N.C.'s Ocracoke Island named top beach
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Move over, Florida and Hawaii. Your beaches are no longer the best. The nation's best place to get a tan and enjoy the ocean's waves in 2007 is North Carolina's Ocracoke Island, a place so remote that even people in the offices of "Dr. Beach" &#151; Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman &#151; didn't know where to find it on the map.
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By Robin Lord, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.  Jun. 24--CHATHAM -- Sand, wind and water rule the day here on North  Beach.
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By Jack Betts, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.  Jun. 24--RALEIGH -- By the time you read this I'll be stretched out on some sandy real estate on North Carolina's coast, planning the day's pursuit of Spanish mackerel and exploring the constantly altering shape of our shoreline.
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By Marcus Braziel, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla.  Sep. 18--Roughly 18 acres of land near the Charlotte County  Administration Center could be added to the county's U.S. 41 overlay district.
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By Jason M. Rodriguez, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.  Mar. 6--CAROLINA SHORES, N.C. -- An eight-year battle to control stormwater flow is going to take even longer and now hinges on the state's proposed plan for widening U.S. 17.
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By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  May 26--Mother Nature is a relentless force, and nowhere is that better displayed than along North Carolina's coast. Wind and surf tirelessly reshape the islands, or try to, with little mere mortals can do to stop them.
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By Patrick Donohue, Destin Log, Fla.  Jun. 20--Beach restoration in Destin may fi nish early.
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By Patrick Donohue, Destin Log, Fla.  Jun. 20--A coastal community can never have too many qualified lifesavers on the beach.
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By The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.  Sep. 20--State health officials issued precautionary swim advisories Wednesday for two sections of beaches in Horry County.   The advisories were issued because after rainfall overnight officials found increased levels of bacteria.
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By CHRISTINA ABEL  Not everyone is following new St. Johns County beach rules that are intended to protect sea turtles, police said.  After weeks of discussion, the St. Johns County Habitat Conservation Plan, which restricts driving hours on the beach, is in place.
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By Aliana Ramos, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.  Dec. 8--GEORGETOWN -- The Zoning Board of Appeals has decided, for now, not to consider the petition against the construction of a 92,880-square-foot, dry-stack boat storage facility in Murrells Inlet.
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The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued   a hurricane watch for a portion of coastline from South   Carolina to North Carolina on Thursday as Tropical Storm   Ernesto gained strength over the Atlantic.
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By Gillette, Becky  GAUTIER - Azur Shell Landing Resort Inc. boasts one of the finest golf courses on the Coast. In fact, the Grand Shell Landing Golf Course designed by Davis Love was ranked by Golf Digest as one of America's Best New Courses of 2002.
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By Patrick Donohue, Destin Log, Fla.  Jun. 9--Beach restoration in east Destin is halfway done.
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By The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.  Sep. 15--Due to heavy rainfall in the area on Wednesday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued numerous precautionary beach advisories for the region.
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By The Miami Herald  Feb. 7--Miami-Dade health workers warned swimmers to avoid the water at Crandon Beach, Miami Beach's 74th Street beach and Virginia Key Beach.   Those sites had higher-than-normal levels of bacteria during recent tests, the county's health department said.
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By Tenisha Waldo, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.  Feb. 14--The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission is applying  for a $200,000 state grant to use toward its $1.5 million commitment to help  preserve the uninhabited northern tip of Morris Island.