The State Port Pilot

07/17/2025

Southport Mayor Rich Alt will face a familiar foe in the fall municipal election. Former Mayor Joe Pat Hatem, who Alt defeated in 2023 by just two votes, has filed

07/16/2025

Oak Island Town Council approved an ordinance amendment on July 8 that puts stricter rules on digging shoreline holes.

07/10/2025

A section of E. Moore Street that was damaged during PTS #8 last year is now open. The ribbon cutting for its reopening was held Thursday but the road officially opened for vehicles around 3 pm today.

07/10/2025

Brunswick County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing for July 21 to consider the possible implementation of a “No Wake Zone” around Barbee Bridge at Oak Island.

07/09/2025

Starting Friday, July 11, pre-orders will open for the official Southport, North Carolina Specialty License Plate, a unique way to represent Southport.

07/08/2025

Bonner Herring knew his dog Strike was in the trouble the moment he heard something he’d never heard before.

07/05/2025

Briefing on Tropical Storm Chantal from Southport Fire Chief Charles Drew:

* Tropical Storm Chantal will bring some impacts to northeast SC and southeast NC tonight into Sunday *

Highlights
Chantal will approach the SC coast this evening, possibly making landfall during the early morning hours Sunday.
Chantal will bring a variety of impacts to northeast SC and southeast NC, with the potential for flash flooding from heavy rainfall, especially tonight into Sunday.
Otherwise, a marginal risk for tornadoes exists for tonight along the coastal areas, and all of southeast NC and portions of northeast SC during Sunday.
Strong rip currents, rough surf, and hazardous boating conditions will persist through Sunday.
Forecast Confidence: Moderate to High

07/05/2025

Oak Island Issues RED FLAG Ahead of Tropical Storm Chantal
Post Date: 07/05/2025 6:45 PM
Ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Storm Chantal, the Town of Oak Island has upgraded the beach conditions to RED FLAG for the remainder of the day on Saturday, July 5, and ALL DAY on Sunday, July 6.

During a RED FLAG there is a HIGH RISK of rip currents and rough surf conditions, with no “safe” water depth identified. ALL ocean swimming and in-water activity should NOT take place.

Updates on all Town Response Actions as well as Personal Actions to prepare and respond to this storm are being published regulalry on the Storm Response Information page of the Town Website.

This page can be accessed by clicking the banner at the top of the OKI Connecttion mobile app, available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, or by visiting

The National Weather Service has updated its forecast for Tropical Storm Chantal, expected to impact portions of the northeast SC and Southeast NC area.

07/05/2025

TROPICAL STORM CHANTAL: The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning Saturday for the South and North Carolina coast from Santee River, S.C., to Surf City, N.C. This includes all of Brunswick County.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Chantal was located about 185 miles south-southwest of Wilmington with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is expected before Chantal reaches the coast.
The storm was moving north at 3 mph with a motion toward the north-northwest to begin later Saturday, followed by a turn to the northeast by Sunday night.
On the forecast track, the center of Chantal is expected to move across the coast of South Carolina overnight or early Sunday morning.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in Brunswick County within the next 12 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles primarily to the east of the center.
The storm is expected to produce heavy rainfall across portions of the coastal plain of the Carolinas through Monday. Total rainfall of 2 to 4 inches, with local amounts up to 6 inches, is expected, which could cause flash flooding.
Storm surge is also expected along the coast from 1 to 3 feet. Isolated tornadoes are possible Saturday night into Sunday. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast during the next couple of days.
For the latest updates, visit the National Hurricane Center webpage at www.nhc.noaa.gov.

07/02/2025

Are you enjoying this year's NC 4th of July Festival? If you have some fun photos you'd like to share send them to us! We'll include them in our weekly GOOD NEWSletter. Email your photos to [email protected].