Carolina's Greatest Hits

‘Duck Dynasty’ patriarch and conservative cultural icon Phil Robertson dies

WEST MONROE, La. (AP) — Phil Robertson, who turned his small duck calling interest in the sportsman’s paradise of northern Louisiana into a big business and conservative cultural phenomenon, died Sunday, according to his family. He was 79.

Robertson’s family announced in December on their Unashamed With the Robertson Family podcast that the patriarch of the clan had Alzheimer’s disease. The statement on social media from Robertson’s daughter-in-law didn’t mention how he died.

“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus. We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again,” Korie Robertson wrote.

Phil Robertson skyrocketed to fame in the early 2010s when the A&E network created a reality show, presented like a sitcom. It followed the adventures of Robertson, his three sons — including Willie, who runs the family’s Duck Commander company, their wives and a host of other relatives and friends.

Phil Robertson and his boys were immediately recognizable by their long beards and their conservative, Christian and family-oriented beliefs.

That got Robertson into trouble, too. He told a magazine reporter in 2013 that gay people are sinners and African Americans were happy under Jim Crow laws.

A&E suspended him from “Duck Dynasty” but reversed course in a few weeks after a backlash that included Sarah Palin.

At the time, Robertson’s family called his comments coarse, but said his beliefs were grounded in the Bible and he “is a Godly man.” They also said that “as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm.”

A lifelong Louisiana man

Robertson was born in north Louisiana and spent his life in the woods and lakes that make up the region called Sportsman’s Paradise.

Robertson played football at Louisiana Tech and taught school. He also loved to hunt and created a duck call in the early 1970s that he said replicated the exact sound of a duck.

The calls were the centerpiece of the Duck Commander business Robertson would grow into a multimillion-dollar enterprise before A&E came calling.

The family just didn’t sell outdoor and hunting gear, but a lifestyle.

“The Robertsons face everything from beavers to business deals in their own special way — with a twist of downhome practicality and a sharp sense of humor,” A&E wrote in its promotion for “Duck Dynasty.”

Tributes pour in

Appreciations for Robertson appeared on social media shortly after this death was announced, largely from conservative politicians.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X, “The great #PhilRobertson passed today. He loved Jesus & he was utterly fearless. One of my fondest memories was duck hunting with Phil — he was the best shot I ever met. And, in 2016, he recorded this amazing commercial for me. Rest in peace, my friend.”

“Saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Robertson — a man of deep faith, bold conviction, and unwavering love for his family,” wrote Ben Carson, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, also on X. “I’ll never forget the time I spent with Phil and his wonderful family at their homestead in West Monroe, LA. We rode through the swamp stopping at his favorite duck blinds before being welcomed by Miss Kay with a warm, home-cooked meal, surrounded by their extended family and close friends.”

A&E shared their own tribute to the “Duck Dynasty” X account, writing: “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Robertson, a hunting industry pioneer and the patriarch of the beloved Robertson family. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. We extend our deepest condolences and respect their privacy as they grieve.”

The scars from Hurricane Helene are healing slowly in this Appalachian tourist town

By ALLEN G. BREED AP National Writer

CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE, N.C. (AP) — The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door, tells a different story.

“We will be closed Thursday 9-26-2024 due to impending weather,” it reads. It promised to reopen the next day at noon, weather permitting.

That impending weather was the remnants of Hurricane Helene. And that reopening still hasn’t arrived.

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Despite being nearly wiped off the map by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, tiny Chimney Rock Village, North Carolina, had optimistically predicted it would be open for business by Memorial Day. Mayor Peter O’Leary says that was overly optimistic, but that he sees progress everywhere. (AP video/Allen G. Breed)

Eight months later, the mine, like most of the surviving businesses on the village’s quaint Main Street, is still an open construction site. A flashing sign at the guard shack on the town line warns: “ROAD CLOSED. LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.”

Village Mayor Peter O’Leary had optimistically predicted that downtown would open in time for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourist season. He now realizes that was too ambitious.

