Duplin Journal Vol. 9 Issue 4

Duplin Journal

the BRIEF this week

Incumbent Jesse Dowe snags District 4 race by one vote

Duplin County Election results for the primary were certi ed by the Duplin County Board of Elections on March 15. The nal results call attention to the power of one single vote as incumbent Jesse Dowe wins the contended Democratic race for District 4 County Commissioner with 304 votes against his opponent Mary Williams-Boykin, who lost with 303 votes. Dowe will be running unopposed in the Nov. 5, general election to keep his seat.

DJS

Wallace PD charges 30 people on Saturday

Wallace

The Wallace Police Department hosted a checking station on NC Highway 41 near Raleigh Road last Saturday, resulting on 30 charges issued. Among the charges issued four were for driving while impaired o enses and one possession of a rearm by a felon.

DJS

New food assistance program available for school-age children

North Carolina

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Summer Electronic Bene ts Transfer Program known as “SUN Bucks,” will provide $120 per eligible child in grocery bene ts starting this summer. If your child receives free and reducedprice meals at school, you have until March 28, to update your address at your child’s school to receive their SUN Bucks card at the correct mailing address during the summer months.

DJS

Law enforcement raises awareness of Illegal parking in Magnolia

Magnolia

The Magnolia Police Department is reminding residents that it is illegal for any vehicle to park between the stoplight and railroad tracks on E. Main Street (NC 903).

Law enforcement is asking people to park on the west side of the railroad tracks instead to avoid a costly citation. Parking is permitted in W. Main Street and it’s safer.

DJS

Spring Fling brings fun- lled day to Warsaw

Children and adults alike gathered at Warsaw Parks and Rec last Saturday for an exciting day at the park. Kids enjoyed bouncy houses, balloon art, games, food, a magic show and an epic Easter egg hunt, collecting a total of 5,000 eggs. Turn to page 6 for more photos.

Wallace street renamed after late council member

Jordan served 36 years on Wallace Town Council

By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal

A Wallace street has been renamed in honor of longtime Wallace Council Member and educator David Edward Jordan. With 36 years on the town council, more than 30 years in education at Charity Middle School and Wallace-Rose Hill High School, and a heart for his community, many say they couldn’t think of a better person to be honored with a street in his name.

A street renaming ceremony was held on the corner of Gra-

“[David Jordan] truly was a strong advocate for all of the citizens of Wallace.”

Former Mayor Charley Farrior

ham and Powell (now Jordan) streets on Friday afternoon, with local o cials, family members and friends of Jordan in attendance.

“I knew Mr. Jordan at a couple of key moments in my life,” said Wallace Mayor Jason Wells. “Once, when I was a middle school student at Charity Middle School in seventh grade. Mr.

Concerned citizen highlights need for better medical awareness, treatment at Duplin County Jail

District 5 Public defender’s o ce to be located in Kenansville

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE – Luciana

Barksdale, who had signed up for public comment at the March 18 County Commissioners meeting appeared in front of the board to express concerns about the neglectful care her nephew Dyson Fryer, who is diabetic, received at the Duplin County Jail.

“He stayed from [February] 18th to the 21st on charges that he had been cleared on previously,” Barksdale told the board. “During his time at the facility, Dyson repeatedly requested access to his prescribed diabetic medication. Despite his urgent

“There’s probably only two or three lawyers in this county that take the high-class felonies. I stay on the list because I think a poor person deserves adequate representation too. I particularly got 60 or 70 cases of felonies just by myself.”

Attorney Reginald Kenan

pleas and alarming readings [on] the facility glucose monitor, he was denied proper treatment…

Jordan was, at that time, a larger than life gure. I remember him being on the playground, and bringing the kids that were having an argument, or like I call

it a heated discussion, he would get those kids together and 20

Magnolia board discusses water and sewage rate increase for FY25

Town adopts 4-day operating hours starting April 1

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

MAGNOLIA – The Town of Magnolia discussed water and sewer rate increases for the upcoming scal year during the board’s regular monthly meeting held on March 12.

Town Manager Charles “Twig” Rollins told the Duplin Journal that the town’s water and sewer fund is struggling right now because rates have not been increased in 11 years. According to the town manager that was a decision made by the prior administration, and during that amount of time in ation went up 31%.

“It was costing more to produce water and process our wastewater, so we kind of got behind the eight ball and we are needing to raise rates,” said Rollins, explaining that by state law an enterprise fund has to be run like a business. “You have to charge what it costs you to operate that enterprise fund, just like you would a business, so we’re going to need to raise the rates this next budget year, July 1. We’re cranking nal numbers and everything for that and to see how much that will be.”

The town manager will present a recommended budget in May to give the public plenty of time to review it. A public hearing will be scheduled after that to give the public a chance to comment before the budget gets adopted at the end of June. Rollins shared that the plan

“You have to charge what it costs you to operate that enterprise fund, just like you would a business, so we’re going to need to raise the rates this next budget year, July 1.”

Magnolia Town Manager Charles “Twig” Rollins

is to present the recommended budget at the Tuesday, May 14, regular board meeting. “But the budget is not nal until the board actually votes on it. And that’s after a public hearing,” said the town manager.

In other business:

The Town of Magnolia will be operating on a four-day, 10-hour schedule starting April 1. Rollins told the Duplin Journal this will extend the hours that they are open to the public, giving them more time to come in and do business. The new hours will be Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.

“One of the big things that all local governments are struggling

See RATE INCREASE , page 2

See STREET, page 5

ABBY CAVENAUGH | DUPLIN JOURNAL

Former Wallace Mayor Charley Farrior talks with Nancy Jordan, wife of longtime Wallace Council Member David Jordan, at a street renaming ceremony on Friday, March 15.

ENA SELLERS | DUPLIN JOURNAL

ENA SELLERS | DUPLIN JOURNAL

Niccoya Dobson stands next to longtime attorney Reginald Kenan who spoke in support of the public defender’s o ce and the need for adequate representation for defendants who can’t a ord a lawyer.

Michael

David

For

To place a

To submit a news tip or

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Duplin County:

MARCH 20

Join the Town of Wallace on March 20 for a public input Forum at the Wallace Woman’s Club to view plans for Clement Park. The town is requesting the public’s input on this project. Meeting will be from 6-8 p.m.

MARCH 23

The Farmers’ Day Parade will be on March 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Main Street in Faison.

The Beulaville Free Will Baptist Church will have a drive-thru Easter Drama on Saturday, March 23, from 5:30-7 p.m. at 141 Lyman Rd. Beulaville. For information, call 910-298-3520. The rain date is March 30.

MARCH 28

ECU Health Duplin Hospital is helping teach about the importance of colon health with an 8-foot inflatable colon. The colon will be at the Duplin Events Center on Thursday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 910-2968836.

MARCH 30

The Faison Easter Egg Hunt will be on March 30 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 184 Park Cr., in Faison. The free event will feature an egg hunt, train rides, a visit from the Easter Bunny and more!

APRIL 11

Persons interested in starting a business can now participate in free entrepreneurship

w w w

MARCH 12

Brandon Lamar Houston, 38, was arrested on March 12 and charged with malicious conduct by prisoner, larceny free text, possessing stolen goods, and resisting a public officer. His bond was set at $35,000.

Matthew Merritt, 49, was arrested on March 12 and charged with two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $2,500.

MARCH 13

Joey Branston Blackburn, 32, was arrested on March 13 and charged with felony possession of a schedule II, controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, second degree trespass, DWLR not impaired rev. His bond was set at $16,500.

Stephen Craig Blanton, 63, was arrested on March 13

also is giving employees a paid personal day o during the month that they were born.

“The four-day work week has no signi cant nancial change in the town... It just allows the employees to have a long weekend every weekend. We’re just trying to get innovative. We did do a cold raise last year and we did some reclassi cations, and the commissioners are very focused on taking care of the employees because they realize they’re the greatest asset, and we have very good employees.”

workshops that will be offered on April 11, May 2 and May 30 at University of Mount Olive. According to the announcement, the workshops will focus on rural and agricultural businesses.

APRIL 12

The Spartan Sprint 5K and Fun Run will be held on JSCC’s campus on Friday, April 12. If you sign up within the next two weeks, you will also receive this year’s race t-shirt. If you have any questions call 910275-6135 or 910-275-6152. All proceeds will benefit JSCC’s Presidential Scholarship.

APRIL 13

Cabin Lake will host its Youth Fishing Tournament on April 13. The tournament is free to all participants between the ages of 4 to 14. There will be first, second, and third place prizes in each of the three age brackets. The grand prize will be awarded for the biggest fish overall. To register, call Cabin Lake County Park at 910-2983648. Refreshments will be available for purchase, cash only. Registration is at 8 a.m. The final weigh-in is at 11 a.m., at 220 Cabin Lake Road, Pink Hill.

The Royal Hanneford Circus is coming to the Dupin Events Center, located at 195 Fairgrounds Dr., Kenansville, on April 13 and 14. For details, call 910-275-0009.

and charged with misuse of 911 system and seconddegree trespass. His bond was set at $500.

MARCH 14

Gregory Scott Taylor, 43, was arrested on March 14, and charged with breaking or entering, second degree trespass, break / enter motor vehicle. No bond was set.

Ka Shawn Lamar Thaxton, 18, was arrested in Kenansville on March 14, and charged with break or enter a motor vehicle, larceny of a firearm and break or enter a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $15,000.

Kristina Lee Carter, 32, was arrested on March 14. and charged with felony possession of a schedule II, controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $8,000.

APRIL 18

Join JSCC and NC Works for their annual Duplin County Job Fair on Thursday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the JSCC campus and meet with employers. Be sure to dress to impress and bring copies of your resume. For more information, email kblanton@jamessprunt.edu.

HAPPENING MONTHLY

The Duplin County Board of County Commissioners meets the rst and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 224 Seminary St., Kenansville. For information, call 910-296-2100.

The Beulaville town board meets the rst Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at 508 East Main St., Beulaville. For more information, call 910-298-4647.

The Town of Calypso meets at the council chambers the rst Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 103 W. Trade Street. For information, call 919-658-9221.

The Faison town board meets the rst Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m., at 110 NE Center St., Faison. For more information, call 910-267-2721.

The Economic Development Board meets the rst Friday of the month at 7 a.m. at the Duplin County Airport Conference Room.

The Greenevers town board meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m., at 314 E. Charity Rd. For information, call

Margaret Louise James, 44, was arrested on March 14 and charged with simple assault. No bond was set.

MARCH 15

Timothy Wayne Holder, 34, was arrested on March 15 and charged with felony possession of a schedule II, controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $16,000.

MARCH 16

Jacob Carl Findeisen, 41, was arrested on March 16 and charged with simple assault, resist, obstruct, delay. assault government official/ employee and resisting public officer. His bond was set at $500.

Gregory A. Cavenaugh, 51, was arrested on March 16 and charged with assault on a female and resisting a public officer. His bond was set at $1,000.

910-289-3078.

The Teachey town board meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 116 East 2nd St. For more information, call 910-285-7564.

The Warsaw town board meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 121 S. Front St. For more information, call 910-293-7814.

The Magnolia town board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., at 108 Taylor St., Magnolia. For information, call 910-289-3205.

The Rose Hill town board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., at 103 Southeast Railroad St. For more information, call 910-2893159.

The Duplin County Health Department is offering Diabetes Self Management Classes from 1-5 p.m., the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month at 340 Seminary St. Kenansville. For more information, call 910-372-9178.

The Wallace town council meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., at 316 East Murray St., Wallace. For more information, call 910-285-4136.

Duplin County Beekeepers meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., at the Duplin Extension Center.

Friends of Horticulture meet the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., at the Duplin Extension Center.

The Duplin County Airport Commission Board meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Duplin County Airport.

Rollins shared it’s hard to recruit employees in small rural governments when they are com-

peting with municipalities with larger budgets. “We’re nowhere near what other departments are paying… It is very hard to hire people. Because they can just go to another municipality or another county and make more money. Our retirement system is based on our highest paid four years, if you work in local government. And then the other thing is you can move around and still be in the same retirement system. So somebody can work for one town and then go to the county and then go to the state and then come back to a town. They’re all in the same retirement system.

And 95% of the time their sick time carries over too. So, you know, there are towns and counties that hire from other ones. And a lot of times, unfortunately, the small governments end up training people and getting people certi cations and then the bigger ones kind of vacuum suck them up because they’re trained, they’ve got some experience, and they’ve got some certi cations. It’s always been a struggle. But the last couple of years has been a way more of a struggle.”

The town manager emphasized that services in the Town of Magnolia will not be a ected, and that

To report crime anonymously, call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 910-372-9202 or you may also submit information at cc.southernsoftware. com/tipsubmission/ through the Duplin County Citizens Connect website.

the main reason for the change is for employee retention.

“We’re still going to have everybody on call, that we’ve had on call. The town hall will only be open four days a week and the police department will still be answering calls and have people on duty. The public works will still have people on duty,” said Rollins, adding that if a bill is due Friday, they will give customers until the next business day at 5 o’clock to pay their bill without incurring late fees. “There’s no degradation to services in the town.”

The next town board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3.

Fleet Williams, 50, was arrested on March 16 and charged with driving while impaired, open container alcohol, DWLR not impaired, and expired inspection sticker. No bond was set. with is keeping employees, and being a small town, we can’t always pay employees what other governments are [paying],” said Rollins. “So, we’re looking at innovative ways to give them extra bene ts. And one of the ways that we can do that is to go to a four-day work week.” Rollins told the Duplin Journal that they will always have a police o cer and public works on call. “We have that right now after hours, weekends and holidays,” said Rollins, adding that the board

RATE INCREASE from page 1

Wallace rezoning,

annexation comes under re from residents

Rezoning requests dominate March 14 town council meeting

By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal

THE WALLACE TOWN Council had a busy agenda on Thursday, March 14, with public hearings for rezoning requests dominating the nearly two and a half hour meeting.

A good chunk of the meeting time went toward a public hearing on a request for rezoning an 150-acre site just south of Wallace in Pender County o US Highway 117. The property had previously been annexed into the town and the council was legally required to set zoning within 60 days.

Pender County had zoned the property RA (residential-agricultural), but the owner of the property requested that the zoning be changed to R6-Conditional and HB (highway business) in order to build a housing development with some commercial businesses along the US 117 corridor.

Several residents of the community spoke out during the public hearing, the majority of them opposed to a housing/ commercial development going into their neighborhood.

Some members of the community stated that they had not been informed of either the annexation or the rezoning, and had only heard about it through word of mouth. Others stated that they didn’t know what kind of houses or people would be coming into their neighborhood and they were adamantly opposed.

Wallace Planning Director

“I don’t think anybody on this board is trying to hide anything from you folks.”

Wallace Mayor Jason Wells

Rod Fritz explained that the housing development will consist of stick-built single-family homes. “There are stipulations what kind of houses can be built there,” he said. “They’re all single-family one-story homes, anywhere from 1,300-1,700 square feet.”

The development will also be all property owners, no rentals. Fritz added that there will be parks and some commercial development such as retail and restaurants.

The residents also voiced opposition to the name of the development, which is proposed to be Penderlea Village. Penderlea is seven miles away from this proposed development, something the residents also took issue with.

Another question residents wanted answered was the assumption that Pender County wasn’t involved in the process at all. “Pender County is involved,” Fritz said. “We entered into a memorandum of understanding with Pender County. It was a voluntary request. North Carolina allows municipalities to annex property within three miles of its borders.”

The town already has water and sewer running to that community, so this development will just tap into it. Once the public hearing closed, Council Member Penny Thorne stated that she was concerned about the perceived lack

of noti cation to the community. “I don’t think anybody on this board is trying to hide anything from you folks,” Mayor Jason Wells said. “I think what we have done is what the state requires us to do. I think, moving forward, we need to make sure we are notifying folks that this a ects. I apologize that you guys did not receive that.”

The council unanimously approved the rezoning request.

Later in the meeting, Town Manager Rob Taylor said that the developer, Tony Davis, had gone out and spoken with the residents in attendance at the meeting. “Rod and I will also reach out to them, talk with them, and work through their concerns,” Taylor said.

After the rezoning approval, the council also unanimously approved changing the zoning for a 33-acre site on NC Highway 11 from R-20 MH (residential, mobile home) to RA-20-C (residential/agricultural conditional). No public comments were made during that public hearing. The third public hearing and rezoning request was for a property on Boney Street, owned by Christine Boney Weaver, who was requesting the zoning be changed to highway business so that she could open an art studio on her property. That request was also approved unanimously.

In other business at the March 14 meeting, the town council: Adopted a capital project ordinance for $85,200 to design new runway lights for the airport. Town

Rose Hill reaches another ‘World’s Largest’ milestone

Jack Frederick builds largest known Adirondack chair

By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal

ROSE HILL — Apparent-

ly not satis ed with his town having just the World’s Largest Frying Pan, Jack Frederick decided the town needed another Guinness World Record, so he built what he believes to be the World’s Largest Adirondack Chair. “It’s the largest we can tell from what we can nd on the internet,” Frederick said, adding that he thought the

22-foot high and 14-foot wide chair would be a “good attention-getter” for his store, Frederick’s Furniture.

Plus, it’s just plain fun.

The chair was constructed by Arturo Gomez and Aureliano Moran Alvarado, who were still working on the nishing touches on Thursday, March 14. After the soft-treated lumber fully dries in about three months, Frederick said he plans to paint the chair a bright color so it’ll stand out even more. Frederick said he’s not even sure why he had the idea to build an Adirondack chair, of all things. “I just thought it’d be fun,” he said.

Women in Ag come to the forefront with DCS

Duplin Agribusiness Academy hosts Women in Ag Day

By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal

YOUNG WOMEN from high schools across Duplin County gathered at the Ed Emory Auditorium in Kenansville on Monday, March 18, to celebrate Women in Agriculture Day as part of Women’s History Month and National Agriculture Month.

The day-long event included guest speakers, a panel discussion, and lots of booths featuring women in local agriculture positions, from Smith eld Foods, Prestage Farms and Murphy Family Ventures to the North Carolina Forestry Service and James Sprunt Community College.

Nicole Murray, chief o cer of STEAMA Curriculum and Instruction/Professional Development for Duplin County Schools, welcomed the students to the event. “How tting that we have today as Women in Ag Day,” she said. “We’ve been blessed for quite a few years to have the Agribusiness Academy

with James Sprunt Community College. Our goal with this academy is to provide our young people with career and college options that will allow you to possibly have a future career in the eld of ag.”

Rachel Jenkins, who provided an “inspirational moment,” talked about the meaning behind Women’s History Month. “My desire is that we, the high school students, leave with a better understanding of who we are,” she said.

Crissa Weston introduced the keynote speaker, Niccoya Dobson, a local attorney, who also is a Duplin County native and graduate of James Kenan High School. Though Watson introduced her as an attorney and public defender, Dobson is also an aspiring cattle farmer.

“I am a third-generation farmer in training,” she said. “My great-grandfathers on both sides were farmers. My grandfathers on both sides were farmers. My parents, even though they didn’t have farming as their main source of income, my mother loved to garden. My mom and dad grew up working on their family farms. So, they would go to school. After school, they would come home and have

to go work on their farm until it was dinnertime. My mom still maintained a garden. So for me, after school, I would have to go help her in the garden. That sparked my desire to become a farmer.”

Dobson pointed out that the theme for Women in Ag Day is “Planting STEAMA Sees for the Future of Women in Agriculture.” Dobson said that theme got her thinking about the germination process, and she came up with her own “seeds for success.”

“The rst would be a foundation,” she said. “When I think about foundation, I think it would be yourself. This goes for any career, you want to make sure that you are taking care of yourself. Your body, your mind, your physical health. When you come to school currently, you come with your best self. Whatever that means for you.”

The next seed to success Dobson talked about is education. “Whatever type of agribusiness you want to go into, make sure you are educated on that,” she advised the students. “For me, I have aspirations to become a cattle farmer. How do I make sure my cattle are healthy?”

Thirdly, Dobson touted the

importance of having a mentor. “There is probably someone already doing what you have a desire to do,” she said. “And it would be great to have a woman mentor, because as you know, many of these elds are male-dominated.” Number four is money. “How you manage that now is very important,” she said. “Pretty soon, you’re going to go o to college or you’re going to go to work, you’re going to do something, and you’ve got to manage your

“There is probably someone already doing what you have a desire to do. And it would be great to have a woman mentor, because as you know, many of these elds are male-dominated.”

Niccoya Dobson, Keynote Speaker at Women in Ag Day

money. And how you manage your money at home is going to be how you manage your money in business, and that is very important. You do not want to run a business that does not make money, right?”

Finally, Dobson said that time is a seed to success. “Give yourself time to get there. We live in a society now where everyone wants to be a millionaire overnight. They want their business to occur overnight. Someone will take a two-day course and suddenly they’re an expert. Be understanding that you might not get it the rst time, but you’re going to get it.”

ABBY CAVENAUGH | DUPLIN JOURNAL Frederick’s Furniture employees Ara Aguilar and Daye Davis wave from the seat of the World’s Largest Adirondack Chair in Rose Hill.

See

ABBY CAVENAUGH | DUPLIN JOURNAL Attorney Niccoya Dobson was the keynote speaker for Duplin County Schools’ Women in Ag Day on Monday, March 18, in Kenansville.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

COLUMN | PHILIP GLADDEN

‘Faith, hope and love abide’

In the cruci xion, the greatest human sin was met by the greatest divine love. We may not be personally responsible for what people did 2,000 years ago, “but we are responsible for what good or ill we do to people alive with us today.”

ISABEL WILKERSON’S BOOK,

CASTE: The Origins of Our Discontent, is a provocative treatment of race problems in the United States. Her book was received with appreciation by some and summarily rejected by others.

A year ago, Llano County in Texas considered shutting down the public library system after a federal judge ruled that county commissioners had violated the U.S. Constitution by removing a dozen books, including Wilkerson’s, and ordered the books returned to the shelves.

In the ongoing struggle in race relations, some form of the comment “But I had nothing to do with what went on during slavery and following the Civil War. I wasn’t even alive then” is often expressed. Wilkerson o ers a strong rebuttal to that thought with what I think is a positive challenge. She writes, “We are not personally responsible for what people who look like us did centuries ago. But we are responsible for what good or ill we do to people alive with us today.”

Next week Christians around

the world will observe Holy Week, including the somber Good Friday when Jesus’s cruci xion is remembered. One could make the same comment about the cruci xion, “But I wasn’t there . . .” That is certainly true, but think about the haunting lyrics “Were you there when they cruci ed my Lord, nailed him to the cross, pierced him in the side, laid him in the tomb?” The question assumes a positive answer, but how can that be? In his book about how the cross still in uences our lives today, theologian Roger Gench writes, “In short, we have been co-opted, hijacked, commandeered, gerrymandered, or, to use biblical imagery, exiled and enslaved, by the false promises of notgods that warp and crucify us and that incite a ‘dog-eat-dog,’ mean-spirited existence.”

Good Friday is God’s answer to that kind of existence that causes so many problems. In the cruci xion, the greatest human sin was met by the greatest divine love. We may not be personally responsible for what people did 2,000 years ago, “but we are responsible for what good or ill we do to

people alive with us today.”

As we consider the meaning of God’s love expressed in the cross and what it means for how we are to treat one another, think on these words of Richard Rohr, writer on Christian spirituality, “Justice without love is legalism. Faith without love is idolatry. Hope without love is self-centeredness. Forgiveness without love is selfabasement. Fortitude without love is recklessness. Generosity without love is extravagance. Care without love is mere duty. Fidelity without love is servitude. Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by love.”

Of course, the apostle Paul said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 13 and his conclusion about how to live and treat one another still holds today, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

Philip Gladden is a retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister who lives in Wallace, NC. He can be reached at gladdenphilip620@gmail.com.

COLUMN | MAGGIE HORZEMPA

Remembering the ‘why’ behind Raise the Age in North Carolina

The mission of JJDP is to “reduce and prevent juvenile delinquency by e ectively intervening, educating and treating youth.

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD

JUVENILE OFFENDERS be tried and treated as adults in North Carolina?

What constitutes a juvenile’s actions so irredeemable that they bypass the juvenile system and go straight into adult corrections?

As times change and public safety evolves, it is important to re ect on the principles that guide our justice system. One such principle is the notion of rehabilitation and second chances, especially when it comes to juveniles.

In North Carolina, the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act (S.L. 2017-57), more commonly known as “Raise the Age,” was implemented on December 1, 2019. The law redirected 16 and 17-yearolds who committed misdemeanors and low-level felonies from automatically being charged in the adult criminal justice system. This initiative became law only through a strong, bipartisan coalition of support from all three branches of government, prosecutors, law enforcement, the business community and advocacy organizations. Its implementation marked a signi cant milestone in our state’s commitment to justice reform and, more than four years later, it is ever important to remember the ‘why’ behind this policy.

Upon enacting the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, North Carolina ended a century-long practice of prosecuting teens as adults and was no longer the only state in the nation to do so. By incorporating 16-and-17-year-olds into the juvenile justice system, the

state embraced an approach proven to not only decrease crime but also to be cost-e ective. The reasoning was obvious: The overwhelming majority of juveniles are more e ectively treated in the juvenile justice system with ageappropriate programming.

The mission of both the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s (NCPDS) Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) and the Division of Adult Corrections (NC DAC), while both equally necessary, could not be more di erent. The mission of JJDP is to “reduce and prevent juvenile delinquency by e ectively intervening, educating and treating youth in order to strengthen families and increase public safety.”

On the other hand, the mission of NC DAC is to “promote public safety by the administration of a fair and humane system which provides reasonable opportunities for adjudicated o enders to develop progressively responsible behavior.”

While both missions underscore the importance of rehabilitation and public safety, the mission of JJDP recognizes that e ective intervention and treatment for young individuals is essential for strengthening families and communities. Youthful mistakes should not result in lifelong consequences within the adult criminal justice system. JJDP is there to prevent the cycle of recidivism by o ering young o enders a chance to learn from their mistakes and grow into law-abiding citizens.

Raise the Age was not enacted

haphazardly but rather as a result of thorough research, data analysis, and collaboration across branches of government, law enforcement, prosecutors, the business community and advocacy organizations. It was born from a bipartisan coalition that recognized the need for change and the potential for positive outcomes in our justice system.

HB 280: Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, which we know as Raise the Age, had a total of 68 sponsors, 28 Republicans and 40 Democrats, and it passed the House in May 2017 with a vote of 104-8. Within that 104, 43 ayes were Democrat and 61 were Republican, with some legislators being former law enforcement and legal professionals.

In addition, former North Carolina Chief Justice Mark Martin showed strong public support for the initiative, noting that raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction was his highest legislative priority in 2017. Martin said that “Juvenile reinvestment will help strengthen families and is likely to result in lower recidivism, less crime, and increased safety,” said Chief Justice Martin. “Reinvesting in our youth will result in economic bene ts for the state of North Carolina.”

As North Carolinians, we must remember why Raise the Age was implemented – to believe in the redemption, rehabilitation, and potential of our youth. Upholding these principles and investing in juvenile justice is crucial for creating safer communities and ensuring fairness in our justice system.

Wallace Easter Egg Hunt

ment that Dyson received.

Dyson wears a pump that distributes his diabetic medication to him. He was made to remove the monitor from him when he was arrested.”

According to Barksdale, Dyson was administered insulin, however it was not in accordance with his normal dose, and he was not provided insulin with his meals as required by his medical regimen.

“By Tuesday, his condition had deteriorated signi cantly. He was experiencing vomiting and unable to consume food. Despite [the] worsening state, his request for medical attention outside the jail was constantly denied. Instead of receiving the necessary care, he was placed in isolation when a period unwell, only to be returned to the general population when the nurse deemed him better,” said Barksdale. “The denial of proper medication and care had severe repercussions on his health. When his mother retrieved him from the facility, he was visibly weak and unsteady.”

Barksdale added that his condition did not improve at home even after the proper medication was administered and he had to be taken to the hospital.

“At the hospital, he was treated for dehydration and administered insulin and IV, gradually stabilizing his glucose level,” said Barksdale, adding that he is doing better now, but the family is deeply dissatis ed with the treat-

minutes later, they’d be playing together and would be just ne.

I also knew him at a second time in my life, when I rst came onto the town board almost nine years ago now. Just like the playground days, he was helping bring people together, helping make tough decisions and always doing it in a respectful way.”

Wells added that recognition of Jordan, who passed away in 2021, was “long overdue.”

Former Mayor Charley Farrior, who served on the council many years with Jordan, stated, “I can’t think of anything I’d

Kids got a chance to ride a barrel train at the Easter in the Park event on Saturday, March 16, in Wallace’s Clement Park. There were also plenty of vendors, a bouncy house, the Easter bunny and of course an Easter egg hunt.

Two-year-old cousins Myles Chasten and Kavonna Jones had a fun time at the Easter in the Park on Saturday at Clement Park in Wallace.

The Easter Bunny was on hand at Easter in the Park in Wallace to take photos with the kids.

Children of all ages anxiously awaited the start of the Easter egg hunt at the end of Wallace’s Easter in the Park event on Saturday.

son counties.

“He was in DKA when he got to the hospital, meaning that he was near comatose status whenever he got to his medical physician,” said Barksdale, adding that the family is not asking for compensation, but for better awareness of the medical needs of someone dealing with diabetes so the person can receive the adequate medical treatment.

“Dyson could have lost his life. He asked several times to be sent to the hospital and he was denied that. His sugar level was over 500 during his stay,” Barksdale said. The Board acknowledged her concern adding they will “denitely take this information forward.”

In other business:

• The Board approved the funding plan for the Duplin County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council Program Fiscal Year 2024-25. The budget of $212,657 remains the same, with some minor adjustments made to the amounts each program receives based on the enrollment according to Jason McGuirt, JCPC chair.

Niccoya Dobson, Chief public defender for District 5 and a native of Duplin County, appeared in front of the board to ask for office space. Dobson shared that Duplin was chosen as the home base for the district because of its location between Jones and Sam-

rather be doing this afternoon than standing on this corner, remembering David Jordan, our time together, and naming this street after him.”

Jordan was the longest-serving member of the town council, Farrior said. “He came to every meeting — and I’m not exaggerating at all — he came prepared, he had read the agenda and he came ready to make decisions,” Farrior recalled. “He truly was a strong advocate for all of the citizens of Wallace. He made it his goal to ensure that every citizen of Wallace was treated in a fair and equitable manner.”

Duplin County Commissioner

“I come asking for space that would accommodate our future needs as well as our immediate need… I would ask that the board consider one o ce in the courthouse,” said Dobson, explaining that the request is because their network must be secured, and the courthouse is already in compliance. Dobson asked the board to consider an o ce to house their legal assistant until they can get an o ce with su cient space for the entire sta . She added that once they hire the attorneys, they will be able to serve in the courtrooms daily. Dobson explained that the public defender’s o ce will serve criminal cases, child support cases, commitment hearings, among others.

“Our attorneys that we have here in Duplin County are phenomenal. Many of you know them. Many of you have worked with them. Many of you have grown up with them but they are general practitioners, therefore most of them practice in more than just one county… With the public defender’s o ce, we will have three dedicated attorneys in that courthouse... They will be ready to be in court to be at rst appearances …so that hopefully we can resolve those cases on a faster basis. We can have the e ciency that we all love to hear about, but we can actually see that e ciency at work in the courtroom,” said Dobson, adding that will alleviate the added ex-

Wayne Branch also shared a few memories of his “buddy,” David Jordan, who he said encouraged him to run for o ce. “David Jordan was truly a great guy,” he said. “He was a father gure. We shared a lot of time together.”

Jordan’s nieces and nephews also spoke about their uncle as a pillar of the community and a loving family member.

“I’ll tell you two things about my Uncle David that were quite obvious,” said James Patterson.

“First, was that infectious smile he carried upon himself. And the next thing must’ve come straight from God. My Uncle David was the most humble human I’ve

Duplin’s unemployment rate increases slightly for January

Duplin County

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2024 rose 0.1% from December 2023’s rater of 3% to 3.1%.

However, when compared to the same time period one year ago, the rate is 0.5% lower. The N.C. Department of Commerce released the latest county unemployment numbers on Wednesday, March 13.

Duplin County’s 3.1% rate translates to 809 people receiving unemployment bene ts during the month, out of the county’s workforce of 25,911. Unemployment rates increased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in January 2024. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.8% while Greene County had the lowest at 2.7%.

ECU joins N.C.

Commerce’s professional development program for rural leaders

North Carolina Applications are again being accepted by the Department of Commerce for its professional development and education program for rural leaders in North Carolina. New participants in the Rural Community Capacity (RC2) program will be able to select an eastern location for the campusbased educational program as East Carolina University joins Appalachian State University in the RC2 program, an initiative of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division.

RC2 helps rural governments in North Carolina increase their capacity to plan, implement, and manage economic development programs and opportunities. The current application window will remain open until March 28.

More information is available at commerce.nc.gov/transform.

pense of keeping them in jail any longer than absolutely needed.

County Manager Bryan Miller explained that they are currently looking at three di erent options for o ce space.

“When we get those fully vetted, we’ll bring a recommendation as well as the two other options to the board,” said Miller.

Attorney Reginald Kenan, who was also present, explained to the board that few court appointed lawyers take serious felonies.

“There’s probably only two or three lawyers in this county that take the high-class felonies. I stay on the list because I think a poor person deserves adequate representation too. I particularly got 60 or 70 cases of felonies just by myself… the defendants need lawyers that can spend the time to adequately prepare their defense,” Kenan told the board adding that the public defender’s program was “the best thing that can happen to the indigent system as far as defendants in court who can’t a ord a lawyer.”

Miller informed the board that the transportation department has moved into their new building and the Animal Control facility went through their nal inspection and after they go through some xes on their list, they will be able to move in.

The board went to recess until March 22 at 9 a.m., when they will conduct their yearly retreat.

ever met in my life.” His niece, Eva Patterson Heath, stated that her Bible study that day was, ttingly enough, about eternal legacy. “I thought it was so tting that we would have an opportunity to come here today and witness Uncle David’s eternal legacy with a street naming in his honor,” she said. In addition to his service to the town of Wallace, to education in the public school system, and to his family, Jordan served on the board of trustees at James Sprint Community College for almost 28 years.

Anita Powers, chair of that

UNDER FIRE from page 3

Manager Taylor pointed out that this was all NC Department of Transportation funding so the town would not be paying anything out of pocket. Approved a tentative award for the sewer rehab project, which involves relining Boney Street and Raleigh Street, Taylor said. The low bidder on the project was Am-Liner East, Inc with a winning bid of $349,156.50. Approved a $7,000 budget amendment for the police department’s Governors Crime Commission grant. The funds will be used with the original $20,875 budgeted to purchase two radios, a large light tower and a pole-mounted radar detector.

• Approved a safety policy for town employees.

• Approved a capital project ordinance for the Tin City lift station and a new force main sewer line to prepare for incoming development that will generate $549,000 in system development fees.

• Heard a presentation from former Mayor Charley Farrior on the upcoming Carolina Strawberry Festival.

• Heard an update from the Wallace Chamber of Commerce.

• Heard an audit presentation from Austin Eubanks of Thompson, Price, Scott & Adams, CPA.

board, was also present at the ceremony. “I remember when I became a member of the board, he just took me right up under his wing,” Powers said. “When he knew I really didn’t understand what was going on, he was right there to ll me in on everything I needed to know. Whenever I became chairman of the board, he was right there supporting me.”

Though she didn’t speak during the ceremony, Jordan’s wife Nancy was on the front row next to the sign that now bears her husband’s name. “It’s really an honor,” she told the Duplin Journal.

PHOTOS BY ABBY CAVENAUGH /DUPLIN JOURNAL

STREET from page 1

JAIL from page 1

Town of Rose Hill starts budget planning process

Board approves $8.4K budget amendment for playground repairs

By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal

Municipalities in Duplin County will nalize their budgets come June, but the Rose Hill Board of Commissioners has already started the process, with a budget work session during the regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 12.

“Right now, it doesn’t look like anything major will change in this year’s budget,” Mayor

“The big thing is that we don’t foresee any tax rate increases.”

Rose Hill Mayor Davy Buckner

Davy Buckner told the Duplin Journal. “The big thing is that we don’t foresee any tax rate increases.”

The work session agenda identi ed the following goals for the 2024-25 scal year budget: no tax rate increase, no fee increases, balanced draft budgets, one-time capital outlay

purchases for the police department, water and wastewater, street resurfacing to be funded by existing funds, and 2% bonuses and/or 7% raises for all town employees.

The public works department reported equipment needs for the coming budget year, including a water meter upgrade and a zero-turn mower. The board looked over several quotes for the needed equipment, but made no decisions.

The town’s unassigned fund balance for the scal year ending June 30, 2023, was $946,263, with the balance projected to be $1,540,263 for this scal year. In addition, projections show

that the water and sewer fund’s earnings will total $1,248,881 as of June 30 of this year, while the solid waste fund balance is anticipated to total $110,261.

The mayor pointed out that this was just a preliminary budget work session and no decisions have been made on any parts of the 2024-25 budget.

A public hearing on the budget will be held at the Rose Hill Town Hall on Tuesday, May 14, at 6 p.m.

In other business at the March 12 meeting, the commissioners: Reappointed Henrietta Matthews to the planning board;

• Approved an Internal Con-

trol Policy and a Rose Hill town organizational chart;

• Approved a budget amendment for $8,431.14 for repairs at the park playground. “The slide at the park is in much need of repair,” Town Administrator Angela Smith told the board. “It is currently taped o so children cannot access it for safety reasons”;

• Heard an update from Fire Chief Gary Boney that the new re department building may be ready for move-in sometime in May.

• The Rose Hill Board of Commissioners meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.

Spring Fling brings Easter fun to Warsaw

PHOTOS BY ENA SELLERS/DUPLIN JOURNAL

(Left) Amanda Sanderson, Christy Jones and Karen Pacheco from the Duplin County Partnership for Children stand with the Easter Bunny a their rst Spring Fling event held last Saturday. More than 20 volunteers along with sta worked together to make the event possible. (Above) The elds at the Parks and Rec in Warsaw were covered with 5,000 Easter eggs, bringing smiles to hundreds of participating children.

Kennedy struck out two of the rst four batters, three more in the second and entered the sixth with 11 whi s.

DUPLIN SPORTS

Bulldogs uses power, arm of Kennedy to top Tigers Bulldogs’ Lui, Turner lower the boom on Tigers

“But what we are about is trying to make the state playo s for the rst time since 2016 or 2017. That’s our goal.”

WRH coach Logan Kissner

Page, Boone launch rockets to support Wake Tech-bound pitcher

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Wallace-Rose

Hill’s softball team turned on its power switch late last Friday night against Duplin County rival James Kenan.

Maggie Boone and Jansley Page went yard in the fth and sixth innings during a 6-4 win in a key ECC matchup.

The two schools will have a rematch in Warsaw on April 19. Page connected in the fth with Sophia Sloan aboard to give WRH a 3-2 lead.

Boone’s bomb in the sixth after Paxton Tyndall and Isabella Parker reached base brought a lead that would hold because of the pitching of Lexi Kennedy.

She kept her composure after giving up a run, whiing JK pitcher Anna Morgan Armstrong and forcing a

harmless ground ball out to Jourdan Joe, the Tigers’ second best hitter.

Kennedy struck out two of the rst four batters, three more in the second and entered the sixth with 11 whi s. Hits by Shylah Sloan and Joe put JK on top, but the lead was short-lived. Kennedy reached base safely in her four plate appearances before Sloan homered in the rst for the game’s rst score.

WRH (5-1, 2-1) captured its second consecutive ECC triumph. The Bulldogs slipped past Southwest Onslow 3-1 three days earlier.

JK (3-4, 0-1) lost its third straight game. The Tigers fell to a Duplin County foe each time. They were crowned by North Duplin (16-6) on March 9 and East Duplin (15-0) last Tuesday.

Kennedy did more than her share in the win over the Stallions. The senior, who last week committed to play at Wake Tech next season, singled and doubled and knocked in two

runs. She silenced the Stallions by giving up one hit, one walk and six strikeouts. Page walked, singled and scored twice. Sloan reached on an error to tally the other WRH run.

Parker and Kaylee Powell added base knocks.

The win put a little salve on the ’Dawgs after the 10-0 whitewashing East Duplin put on them in a week earlier.

Armstrong, Kendi Giddons and Lacie Bledsoe were the lone Tigers to punch a hit o ED starter Morgan Brown.

The Panthers scored seven times in the rst inning to continue their dominance over JK. ED collected hits — 14 by nine players —as if they were door prizes.

JK will look for a sweep this week facing Lakewood, SWO and Kinston. The Viking encounter is Friday in Kinston, and it will have an early start — 4:30 p.m.

WRH tangled with North Lenoir (5-0, 2-0) early this week in another ECC matchup.

A solid bet: Sports gambling feeds new epidemic

BETTING ON SPORTS became legal in North Carolina as the state became the 38th to regulate a new ow of gambling money into its co ers.

In case you forgot, this came about because of a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.

I’m not so sure that was a good decision, even though I believe in free will.

We don’t need another addictive obsession that tears down people and families — like mine.

An increase in gambling by even halfa-percent, translates into millions and millions of damaged lives.

My experience dates to the summer of 1969 when my father committed suicide after taking $1,900 from a secret account and blowing it in Las Vegas. That amount is worth $16,000 today.

Gambling and alcohol created problems he could not overcome. He was sure his wife and kids — ages 10, 11, 13 and 15 — would be better o without him.

He saw no way out.

He left us to gure out the rest.

Part of that head-scratcher was how powerfully addicting both were, and both seemed to be in his genetic makeup.

Few heeded the suicide warning of my father, who was found inside his truck asphyxiated from its fumes.

Just another sad childhood story, right?

Perhaps, if it ended there.

But one of his sons would get the gambling bug, and other family members would lose vast amounts of money, because rule No. 1 in gambling on sports is that the house always wins in the long run.

My younger brother bet on sports for a decade before getting “smart” and becoming a bookie, where he became part of the “house,” moving from bar to bar to serve his clients.

He made a tidy sum of tax-free money for a number of years.

It led to his downfall at the age of 58 ve years ago.

Younger family members have experienced very signi cant sports gambling losses from legitimate services — as if it were Monopoly money. Yet hundreds turn into thousands rather quickly.

Will all that “bad stu ” happen to others at a higher rate with legalized betting?

Have we created a new national epidemic?

And yet why are so few speaking out against gambling?

Beat Duplin County rival for rst ECC victory

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — “Luuuu,” screamed a teammate shortly before Wallace-Rose Hills’ Kaiden Lui lashed a triple to give the Bulldogs their rst lead last Fri-

day against James Kenan. Dane Turner followed with a two-run single to right eld.

WRH captured the 6-2 win in a game that feature the rst matchup of young rst-year head coaches — JK’s Lee Sutton and WRH’s Logan Kissner — who played for their respective schools.

Lui singled in the sixth for an insurance run — for himself and

the team.

The junior hurler yielded just three hits while whi ng 10.

He struck out the bottom third of the order in the seventh for a complete game.

“He competed on the mound, threw strikes and had pretty good velocity,” Kissner said. “His pitch count was 84 entering the

This isn’t about a weekly lottery ticket or an annual Super Bowl bet.

Americans bet $119 million in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association. It was a 28 percent increase from the previous year as more states legalize gambling.

Overall, sports betting hit $11 billion, a markup of a whopping 44 percent.

According to the National Association of Addiction Professionals (NAAP), problem

facebook.com/SimpsonRE

WRH’s Jansley Page slides to avoid a tag by JK’s Shylah Sloan. Page drilled a home run in the win.

EDUARDO PUAC FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Brown, Rayner, Graham lead Panthers’ charge

Vets ready, but ED coach Thigpen says play of underclassmen is key

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — East Duplin baseball coach Brandon Thipgen won for the 100th time earlier this month when his team beat Wallace-Rose Hill.

The former Panther is 102-40 as coach at his school through ve complete seasons (ED played 13 games in 2021 and ve in 2020 because of the Covid 19 pandemic).

But his thoughts are in putting the pieces in the right place for a team that went 14-9 last season.

Three key players return as Thigpen is discovering the underclassmen who will allow ED to compete for a title in the East Central 2A Conference.

ED has started 4-4 against a tough schedule that’s included two games against Midway and others versus 3A Southern Wayne and unbeaten ECC foe South Lenoir.

“We’re starting three or four sophomores and a freshman, and playing some really good teams,” Thigpen said. “The potential is there. We want to get better and play our best baseball at the end.”

ED did all that and then some in 2022 by going 24-1, a school record for wins.

While that might not be possible this spring, the Panthers should remain among the ECC’s projected leaders — North Lenoir, South Lenoir and Southwest Onslow.

“Every game we’ve played was closer than the score would in-

dicate,” Thigpen said. “It was 2-2 against Midway before they had a big inning, 6-4 in the fth against Southern Wayne, and it was a close game against Princeton before we had a ve-run inning.”

The coach sees a trend developing.

“That’s the way it’s going to be this year, every game is going to be a dog ght. We’re not talented enough to make up for some of our mistakes, as in the past.

“We have to eliminate strikeouts, can’t give teams extra outs in an inning, and have to hit better with two strikes.

“We’re young and are going to take our lumps. But I like the makeup of this team. We have young players who want to learn, get better, and can’t take o for even a pitch.”

Brown, Raynor, Graham set pace

Shortstop Zach Brown, a four-year starter and all-Duplin County player from a season ago, hits leado . Brown hit .397 last season with a .530 on-base percentage and team-highs in runs (35) doubles and stolen bases.

He’s continued to soar, ripping 11 hits in 28 plate appearances this season with nine RBI.

Sophomore Baines Raynor, who hit .222 last spring, has found his stroke.

He’s 16-for-31 (.516) with six doubles and 10 RBI. He plays second base when not pitching.

On the mound, Raynor is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA to date.

Junior Cain Graham is a rising star, though still growing into that designation.

He’s hitting .261 with seven RBI and has stroked ED’s only

home run. Graham has made ve mound appearances. He plays rst base and can catch when not pitching.

Other Panther hurlers include: juniors Kyle Kern, Kolby Hinson and Gabriel Faulkner, sophomore JP Murphy and freshman Gavin Holmes.

Sophomore Sawyer Marshburn looks to be the starter at catcher with classmate Colton Holmes as another backstop. Holmes could also play at second or third base or in left eld.

Cousin Gavin Holmes is hitting third in the lineup and playing in the out eld.

Thigpen is expecting big things from senior out elders Eli Thigpen and Halen Watkins.

Loss ends three-gam winning streak

ED’s schedule includes games against 3A Charles B. Aycock during the Easter break and 1A power North Duplin early this week. The Panthers fell 11-9 to South Lenoir (6-0, 3-0) on Friday in Beualaville, as Thigpen cringed over the mistakes that led to the loss.

“We had two more errors and two less hits, and that slight difference was the di erence between winning and losing,” he said.

Raynor ripped a single and three doubles and had four RBI. Gavin Holmes (3-5) knocked in two and Thigpen (2-3) and Graham (1-4) each delivered a

run to the plate. The loss snapped a threegame winning streak and left ED at 2-1 in ECC play.

Watkins was a perfect 4-for4 during an 11-5 victory over Princeton two days earlier.

Austin Rouse (2-4) drove in three, while Brown (3-5) had a pair of RBI. Raynor, Gavin Holmes and Austin Rouse all had run-scoring hits.

ED started the week with a 6-1 conquest of James Kenan in Warsaw.

Raynor had a single, double and RBI, while Graham belted a two-run single.

The Panthers led 3-1 before striking for three runs in the fth and sixth innings.

ED will host SWO on Friday. First-pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

Rebels return core from CC-winning team

ND’s biggest task:

Replacing Mr. Baseball Noble, Duplin’s top hurler Rossa

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

CALYPSO — Erika Rossa was nearly an automatic on the mound. Richard Noble, who was Mr. Baseball in Duplin County, was sensational with a bat or on the hill.

Rossa was 8-1 with 117 strikeouts, while Noble hit .397 with 24 RBI and a 5-0 mound mark.

Both graduated last season as North Duplin will rely on a core of returning players in an e ort to win the Carolina 1A Conference for the third consecutive year.

While without hurlers that helped the Rebels go 21-4 last season, catcher Austin Du , shortstop Hunt Pate and center elder Tanner Kornegay will make ND strong up the middle and provide reworks on offense.

“I don’t see us leaving guys out there if they struggle because we’ll use a pitching sta (not two starters),” said head coach Colton Chrisman, who guided ND to a 39-8 mark in his rst two seasons, including an 18-2 mark in league play. “Baseball’s not an easy sport and you have to go out and prove yourself every game and each season.”

ND, which is o to a 3-2 beginning, faces a brutal schedule that is lled with 2A schools with quality baseball programs in place.

“There are no easy ones,” said Chrisman. “We play Hunt in the rst game of the Gold Leaf Invitational, Rosewood with former Spring Creek coach Heath Whit eld in charge, a real good East Duplin team twice, so we’re going to have to be aggressive.

“We need to get on base with walks and. hits to produce runs at a high clip.”

