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Articles by Kip Tabb
‘A gentleman’: Coastal commissioners recall Joe Hollowell
Retired Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett administers the the oath of office for the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission during the commission’s meeting Aug. 26 in Manteo. Among those assisting is Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, his wife, Linda Sanderson, and Hollowell’s longtime partner, Carolyn Meadows. Photo courtesy of Christina Williams. North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission member Joseph “Joe” Bertrum Hollowell Jr. of Tyner died Sept. 27. He was 85. His funeral was Oct. 4 in Edenton.
Duck to welcome diverse artists’ roster for annual jazz festival
The all-female, Dixieland-style Brass Queens perform during the 2023 Duck Jazz Festival. Photo: Kip Tabb Now in its 21st year, the Duck Jazz Festival is returning to the town of Duck this month, with diverse artists performing on two stages, the town’s amphitheater and the main stage on the Town Green. A preview performance is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, and then performances are scheduled continuously throughout the day on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Hatteras event honors community, its working waterfront
Participants compete in reeling in a big one during the Concrete Marlin and Sailfish competitions at the 22nd annual Day at the Docks Saturday in Hatteras Village. It’s harder than it looks. Photo: Kip Tabb HATTERAS ISLAND — The 22nd annual Day at the Docks — with two years off for the COVID-19 epidemic — on Saturday was a celebration of the rich fishing tradition here and the close-knit community that supports it.
Pro surfers ride ubiquitous symbol of ocean pollution in film
“The Cigarette Surfboard” is a documentary about the environmental impact cigarettes can have, and the film about a surfboard created using thousands of butts collected from beaches also serves as a cautionary tale about the damage that pollution has done and will continue to do to the world’s oceans. “The Cigarette Surfboard” online premiere spans Tuesday through Sept. 27, which is timed in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day Saturday, Sept. 19.
Pro surfers ride ubiquitous symbol of ocean pollution in film
Film coproducer Taylor Lane poses with the 10 cigarette surfboards he created. Photo contributed. “The Cigarette Surfboard” is a documentary about the environmental impact cigarettes can have, and the film about a surfboard created using thousands of butts collected from beaches also serves as a cautionary tale about the damage that pollution has done and will continue to do to the world’s oceans. “The Cigarette Surfboard” online premiere will span Tuesday through Sept.
Currituck Light restoration follows original maintenance plan
Tyler Mosca with ICC Commonwealth of New York prepares to begin his restoration work at the top of the tower. Photo: Kip Tabb The Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla is holding up remarkably well to be turning 151 in December, but the 162-foot-tall brick tower is showing its age. To preserve the structure, the organization responsible, Outer Banks Conservationists, or OBC, has invested in a $1 million restoration that’s currently underway. The work should be finished soon.
Jacob Askew fund and scholarship recall the joy of sport, friends
Jacob Askew lost his life on a Texas highway in November of last year when a driver, driving on the wrong side of the road, slammed into his car. He was 22 years old at the time and serving in the Air Force at Cannon AFB in eastern New Mexico. “Nothing will ever be normal anymore,” his father JP said. “He was our pride and joy, and I just don't want his name to be forgotten.” Jacob, a former student at First Flight High School, was a fan of soccer.
Manns Harbor bridge repairs to be ‘most complete’ in decades
As the Old Manns Harbor Bridge over the Croatan Sound nears its 70th birthday, it’s getting what North Carolina Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Pablo Hernandez recently called “the first major renovation that I’m aware of in my 28-, almost 29-year career here in Dare County.” The bridge, he added quickly, needs work, but overall, “the fact is that we got almost 70 years out of it without a tremendous amount of maintenance investing.” Hernandez also added that the work that had...
Manns Harbor Bridge repairs to be ‘most complete’ in decades
Diver Roman Morgan applies quick-setting mortar by hand, the final step in this method of repairing damaged bridge pilings.
Tabb’s Trails: Resilience, beauty, variety in Nags Head Woods
Stokes aster and a broad-winged skipper along the Sweet Gum Swamp Trail, one of the eight designated trails at Nags Head Woods Reserve in Dare County. Editor’s Note: Tabb’s Trails is a commentary photo-essay series with coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb. Although it has been a dry year so far at Nags Head Woods Preserve, the protected maritime forest on the Outer Banks is a lush and vibrant green. Songbirds flit among the branches.
CRC Science Panel discusses what to include in hardened structure report
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 29, 2026 Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel members at their May 27 meeting. By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Tasked by the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) with producing a draft report on hardened shoreline structures for their June 18 meeting, the CRC Science Panel met on Wednesday, May 27 to discuss what the report would look like.
Engineer assesses options to address Corolla beach erosion
Coastal Protection Engineering Senior Project Manager Ken Willson discusses options to address erosion at North Corolla Reach around Lighthouse Drive.
At Corolla meeting, attendees told beach nourishment probably ‘not cost effective’
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 27, 2026 Coastal Protection Engineering Senior Project Manager Ken Willson discussing options for the North Corolla Reach around Lighthouse Drive.
With new project starting, a look at the history of Buxton beach nourishment
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 21, 2026 Aerial image of the beach nourishment project that took place in Buxton in 2022. (Dare County) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice The new round of beach nourishment on Hatteras Island is scheduled to begin next week in Avon, although the weather forecast after Memorial Day may delay the start of the project for a few days. The Avon portion of the project is expected to take two weeks.
On a 1,000-mile journey, Wounded Warriors make a stop on the Outer Banks
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 20, 2026 The WWP riders gathered for a photo with the Wright Brothers Monument behind them. (Credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Pushed by a strong tailwind, the riders of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) made it to the Wright Brothers Memorial at about 4:30 on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20. There, more than 20 riders gathered for a picture with the Wright Brother Monument in the background. They were a little behind schedule.
KDH Board resolves lease dispute with OBX Chamber of Commerce
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 13, 2026 By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Meeting on Monday, May 11, the Kill Devil Hills Commissioners resolved a dispute with the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce by voting unanimously to set the Chamber’s rent to $250 month—far less than what the Commissioners had previously proposed.
Multi-use building proposed for the ‘Hippie House’ property in KDH
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 12, 2026 The late Jerry Pontes at the Hippie House Gallery. (File photo, credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice The Kill Devil Hills Commissioners unanimously voted at their May 11 meeting to accept a site plan for a proposed three-apartment and retail building to replace the old Hippie House Gallery. The property includes what was widely known as the “Hippie House” at 1903 S. Croatan Highway and two adjacent parcels of land.
‘Laughter and smiles and play’ at the 17th Annual KidsFest
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 9, 2026 The 17th Annual KidsFest may have brought a record crowd to Roanoke Island Festival Park. (Photos by Kip Tabb) At the Home Depot table, kids worked on plants and building skills. (Photos by Kip Tabb) Kids scrambled to run under the cloth as it came slowly back to earth. (Photos by Kip Tabb) Jack Lathom gets ready to catch the bad guys as Sgt. Duwayne Gibbs of the Dare County Sheriff’s Department looks on.
ECU Health, United Healthcare battle means lost coverage for many
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 5, 2026 The Outer Banks Hospital is part of ECU Health. By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice On April 29 ECU Health stopped accepting coverage for most United Healthcare patients. The Outer Bank Hospital is part of the ECU Health network. Currently, neither UHC nor ECU Health appear to be at the negotiating table and based on statements from the two organizations, additional negotiations are not imminent.
SAND Plan meetings seek to begin process for protecting NC12
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 30, 2026 Over the course of the evening, over 100 people visited the Rodanthe Community Building. (Credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Hoping to streamline the planning and construction process for addressing how to maintain the NC12 transportation corridor on Pea Island, NCDOT held the second of three informational meetings this week in Rodanthe on Wednesday, April 29.
Rough dig: Dismal Swamp Canal never quite lived up to plans
Vessels are moored in the Dismal Swamp Canal at South Mills in this circa 1900 photo from the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library. The Virginia State Lottery was going to hold a drawing on April 25, 1827, for the benefit of the Dismal Swamp Canal Co. Whole tickets were $4, half-tickets $2, and a quarter-ticket could be purchased for $1. The grand prize was $10,000 and more than $100,000 in prize money was going to be awarded.
Amid opposition at public forum, KDH Board delays rent increase for OBX Chamber
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 23, 2026 KDH Commissioner Ivy Ingram, Chamber Chair Melissa Harrison, and past Chamber President John Bone at the April 22 meeting. (Photos by Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Facing strong opposition to a proposed $900 per month rent increase on the land the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce leases from Kill Devil Hills, the Town’s commissioners voted unanimously at their April 22 meeting to postpone a vote until next month.
Heritage, history and fun highlight Manteo’s A250 Faire celebration
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 19, 2026 County Commissioner Steve House addresses an estimated crowd of 2,500 from the Roanoke Island Festival Park stage. (Photos by Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Amid bright sunshine and warm springlike temperatures, Dare County kicked off its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the streets of Manteo filled with people on Saturday, April 18.
Mr. Blue has eyes for you
A brightly hued eastern bluebird peeks out from a knothole in a tree at the Dare County Arboretum and Teaching Garden in Kill Devil Hills. Male bluebirds tend to draw attention to themselves at their nest cavities in this way to lure potential mates, according to Cornell Lab. Dare County Extension Master Gardener volunteers maintain the arboretum garden at 300 Mustian St. Photo: Kip Tabb
ARPO delegates retain Mid-Currituck Bridge as a regional priority
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 15, 2026 Funding for the project remains a challenge By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice NCDOT official David Wasserman has warned about the large funding gap for the Mid-Currituck Bridge project. (file photo) Meeting in Hertford on the morning of Wednesday, April 15, the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization (ARPO) decided to keep the Mid-Currituck Bridge as a regional priority.
First Flight High students take to the sky in the shadow of the Wright Brothers
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 14, 2026 The Van’s Aircraft RV-12iS takes to the sky for its first official flight. (Credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Two and a half years after the First Flight High School aviation lab project began, the Van’s Aircraft RV-12iS has taken flight, lifting off just after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14 from the First Flight Airfield in Kill Devil Hills.
Dementia Friendly Coalition seeks to lease former Kitty Hawk Police building
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 9, 2026 The former Kitty Hawk Police Station. (Credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice At the April 6 Kitty Hawk Town Council meeting, Jan Collins, President of the Outer Banks Dementia Friendly Coalition, renewed her appeal to the Town to lease the former Police Department facility to her organization. “Almost everyone in this room has either experienced [Alzheimer’s disease or dementia] firsthand or watched one go through it.
As the next Dare County Sheriff, Rodney Rawls seeks to bring ‘out the best’ in the department
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 3, 2026 (Photo courtesy Rodney Rawls Facebook page) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Running unopposed in November after winning the March 3 Republican primary for Dare County Sheriff, Kill Devil Hills Police Sgt. Rodney Rawls will succeed Doug Doughtie who has been Dare County Sheriff since 2010.
NPS permit moves Dare County closer to Buxton jetty repair
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on April 1, 2026 Image of the remaining sections of the southernmost groin, located near the former location of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. (Credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice The National Park Service (NPS) announced on Wednesday, April 1 that it has “issued a special use permit to Dare County for its upcoming project to repair the southernmost groin,” at Buxton.
New Currituck Beach Stability report recommends continued monitoring
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on March 24, 2026 Ken Wilson of Coastal Protection Engineering, addresses the Currituck Commissioners on March 6. By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Following the Feb. 12 release of the 2025 Beach Monitoring and Beach Stability Assessment, the Currituck County Commissioners met on March 6 to discuss the findings.