“We had set that date as a target, early on,” he said, sitting in the still stripped main room of his Bubba O’Leary’s General Store. “But I always try to remind people, you don’t always hit the target. Anybody that’s shot a gun or bow and arrow knows, you don’t always hit the target.”

The Broad River — which gave the restaurants and inns lining its banks their marketable water views — left its course, carving away foundations and sweeping away the bridge to Chimney Rock State Park. O’Leary said about a third of the town’s businesses were “totally destroyed.”

Several are gone for good.

At the north end of town, all that remains of Bayou Billy’s Chimney Rock Country Fair amusement park is a pile of twisted metal, tattered awnings and jumbled train cars. A peeling, cracked yellow carousel horse that owner Bill Robeson’s own children once rode balances precariously on a debris pile, its mouth agape to the sky.

At 71, Robeson — who also lost a two-story building where he sold popcorn, pizza and souvenir tin cups — said he doesn’t have the heart to rebuild.

“We made the dream come true and everything,” said Robeson, who’s been coming to Chimney Rock since he was in diapers. “I hate I had to leave like it was. But, you know, life is short. You just can’t ponder over it. You’ve got to keep going, you know?”

At the other end of town, the Carter Lodge boasted “BALCONIES OVERLOOKING RIVER.” Much of the back side of the 19-room hotel now dangles in midair, an angry red-brown gash in the soil that once supported it.

Barely a month before Helene, Linda Carter made the last loan payments on repairs from a 100-year flood in 1996. Contractors estimate it will cost $2.6 million to rebuild.

So, the widow said she’s waiting to see how much the federal government will offer her to let the lot become a flood-mitigation zone.

“I just don’t have it in me,” said Carter, who lived in the hotel. “I’m 74. I don’t want to die and leave my children in debt. I also don’t want to go through the pain of rebuilding.”

But others, like Matt Banz, still think Chimney Rock is worth the risk of future heartache.

The Florida native fell in love with a fudge shop here during a vacation more than 30 years ago. Today, he and his family own four businesses in town, including the gem mine and the RiverWatch Bar & Grill.

“The day after the storm, we didn’t even question whether we were going to rebuild,” Banz said, with workers rebuilding the riverfront deck on new cement footers. “We knew right away that we weren’t going to let go.”

O’Leary, Banz and others say federal relief has been slow. But volunteers have filled the gaps.

Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

“We definitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said. “They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”

The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonprofit formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September 2018.

Jonathan Graef and his siblings bought the Best View Inn in late 2023 and were halfway through renovations when Helene struck. They’ve been flooded twice since, but the new rafters and framing the Amish workers constructed have held.

“It’s really trying to kick us down,” said Graef, whose property borders what is left of the Bayou Billy’s park. “But our spirits are high, our hopes are high and nothing’s going to stop us from opening this place.”

Throughout town, the ring of hammers and saws mingles with the sizzle of welding and the rumble of debris-removal trucks.

Workers lay sewer lines. A temporary steel bridge to the state park — replacing the ornate stone and concrete span that washed out — should be ready soon, O’Leary said.

“In a normal year, they easily have 400,000 visitors that come to the park,” he said. “That’s really the draw that brings people here.”

One recent evening, Rose Senehi walked down Main Street, stopping to peer into shop windows to see how much progress had been made.

Twenty-two years ago, the novelist stopped in town to buy an ice cream cone. As she licked, she crossed a small bridge, climbed a rickety staircase to a small house, looked around “and saw that mountain.”

“Within an hour I signed the contract and bought it. Out of the blue,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Never been to this town. But I knew THIS is what I wanted.”

The bridge is gone. So is that ice cream shop. But Senehi said there’s more to this place than stores and treats.

“There’s something about this area that, it’s just compelling. The mountains. The green. It’s just beautiful,” she said. “It’ll definitely come back. And it won’t be the same; it’ll be better.”

