The turbulent waters off the Outer Banks have claimed thousands of vessels and threatened countless lives throughout history. Fortunately, a steadfast supply of courageous souls have stood ready to dive into the fray.

The Dare District Court judge who found a Virginia man guilty of illegally shooting to death an American alligator in Stumpy Point this spring said of his sentencing: “It was a little unusual; it’s an unusual case.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District team identified the former heating oil plant as a secondary source of petroleum contamination at the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Site.

An unoccupied, privately owned house in Buxton that Dare County was attempting to purchase for removal collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday night in amid hazardous coastal conditions.

Dare County and the Town of Nags Head are making significant investments in beach nourishment projects this year.

Outer Banks Insider compiled a list of all the lifeguarded beaches on the Outer Banks from north to south, with links to each ocean rescue agency as well as beach safety tips.

State and local officials and staff hiked and boated in the Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, and in remarks, they stressed the critical role of coastal reserves in coastal resiliency.

The 1,200-acre East Tower Fire in mainland Dare County is not emitting smoke but is being monitored for hot spots, a North Carolina Forest Service spokesperson said on Friday afternoon.

The East Tower Fire, a 1,200-acre wildfire on the Dare County mainland, is 0% contained as of late Thursday afternoon, according to an N.C. Forest Service spokesperson.

A pregnant adult female dwarf sperm whale stranding took place on the beach in South Nags Head on Sunday, OBX Marine Mammal Stranding Network officials confirmed on Monday.

The 46 people and four dogs participating in the First Day Hike at Jockey’s Ridge State Park got a first glimpse of what will become the new park boardwalk.

The Rules Review Commission during its Thursday morning meeting in Raleigh approved the rule designating Jockey’s Ridge an area of environmental concern after over two years of objecting to the rule and returning it to the Coastal Resources Commission for revisions.

Ocean outfall pipes on the Outer Banks have been found to have high concentrations of bacterial contamination during and after storm events.

In the last 15 years, five high-profile wind turbines on the Outer Banks have been installed and subsequently destroyed or deconstructed.

Dare County has a Wednesday deadline for homeowners to apply for a federal grant program that would potentially purchase threatened homes or raise homes in several years. Interested homeowners can fill out an ongoing county survey to be contacted about future grant opportunities.

Nine unoccupied oceanfront houses on Hatteras Island collapsed last week, and officials and residents expressed concern over this week’s forecast bringing the potential for more destruction. Dare County increased its storm fund as a precaution.

State agencies have issued two permits for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge project.

Nearly 4,000 northern Outer Banks customers lost power on Monday morning as salt buildup—in one case, causing a power pole to catch fire—caused mostly short outages, according to a Dominion Energy spokesperson.

All three area-specific mandatory evacuations for Hurricane Erin were lifted over the weekend. Some hazards, especially in Buxton, remain.

Sections of Hatteras Island began experiencing overwash from still-distant Hurricane Erin on Tuesday, and all of the Outer Banks is under a tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning.