Today's Features

Grab your camera and dive into the North Carolina Aquariums’ photo contest. The annual competition for amateur and non-professional photographers puts the focus on the state’s diverse aquatic life.

Images from the waters off North Carolina’s coast or within the state’s freshwater system can be entered in “Underwater Open” or “Underwater Close-ups,” depending on the scene depicted. Don’t do the deep sea? Stay high and dry while snapping shots for the “Aquatic Life in the Aquariums” category.

One of the fun things about gardening is that it’s never the same from one year to the next. There are always things that work really well and others that just don’t turn out the way we expected. Here’s my mid-summer update on some of the good and bad in my garden this year:

When selecting fresh peaches, look for ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free and have a fragrant smell. Peaches that are mildly fragrant ripen into sweet and delicious flavors. Choose fruit that has a background color of yellow or cream and has a fresh looking appearance. Peaches may have some red “blush” depending on the variety, but this isn’t a sign of how the fruit will taste after it’s ripened.

St. Luke to break ground

St. Luke Lutheran Church, 5869 Ocean Highway West in Ocean Isle Beach (opposite Union School Road), will celebrate the groundbreaking for its new sanctuary, administration area and classrooms on Sunday, July 13.

Services will begin at 10 a.m. inside the existing sanctuary and later will move outside to the location of the new buildings.

Special invited guests will include former pastors of the congregation, charter members, a representative from R.H. McClure Builders and others.

A reception will follow the service.