North Carolina is home to some pretty neat inventions! From delicious soft drinks, to mini-golf, and even machine guns, this state has some outside-of-the-box thinkers. Of course ‘first in flight’ is the most famous Tar heel invention but check out these fourteen inventions to see just HOW much our great state has contributed to modern-day life. 1. Cheerwine, Salisbury, 1917 L.D Peeler wanted to create a new, exciting soft drink that was unique to the market. Using flavors purchased off a traveling s... read more

KURE BEACH — On May 21, three otter pups were born at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher and staff is looking for input on naming them. The Asian small-clawed otters were born to parents Leia and Quincy during a full moon, King Tide and a storm. The species is native to Indonesia, southern China, southern India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. “The team at the Aquarium researched and shared meaningful naming ideas based on the native habitat of Asian small-clawed otters and the unique circumstances o... read more

In June, the Holiday Inn Sunspree resort at Wrightsville Beach unveiled a revamped look and a lengthy new name: Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort. Lumina, of course, is an homage to the fabled Wrightsville Beach pavilion of old, which was demolished in 1973. But what many visitors to the area, as well as many new residents, might not know is that, just 60 years ago, the land the hotel sits on wasn't land at all. Rather, it was an inlet, Moore's Inlet to be exact, and it separated Wrightsv... read more

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — One of North Carolina’s fastest-growing counties recently gained hundreds more homes to house even more residents. Several planned unit developments were approved by the Brunswick County Planning Board Monday, including a 223-unit subdivision and expansions to current neighborhoods. As the population grows — Navassa and Leland also rank among the top five fastest-growing municipalities statewide — the county’s planning agendas are some of the most packed with develop... read more