Coming ashore | Coastal Review
Featured Image A snapping turtle climbs from the water for a snack recently at Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk. The park at 4343 The Woods Road offers public access to the Kitty Hawk Woods Maritime Forest, a half-mile nature trail with a pair of gazebos, canoe or kayak access, a nature observation tower, a catch and release fishing pier, picnic tables, benches and interpretive signage. While Sandy Run Park is home to friendly turtles, visitors are asked to not feed them. Photo: Kip Tabb
Hertford residents protest ICE’s plans for Rivers Correctional
Melissa Stewart carries her flag of protest across the street Saturday in Ahoskie where as many as 40 demonstrated against plans for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reopen the Rivers Correctional Facility in nearby Winton as a federal immigrant detention center. Photo: Kip Tabb AHOSKIE — Between 35 and 40 protestors gathered on a downtown street corner Saturday to call attention to the proposed reopening of the Rivers Correctional Facility in Winton as a federal immigrant detention center.
OBX delegation heads to Washington for summit on vulnerable coastal communities
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on March 17, 2026 By Kip Tabb |Outer Banks Voice Outten says what is happening on the Outer Banks is a warning sign for other coastal communities. (File photo, credit: Kip Tabb) The recent collapse of numerous homes on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has placed the Outer Banks at the center of a national discussion about shoreline protection.
Huge crowd celebrates at the 35th Annual Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on March 15, 2026 What appeared to be the largest St. Patrick’s Day crowd in years lined the parade route. (Photos by Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Featuring what appeared to be the largest crowd in some time, Mike Kelly’s 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in Nags Head on Sunday afternoon beneath a beautiful blue sky.
Saved from demolition, Rosenwald School still needs help
Ardelle Garett, a Pleasant Plains teacher and principal, is shown with the school’s original steps and entrance to its south classroom in the 1940s. Photo: National Register of Historic Places, courtesy of Marvin Jones Across from the Pleasant Plains Baptist Church and just outside of Winton in Hertford County, it remained unclear for years whether the historic but badly damaged Rosenwald Pleasant Plains School built in 1920 could be saved.
Fate of Mid-Currituck Bridge hangs on April vote
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on March 11, 2026 The March 11 ARPO meeting was informational. The next one in April could be decisive for the Mid-Currituck Bridge Project. (Credit: Albemarle Commission Council of Governments) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice At the Albemarle Regional Planning Organization (ARPO) meeting held in Hertford on the morning of March 11, delegates learned that the fate of the Mid-Currituck County Bridge may be decided at the April 15 meeting of the ARPO.
Increasing costs may doom Mid-Currituck Bridge project
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on March 8, 2026 By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice With no warning, NCDOT and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) representatives told members of the Albemarle Regional Planning Organization (ARPO) at their February meeting that a new analysis indicates that the Mid-Currituck Bridge project is “not currently financially feasible without additional funding.” That conclusion appears to put the future of the much-delayed bridge project in considerable doubt.
Hardened shoreline structures, septic systems take center stage at CRC meeting
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 28, 2026 Dr. Laura Moore, Chair of the CRC Science Panel at the NC Coastal Resources Commission meeting on Feb. 25. By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Although little action on rules took place at the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) meeting on Feb. 25 and 26, two issues directly related to the shoreline issues plaguing the Outer Banks were featured in the discussions—hardened structures and septic tanks. On Wednesday, Feb.
Signature event in Dare’s A250 celebration moved to downtown Manteo, Roanoke Island Festival Park
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 27, 2026 By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Although originally planned for the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, Dare County announced on Feb. 27 that “plans are being finalized” to relocate its signature A250 Faire event to downtown Manteo and Roanoke Island Festival Park on April 18.
Moses Grandy's eventual freedom came at great cost
Congressman Don Davis, fifth from left, join others at the September 2025 unveiling of the Moses Grandy historical highway marker. Second of two parts; read part 1 Not every slave master in Moses Grandy’s life was cruel. Some actively worked with Grandy to help him buy his freedom. There was “Richard Furley, who … gave me a pass to work for myself.” The agreement between Furley and Grandy was simple.
Enslaved in Camden County, Moses Grandy knew its cruelty
The highway marker honoring Moses Grandy, a formerly enslaved man who published his autobiography, was unveiled in September 2025.
At Kitty Hawk meeting, Marine Fisheries Commission approves Atlantic bonito management plan
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 21, 2026 Marine fisheries commissioner Alfred Hopgood speaking about Atlantic bonito management plan with Tom Roller (far left) and Doug Rader. (Photo credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) held its quarterly meeting on Feb. 18 and 19 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk.
Buxton beach nourishment moves forward amidst community uncertainty
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 12, 2026 President of Coastal Shoreline and Engineering Steve Traynum discussing the nourishment and groin projects. (Credit: Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice As plans for a beach nourishment project on the north end of Buxton move forward, Dare County held a “general information and answer” meeting at the Fessenden Center in Buxton on the evening of Feb. 11.
Brilliant redhead on the hunt
Featured Image A male pileated woodpecker, or Dryocopus pileatus, searches for a snack Sunday in the bark of a pine tree in Nags Head Woods Preserve, one of the largest remaining maritime forests on the East Coast, according to The Nature Conservancy. This woodpecker, which feeds on insects in trees and logs, is one of more than 150 bird species visitors may spot at the preserve, and at least a third nests here, according to the conservancy. Photo: Kip Tabb
New Northeastern Drug Task Force sees collaboration as key
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 7, 2026 Representatives of the new Northeastern Drug Task Force. (Credit: NC State Bureau of Investigation) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice This past week, the NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced the formation of a new Northeastern Drug Task Force, with the news coming a few weeks after the creation of the Neuse River Drug Task Force by the SBI with Craven, Carteret and Pamlico counties.
Sunday on the slopes
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 1, 2026 They were lined up waiting their turn at the top of the hill. (Credit Anita Twyne) Snowboarder Cole Bancroft of Kitty Hawk nails his jump. (Credit Kip Tabb) Catching some air on a sled (Credit Kip Tabb) With no lift giving rides to the top, you have to earn your turn. (Credit Kip Tabb) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice It’s a rare day when you can break out sleds and snowboards on the Outer Banks.
CRC Science Panel reviews options for controlling shoreline erosion
By Linda Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on January 30, 2026 Dare County wants to repair the southernmost Buxton groin. (File photo, credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Coastal Resources (CRC) Science Panel held an online meeting to discuss the elements of a draft report it is preparing for the CRC on shoreline erosion control measures.
Destined to be a park ranger, Joy Cook retires as Jockey’s Ridge Supt.
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on January 29, 2026 Joy Cook spent nearly three decades working for NC State Parks (Credit: Friends of Jockey’s Ridge) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice It’s been a good nine years for Jockey’s Ridge State Park Superintendent Joy Cook, who retired on Wednesday, Jan. 28. She believes she’s accomplished the goals she set for herself when she first arrived at the Park in 2017. After taking a “few months to get the lay of the land,” she set out three goals for the Park.
Cleanup at the former Naval facility in Buxton called ‘impressive’
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on January 23, 2026 Asphalt excavated and removed from the former Buxton Naval facility. (Credit: Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Flickr) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice Efforts by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to clean up the former US Naval facility at the base of Hatteras Lighthouse are making progress.
Dare Commissioner candidates make their case at GOP forum
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on January 21, 2026 Dare County Republicans Commissioners Forum (Dare County Republicans Facebook page) By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice More agreement than differences emerged among the Republican candidates for Dare County Commissioner at a forum hosted by the Dare County Republicans on January 15. The forum was closed to the general public, but a video has been posted on the Dare County Republicans Facebook page.
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