Beating Back the Ocean Proves an Enduring Riddle.

The article reports on the efforts of the city of Ocean Isle and others to convince the North Carolina legislature to lift a nearly 30-year-old ban on jetties and other hard structures that might stop the erosion of the area. It mentions that Ocean Isle leaders joined other local officials on the coast to push for legislation allowing structures built with stone or steel piling along inlets to block beach erosion. According to local resident Michael S. Young, homeowners have spent as much as $30,000 each to place heavy sandbags in their homes.