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Carteret County Empty Bowls
See page 22
Great Backyard Bird Count
See page 26
Vol. 16, No. 2
i4 Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
February 2021
Tacks in the Road
By Mayor John Brodman
K4TW Update
By Jean McDanal
My two-cents worth
By now most of us have already seen all the retrospective reviews of 2020,
projections and forecasts for 2021, the too-many-to-count lists of winners
and losers, ins and outs, and ways the pandemic may continue to affect our
lives going forward in the years ahead. The work/life balance is getting a lot of
attention lately, with many wondering if they are living at work or working from
home. Most of us were more than happy to exit last year and leave 2020 behind
us. That is until 2021 came along—what an inauspicious beginning to the New
Year. Chaos, particularly of the political kind in our nation’s capital, seems more
likely than not to continue in what may be a new, business-as-usual mode of
operation. Fasten your seat belts; it looks like we’re in for a rough ride.
Regarding the pandemic, we are entering the New Year with plans to continue
all precautions as the virus is still with us. It is now clear that a surge of new
cases is underway after the holidays. Town staff has returned to a remote
schedule, but there will be one or two staff members in town hall every day.
All others are available by telephone or email (see the town-wide email from
January 12). We are tracking the availability of vaccines for our essential front
line employees and the most vulnerable segments of our population. Our police,
fire and EMS personnel are in the process of getting vaccinations as I am writing
this and, hopefully, most of them will have received at least the first shot by
the time you read this. At the time of this writing, we are in phase lb of the
vaccine rollout, which covers everyone 65 and older. For an appointment call
the Carteret County Health Department at 252-728-8550, option 2; or register
online at carteretcountync.gov/vaccine. The citizens I know of who have already
received their first doses haven’t encountered any problems. Nevertheless, as the
recent decision to lower age for eligibility from 75 to 65 shows, the vaccination
rollout is a moving target and schedules may change, so while we will strive to
keep you informed, it’s wise to pay attention to the news.
We are still holding official town meetings and working with the public
virtually, remotely, and as safely as possible. Compliments of the CARES Act, we
are installing new cameras and audio/visual equipment in the town boardroom
to improve the quality of our webinars and communications. We are tracking the
(Continued on page 8)
Despite having to cancel two of our Kayak for the Warriors events in 2020, we
were still able to secure $50,000 for Hope For The Warriors. Thanks to everyone
who participated in the golf tournament, bought raflle tickets, purchased hole
sponsorships or donated. On Monday, December 21, Michelle Rademacher from
Hope For The Warriors was presented with our check from the event proceeds.
Founded aboard Camp Lejeune, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit
that assists veterans, service members and military families with a variety of
programming, including clinical health and wellness, sports and recreation, and
transition services.
(Continued on page 6)
Pine Knoll Shores
presented $50,000
in proceeds from
Kayak for the
Warriors to Hope
For The Warriors.
Counterclockwise
from left: Michelle
Rademacher, Jean
McDanal, Linda
Pearson, Kathy
Blowers, Donna
Fountain, Mayor
John Brodman and
Mike Di Lauro.
Standard
Pre-Sort
Permit #35
; Atlantic Beach. NC 28512
1 b