O’Leary said he thinks some Main Street businesses will be open sometime this summer. The council is looking for village-owned properties that can be leased or sold to business owners.

“I can see progress on all fronts,” said O’Leary, who came for a park job 35 years ago and never left. But he cautions that recovery will be slow.

“We don’t want everybody to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” he said. “This is a long rebuild. But I think it’s going to be worth it.”

Insect-eating Venus flytraps thrive in the Carolinas as hikers peek into their native ecosystem

By ERIK VERDUZCO Associated Press

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (AP) — Park ranger Jesse Anderson leads dozens of people on a weekly hike in North Carolina to see some of the most unique living things in the world — plants that supplement the nutrients they get from sunlight by digesting ants, flies and spiders.

But the Venus flytraps aren’t like the human-size, ravenous and cruel Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors.”

In the wild, Venus flytraps are the size of a lima bean and pose no harm to anything other than insects. Their special hairs snap their leaves together when brushed — but only twice in about 20 seconds or less to reduce the amount of false alarms by dust or rain.

Park ranger Jesse Anderson guides visitors on the weekly carnivorous plant hike at Carolina Beach State Park in North Carolina. (AP video: Erik Verduzco)

Once inside, the insect is doomed to become plant food, Anderson said.

“It continues to trigger those hairs and the trap slowly closes and eventually starts releasing digestive enzymes to start breaking down the insect. And because they’re in nutrient-poor environments, they supplement their food with insects,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s hike at Carolina Beach State Park on the southeast North Carolina coast also showcases other carnivorous plants. There are vase-shaped pitcher plants with liquid at the bottom that traps insects, then digests them. Butterworts and sundews attract insects with glistening leaves, then secrete an adhesive to trap them in place. Bladderworts work similarly to Venus flytraps.

And the hike is one of the few places to see Venus flytraps. The plant only grows in 12 counties in southeast North Carolina near Wilmington and a few nearby places in South Carolina, which made the organism the state’s official carnivorous plant in 2023.

Now is an especially good time to take that hike. Venus flytraps bloom from about mid-May to mid-June, Anderson said.

The flytrap is a fragile plant that needs fire to survive. Wildfires in the pine forests where they grow clear off the denser overgrowth to provide the abundant sunlight the plants need.

They face two big enemies — poachers and development.

Harvesting the plants without permission is a felony in North Carolina and a misdemeanor in South Carolina. In 2016, a man was sentenced to 17 months in prison for taking nearly 1,000 Venus flytraps from game land in Hampstead, North Carolina.

And the flytraps live in one of the fastest-growing parts of the U.S., where neighborhoods and businesses have been built over their habitats. Most of the plants can now be found in preserves and other undisturbed areas.

Scientists counted only about 300,000 flytraps in the Carolinas several years ago.

While Anderson’s hike is one of the few ways to see Venus flytraps in their natural environment, he said commercially grown plants can be found around in greenhouses and plant stores around the world and can thrive in homes in the right conditions

“They like nutrient-poor soils, and also they can’t stand typical well water or tap water. So they need things like rainwater or distilled water or versus osmosis,” Anderson said.

Venus flytraps need abundant sunlight and soils that are moist but not drenched. And they don’t have to eat bugs if they can get enough nutrients from photosynthesis.

Please don’t feed them hamburger meat — that’s not what they eat. And try not to trigger the leaves shut without something to digest. That takes a lot of energy the plant needs to replace.

___

Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.

King Charles to outline Canada’s priorities in Parliament amid Trump annexation threat

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — King Charles III will outline new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government priorities in a speech in the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday. It’s widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.

Carney said in a statement the visit speaks to the “vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity.”

UK’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Ottawa ahead of the opening of Parliament (AP Video)

It is rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice in her 70-year reign, the last time in 1977.

The speech is not written by the king or his U.K. advisers as Charles serves as a nonpartisan head of state. He will read what is put before him by Canada’s government.

Carney , the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of England, and Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the king’s representative in Canada, met with the king on Monday.

Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. The king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, he said.

Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Trump.

The new U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said sending messages to the U.S. isn’t necessary and Canadians should move on from the 51st state talk, telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that if there’s a message to be sent there are easier ways to do that, such as calling him or calling the president.

“There are different ways to ‘send a message’ and a phone call is only of them,” said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University.

“The King would normally add his own short introductory remarks and observers will be listening to them very carefully with the issue of Canada’s sovereignty in mind.”

A horse-drawn carriage will take the king and queen to the Senate of Canada Building for the speech. It will accompanied by 28 horses — 14 before and 14 after. He will receive the Royal Salute from the 100-person guard of honor from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment before entering the chamber for his speech.

The king will return to the U.K. after the speech and a visit to Canada’s National War Memorial.

Hurricanes’ 15-loss streak in East finals games is over. And Rod Brind’Amour is thrilled by that

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Go back to June 1, 2006. Rod Brind’Amour was a captain then; he’s a coach now. Logan Stankoven was 3 years old then; he’s a budding star now. And in those days, when people talked about Cam Ward, they meant the goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes, not the quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes.

That was also the last day on which Carolina won an Eastern Conference finals game.

Until Monday, that is.

It’s over. Not the season. The streak. Carolina’s 15-game streak of consecutive losses in the East finals ended Monday night, with the Hurricanes beating the Florida Panthers 3-0 in Game 4 of their matchup. It was Carolina’s first win in the East finals since June 1, 2006 against Buffalo, a night where Brind’Amour — then the Hurricanes’ captain — got the game-winning goal.

“You know what? I didn’t even think about that,” Brind’Amour said. “But that’s nice.”

Carolina’s winning goal Monday came from Stankoven, someone whose future Brind’Amour raves about. Stankoven has no idea of the circumstances surrounding what had been Carolina’s most recent East finals win before Monday; considering he was a toddler when it happened, that’s understandable.

The odds of overcoming a 3-0 series deficit are overwhelmingly slim. A 3-1 deficit is no picnic either, but the Hurricanes at least know now that they can beat the Panthers in the playoffs.

“It’s just what you can do,” Stankoven said. “You start with one and go from there. We just try and preach about winning a period and going from there. And I think it was nice to get the lead tonight as well and play on our toes instead of on our heels.”

Under Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes have gone to the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons but have no Stanley Cups — or even Stanley Cup Final trips — to show for it. The seven straight playoff berths is the fourth-longest active run in the NHL, behind only Toronto’s nine, Colorado’s eight and Tampa Bay’s eight. The Lightning have two Cups in that span, the Avalanche have one.

This looked like it could have been the team to change the fortunes for Carolina. The Hurricanes rolled through the first two rounds, ousting New Jersey in five games in Round 1 and then needing only five more games to eliminate NHL all-time scoring king Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in Round 2. They were a top 10 team this season in goals scored, a top 10 team this season in fewest goals allowed, had a pair of eight-game winning streaks this season and outscored the Devils and Capitals 34-18 in the first two rounds.

Momentum was building until the first three games against Florida. Now going home for Game 5, the Hurricanes still have a chance.

And streak talk, thankfully from Brind’Amour’s perspective, will end.

“I mean, it means like nothing to these guys because half of them weren’t here, but it’s been a story,” Brind’Amour said. “So, yeah, it’s nice to not have to talk about that.”

Mini Beef Wellingtons

Photo Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Mini Beef Wellingtons Recipe from Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

Serving size: 12 servings

Ingredients

1 pound beef Tenderloin Steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 package (8 ounces) mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons minced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 package (17.3 ounce) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
Horseradish sauce and chopped parsley, optional

Directions

In large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 2 to 3 minutes until tender and all liquid is evaporated, stirring often. Stir in onion, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss beef with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Spray 24 mini-muffin cups with cooking spray. Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured cutting board; cut each sheet into 12 (2-inch) squares. Place squares into mini-muffin cups. Brush dough with mustard, then place heaping teaspoon of mushroom mixture in center of dough. Top with steak piece.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium. Let rest. Temperature will continue to rise to 145°F for medium rare and 160°F for medium.
Serve warm topped with horseradish sauce and parsley, if desired.

The Seven Beauties of the Coast

Lighthouses of North Carolina

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse

Ocracoke’s lighthouse is unique in that it is a beckoning lighthouse instead of a warning lighthouse. It is on without a flash or rotating device, telling sailors to come to it and not worry about rocks. Built out of dressed stone and timber with brick and mortar surface in 1823, it stands at 75 feet or 23 meters tall, it is actually very short compared to its lighthouse brothers. It is the oldest operating light station in our state and the second oldest still standing.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bodie lighthouse, pronounced “body”, is actually the third lighthouse that has stood on Bodie Island. The other two were farther south close to Oregon Inlet which is now underwater due to the migration of the inlet. The first was built in 1847, the second was build in 1859 but was destroyed by the Confederate troops. This third construction was completed in 1872 and moved a bit Northward. It is made of brick, cast iron and stone and was made automated in 1940. It stands at 164 feet and about 50 meters tall.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

This lighthouse is found on Hatteras Island and boasts a height of 210 feet or 64 meters tall, making it North Carolina’s tallest lighthouse. It is constructed out of brick and reinforced concrete, with black and white striped lines with a red brick foundation base. Nicknamed Hamilton’s Light after Alexander Hamilton requested a lighthouse be built on Hatteras because his ship almost crashed off it’s shores in 1794. So in 1802, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was constructed.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

The only red lighthouse on our list is Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Completed on December 1, 1875, the lighthouse was not painted which left its beautiful brick facade exposed and is made of nearly 1 million bricks. It stands at 162 feet or 49 meters tall and is a conical tower. It protects the northern Outer Banks shores just before you reach Virginia.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Cape Lookout is a unique lighthouse because it is one of the few that actually runs during the day. This lighthouse is the second to stand tall in this location, the first was completed in 1812 but was found to be too short at only 96 feet tall. It was nicknamed “Horrible Headland” because the light couldn’t reach the treacherous Lookout Shoals and many ships perished. The current lighthouse was built and lit on November 1, 1859 and stands much taller at 163 feet or just under 50 meters tall.

Oak Island Lighthouse

Oak Island Lighthouse stands at a height of 153 feet or 47 meters in the town of Caswell Beach near Cape Fear River. Construction began in 1957 and completed in 1958, it replaced the Cape Fear Light, a steel skeleton structure on Bald Head Island which was demolished earlier that year. Its colors are the top is black, middle is white, and the bottom is gray.

Old Baldy Lighthouse

Bald Head Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still standing in our state. Constructed in 1817, the specific date is unknown and is made of dressed stone. It stands at 110 feet or 34 meters.

Peruvian Steak Kabobs

Peruvian Steak Kabobs Recipe from Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Prep time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

Serving size: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds beef Inside Skirt Steak (pounded 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick)
1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise (1/8 to 1/4-inch thick)
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick)

Sauce and Marinade:

4 limes, juiced
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 small Spanish onion, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground chiles de arbol
1 tablespoon Cowboy Steak & Roast Rub

Directions

In a food processor or blender container, combine lime juice, oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano and ground chiles de arbol. Blend together until smooth; set aside.
Add half of marinade in a food-safe plastic bag. Add beef, zucchini and squash. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Alternately thread beef and vegetables onto metal skewers. Sprinkle with steak and rub seasoning. (If using wooden skewers, soak in water 10 minutes to prevent burning on the grill.)
Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, 9 to 12 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 8 to 10 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Remove from grill.
Serve kabobs drizzled with remaining reserved sauce.

Meet Hercules and Ned, the border collies fending off wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

By JOHN RABY Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious office at West Virginia’s busiest airport.

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.

Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in affection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a flight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a difference for someone’s life.”

How it started

Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the first 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s airfield for the first time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place.

