No closure of the recreational or commercial southern flounder fisheries

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Judge John Jolly, Jr., listened to 2 hours of testimony from our side and the state, recessed at noon and came back at 1:30 to announce his decision.

There will be no closure of the recreational or commercial southern flounder fisheries on Oct 16th and no quota for the pound net fishery! Daily reporting will NOT be required for the pound net fishery.

Size limit remains at 15 and gear restrictions such as escape panels & 6 in minimum mesh for gillnets remain in effect.

Disposal of Unused, Outdated Medications

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Area residents will have the opportunity to safely dispose of unused or expired medications.  Disposing of your old prescription medications is a simple way to help prevent drug abuse. By disposing of your unused or expired medications, you can help reduce the prescription drugs in American homes that, unfortunately, have become the target of theft and misuse, oftentimes by people who have access to your residence. 

You can drop off your unused or outdated medications at Express Care Pharmacy located in Otway at 708 Hwy 70 (In the same building as the Down East Library, Snap Fitness, and Chadwick Tire).

Please share this information with your family, friends, and neighbors.  This is an important step in reducing crime related to drug abuse.

 

One Stop (Early) Voting 2016

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ONE STOP (EARLY) VOTING BEGINS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2016

Dates and times of early voting are listed below.  Notice there will be three Saturdays available to vote early.

October 20, 2016 - November 4, 2016 - Monday/Friday - 8:00 am/6:00 pm
Saturdays October 22, October 29, and November 5 - 8:00 am/1:00 pm

Early Voting locations are below.  During early voting, you may vote at any of these locations.

Carteret County Board of Elections
(Beaufort Square Shopping Center)
1702 Live Oak Street, Suite 200, Beaufort, NC 28516

Davis Volunteer Department
595 Highway 70 Davis
Davis NC 28524

Morehead City Parks and Receation Department
1600 Fisher Street
Morehead City, NC 28557

Fort Benjamin Park Recreation Center
100 McQueen Avenue
Newport, NC 28570

Western Park Community Center
275 Old Highway 58
Cedar Point, NC 28584

Absentee Ballot information and how to apply for an absentee ballot can be found at this link:  Absentee Ballot Info

There's a storm a'brewin Down East!

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There’s a storm a’brewin!  It started a few weeks ago and in all honesty, it’s only gaining strength – looks like Cat 5 is a huge possibility!  This storm began in Kinston where the general manager of the new minor league team is getting ready to play ball.  The team leadership is preparing to name the team “Down East ‘something.’”  Once this story hit the newspapers and airwaves, Down East residents, as well as residents in Kinston, began questioning and making waves about this name choice.  The folks of Kinston are upset!  The folks Down East are upset!  But the team management doesn’t seem to be showing signs of weakening their resolve to keep “Down East” in their name.

 

The momentum is strengthening Down East.  Everyone seems to agree, Kinston is definitely NOT Down East; Down East is not a regional area; Kinston is not represented by the heritage and culture of Down East.  The management of the new ball team needs to make a course change and look for a name for the team that represents not only Kinston but the entire region that would support the ball team.  Our voices are being heard – let’s keep this up! 

 

Check out the new facebook page, link here, and “like” the page so you will have access to updates!   So what can you do to help?  Sign a petition, which can be found in many of our local businesses.  You can also sign the online petition at:  Down East IS.   You can write Letters to the Editor, and you can tell your friends and family about the petitions. 

Coming soon, we hope to be on twitter to keep this movement going even stronger!!   We don't want to dilute our area, heritage and culture by "Down East" being used in ways that does not truly represent us!

Down East Women's Shelter Opens

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This summer an Ezra Non-Profit Ministry opened a home on Harkers Island Road with the purpose "to empower women to overcome their obstacles, heal their hurts, and become healthy, active, self-supporting individuals."   The ministry will focus on providing shelter, transportation, food and clothing, as well as, emotional, educational and spiritual help for women in need.  Their emphasis is directed toward women living in the Down East area.

The ministry includes the Center for Women's Ministries that is located on the same property at 606 Harkers Island Road.  This is a non-denominational volunteer program that will provide Christ-centered counseling, Bible study, and support groups. 

Women with ongoing addiction or abuse issues are referred to county programs and ministries with expertise in these areas.  While the Down East Community Thrift Store is the primary financial supporter, they are in continual need for assistance with their monthly expenses.  They have also reached out to the Down East churches for help. 

There are several areas where you can volunteer and get involved with this ministry.  For more information, you can stop by the Down East Community Thrift Store or contact the Down East Center for Women's Ministries at 252-619-4636.  You may also email them at mailto:decounselling@yahoo.com.  

Determine Your Level Of Flood Risk

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Carteret County officials will be holding a public hearing regarding the new flood maps.  Carteret County residents and members of the business community will have the opportunity to review and ask questions about the preliminary copies of newly updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Carteret County and incorporated communities. 

