Governor: Beaches are 'open for business'

It's been a couple months since Hurricane Florence roared across North Carolina (followed not too long after by Matthew). The beaches and inner banks took the brunt of the storm -- and it's been a methodical process to rebuild many of the areas. Thankfully, there has been some great progress made.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper was along the coast recently, reassuring people that the beaches are "open for business."

“That means employees can get back to work, that puts money in their pockets, that means more tax money can come to the state,” said Cooper, according to WWAY TV.

The timing is great ... after all, people will be wanting to enjoy the coast once all this snow and cold weather goes away!

See ya later, frozen gator

By now you have probably seen this, but it speaks to just how cold it's been ... even in southeastern N.C.

A viral video of alligators frozen in an icy pond at North Carolina’s Shallotte River Swamp Park has been the talk of social media, with many people wondering whether coldblooded crocodilians can survive in brutally cold temperatures.

The video shows several alligator snouts sticking out of the park’s frozen pond – a deep freeze caused by a cold front that covered most of the Eastern United States last week.

Who's ready for warmer "beach" weather? I am. I'm ready for this:

{Full disclosure: That photo at the top is from about seven years ago.}