Outer Banks Insider

16/01/2025

https://www.outerbanksnews.org/post/dare-commissioners-vote-to-negotiate-in-attempt-to-buy-wanchese-cluster-home-property

The Dare County Board of Commissioners in a special called meeting on Wednesday authorized Chairman Bob Woodard to attempt to negotiate down the current $6 million asking price for the potential purchase of a property in Wanchese, on which site work began last week for a hotly contested cluster home project.

15/01/2025

Hyde County Public School System also alerts families of the data breach (see prior post for Dare County Schools' notice). Sharing from Hyde County Public School System:

IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE

PowerSchool Cybersecurity Incident

Recipients: Current and Former Parents, Staff, and Students

PowerSchool has alerted Hyde County Schools and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to a cybersecurity incident impacting student and teacher data across their global client base. This incident was not isolated to North Carolina. PowerSchool is a student information system (SIS) that has been in use in North Carolina since 2013.

Effective this school year, Hyde County Schools transitioned student data management to Infinite Campus so it is no longer using PowerSchool; however, as PowerSchool was previously the required SIS, the information of many Hyde County Schools students and staff remains stored within PowerSchool's systems.

On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool became aware of a cybersecurity incident that began on December 19, 2024, involving unauthorized access to student and teacher data. The data breach occurred when the credentials of a PowerSchool contract employee were compromised. PowerSchool has stated that the threat has been contained, the compromised data was not shared, and all impacted data has been destroyed. They are working with law enforcement to monitor the dark web for any potential data exposure.

PowerSchool has indicated that it is not experiencing any operational disruptions and continues to provide services.

Protecting student and educator data is a top priority for Hyde County Schools, and we take this matter very seriously. We regularly test the integrity of our network and provide ongoing employee training to ensure data security. It is important to stress that Hyde County Schools was not responsible for this breach.

In the coming days, impacted students and staff will receive direct notification from PowerSchool concerning whether their data was involved in the security breach and what measures are being offered to protect against potential identity theft.

NCDPI and Hyde County Schools are committed to safeguarding our students and staff, and we are actively advocating on their behalf as we navigate this situation with PowerSchool.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Melanie R. Shaver, EdD.
Superintendent
Hyde County Schools

15/01/2025

There was a data breach affecting area schools. Sharing from Dare County Schools:

14/01/2025

A year ago this week, a local ferry crew rescued two men and a dog. This is the story of that rescue (see video). Sharing from North Carolina Ferry System:

14/01/2025

A spouting whale is seen in the Atlantic Ocean near Jennette's Pier.

Humpback whales and bottlenose dolphin have been spotted swimming by the end of Jennette's Pier in Nags Head on Tuesday morning when the ocean water temperature was 43 degrees and winds were from northwest at 13 knots.

(Photo courtesy Jennette's Pier)

14/01/2025

The Dare Community Housing Task Force is one of 14 community teams representing 22 counties selected to participate in the “Our State, Our Homes” program led by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative.

https://www.outerbanksnews.org/post/dare-county-chosen-as-participant-in-unc-chapel-hill-affordable-housing-initiative

14/01/2025

Update on this morning's house fire in East Lake. Sharing from Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department:

13/01/2025

Local scholarship applications are open, and information sessions across Dare County start Tuesday, Jan. 14. See all the details in this post by Outer Banks Community Foundation:

13/01/2025

East Lake structure fire closes U.S. Highway 64 until approximately 9 a.m. Sharing from Dare County Sheriff's Office:

10/01/2025

21-year-old dead man; incident reported by Currituck County Sheriff's Office:

******Media Release*******. 1/10/25

On January 10, 2025 at 05:02 a.m., the Currituck Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a disabled vehicle parked on top of the Coinjock Bridge. Deputies responded and found a Honda Civic to be unoccupied and the vehicles engine was still running with doors unlocked. Deputies searched the immediate area and located a 21 year old male in a wooded area under the bridge. It appeared the person jumped from the bridge and was pronounced deceased at the early morning hours.

The person was the registered owner of the vehicle and appeared to be the only occupant at the time of the incident.
This is still an open investigation by our office.

10/01/2025

This story has been updated to include information on how to help the family who lost their home in Wanchese.

What appeared to be one boat on fire Friday afternoon was the second fire of the day on Roanoke Island.

10/01/2025

Tess Judge of Dare County received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by then-Gov. Roy Cooper.

Sharing from Outer Banks Community Foundation:

On Dec. 11, we hosted our David Stick Legacy Society Luncheon at Basnight’s Lone Cedar Cafe, where Tess Judge was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s most esteemed honors.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine was conferred to Tess Judge by former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. The award, presented by OBCF Emeritus Director Jane Webster, recognizes individuals with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.

Tess has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Outer Banks Health Development Council, the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County, and the College of the Albemarle Foundation. She currently serves as Vice Chair on the OBCF Board of Directors.

Congrats Tess and thank you for all you do for our community!

To read the full story about our Legacy Luncheon, click here: https://obcf.org/tess-judge-legacy-luncheon/

09/01/2025

The latest weekend forecast.
Sharing from US National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC:

09/01/2025

Capt. John Bayliss of Dare County is among the International Game Fish Association, Inc. (IGFA), 2025 Tommy Gifford Award Winners. Sharing from IGFA:

09/01/2025

Bird flu found in "commercial poultry" in Hyde County.

Press release from Hyde County Health Department: