December 2012 archives

View Archive

Monday, December 31, 2012

The top ten stories of Wayne County and Goldsboro in 2012

1. Republicans gained control of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners for the first time since Reconstruction with the election of Joe Daughtery to the District 6 seat, Bill Pate to the District 5 seat, Wayne Aycock to the at-large...

Wayne County offers ways to save on taxes

Jan. 1 not only signals the start of the county's tax-listing period, it is also the time for people to apply for programs that could help save them money on their tax bills. The application period begins Jan. 1...

Sunday, December 30, 2012

When gaming becomes serious

Kalvin Le Roy drops to the ground and covers his face in his hands. His teammate, still clutching his Xbox 360 controller, just delivered the winning kill in the first game of the Halo 4 Grand Finals in Dallas...

City's chief inspector steps down after 27 years

Dec. 21 was the end of an era in the history of Goldsboro's Inspections Department as Chief Inspector Ed Cianfarra left his post after more than 27 years of employment with the city of Goldsboro. Cianfarra's retirement comes just...

EWHS grad named Miss Winston-Salem State University 2012

A 2009 Eastern Wayne High School graduate has been named Miss Winston-Salem State University. Ashley Nicole Mozingo, 21, is a senior at the school, with plans to graduate in May with a degree in justice studies. The 2012-13 title...

Wayne Community College makes donation to Cherry

Wayne Community College nursing students chose to make the lives of Cherry Hospital clients better this holiday season. Members of the WCC Association of Nursing Students and the Associate Degree Nursing Classes of 2013 and 2014 donated items such...

Man arrested for local break-ins

A Goldsboro man was arrested Friday in connection to a local break-in spree as city police continue to search for a second suspect. On Friday, the Goldsboro Police Department Selective Enforcement Unit, along with the assistance of the Wayne...

County could adjust Steele Memorial Library project

MOUNT OLIVE -- Rumors that Wayne County commissioners are looking to curtail the scope of the town's new Steele Memorial Library project have been "blown out of proportion," Town Manager Charles Brown said last week. "There are some rumors...

Dudley dog goes missing at Mount Olive Walmart

Mr. Moose has gone missing. A Dudley woman is looking for her dog, called Mr. Moose, or Moo Moo, after its collar broke in the parking lot of the Mount Olive Walmart Thursday night. Llewellen Woodbury received the dog...

Goldsboro's Jameson Inn now a Quality Inn

The Jameson Inn on Harding Drive is now operating as a Quality Inn as Choice Hotels International has taken over some of the chain's locations in the Southeast as part of a nationwide foreclosure deal involving some 100 Jameson-owned...

Local Sylvan Center wins award

Susie Ford, owner of the Sylvan Learning Center in Goldsboro, recently received the academic excellence award, presented to one franchisee who represents educational excellence in the system. Ms. Ford has been with Sylvan since 2001, purchasing her first location...

Board could soon name successor to J.D. Evans

The executive committee of the Wayne County Democratic Party is hoping, by Friday, to be able to recommend a person to serve the first two years of the unexpired four-year term of J.D. Evans who died earlier this month....

Waller now working at North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union

North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union recently announced that Chuck Waller is the organization's newest member and business relationship officer. In the announcement NCCFCU noted that Waller brings previous experience as a stock broker, banker and mortgage loan officer,...

Church association helps to fund collegiate dreams

After the call to worship, the congregation stood, sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and said "Amen," giving thanks to the Lord. The ladies, in their best Sunday dresses and flowered hats, clapped during the opening hymn. The men...

County ABC Board distributes $175K in revenue

Wayne County, Goldsboro and Mount Olive are sharing $175,000 in alcohol sales revenues distributed last week by the Wayne County ABC Board. The county received $85,000 from the board's semi-annual distribution, while Goldsboro got $80,000 and Mount Olive, $10,000....

Friday, December 28, 2012

Edwards charged with murder

Word circulating throughout the city of Goldsboro, police say, led 24-year-old suspected murderer Jamel Rashon Edwards to turn himself in voluntarily to police Thursday, just after 7:45 p.m. Edwards was charged with an open count of murder for the Dec....

WCC instructor in top 10 for teacher of year

A beloved history instructor at Wayne Community College has been named one of 10 semi-finalists for the N.C. community college system's teacher of the year award. Charlotte Brow was among 58 candidates for the annual honor. And while she may...

'Til next year

Ashley Lanier takes down holiday decorations with the help of Scott Smith at Barnes Jewelers. "It's kind of sad, we work really hard to make the store beautifully decorated and it takes no time to take it down," Ms....

Bartlett retiring from city

A lot has changed since Neil Bartlett began his career with the city in 1978. Only days from his Dec. 31 retirement, he said when he started out as the athletics supervisor for Parks and Recreation fresh out of...

Animal shelter hours to change

Changes in operating hours at the Wayne County Adoption and Education Center, a voucher program to encourage spaying and neutering, and using an outside cleaning contractor for non-kennel areas were approved recently by the county's Animal Control Advisory Committee. The...

Friday fire

Firefighters from Dudley, Arrington and Mar-Mac volunteer fire departments responded to a working structure fire around 1:40 a.m. this morning at 1574 Old Mount Olive Highway. No one was home at the time of the blaze, and Dudley fire...

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Winds rattle Wayne County

Less than an hour after the National Weather Service canceled a pair of tornado warnings for Wayne County, there were blue skies and plenty of sunshine across the southern end of the county as residents emerged to play with...

Retail stores deal with few post-Christmas returns

Some retail workers had a less-than-busy day as the usual flow of returns the day after Christmas was more of a trickle this year -- which could be a good thing depending on what side of the counter you're...

Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions needed

Volunteers are needed to serve as Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions, says Delbra McIntyre, administrator of the two programs sponsored through WAGES, or Wayne Action Groups for Economic Solvency. "For both programs, recruiting is constant for us," she said....

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Women's conference to focus on self-esteem

Ask a roomful of women, "Are you beautiful?" and most will not raise their hands. For many, self-esteem ebbs early and culture, billboards and magazine covers contribute to the belief that they must be taller, thinner, blonder, etc., in order...

Tax listing starts Jan. 1

The tax-listing period for Wayne County residents begins Jan. 1 and ends Jan. 31 when people residing in the county on Jan. 1, whether temporarily or not, are required to make a return. "That is time to list anything that...

Internet cafes remain open

Just days after the state's highest court ruled their businesses were illegal, Internet sweepstakes parlors are still packed with patrons as local government and law enforcement await their next move. The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that...

Man shot on Christmas Eve on Wilmington Avenue

Goldsboro police are investigating an armed robbery and shooting on Christmas Eve that sent one man to the Wayne Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. Javaris Wooten, 32, of 304 Banks Ave. said he was walking along the 600 block of...

Making Christmas merry and bright

Volunteers offered their time to help the Community Soup Kitchen with its annual Christmas dinner for those in need of a hot meal. Nearly 140 meals were served....

Early morning accident

An early morning accident on I-795 sent two people to Wayne Memorial Hospital to be checked out. The accident happened near the Fremont exit in the northbound lanes. Fremont and Pikeville fire departments responded to the scene for traffic...

Jackson and Sons gets award for innovations

DUDLEY -- Jackson & Sons has come a long way in the more than three decades since the heating, vacuum and air conditioning business began at a kitchen table. The company now boasts a 22,000-square-foot facility and more than...

Monday, December 24, 2012

GPD investigating Christmas Eve shooting

Members of the Goldsboro Police Department are currently investigating a Christmas Eve shooting that sent a middle-aged black man to Wayne Memorial Hospital moments ago. Lawmen responded to 609 Wilmington Ave. at just after 8:30 and discovered the victim had...

Stoney Creek Nativity scene recreates night in Bethlehem

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" came to life in northern Wayne County just in time for the holidays. "A Night in Bethlehem" was replicated for the third year at Stoney Creek Free Will Baptist Church earlier this month, drawing...

Merry Christmas

The News-Argus will be closed Tuesday in observance of Christmas. No newspaper will be published and all offices will be closed. The newspaper will resume its regular schedule on Wednesday, with offices opening at 8 a.m....

Wayne County Commissioners will consider meeting change

Wayne County's new Republican-controlled Board of Commissioners appears ready to make good on a second change concerning its meetings. Commissioners have already agreed to give speakers during the public comment portion of their meetings more time to talk and did...

Public record

Vehicle break-in In the 1700 block of Maple Street, Candace Alston, 26, reported to Goldsboro police someone broke the front passenger window of a vehicle and stole a pocketbook container a driver's license and other personal papers. Identity stolen Ralph...

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Fire chief: Water pressure downtown no problem

Despite claims made by those at Monday's meeting of the Goldsboro City Council, Fire Chief Gary Whaley said the water pressure downtown is sufficient and doesn't have a negative effect on his department's ability to fight fires. Three speakers...

Plans firming for new stations

The Goldsboro City Council is a few votes away from greenlighting the city's second Sheetz location since November as measures await the council in its first meeting of 2013 concerning a second store's satellite annexation, zoning and site plan....

School board agrees to meet with county commissioners

The Wayne County Public Schools superintendent and chairman of the Board of Education say they are not only planning to meet with the county Board of Commissioners, but that they are looking forward to forging a strong relationship. The...

Holiday last dash

Chilly temperatures and increased traffic on the roadways, coupled with bottlenecked parking lots, still did not keep away steady crowds at Berkeley Mall on Saturday afternoon. "It's chaos," said Edward Maldonado of Pikeville as he exited the Sears store...

Jones named new leader of Girl Scouts in eastern N.C.

RALEIGH -- The Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines' board of directors has selected Lisa M. K. Jones as the new chief executive officer of the nonprofit, which is the largest girl-serving organization in the area, reaching more than 35,000...

Offices to close for Christmas

Banks, the Post Office and federal offices will be closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day, while state offices will be closed Dec. 24, 25, 26 and Jan. 1. Local municipal and Wayne County offices will observe several different holiday...

Gun sales are spiking

Prompted by a perceived threat to the right to own a gun, weapons sales have soared nationwide and most Wayne County gun retailers say sales here reflect the trend. In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting...

Ag agent wants to save county's farm history

As generation of farm families move further away from their agricultural roots, they are in danger of leaving behind a rich history that could one day be lost to memory. While the historical statistics might remain -- the number of...

Friday, December 21, 2012

Man, 36, dies after shooting at home

A 36-year-old man was pronounced dead at Wayne Memorial Hospital Thursday morning due to complications from a gunshot wound Goldsboro police believe he sustained at his residence. Anthony Holloman of 709-B N. George St. was transported to Wayne Memorial...

Cyclist killed while traveling on Herman

A cyclist was killed Thursday evening when he was struck by a truck in the 800 block of North Herman Street. James Franklin Player, 48, was traveling south on Herman Street at 5:51 p.m. in the center turn lane...

Cruiser hit on U.S. 70 during traffic stop

Two people, including a Wayne County Highway Patrol trooper, were injured shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday on U.S. 70 just west of Goldsboro. According to reports, Trooper C.A. Cook had stopped a car for speeding. A second car, operated...

Red Cross loses director; to start search

The Wayne County chapter of the American Red Cross has recently lost its director and will begin looking for a new one after the first of the year. Chuck Waller's last day with the Red Cross was Dec. 14....

News-Argus to close Tuesday for Christmas

The News-Argus will be closed Tuesday for Christmas and there will be no newspaper on Christmas Day. The newspaper will reopen on Wednesday. On Monday, the newspaper offices will close at 5 p.m. People who did not receive their paper...

Student organizes Christmas project

A college student from Goldsboro starting thinking about Christmas early this year and how she might give back to her hometown. Georgia Tanner, a graduate of Wayne Country Day School, recalled hearing when she was younger that Goldsboro has more...

Fire reported in patient room at WMH

A Thursday night fire in a patient room at Wayne Memorial Hospital was extinguished quickly and no one was seriously injured, officials said. Cause of the fire, which started around 10 p.m. on the second floor, was a patient...

Thursday, December 20, 2012

$5,000, unlocked

One-by-one, contestants in the United Way of Wayne County's Fair Share Challenge were turned away. Each of the 20 finalists in Wednesday night's drawing held a key that might -- or might not -- open the lock to a...

Nightclub now closed; application file for cafe

Teasers, a sometimes controversial nightclub on U.S. 117 South that featured topless dancers, has closed, and its owner is allegedly considering converting it into an Internet sweepstakes cafe. The state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission issued a summary suspension of...

Deadline coming to pay taxes

The lines of people at the Wayne County Tax Office trying to beat the tax deadline might not be as long as they used to be, but now is still the time to pay your bills if you want to...

Seniors often face depression during holiday season

Holidays, especially Christmas, are not always festive and joyful for everyone. Especially the elderly, says Carolyn Robertson, a registered nurse who teaches health-related issues at the Peggy M. Seegars Senior Center on Ash Street. On Friday at 2 p.m....

Council holds public hearings

The Goldsboro City Council held five public hearings at its Monday night meeting. One person spoke during a hearing on a request for a conditional use permit for the former Teasers Nightclub property. The request was for authorization to...

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Helping kids cope

School psychologist Monica Ruiz was working in Wayne County Public Schools when the shooting at Columbine High School took place. "You don't think anything's going to happen. It's just an isolated incident. You don't think it's going to happen again,"...

Bathrooms plan at park sent back to square one

The long-debated location of a bathroom building at Stoney Creek Park will stretch into another year after the Goldsboro City Council sent Parks and Recreation Director Scott Barnard back to the drawing board Monday night. The bathroom building will...

Officials tightening security at schools

In the aftermath of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the Mount Olive Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff's Office have been tasked with beefing up security measures at area middle and elementary schools until classes...

A visit with St. Nick

Taylor McGill, dressed as Santa, listens as Eastern Wayne High School student Beth Sanders tells him what she wants for Christmas during the DECA Life Skills Winter Dance recently at Herman Park Center. Eighty special populations students from middle...

Board meets in closed session

Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning met behind closed doors for more than two and one-half hours only to return to open session to adjourn without comment. At one point, raised but unintelligible voices could be heard coming from the...

Mobile home public hearing postponed

A scheduled Tuesday morning public hearing on a proposal to eliminate Wayne County's ban on mobile homes older than 15 years had to be canceled because of a glitch in providing public notice of the hearing. The hearing was...

In the spirit of Christmas

Eric Letchworth places donated Christmas presents outside as employees of Goldsboro Milling Company and the Boys and Girls Club prepare to load them on to a truck early Tuesday morning at Goldsboro Milling Company. Given by generous donors, the...

Wayne Dermatology in 50th year of providing skin care

Wayne Dermatology is celebrating 50 years at the same location on East Ash Street. Dr. John Haverkamp, dermatologist, owns the business now. "It was started by Dr. Wolf and Dr. Ivey," he said. "I came here in 1980. I...

Guardian ad Litem volunteers needed

The holiday season is a time of joy and friendship filled with gifts, fun times and happy memories. It is a time when family or the absence of family can be particularly poignant. It is at this time and...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A little night music for needy children

They were more than just a backdrop for singing concert-goers and dancing children -- the holiday standards performed Monday evening inside the Paramount Theatre. Wayne Free, the lead singer of the Embers, said each of the songs performed during the...

Arrest made in shooting

The Goldsboro Police Department got help Monday from the State Bureau of Investigation and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in capturing a local man wanted for attempted first-degree murder. Lemel Shamont Jones, 24, is accused of shooting 33-year-old Demetrice Joel...

Jet practice

If you see a group of F-15E Strike Eagles flying lower than they normally do -- or hear loudspeaker announcements blaring through the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base gates -- don't panic. It's only a test. The 4th Fighter Wing...

Commissioner J.D. Evans dies

J.D. Evans, who brought both character and personality to the Wayne County Board of Commissioners for over a decade, died Monday at Wayne Memorial Hospital. He was 71. "J.D. was absolutely a gentleman and a scholar," said Steve Keen,...

Council OKs next step of Streetscape

The Goldsboro City Council on Monday night gave the go-ahead to staff to proceed with the next step of the Center Street Streetscape project although the decision doesn't mean the project will go forward. The council's action only means...

Undersecretary makes stop at Air Force base

He came to Wayne County to honor the 4th Fighter Wing -- to praise its leadership and a particular member who distinguished himself by ensuring small businesses were hired to complete millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements on Seymour Johnson...

Monday, December 17, 2012

Foreman wins contest

Leonard Person, right-of-way crew foreman for Tri-County Electric Membership Corp. at Dudley, last month captured his third first-place finish in the North Carolina's electric cooperatives' statewide Pole Top Rescue Competition. Person, a seven-time participant in the event, set a...

Tea for the holidays

Mariyah Cobb, 6, right, sings Christmas carols alongside other children during "A Christmas Tea" at the Herman Park Center Saturday. The event, which was sponsored by O & H Winter Carnival, included games, food and a visit from Santa,...

Busiest day

Mail carrier Leon Johnson loads up his vehicle this morning at the Main Post Office on William Street. Today is expected to be the busiest day for the Postal Service, with thousands of packages to be delivered in time...

Progress Energy will move more large equipment

Motorists on some southern and western Wayne County roads found Friday's traffic moving very slowly and were forced to detour to get to their destinations. A similar, but less taxing delay can be expected Tuesday. The slowdowns are the...

County will eye rules for mobile homes

Wayne County commissioners will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a request to eliminate age restrictions on mobile homes in the county. The hearing will get begin at 9:15 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor...

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Views are mixed on future of Streetscape

During the Goldsboro City Council's recent discussion about the continuation of the Center Street Streetscape project, two council members made sweeping, contradicting statements about the reception to the city's signature downtown revitalization project. Nearly a month after work was...

Man pleads guilty to 2011 Mount Olive murder

Rather than face a trial on first-degree murder charges, Carlos Antonio Bran Calderon, 25, 103 Timothy St., pleaded guilty in Wayne County Superior Court Tuesday to one count of second-degree murder. He was then sentenced a minimum of 14...

Wayne Opportunity Center happy with new shredding truck

There was a lot for Wayne Opportunity Center Director John Chance to celebrate Friday at his company's annual Christmas party -- and it had nothing to do with the event falling on his birthday this year. As his clients...

Three local surveyors honored

Three area surveyors were recognized Monday for years of service to the profession and awarded the status of "Professional Fellow Life Member" by the N.C. Society of Surveyors. At a banquet at Texas Steak House, Ed Little of Goldsboro,...

One last parade

Santa Claus wears sunglasses while waving to the crowd during his time in the O'Berry/Cherry Hospital Parade....

Mount Olive Middle School principal honored

Tammy Keel, principal of Mount Olive Middle School, was recently named Principal of the Year by the North Carolina School Community Health Alliance. The announcement was made during the organization's annual conference in Raleigh. Mrs. Keel was chosen from...

City Council set to continue talk on Streetscape project

The Goldsboro City Council will pick up where it left off concerning the continuation of downtown's signature revitalization effort Monday as members are expected to discuss and possibly vote on extending the Center Street Streetscape Project south to the...

A battle comes to life -- 150 years later

The thick black cloud rising into a section of Wayne County sky did not dissipate when Confederate soldiers belted out their rebel yell. The sound of Union muskets did not subside. The streaks of light that accompanied burning fuses...

Re-enactors honor history's fallen soldiers, pass down memories

Tom Flood crunches down on a piece of hardtack and, after a few seconds of chewing, manages to swallow it. The cracker-like snack was a staple, he said, for the soldiers who fought in battles like the one he...

Battle re-enactment to continue today

The final installment of the two-day Battle of the Goldsborough Bridge re-enactment will unfold today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Dec. 17, 1862 engagement. The schedule of events is as follows: * 8 a.m. -- Battlefield open to...

Friday, December 14, 2012

Games Summit planned for February

Plans are under way to bring the 2013 Carolina Games Summit to Wayne Community College, with an instructional technology coordinator lined up to speak at the event about how video games might be entertaining, but also provide tremendous potential...

It's Christmas in Parkstown

Floats, bands and, of course, Santa Claus were part of the annual Parkstown Christmas Parade on Thursday in the Parkstown community. The Parkstown parade once drew thousands of people to the crossroads community but it faded in the 1970s....

Perdue: No press allowed at base

A visit to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base by Gov. Bev Perdue and Gov.-elect Pat McCrory that is believed to present an opportunity for base officials and local military advocates to brief the state's incoming leader on issues facing the...

Bear hit on I-795 by truck

A tractor-trailer struck and killed a black bear on Interstate 795 early today, leaving the dead animal's carcass lying on the shoulder of the road. Authorities estimated the male bear's weight at more than 400 pounds. They said the...

Wayne economy holding steady, according to new state numbers

Wayne County economic development officials say they are not surprised that the county was not among the dozen counties whose status on the state's economic development ranking system changed. State law designates the 40 most distressed counties as Tier...

With holidays nearing their apex, remember basic fire safety

The Goldsboro Fire Department has some easy-to-follow tips that can bring fire safety to the forefront this holiday season. * As you buy batteries for all your new games, get some for your smoke detectors, too, and then test...

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Undersecretary of the AF coming to SJAFB

Few details have been released about the nature of his visit, but acting Undersecretary of the Air Force Dr. Jamie Morin is scheduled to make a stop at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base next week. 4th Fighter Wing officials confirmed...

Alliance looks at former hospital site

MOUNT OLIVE -- Could the old Cherry Hospital property one day provide Wayne County with the large industrial site now missing from its economic development toolbox? Or does the county need to look to a neighboring county to help develop...

The ugliest sweater

Wayne Community College dental student LeAnne Birdsall, right, shows off her Christmas sweater as she is judged by instructor Patty Pfeiffer, left, during the second annual ugly sweater contest held in the Holly Building on the campus of Wayne...

Battle re-enactment set for this weekend

It has been nearly 150 years, but the legacy left by those who fought at the Civil War Battle of the Goldsborough Bridge lives on. A two-day re-enactment will unfold this weekend to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Dec....

Health Dept. eyes local challenges

The Board of Health discussed the drop in teen pregnancy rates, concern about preventing smoking among youth, and the need for an updated strategic plan for the Health Department at its December meeting on Wednesday. "Teen pregnancy rates in North...

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Holiday storytime: English as a Second Language students share their skills

The students were anxious but excited about reading to the multiage class at Meadow Lane Elementary School on Tuesday. Francisco Velasquez and Ruge Li had already picked out a Christmas story to share. They had practiced and felt prepared. But...

Rash of break-ins occurring at theater

There have been at least six vehicle break-ins since Oct. 3 at the Premiere Theatre movie complex at 105 10th Place in Goldsboro. Cars have been left with their windows smashed and anything of visible value has been stolen. Only...

Salvation Army will be ringing bells until Christmas Eve

Kent Larsen was just 19 and in the Marine Corps when he was wounded in the far east. The private first class spent that Christmas in a field hospital. "A whole bunch of us were pretty much beat up...

Perdue, McCrory to visit Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Neither of their camps will comment on the reason behind their visit, but Gov. Bev Perdue and Gov.-elect Pat McCrory are scheduled to make a stop at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Friday. 4th Fighter Wing officials confirmed that the...

Hospital now requires flu shot

Employees at Wayne Memorial Hospital who do not get a flu shot can be fired, officials said Tuesday. One person has already been terminated after choosing not to get the vaccine, confirmed Georgia Dees, director of public relations. The requirement...

Woman hits parked car, victim finishes his lunch

A vehicle jumped a curb on Spence Avenue Tuesday, crashing into a parked car and ending up with it's rear half suspended in the air over a large bush in front of the Cobblestone Plaza. The accident happened at...

Police officer shoots, kills dog

A Goldsboro police officer was forced to shoot a charging pit bull in defense of another officer on Nov. 30 at 209 E. Elm St. The dog died shortly after being hit once in the mid-section. A report was...

War of 1812 focus of talk at museum

"What's the first thing you think of when it comes to the War of 1812 and North Carolina?" asked James Greathouse, a historian out of Fayetteville, to a gathering at the Wayne County Historical Museum Tuesday night. Those assembled...

Energy assistance applications now being taken by county

As of Tuesday morning, 184 Wayne County households had applied for a total of $39,400 in assistance through the state's Low Income Energy Assistance Program. The county has received $215,996 to distribute to help people with their heating bills....

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Group tries to keep Operation Santa alive

Operation Santa Claus will continue this holiday season, despite a flagging economy that has long threatened the Mental Health Association in Wayne County. The 13-member board is working to sustain elements of the program, Emily Peacock, board president, said late...

No leads in local shooting

It has been seven weeks since law enforcement officers found Justin Travis Lancaster lying shot to death in the middle of Linen Lane. Since then, there have been two candlelight vigils held at the scene by the 25-year-old's family and...

Man holds up store on Spence early today

A man robbed the Hasty Mart at 900 N. Spence Ave. just before 2 a.m. today, getting away with an unknown amount of cash. The robber was described as a white man driving a blue Chevrolet Lumina. According to...

Cookie day: special gifts for airmen

Joshua Howard looked puzzled. "Five," he said, placing a cookie in the small plastic container in his right hand. "Wait. Six. No. Five." The little boy stepped away from the table and started counting the contents of the box with...

Wayne Community College students earn scholarships

Three students from Wayne Community College have been added to the list of recipients of fall semester scholarships through the Golden LEAF Scholarship program for the N.C. Community College System. The recipients are Thomas Larry and Paula Cox, from...

Monday, December 10, 2012

Teen stabbed at Party Central

Goldsboro police are looking into a stabbing that took place early Sunday morning at Party Central, 800 Corporate Drive, that left one local student hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Juan Jose Trejo, 17, was stabbed twice in...

Mobile lab makes stop in Rosewood

Amina Bash has big plans when she grows up. The 11-year-old would like to become a brain surgeon. Katrina Rhodehouse, 12, says she wants to be veterinarian. So the seventh-graders at Rosewood Middle School especially enjoyed the mobile science...

They love a parade

Members of the Charles B. Aycock High School Marching Band perform Sunday afternoon during the Eureka Christmas Parade. Dozens of entries, from floats to fire trucks, lined the town's streets as hundreds of people took advantage of the mild...

Evans still out because of health

The wife of Wayne County Commissioner J.D. Evans said last week that her husband plans to resume his duties on the board once he has recovered from chemotherapy treatments and a recent case of dehydration. Evans had brain surgery for...

Empty Stocking Fund still needs you

Now that the Empty Stocking Fund party is over, some people might think that the need is, too. The Empty Stocking Fund, which is used to pay for the party and the gifts for more than 500 children, is only...

Carver fourth-grader receives $20,000 ASU scholarship

MOUNT OLIVE -- Giovonnii Cromartie Nelson has grown up in a family of educators, but at 10 years old, figured she had plenty of time to begin making financial aid plans for college. That was before she was named the...

Store robbed by four at gunpoint

Working in pairs, four men carried out an armed robbery at Aggies Steak and Subs, located at 212 W. Ash St., just after 9 p.m. Friday. Gilbert Ramirez, a 20-year-old Aggies employee, was taking out the trash and was...

Santa arrives by flotilla

Boats decked out in Christmas lights make their way along the beach during the fifth annual Cliffs of the Neuse State Park Flotilla on Friday night....

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Lecture on Battle of Goldsborough Bridge Tuesday

The Battle of Goldsborough Bridge will be the topic of the eighth talk in the Foundation of Wayne Community College's series of lectures on American Civil War battles. Randy Sauls, local historian and founder of the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield...

Volumn IV of Wayne County Cemeteries series published

From staff reports Local historians Elliott Futrell and Jonathan Lane have completed the fourth volume in their series on Wayne County cemeteries. All the monuments and marker that could be found in Fork Township of Wayne County were placed in...

County wants time to look at overtime costs

Wayne County's five Republican commissioners Tuesday agreed that local taxpayers cannot afford the additional $1 million to $1.5 million annually that would be required to pay time and a half overtime pay for the county's emergency workers. Also, they said...

Mount Olive fall graduation held

The George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena at Mount Olive College was at capacity Saturday, as more than 1,500 friends and family members filled the stands to cheer on their 2012 fall graduates. Keynote speaker and revered National Public...

Meals on Wheels still short of goal

A community project designed to feed 330 senior citizens for three days over the Christmas holiday is not quite at its goal. The effort to provide the meals came about when Realtor Danny Southerland at Prudential The McMillen Real Estate...

City, police, community target crime

The Goldsboro Police Department and the city of Goldsboro are uniting with the community in a program they hope will significantly reduce violent crime in and around the city. Police hope those who attended an organizational meeting Thursday will...

Record-setting jet

The blue sky had been consumed by the kind of gray that seemed to energize the insurgents operating near Coalition positions nestled in a valley not far from the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. A mortar attack had already unfolded -- a result,...

ESF for SUN

* Bill Carr, $50, in honor of Rosewood Baptist Church Choir Director Judy Lewis. Thank you for 25 years of service to our congregation.* Dolly Boone, $50 in memory of my husband J.B. Boone * Jill Hood, $20 in memory...

Their visit with Santa Claus: The 2012 Empty Stocking Fund party

Leigh Ann Sizemore takes a moment to collect herself when tears start falling. It has been years since she and her daughter, Taylor, waited in line to receive an offering from the Empty Stocking Fund, but the emotions that...

Advent services planned

The ecumenical clergy group CLIFF (Clergy Living In Faith & Fellowship) invites residents of Wayne County to the group's Advent worship services and luncheons on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Worship services will be held in the sanctuary of...

Friday, December 7, 2012

Agencies receive Golden LEAF funding

Projects at Wayne Community College, Wayne County Public Schools and Wayne Action Teams for Community Health (WATCH) will share in more than $2 million in Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grants. The Golden LEAF Foundation board of directors Thursday announced...

19-year-old faces sexual assault charges

A 19-year-old Goldsboro man turned himself in to police Thursday on charges of sexual assault of a minor. Tamarius MonQuee Bryant, of 110 B.J. Drive, faces four counts of first-degree statutory sex offenses and two counts of taking indecent liberties...

Goldsboro City Council accepts donated property

Goldsboro City Council made short work of a light agenda Monday, finishing the city's business in less than 15 minutes. Council approved by consent the acceptance of donated property where General Industries was formerly located in an effort to...

Packages from home

DUDLEY -- Time was running out. If Nicolai wasn't born soon, it would be months before he would get to meet his father. So when, hours before Air Force Staff Sgt. Audie Brown boarded a plane bound for a war...

Tennis tournament coming to city

The U.S. Tennis Association has announced that the N.C. Singles League Championships will be held in Goldsboro in 2013 and 2014, news Goldsboro Travel and Tourism is celebrating along with the announcement that Busco Beach was selected as the...

Here come the ghosts

Dylan Atwood, right, playing the role of young Ebenezer Scrooge, acts out a scene alongside Briana Marshall, playing the role of Belle, center, and Donald Sutton, as old Scrooge, left, during a dress rehearsal for Center Stage Theatre's production...

Thursday, December 6, 2012

WATCH nurse says she will retire Dec. 15

Twelve years ago, when officials were preparing to introduce a health care option for the underinsured residents of Wayne County, Kathy Johnson seemed like a natural fit as nurse practitioner. She had been a consultant for the N.C. Office...

City looks for W.A. Foster bids

Two years after its future was called into question, the city of Goldsboro might open a new W.A. Foster Recreation Center now that officials have taken their next step toward replacing the aging facility with a new building at...

Man gets 176 years in prison

A Goldsboro man has been sentenced to more than 176 years in prison for his part in a series of business robberies in Goldsboro, Pikeville and Wilson between 2009 and 2010. Domonic Devarrise Usher, 30, Wednesday was sentenced in...

Christmas past

Joy Price, dressed in 19th-century period attire, displays small homemade ornaments that would have decorated a Christmas tree in the 1800s at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace on Tuesday. The annual Christmas holiday tours of the Aycock Birthplace take...

Mount Olive makes plans for projects downtown

MOUNT OLIVE -- With projects like a new library, a Veterans War Memorial and even a possible Mount Olive College facility downtown, town officials have decided they need help in planning for those and other possibilities. Mount Olive town...

There's still time to help provide Christmas for a local needy child

The stockings are being stuffed. The gift boxes are being packed. All is being readied for the Empty Stocking Fund party to be held Saturday. But donations to cover the cost of the party and the gifts for hundreds of...

County wants to meet school board

Wayne County commissioners are pushing for a joint meeting with the board of education by no later than the third week in January to discuss the schools' facilities plan. The item was not on commissioners' Tuesday agenda, but was added...

DGDC plans Christmas downtown bar event

The Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. is aiming to lure barhoppers downtown with the spirits of the season Friday evening, but is also implementing new ideas to keep those who attend the holiday bar crawl safe. The Santa Stumble, a...

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Republicans take control

History was made twice Tuesday morning in Wayne County Superior Courtroom No. 1. Not only was the first Republican majority since Reconstruction sworn into office on the county commission, two of its number were elected as chairman and vice...

Suspect in court today

The man who allegedly shot two people to death Sunday evening off Old Mount Olive Highway appeared in a Wayne County courtroom this morning. Jujuan Cox, 28, of 106 Evelyn Circle, faced Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones and was told...

Seniors' volunteer program resurrected

RSVP, a volunteer opportunity for senior citizens, is back, but with a twist. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program now has a new director, and targets two ends of the spectrum -- nutrition for the elderly and mentoring services for...

Council looks at plans for city streets

A floor above the completed first phase of Goldsboro's signature downtown revitalization project there was no consensus Monday as to whether the Center Street Streetscape project should be continued southward along the city center's main street. Planning Director Randy...

Board calls emergency meeting to undo first vote

Most of the 20 or so Wayne County emergency workers in attendance walked out on county commissioners this morning in protest of a board vote dealing with how the workers are paid for their overtime hours. They walked out...

Lawsuit deadline Thursday

People wanting to get a piece of a $1.1 billion settlement concerning LCD flat screen televisions, monitors and laptops have until Thursday to file a claim as part of a class-action lawsuit against ten manufacturers of the screens. The...

Local resident wins Stars & Stripes scholarship

Bookoo, an online marketplace that helps neighbors buy and sell goods, awarded a $1,000 Stars & Stripes scholarship to local resident Elizabeth Ramos, 27. The scholarship was open to active duty service members and their spouses who were pursuing higher...

CBA student chosen for bowl appearance

PIKEVILLE - -When Tiffany Hill was crowned homecoming queen at Charles B. Aycock High School a few weeks ago, she had no idea it would propel her into other opportunities. The varsity cheerleader at Charles B. Aycock High has been...

Alleged shooter appears in court

The man who allegedly shot two people to death Sunday evening off Old Mount Olive Highway appeared in a Wayne County courtroom this morning. Jujuan Cox, 28, 106 Evelyn Circle, faced Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones and was told that...

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Base lights Christmas tree

She wasn't going to let her little brother hold the spotlight all by himself -- the 3-year-old girl who was among those who turned out for the annual Christmas tree lighting celebration Monday on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base....

Pikeville says 'no' to fees for cafes

PIKEVILLE -- The Pikeville Town Board of Commissioners adopted an ordinance governing the operation of Internet cafes Monday, but declined to impose any fees on the businesses, saying a proposal to require the two currently operating in the town...

Santa makes stop in Pikeville

Santa Claus waves to the crowd during the town of Pikeville's annual Christmas Parade on Sunday afternoon. People of all ages lined the streets of the town to enjoy the sights and sounds of the bands and floats and...

Extensive manhunt for double murder suspect ends in Smithfield motel

SMITHFIELD -- Authorities have captured the man wanted in connection with Sunday's double murder on Old Mount Olive Highway. Jujuan Cox, 28, 106 Evelyn Circle, was taken into custody this morning after SWAT teams from Wayne and Johnston counties,...

Headen to lead Council

Nine years after District 5 Councilman Chuck Allen assumed the position, the city of Goldsboro has a new mayor pro tem. District 1 Councilman Michael Headen was unanimously selected by his fellow council members Monday to serve as council's...

School board starts new term, picks chair, welcomes Cannon

The Wayne County Board of Education welcomed a new member Monday night and named its leadership for the coming year, with the only order of business being in the form of two suggestions -- encouraging educators to speak up and...

Monday, December 3, 2012

Local Marines' mission: Lots of toys for Christmas

They have served their country for decades -- on battlefields from Vietnam to Afghanistan. But members of the Marine Corps League's Waynesborough Detachment are shifting their focus to their home county for the next several weeks -- hoping to...

Town to seek airport funding

MOUNT OLIVE -- According to a state study, Yeager Field, the town's airport, has an $8 million economic impact annually on the town and southern Wayne County -- news that town officials want to leverage in hope of securing...

Shots fired; four hit, two killed

A young woman collapses when her emotions get the best of her. She wails and sobs uncontrollably. "No. No," she screams again and again. "Why? God, why?" She knows two people are dead inside the house located a few...

Justice set to swear in new board

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby Tuesday morning will deliver the oath of office to the five Republicans elected Nov. 6 to the Wayne County Board of Commissioners. Democrat John Bell was sworn in this morning, as prescribed by...

We need your help to make 600 children's Christmas dreams come true

A century-old tradition of providing toys and treats for needy children at Christmas is in trouble. The Empty Stocking Fund, which has made the holiday brighter for thousands of children over the years, might not be able to help all...

Robotics team has chance to compete

The Roto Raptors, a local 4-H robotics team, has received a $5,000 NASA grant, which will cover the registration fee to participate in the NCFIRST Robotics Competition in the spring. This is the third year Team 3737 will compete...

Senior Center shows off

Lillian Bridgers stands behind a glass door as she leads a tour of the new Peggy M. Seegars Senior Center, 2001 E. Ash St., during an open house last week. The new center has had 223 new seniors sign...

Sunday, December 2, 2012

WorkKeys tests to be offered at WCC

The WorkKeys® tests for Career Readiness Certification will be offered at Wayne Community College four times this month. The Wayne Occupational Readiness Keys for Success (WORKS) program will provide testing sessions 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Dec. 18; 12:30-4:30 p.m....

WCC spring registration available

Wayne Community College will hold two more registration sessions for spring 2013 college credit courses. Students can sign up for classes 8 a.m.-noon on Dec. 7 on the main campus in Goldsboro. The next chances will be 8 a.m.-7...

United Way needs more help

They set their goal at more than $1.2 million -- or, as they define it, 24,680 lives. But local United Way officials say unless the community rallies behind their annual fundraising effort, they will likely fall short of the...

Unemployment numbers down

County unemployment rates continued to drop against their 2011 figures in October according to a release Tuesday from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Wayne County's October rate of 8.4 percent unemployment is down nearly a full percentage point...

Shooting suspect arrested

A suspect wanted for the drive-by shooting of a Mount Olive man was arrested Thursday by Mount Olive Police officers and U.S. Marshal Service Eastern North Carolina Violent Fugitive Task Force agents at a residence in the Mar-Mac area...

Princeton Christmas Parade

The Christmas parade was over in Princeton, but there was still the jingling of bells along its streets. A horse drawn wagon, complete with jingle bells, patrolled downtown, a leftover from the parade, which Ashley Rains said was one...

Mount Olive Christmas Parade

Breazeale Avenue was lined with hundreds of people Saturday morning as the Mount Olive Christmas Parade passed through, most accompanying children they cautiously eyed as they clamored for candy on the pavement. But perched on the tailgate of an...

Goldsboro Christmas Parade brings back memories

In December 1967, Debbie Pittman watched her first Goldsboro Jaycees Christmas Parade from the corner window of her father's accounting office at the corner of John and Walnut streets. Her father, Jim, and mother, Barbara, traded shifts holding their...

Fremont Christmas Parade is a family tradition

Joe Marm's home at the corner of East Main and North Vance streets in downtown Fremont has been a fixture for more than a century. The old home has been in his wife's family since 1904, a relic of...

Day of Giving goes on

Giving Tuesday may be over, but the season of giving isn't, and United Way of Wayne County officials are hopeful that people will continue to help meet the needs of several local community organizations. Giving Tuesday was a nationwide event...

City council to pick mayor pro tem

The Goldsboro City Council is expected to choose its mayor pro tem Monday, bringing to an end a conflict that began when the council members were sworn in Aug. 6. During his first comments as a member of the...