Chris Keyser, airport’s wildlife specialist and the dog handler, shows how he works with two dogs, Hercules and Ned, to keep birds off the airport to keep people safe. (AP video: John Raby)

“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”

Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds off.”

Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always moving. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.

A mountaintop menagerie

Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.

In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the field or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.

“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the field, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”

Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese off golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.

The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no different than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.

Bird strikes cause delays

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous bird-plane strike occurred in January 2009 when a flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately flew into a flock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.

“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the flight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting flights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”

In 2022 alone, there were five airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.

A comforting paw

Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a flight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.

Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of flying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.

An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.

“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.

She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.

“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.

North Carolina’s high court says elections board shift can continue while appeals carry on

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A divided North Carolina Supreme Court confirmed Friday that it was OK for a new law that shifted the power to appoint State Board of Elections members away from the Democratic governor to start being enforced earlier this month, even as the law’s constitutionality is deliberated.

The Republican majority on the court declined or dismissed requests that Gov. Josh Stein made three weeks ago to block for now the enforcement of the law approved last year by the GOP-controlled General Assembly shifting authority to Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek.

In late April, some trial judges hearing Stein’s lawsuit declared the law unconstitutional and said the law couldn’t be carried out.

But on April 30 — the day before the board’s five appointments made by Boliek would otherwise begin their terms — a panel on the intermediate-level state Court of Appeals ruled the law could still be carried out while broader legal questions surrounding the power shift are reviewed on appeal.

Stein’s attorneys later that day asked the Supreme Court to intervene and keep blocking the law. But the justices didn’t weigh in publicly until now, effectively handing a legal victory to GOP legislative leaders who for years had wanted to wrest board control from Democratic governors.

Boliek went ahead and made the board appointments May 1, which shifted the board’s majority from a 3-2 Democratic majority to a similar GOP majority immediately. This upended a process going back over a century in which the governor picked the board members, three of whom are traditionally members of the governor’s party. The new board was seated and proceeded to oust Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell.

Now responding to Stein’s legal motions, the prevailing unsigned order issued Friday and backed by the court’s five registered Republicans said there were “multiple grounds” upon which the Court of Appeals panel “could have made a reasoned decision” to suspend the trial judges’ directive to block the law.

In particular, the order read, the trial judges “unambiguously misapplied” rulings from the Supreme Court in recent years that had taken no position on whether moving powers from the governor to another executive branch official — like the elected state auditor — was constitutional. Instead, the order read, the trial judges used those rulings to declare the transfer was in fact unconstitutional.

“The Court of Appeals’ ruling was not manifestly unsupported by reason or so arbitrary that it could not have been the result of a reasoned decision,” the order said.

Associate Justice Richard Dietz, a Republican who wrote his own opinion, acknowledged that it was too late for the Supreme Court to get involved at this juncture, pointing out that the auditor has made appointments and new board staff is being hired.

“The status quo has changed,” Dietz wrote. “It would create quite a mess to try to unring that bell through our own extraordinary writ.”

Stein and the Republican legislative leaders defending the law next will argue the broader legal issues surrounding the case by going through the regular appeals process, which likely will take at least several months. Meanwhile, the new board will make its mark, carrying out campaign finance laws, setting voting administration rules and preparing for the 2026 midterm elections.

Associate Justice Anita Earls, one of the two registered Democrats on the court, blasted the GOP majority for weeks of inaction and accusing it of seemingly already siding with legislature on the broad constitutional issues over the appointments.

The other Democrat, Associate Justice Allison Riggs, pointed out in her own opinion that the Court of Appeals panel provided no reasoning in its April 30 order.

Instead, the Supreme Court majority “is rewriting precedent and creating an explanation for an unexplained Court of Appeals order in an effort to upend 125-years status quo for the North Carolina State Board of Elections while this case winds its way through the courts,” she wrote

Friday’s denials also mean that a related provision directing Boliek to choose the chairs of the 100 county election boards starting in late June also can be carried out.

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