Press Releases
North Carolina’s rich literary tradition will be celebrated Dec. 4 as the 2026 North Carolina Book Awards are presented during the annual meeting of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association at 109 E. Jones St. in Raleigh. The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. in the ground-floor auditorium and is free and open to the public. The annual awards recognize significant works by North Carolina writers.Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, winner of the 2021 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for her novel “Even As We Breathe,” will deliver the keynote address.
Each year, Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are spotted along the North Carolina coast from spring through fall, inhabiting the ocean, estuaries and rivers.The North Carolina Aquarium Marine Mammal Stranding Team and other stranding partners across the state respond to multiple reports of manatee sightings per year, and less frequent, manatee strandings. The team is part of the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.