Click the link here, Public Hearing Information,  to read further details and location of the meeting.

The Red Clay Ramblers -- Coming to Carteret County October 7 & 8

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N.C.'s Own Award-winning String Band

The Red Clay Ramblers

Return to Carteret County for Exclusive

Two Night Event

Morehead City, NC, October 7th & 8th, 2016 - The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center and the North Carolina Coastal Federation are teaming up to host the Tony Award-winning band, The Red Clay Ramblers, in a special two night event. The North Carolina natives will be performing in Joslyn Hall at Carteret Community College. The Doors will open at 7 pm with concerts beginning at 7:30 pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. 

Both the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center and the North Carolina Coastal Federation are preparing for milestone years in 2017. The CSWM&HC will celebrate its 25th anniversary, while the NC Coastal Federation celebrates its 35th. Both presenters have big things planned in observance of these significantly historic years. 

Ramblers' pianist Bland Simpson states, "These are two truly fine, highly significant groups, not only for Carteret County but for the whole state of North Carolina. Both of them exemplify the very best values in preserving, protecting, and celebrating our social and natural heritage here on the coast. We are thrilled to be making a joyful noise for them in Morehead City this fall!" 

The string band's music draws from multiple genre's, including "old-time mountain music, as well as, bluegrass, country rock, New Orleans jazz, gospel, and the American musical" to from its eclectic sound and unique taste. Since their formation in 1972, 

The Red Clay Ramblers' have performed on various stages throughout the world. Some of those stages consist of several local appearances through the years, including performances at Croatan High School, the Coastal Folklife Project in Beaufort and the

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on Harkers Island.

Personnel for The Ramblers' October performance will include: Clay Buckner on the fiddle, Chris Frank on the guitar, Jack Herrick on the trumpet and bass, Rob Ladd on the drums, and Bland Simpson on the piano. The musical group is noted as being high energy with a wide-ranging repertoire. The New York Times states, "Bluegrass, New Orleans, classical folk, and gospel sounds emerge in nutty profusion from these talented instrumentalists and singers, whose music making is perfection."

Ticket Prices: $28 general admission, 

$23 for members (CSWM&HC and NC Coastal Federation), $12 for students

CALL TODAY for TICKETS -- Limited Seating

252.728.1500

Quarter Cent Sales and Use Tax Referendum

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Carteret County will have a referendum on the ballot in November.  This referendum will ask citizens to vote YES or NO on the referendum that would increase sales and use tax by one quarter cent.

If the referendum passes, the funds raised by the increase in sales and use tax would go directly toward dredging and maintenance of waterways in Carteret County.  The Board of Commissioners resolved in a August 15, 2016 resolution to designate funds raised through the Article 46 one-quarter cent sales and use tax to accomplish the following:  "The Board of Commissioners intends to allocate Article 46 one-quarter cent County sales tax proceeds for waterway dredging and maintenance and has appointed a waterway management board to prioritize the need for these purposes and administer the funds to accomplish the waterway dredging and maintenance.

The attached document provides frequently asked questions and answers that should clarify any questions you may have about this referendum.   To access the "frequently asked questions", click here.

Please remember that the ballot will not include an explanation of the referendum and what the funds would be used for.  So educate yourself now and be ready on election day to cast your vote.

 

 

Golf Carts on Harkers Island get the "go ahead"!

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Harkers Island residents petitioned the county to allow golf carts access to the roads.  There are exceptions though as noted in Carteret County News Times:   "Residents will now be able to have their carts permitted by the County Sheriff’s Office and operate on all public roads, 24 hours a day on Harkers Island with the exception of Island Road, which can only be traveled from Davis Street to Shell Point."

All applicable operation laws will be enforced, including the enforcement of transgressions such as drinking and driving and driving with an open container of alcohol. 

To be permitted, golf carts must have two headlights, two taillights, rear and side mirrors, a parking brake, seat belts for all seats, a windshield and cannot exceed three rows of seating. 

The owner must be at least 18 years old and the operator must hold a valid driver’s license. All terrain vehicles and others type of transit are not permitted for roads.

Additionally, “All applicable operation laws will be enforced, including the enforcement of transgressions such as drinking and driving and driving with an open container of alcohol. 

To be permitted, golf carts must have two headlights, two taillights, rear and side mirrors, a parking brake, seat belts for all seats, a windshield and cannot exceed three rows of seating. 

The owner must be at least 18 years old and the operator must hold a valid driver’s license. All terrain vehicles and others type of transit are not permitted for roads.

“The only issue we ever have with golf carts down there, especially in the summer time, are children driving golf carts unattended by an adult,” N.C. State Trooper 1st Sgt. Davis Clifton said. 

