Latest news with #CarteretCounty
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Carteret Community College now has home base for Crystal Coast Fire Academy
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) — Carteret Community College's new Crystal Coast Fire Academy has found its home for future trainees. County leaders, members of the Carteret Chamber and more all gathered at Beaufort Fire Station 2 Thursday, May 29, 2025, for the ribbon cutting on the new Crystal Coast Fire Academy. Carteret Community College has had a fire academy since 2008, but has had to utilize different fire departments to host classes for it consistently all over the county. Now, they have a centralized location to have those classes. 'We're delighted to have a space in this part of the county because not only will we be able to have a home for the fire academy, but we'll also be able to offer courses for people in this part of Carteret County who might not be able to get to Morehead City either because they don't have transportation or the time to go that far for classes,' Carteret Community College President Tracy Mancini said. 'So, it's going to be a win-win.' The official building at Beaufort Fire Station 2 gives all trainees a home base to consistently train at. 'It gives us a base to come to every night to start your academy while they're in the four months of academy,' Beaufort Fire Department Chief Tony Ray said. 'The emergency training facility is a mile-and-a-half right down the road. So, the classroom can begin here or practical work, they can go right down there.' The academy provides many people in the area with an opportunity to serve their local communities and become a member of one of Carteret County's many stations. 'It's an opportunity to partner with the college. It's an opportunity to provide for the community,' Ray said. 'As I said earlier, this is workforce development which leads to career development, which leads to community and neighborhood development. As people leave here and go back here, their career may not be in Carteret County. We have people come from all over the state to attend across the Crystal Coast Fire Academy.' For more information on the 18-week academy, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Memorial Day weekend at NC coast: Concerns after 13 rip current rescues last week, 2 active swim advisories for bacteria
OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WNCN) — With Memorial Day weekend a kickoff for the summer beach season, North Carolina coastal areas are watching for dangerous rip currents and two swimming spots are under scrutiny for high bacteria levels. At least two coastal swim advisories are in effect, with high levels of bacteria recorded heading into the weekend, state officials said. Last weekend, there were 13 rip current rescues in Carteret County at Emerald Isle — which was under a moderate rip current risk at the time, the National Weather Service reported. Just last week, three North Carolina coastal swimming areas were under an advisory by the N.C. Recreational Water Quality Program. However, advisories in Dare County at the Outer Banks and in New Hanover County near Wilmington were lifted by Wednesday, state officials said. But, on Thursday, a new swim advisory was issued for a sound-side site in Brunswick County in Southport, officials said. Don't swim at these NC beaches, officials warn; man-of-war swarm OBX and NC island The new advisory is for the public kayak launch in Cottage Creek at the end of W. West Street in Southport. Test results of water samples taken Tuesday and Wednesday indicate bacteria levels that exceed the state and federal action levels of 104 enterococci per 100 milliliters. Also, an earlier swimming advisory in Beaufort County is still in effect for public access to Pantego Creek at East Main and Tooley streets in Belhaven. Test results of water samples indicate a running monthly average of 37 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water. This exceeds the state and federal standards of a running monthly average of 35 enterococci per 100 milliliters. The advisories are not beach closures. Swimming advisories are for waters within 200 feet of signs erected about each advisory. State recreational water quality officials sample 222 sites throughout the coastal region, most of them weekly, from April to October. Rip currents are an important focus for authorities at the North Carolina coast, where dozens of rip current rescues took place several weekends last summer. A high rip current risk was issued Wednesday for several beaches, including Oak Island in Brunswick County and Emerald Isle in Carteret County. Last weekend, lifeguards rescued 13 Emerald Isle swimmers when there was a moderate risk for rip currents at that beach. For Memorial Day weekend, rip currents are forecast as a moderate risk in most beach areas at the North Carolina coast. Meanwhile, Oak Island officials said Saturday they are still dealing with Portuguese man-o-war washing up on the beach. 'We recommend you watch your step on the strand and stay out of water. Their tentacles are long and burn like (fire),' Oak Island officials said on Facebook. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Carteret County officials seek public input on transportation expansion
BEAUFORT, N.C. (WNCT) — Officials in Carteret County are working with NCDOT to create a plan for the next three decades and are now asking for public input. Citizens received an up close look at maps of the county's various towns and areas of interest. The maps included proposed changes to help improve transportation in Carteret County long term. 'Tourism is not really counted. When we're looking at these planning projects for D.O.T., we use that the traffic counts for existing traffic throughout the county to determine the numbers and project that forward,' Transportation Director Patrick Flanagan said. 'But it's based on population growth in the area, not necessarily people who come and visit. So this plan is really for the locals and what they want out of their transportation network.' These new plans hope to help all kinds of transportation around the county, including winding roads, adding new bike lanes, and potentially the introduction of a new highway. For more information, visit the Carteret County website or click on the video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
