care we provide,” said Carter. “My parents were strong influences, teaching me to be involved in our communities, schools, and churches, and to be a positive force for change. I hope my integrity, honesty, and passion are reflected in every aspect of the work I do.”
After earning a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and professional communications from Meredith College in 2002, Carter returned to Ocracoke.
A few years later, she joined the Ocracoke Health Center team at the front desk, working under longtime former CEO Cheryl Ballance until her retirement in 2021.
In addition to her education and training, Carter has dedicated her career to federally qualified health centers and the critical role they play in serving underserved populations.
She has represented the region in local, regional, and state forums and workgroups and is committed to continuing to grow and expand services in Hyde and Dare counties.
“Jamie Carter has shown amazing leadership since being appointed Interim CEO in April 2025 and as a result on January 29, the board of directors has promoted her to CEO,” said Sue Pentz, board chair. “Ms. Carter has been with our organization since 2008 and understands our mission of bringing quality, accessible, affordable community-based medical care to our communities. The board looks forward to Jamie’s continued commitment of helping our communities.”
Ocracoke Health Center, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit currently operating three primary care sites and 340B pharmacies in Engelhard, Ocracoke and Manteo, providing care to more than 3,000 patients across the service area.
Services include primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health, 340B pharmacy services and coordinated referrals for specialty care such as dental and radiology.
Portsmouth Homecoming 2022 Methodist Church. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer
By Peter Vankevich
The Friends of Portsmouth Island have canceled this year’s Homecoming that was scheduled for April 25.
“As many of you know our Portsmouth Homecoming in April 2026 has been plagued with many obstacles and challenges,” said Connie Mason, FPI president, in a text message to members and posted on the FPI website. “These include Haul Over Dock badly damaged and no land transportation available for hauling equipment and people across the island.”
While the group worked closely with the Cape Lookout National Seashore, who made effort to make the event happen, she said their budgets and lack of equipment and manpower have been hampered by Mother Nature and “other outside forces.”
So, for safety reasons, the Friends board canceled this year’s event.
Acting Cape Lookout National Seashore Superintendent Catherine Cushinberry was asked for comments but had not responded by the time this was posted.
Portsmouth Island Homecoming is a biennial event held every two years in late April.
Organized by the nonprofit Friends of Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout National Seashore, the FPI mission is to reunite descendants, preserve history and celebrate the island’s abandoned village.
In the past years, FPI volunteers have been active, working with the Seashore staff to repair damaged buildings in the village.
Homecoming originated as informal family gatherings in the late 1970s. It became official in the early 1980s under the National Park Service.
This is the second time in recent years that it was canceled. The other time was in 2020 due to post-Hurricane Dorian which in September 2019 ravaged the village followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event resumed in 2022 with the resilient theme “Portsmouth Rises.”
Homecoming 2024 drew more than 400 attendees. Most arrive from Ocracoke taking the 20-minute boat ride across Ocracoke Inlet in one of the flotilla of shuttling boats from Ocracoke.
Activities include a hymn sing in the Methodist Church, and an opportunity to visit the remaining homes, including that of Henry Pigott, the school, the Life-Saving Station and the post office.
Cape Lookout staff and FPI volunteers play the role as greeters and docents providing historical background.
Melissa Garrish Sharber, on assignment from Ocracoke’s post office, and Hatteras post office Postmaster Vivian Barnett have processed post cards and envelopes with the Portsmouth Island cancellation stamp in the past events.
A ceremony under a tent with remarks by dignitaries and a history of the island concludes with the traditional Roll Call of the Families that had descendants who are present briefly stand when their families were named. At its conclusion is a potluck luncheon.
Friends of Portsmouth Island (FPI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in late 1989 under the Carteret County Historical Society to promote preservation of Portsmouth.
