State Port Pilot

The State Port Pilot is a weekly newspaper located in Southport, North Carolina. Established in 1928 by Bill Keziah, it has been under the ownership of the Harper family since the Great Depression. The newspaper serves the communities of Southport, Oak Island, Caswell Beach, Boiling Spring Lakes, Bald Head Island, and St. James. It is released every Wednesday.

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Pickleball tourney kicks off military appreciation

1 week ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

St. James American Legion Post 543 turned to a popular local sport to kick off this year’s military appreciation event. Post 543 decided to expand its Military Appreciation Day in 2025 to nearly a full week of activities featuring the Mt. Rushmore of St. James sports: pickleball, bowling, tennis and golf. Pickleball took center-stage on June 8 at the courts off of St. James Drive as more than 50 players signed up to both compete and support the military.
Oak Island switches from fire fee to fire tax

1 week ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

Oak Island Town Council approved its 2025-26 fiscal year budget and unanimously passed a motion to switch from a fire fee to a fire tax system at the board’s June 10 meeting. At 16 cents per $100 valuation, Oak Island’s property tax rate stays the same in the $26.3 million budget, but stormwater fees increased slightly and the new fire funding method will result in some residents paying a little more than others.
Oak Island awards $40 million in sand contracts

1 week ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

Oak Island Town Council awarded $40 million worth of beach nourishment contracts at its June 10 meeting. After failing to secure any sand in 2024 due to inflated dredging prices, council emptied its beach nourishment fund in a pair of motions involving the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) and an offshore site.
Oak Island Elks dedicate flag pole at ceremony

1 week ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

Oak Island Elks Lodge No. 2769 found a way to make this year’s Flag Day celebration at Middleton Park just a little bit more special than usual. On June 13, Elks members ended its annual ceremony by dedicating a new flagpole near the east end of the amphitheater stage.
Artifacts removed from Fort Johnston historic site

2 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Bob Liepa

Artifacts were illegally removed from one of the most historically rich sites in the City of Southport, the Fort Johnston garrison area, according to a city official. The Cape Fear Explorers’ retrieval of several artifacts near the garrison lawn recently sparked a reaction from the city. The city has two dig sites on Davis Street, which runs alongside the garrison lawn, for the installation of underground electric power.
St. James close to sunsetting one-cent disaster tax

2 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

St. James Town Council approved its 2025-26 fiscal year budget on June 4 and is closer to sunsetting a temporary tax put in place following Hurricane Florence. Council unanimously passed the $5.9 million budget proposal as outlined last month by Finance Director Pauline Haran. The budget maintains a property tax rate of 6 cents per $100 property valuation while funding St. James Fire Department and contributing to the town’s disaster recovery fund.
Caswell may snuff out its beach bonfire permits

2 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

Caswell Beach Commissioners have scheduled a public hearing for later this summer to take another look at whether or not to allow public bonfires. Commissioners approved the hearing for their August meeting at Monday’s agenda workshop following a recommendation from the planning board. Under the existing ordinance, bonfires require a permit issued by the town manager. Bonfires are prohibited during turtle nesting season May 1 through Aug.
Loggerheads open season at Bill Smith Park

2 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Eliot Duke

Baseball in Oak Island became a reality June 5 at Bill Smith Park when approximately 2,000 people turned out for the Oak Island Loggerheads’ Opening Night, answering the question of whether or not the local community would support a collegiate summer wooden bat baseball league. Fans of all ages showed up at the recently renovated Loggerheads Field to see Oak Island’s latest addition take on the Shallotte Shallywags in its Old North State League debut.
City paid parking proposal met with mixed reactions

3 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Terry Pope

Paid parking in Southport could generate up to $1 million per year in revenue for the city, but a proposal presented June 2 to aldermen was met with mixed reactions. Otto Connect, which manages paid parking for Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach, presented aldermen with a plan to implement paid parking for approximately 900 spaces in the downtown Southport area and along North Howe Street.
'Prepare for the worst, always hope for the best'

3 weeks ago | stateportpilot.com | Bob Liepa

WWAY chief meteorologist Lee Haywood delivered a sobering remark when discussing hurricanes that have struck the Cape Fear region: the area hasn’t experienced a Category 3 hurricane or higher since 1996, he said. “We’ve had a lot of storms, but we really haven’t had one that absolutely blasted the area,” said Haywood, who has covered hurricanes for a quarter of a century.