The restrictions on Island Road differ slightly from that of so called street legal golf carts, which are licensed and tagged by the state as slow moving vehicles. 

Golf carts permitted by the county will be allowed to cross Island Road at intersections. 

As you travel on Harkers Island now - be careful and watch out for the golf carts! 

 

 

Down East Starts Petition

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The new Kinston minor league baseball franchise is in the process of naming their new team. They have offered five names, all including Down East as the identifying location of this team.

This has caused a public outcry among Kinston residents who want "Kinston" in the name and especially for the TRUE Down East community who does NOT want THEIR name associated with a ballteam that is located some 80-miles west.  Bottom line:  "Kinston is NOT Down East."  

According to Ch 12 news ... 

Wade Howell, the General Manager for this franchise, said, "Thanks to the more than 1300 name submissions, we've received a number of unique names that embody the energetic spirit of Eastern North Carolina. While the new team will call Kinston home, there are so many people from neighboring areas that will be part of the new family of fans. To honor the geographic diversity of the fans, and to give a nod to the many vibrant areas the team will serve, we'll precede the new team nickname with the phrase "Down East".

Complaints are pouring in on social media about the choices for a name for the new minor league baseball team coming to Kinston.

So we asked the team's general manager about the complaints. Wade Howell said the team's name will be chosen from the five options being given. He said other options will not be added. The five name options are: Down East Eagles, Down East Hamhawks, Down East Hogzillas, Down East Shaggers and Down East Wood Ducks.

The purpose of this petition is to EDUCATE the Kinston team officials and the region where the TRUE Down East is and why using this name is inappropriate and unacceptable.  

Signatures, comments and support from Down East residents, natives, visitors and friends are welcome. 

 

DOWN EAST IS ...

Down East is that string of communities that follow along and near Highway 70 and then onto Highway 12 where you reach the “big water” of Pamlico Sound. It begins with Bettie, then Otway, and turning south takes you through Straits, Harkers Island, back through Gloucester and Marshallberg before heading northeast through Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Stacy, Sea Level, Atlantic, and Cedar Island.

Down East is thirteen communities of men born to be fishermen, boatbuilders, decoy carvers, hunting guides and of women born to be all those things if needed and everything else — mothers, community leaders, teachers, storekeepers, fish house worker, doctors, nurses and preachers.

Down East Carteret County is a beautiful, natural, and until recent years, isolated and unspoiled landscape that remains the backbone of its heritage and a shared bond among Down East people. The marsh and its aroma, the wind-sheared oaks, the natural harbors and the saltwater running in their veins is what holds the people and the traditions of these communities together. 

This place, beginning with North River and stretching south, north and east along the shores of Core Sound, has shaped the character of those people, instilling in them a sense of independence, self-reliance, and pride that runs generations deep, a heritage that’s sacred, tied to the sounds and creeks that surround them, sustain them, strengthen them.

If you would like to sign the petition, go to this link here.

Carteret County Waterways Management Committee

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The Carteret County Waterways Management Committee was formed earlier this year by the County Commissioners. The Committee consists of eight Board Members, one member from each County Commissioners’ District and one County Commissioner. The County Commissioners realize that the waterways of Carteret County are crucial to the future of development and maritime life. In order to ensure the health and maintenance of the County’s waterways and continue to promote commerce and recreational opportunities, the duties of the Waterways Management Committee include, but are not limited to:

a. Hold community meetings throughout the County to educate the public as well as seek their input on the waterways dredging and     maintenance needs of the County;

b. Formulate and maintain a schedule of needed waterway maintenance, recognizing that some waterways will need attention more frequently than others;

c. Develop funding options and sources in order to accomplish needed dredging;

d. Work closely with and call on resources currently available through local, State, and Federal agencies/groups in determining the needs and solutions for the County’s waterways; and

e. Cooperate closely with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the N.C. Division of Water Resources and other Federal and State agencies in pursuit of projects and funding that may benefit the County’s waterways.

Over the course of the month of September 2016, the Waterways Management Committee of Carteret County will hold a series of public input meetings at the following locations:

    • Smyrna School - 174 Marshallberg Road, Smyrna on September 13th at 6:00 p.m.

Please make plans to attend and help us shape the waterways management program for Carteret County for years to come!

 

For more information please contact:

 

Gene Foxworth
General Services Department
Carteret County
252-728-8545

 

 

Health Fair Down East

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Health Fair!

Straits United Methodist Church will be hosting a Down East Community Health Fair September 24 at the church.  Representatives that will be present at the Fair are:  Broad Street, Clinic, County Health Department, Walmart Vision, Eastern Dermatology, Leon Mann Center, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, East Point Prosthetics, Intouch Home Care, Beaufort Rite Aid, Acupuncture Point, and a nutrition station. This is a great opportunity to find out about services available to county residents. And we really appreciate all these participants for being willing to come Down East.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come Join Us for an Evening at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse!

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Superintendent Patrick M. Kenney is pleased to announce this year’s evening climbs of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  This opportunity will be offered on select dates near the full moon during the months of May, June, July, August, and September.  Bring your own flashlight and experience the island and the lighthouse as the keepers did, in the dark of night.  Hear stories of the light keepers, watch the sunset and moon and stars come out on the unlit beaches of Cape Lookout National Seashore.  Discover a different side to your favorite beach!

Beginning on May 11, reservations will be taken for the May 20 and 21 climbs between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  To reserve your space, call 252-725-9373.
The cost of the program is $28 (price includes ferry fee) and is non-refundable (weather dependent).  There will be one evening ferry trip on each date for all the climbs on that night; the ferry will depart Harkers Island at 7:30 p.m. and return at about 10:00 p.m.  

Children joining the climb must be at least 44-inches tall and able to climb the steps on their own.  Children 12 years of age and younger must be accompanied by an adult (16 or older).  Footwear is required as well.  

Save the Date!  The park is currently converting its reservation process for Evening at the Cape tours set to take place in June and beyond to www.recreation.gov.  For more information go to:  http://go.nps.gov/eveningatcape.htm.

Dates for an Evening at Cape Lookout Lighthouse
•    Friday, May 20
•    Saturday, May 21
•    Thursday, June 16*
•    Friday, June 17*
•    Saturday, June 18*
•    Thursday, July 21
•    Friday, July 22
•    Saturday, July 23
•    Thursday, August 18
•    Friday, August 19
•    Saturday, August 20
•    Friday, September 16
•    Saturday, September 17
* Cape Lookout National Seashore 50th Anniversary/NPS Centennial Celebration Weekend

Recreational Cobia Season Closing June 20

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Release: Immediate
Date: March 9, 2016
Contact: NOAA Fisheries Service / Sustainable Fisheries Division
Phone: 727-824-5305

NOAA Fisheries Announces the Atlantic Migratory Group (Georgia to New York) Cobia Recreational Fishing Season will close on June 20, 2016The recreational harvest of Atlantic migratory group cobia (from Georgia to New York) will close at 12:01 a.m. on June 20, 2016. Recreational harvest of cobia will reopen on January 1, 2017.

The Atlantic migratory group includes cobia from Georgia through New York. Cobia off the east coast of Florida are part of the Gulf of Mexico migratory group. There are separate annual catch limits for the recreational and commercial sectors of Atlantic migratory group cobia. If the annual catch limits are exceeded, accountability measures are in place to ensure overfishing does not occur. If the Atlantic migratory group cobia recreational and total (recreational and commercial combined) annual catch limits are exceeded, NOAA Fisheries is required to reduce the length of the recreational fishing season in the following fishing year.

In 2015, both the recreational and the total annual catch limits of Atlantic migratory group cobia were exceeded. Thus, the accountability measure is triggered for 2016. Because the commercial annual catch limit was not exceeded, this closure is only for the recreational sector. During the closure, recreational harvest or possession of cobia is prohibited.

This closure is required by regulations implemented under the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region and is necessary to protect the cobia resource.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register. For more information, please see frequently asked questions.

Upcoming Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting

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The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission will meet May 18-20 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell St., Morehead City.

Public comment periods will begin at 6 p.m. May 18 and 9 a.m. May 19. The chairman will allow each speaker to comment for up to three minutes. Due to time constraints, those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either at the May 18 or May 19 session, but not during both public comment periods.
The business meeting begins at 9 a.m. May 19 and 8:30 a.m. May 20.

The deadline for submitting written correspondence to the commission, including email, through the Marine Fisheries Commission Office is 5 p.m. May 16. Those who wish to forego this process and give handouts to the commission during the public comment periods should bring at least 12 copies of the handout. 

The public may listen to the meeting on the Internet. Up to 200 participants may listen to audio and view presentations in real-time on a first-come, first-served basis. Directions for participating in the webcast, including information on system requirements and testing, can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/listen-online.

The commission is scheduled to:

  • Review advisory committee recommendations and public comment on the NOAA Fisheries 2016 recreational cobia season closure, and consider complementing this closure in state waters or adopting other possible cobia harvest restrictions;
  • Select adaptive management measures for the blue crab fishery required under Amendment 2 to the N.C. Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan;
  • Review advisory committee recommendations and public comment on lowering the daily oyster harvest limit for the commercial Shellfish License statewide, and approve the draft Oyster and Clam fishery management plans to send for departmental and legislative review;
  • Receive an update on the total allowable landings for pound nets by waterbodies required by Supplement A to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1.

A full meeting agenda and briefing book can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/mfc-meetings. 

For more information, contact Marine Fisheries Commission Liaison Nancy Fish at 252-808-8021 or Nancy.Fish@ncdenr.gov.