Pate, the leado hitter and second baseman the past two seasons, shifts to play shortstop and hit in the No. 2 spot. He was an all-county selection last

season after hitting .353 with six doubles, 15 walks, 23 stolen bases and 18 RBI. He will work alongside junior second baseman Garris Warren and sophomore third baseman Holden Williams, who are currently hitting .294 and .400, respectively.

Chrisman said. “Noa is young and learning but will play a big role at rst base. Garris is versatile and works well with Hunt. H olden will play second, short and third at some point and he too is a versatile player.”

Korgnegay covers a lot of ground in center. He’ll have senior Brady Byrd (.351) and junior Wesley Holmes (.288) in the grassy corners. Senior Brendan Reyna

Baseball’s not an easy sport and you have to go out and prove yourself every game and each season.”

ND head coach Colton Christian

Kornegay, Pate, Warren and Williams will toe the rubber. Esteban Santos-Clark will take to the hill in a relief capacity.

Sophomore Noa Quantanilla is at rst and all-county pick Du behind the plate after leading the team last season with 26 RBI.

Kornegay (.455, 10 RBI after recovering from an early-season injury) slips into the leado role with Pate and Du there to drive in the rst run of a game. “Tanner is a speed demon and we can use the power of Pate, Du and a few other guys below them,” Chrisman said.

Exact revenge on Wayne Christian ND scored in every inning last Friday during a 9-1 win over Wayne Christian, a team that beat the Rebels 4-2 three days earlier. Holmes laced a pair of hits and drove in two. Kornegay and Byrd has RBI plate appearances and Pate turned a pair of walks into two runs. Warren pitched four innings and Pate three, combining to

yield just two hits and four walks, while whi ng six. ND had just one error in support.

The Eagles (2-1) scored three times in the fth on Tuesday. The Rebels got single runs in the second and seventh frames. ND bashed nine hits but left nine runners on base.

Jonathan Jackson Nate Peck and Jack Cunningham had RBI hits for Wayne Christian. Pate and Quantanilla did the same for ND. Williams was the lone Rebel with two hits.

ND hosted ED on Monday and were to start CC play next day with a trip to Neuse Charter’s diamond. The Rebels travel to Lakewood on Friday, with a rst pitch slated for 6 p.m. They face Rosewood ve days later.

PHOTOS

Austin Du , an all-county selection, led ND in RBI last season.

EDUARDO PUAC FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Zach Brown is ED’s top returning hitter. The four-year starter was an all-Duplin rst team selection last spring.

Rebels’ Higginbotham wants team to focus on the moment

Veteran coach wants ND to have a ‘win the inning, win the pitch’ approach

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

CALYPSO — North Duplin softball coach Jaime Kylis Higginbotham wants to simplify her mantra this season.

“Win the inning. Win the pitch,” said the veteran coach in her third season at ND following a long stint as head coach at the University of Mount OIive. “Play hard and win the day.”

ND returns a roster loaded with players from a team that advanced all the way to the Class 1A state nals last spring and set a school record with 23 wins.

“Last year is gone. We are de nitely more experienced, but our mental approach is what’s really important,” Higginbotham said.

“Getting back to the state championship would be nice. But last year we never talked about that. We just wanted to play together as long as possible.”

The Rebels return three stars in shortstop Reece Outlaw, second baseman Addy Higginbotham, the coach’s oldest daughter, and ace pitcher Lilly Fulghum.

Fulghum stepped up as a freshman to go 16-2 with a 1.66 ERA, striking out 158, walking 47 in 105.2 innings. She hit .526 with seven doubles, four triples, two home runs and 39 RBI.

While the sophomore put up great o ensive numbers, ND needed her on the mound after losing its most recent dominate hurler, Callie Thornton, in 2021.

“She, Reece and Addy play high-level travel ball,” coachLHigginbotham said. “She’s an athlete and a competitor, and does things you can’t teach.”

But that’s just the base.

First baseman Ady Spence and out elders Lala Overton and Sara Tucker-Thomas were starters.

ND went 24-5 last season, winning the Carolina Conference and beating East Columbus in the East Region nals

ND’s Addy Higginbotham belted 67 hits and drove in 36 runs last season.

before falling to Union Academy in the state nals at N.C. State University.

While the core of a good team was intact, ND didn’t hit the big time until Fulghum arrived.

Fulghum will re the ball to freshman catcher Abigeal Brown, who is replacing all-Duplin backstop Kasey Jones (.471, 25 RBI)

“She a strong girl who worked with Lilly before so there’s a familiarity there between the two of them,” Higginbotham said.

Outlaw, who will play at UNC next spring, and Higginbotham, a junior who is planning on playing Division 2 softball, have likewise been together since they rst started playing the game.

Outlaw whacked out 60 hits during a season in which she hit .635 and drove in 50 runs. She ripped nine doubles, 13 homers and 14 homers.—-Her round-trippers are believed to be a single-season record in Duplin County.

The sleek and slender senior is a defensive wiz at any position on the diamond, sans catcher and pitcher. Outlaw was Ms. Softball last season in Duplin County.

Higginbotham, a junior, lashed a team-high 67 hits (about three times what a good season would be for another player) to nish at .638, showing power with eight doubles, three triples, four homers and 36 RBI.

Sophomore Marissa Bernel is penciled in as the starter at third base, replacing Riley Hatch (.323, 26 RBI). Bernel hit .294 in nine games last season.

Spence hit .329 with 12 RBI and was 5-0 in the circle last season, and there’s more in the tank than she showed during her freshman campaign.

Expect more as well from Tucker-Thomas, a senior. She hit .307 in a lineup with no easy outs.

Sophomore M’chelle Jaco has an edge to start in right eld. She progressed to hit .381 last season after a slow beginning, and Higginbotham says she has good range and hands in the out eld.

Overton (.314 , 18 RBI)

should be improved as well. She will play center eld.

Also vying for playing time are senior Megan Martin, sophomore Melony Sanchez and a bumper crop of freshmen, which include Sophia Davis, Hannah Gonzalez, Kloe DeHoyos and Gabby Zamudio.

And since ND will likely blow out most CC teams, Higginbotham will play most of her cards throughout the season. Rosewood, Hobbton, Union and Neuse Charter appear to be on a level below the Rebels.

“It’s a chance to develop players and have our older kids be leaders,” Higginbotham said. “We have a lot of power and a lot of speed, but no one ever has enough depth. We’ve got some really good freshmen, who will be pushing our starters.”

ND lost valuable practice time in the preseason as four of its players — Outlaw, Higginbotham, Fulghum and Norris — played into the second round for the ND basketball team that won its third straight CC Tournament title.

“I’m hoping we can pick up a game or two along the way,” Higginbotham said.

Capture two wins in rst three outings

ND beat James Kenan (166) and South Lenoir (12-2) in the rst week before falling on Friday to unbeaten Wayne Christian 9-2 Tuesday of last week. The rematch on Friday was rained out.

The Eagles scored three times in the opening inning and six more in the third. ND got a run in the rst and another in the sixth.

Higginbotham had a single and two doubles in four trips to the plate. Overton, Fulghum and Bernal each stroked a hit. Outlaw sacri ced a run to the plate.

Yet ND’s biggest test might have been against East Duplin on Monday of this week. Last spring, the Rebels beat the Panthers 8-0 with ED taking an 8-4 verdict later in the season. ND opens CC play on Friday with a trip to Lakewood.

BETTING from page 7

And

those around them, it also has a social aspect, driving up criminal justice and health costs paid by taxpayers.

Researchers may be able to measure the crime rates and treatment costs associated with problem gambling, but how it impacts people’s careers, family nances and general well-being is harder to quantify.

Yet here’s what I don’t understand. How does a person in our state have the insight and knowledge to bet? They don’t.

And they frequently pay for betting advice, and get involved in various parlays that only make winning more impossible. I don’t know how many times my brother told me, “I won here and won there, but the Colts let me down by not … kicking a eld goal late in the fourth quarter or some other kind of losing excuse. Often the actual game is secondary. I have a hard time calling those people fans, much less good gamblers. Frankly, as a lifetime sports guy/writer placing money on a team ruins the game for me. The new law also opens the door for younger bettors, high school aged and lower.

Treatment clinics are grappling with an in ux of patients in their teens and

Kinsley Bond

EDUARDO

East Duplin, Senior, 1B

Kinsley Bond had a great season on the softball diamond last spring. She could have a bigger impact during her nal season at East Duplin.

Through eight games, Bond is hitting .400 with three doubles, a triple a home run and 16 RBI.

“She’s really seeing the ball well and swinging a hot stick us in the middle of the lineup,” said ED coach Greg Jenkins.

early 20s and helplines are reporting record levels of calls.

Placing a bet has never been easier as Smartphones make it available to all people.

While a person must be 21 to bet on sports in most states in which it is legal, or 18 to take part in fantasy contests, doing so is about as easy as a teenager buying cigarettes from a machine in 1970.

And many people feel it is a gateway “drug” into other addictions.

One out of 10 college students is a pathological gambler, according to one meta-analysis by professors at the University of Bu alo, far higher than the 2-5 percent of the U.S. general population estimated to have a gambling problem.

Other studies place the

number of student gambling addicts lower, but still higher than the overall population of pathological gamblers.

A recent survey by the NCAA polled 18- to 22-year- olds, says almost 60 percent of this group bet on sports, with about 4 percent doing it daily. Almost 6 percent reported losing more than $500 in a single day. One California doctor said the fear-of-missing-out lures young people to bet. Gamblers are also enticed with teases and offers, all with the promise of hitting a huge score. It animates speculators on crypto currencies and stocks as well as gamblers. An increase in gambling by even half-a-percent, translates into millions and

millions of damaged lives.

Males ages 18 to 44 are the most likely to be high-risk problem gamblers, according to a report by the New York Times. It noted that 19 percent of the 18 to 24 group were at high-risk for problem gambling.

And male betters ages 18 to 20 are significantly more likely to chase their losses and bet beyond their affordability. Being left without treatment for this addiction causes people to die, kill themselves or go bankrupt materially and inside the fiber of their hearts and souls.

So, celebrate if you must the right to bet. But beware of the epidemic that is morphing.

And ask yourself if betting will truly improve the quality of your life?

Brown carries Panthers past Blue Devils, Tigers

Stay unbeaten in ECC play with fourth straight win

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — An explosive o ense and the pitching of Morgan Brown had guided the East Duplin softball team to its fourth straight win.

The Panthers (5-3, 3-0) recovered from a three-game skidtwo losses to Midway and one to Richlands — by powering their way to 46 hits that produced 54 runs, as ED outscored its foes 46-1 during wins over Duplin rivals Wallace-Rose. Hill (10-0) and James Kenan (15-0), Princeton (13-1) and South Lenoir (6-0) last Friday in Beulaville. Brown limited the Blue Devils to three hits, striking out eight en route to a 97-pitch performance. She also singled, doubled and score a a run.

Neyland Tate doubled to drive in two and Zoe Cavanaugh doubled and scored twice. Center elder Addison Tuck and third baseman Carley Grace Jenkins added hits as ED got to SL hurler Callie Tyndall for three runs in the third and sixth innings.

Kinsley Bond drove in ve runs against Princeton. Ava Noble had three hits and Rebecca Beach, Karsyn Parker and Tuck each punched a pair of base knocks and combined for six RBI. ED whacked 16 hits o two

BULLDOGS from page 7

seventh and he said, ‘That’s OK coach, I’m going to strike them out.’ Any time he’s on the mound we have a chance to win.”

Lui whi ed ve of the last six hitters he faced and was the only player on the diamond with two hits.

Yet WRH played well in other aspects of the game.

A Caiden Gavin to Devon Sloan to Luke Jackson 6-4-3 double play got Lui out of a jam in the fourth inning.

It was a well-played baseball game by both schools, despite three JK errors.

Tiger freshman Hansley McGee certainly made his presence known, though seven walks were part of his downfall as WRH’s patience at the plate paid dividends.

“He does a good job of hitting his spots,” Kissner said. “We’ll be seeing a lot of him in the future.

“But what we are about is trying to make the state playo s for the rst time since 2016 or 2017. That’s our goal.”

Yet Kissner knows the WRHJK rivalry is intense.

“Records don’t matter and every game has a wide-open feeling,” Kissner said. “Our goal is to also beat Duplin County teams at least once.”

Close encounter through three innings

James Kenan (1-5, 0-2) will be playing for a while without starting catcher Eli Avent, who was injured earlier in the week, had surgery and is expected to be out for at least a month.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when leado hitter and Eli’s twin Cal Avent walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Hunter Whitman.

WRH (3-3, 1-2) countered to tie it with a bunt single by shortstop Gavin, who was plated by a

Bulldog hurlers.

Brown three-hit the Tigers to start the week and has chalked up 40 strikeouts in the past four games.

The Panthers more than batted around in scoring seven times in the opening inning. They added three more in the next two frames and made it a mercy rulewin with a pair in the fth.

Anna Morgan Armstrong, Jourdan Joe and Kenadi Giddons punched hits o Brown, who limited JK to a .178 batting average.

Wildcats capture a pair of thrilling wins

Close games are the story of the early season for Richlands (43), which won’t begin Coastal 3A Conference play until April 10.

The Wildcats won a pair of nail-biters last week following tough one-run losses to DH Conley and South Lenior.

Reagan Stapleton and Megan Pittman drove in runs in the fourth and fth innings last Wednesday during a 2-0 win over Washington (4-2). Pittman was the lone player on either team to register two hits.

Makenzie Goin gave up three hits, struck out 13 and did not walk a Pam Pack hitter during her 92-pitch e ort.

A day earlier, Richlands rallied from a 5-0 de cit to beat Pamlico County 6-5.

Richlands scored a run in the second, three in the third and single tallies in the fourth and sixth to give the Hurricanes (5-1) their rst loss of the season.

Allen (2-4) and Erin Thibault each drove in a pair of runs. Cameron Cubas’ one hit netted another score.

The Wildcats will play Northside-Jacksonville and have a rematch against Topsail before playing in its Easter Tournament.

They open league play against Dixon on April 2. The only nonleague a air is against East Duplin on April 10 on Richlands’ diamond.

Crusaders blow away Lions

Harrells Christian Academy (2-4) has played ve lopsided softball games.

The one that got away was last Tuesday’s 6-5 setback to Wake Christian Academy.

The Bulldogs rallied from a 3-2 de cit by scoring four times in the fth and sixth innings.

Sabrina Batts, Mary Willow Rumbold and Breely Peed each poked two hits as the Crusaders outhit Wake Christian 10-8.

What hurt the cause was seven HCA errors. WCA had three elding miscues.

Batts struck out seven, gave up eight hits and walked one, but did not yield an earned run as she took the loss after throwing 110 pitches.

Kennedy, Page, Sloan drive ’Dawgs softball fortunes

WRH seeks second consecutive winning season, berth in state playo s

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Last spring, Wallace-Rose Hill had its rst back-to-back winning seasons since 2015-2016.

Three in a row is more than possible for coach Cory Lovelace’s squad, which lost Mary Hadden Braswel (.328), Madison Davis (.360), Emma Baker (.333) and a couple their longtime teammates. While Lovelace is concerned about the younger Bulldog players being pressed into action, WRH started the week with a 5-1 overall mark. Look for his team to make have three consecutive winning campaigns.

One big reason is the upsurge is the development of senior pitcher Lexi Kennedy. Kennedy, who last week signed to play at Wake Tech, is keeping WRH in games in the circle, and igniting the o ense with her bat.

That was key in a 6-4 win over James Kenan last Friday as WRH improved to 2-1 in the ECC.

Kennedy is hitting over .600 after a season in which she guided her team to a 14-7 mark and berth in the 2A state playo s. She hit .467 with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 28

RBI. Kennedy’s transformation was key as she hit just .167 as a sophomore.

Kennedy’s target is sophomore catcher Mattie Gavin, who hit .308 a season ago.

Shortstop Jansley Page is another WRH slugger. She hit .409 last spring and can hit for power.

So can junior rst baseman Taniya Powell (.393, seven HRs).

Freshman Payton Tyndall, also a rst baseman might be the biggest new addition to the lineup.

Another frosh, right elder Maggie Boone, is making her way to the show as a ready-forprime-time hitter.

Classmate Sophia Sloan, who plays second base, is likewise making an early impact.

Third baseman Kaylee Powell is looking better than her .308 average from a season ago.

Isabella Parker and Ti any Corrum start in left and center eld, respectively. Kennedy singled and doubled and drove in two runs last Tuesday when WRH stumped Southwest Onslow 3-1 in Teachey. Page was 1-3 and scored twice. Kennedy surrendered just one hit, while whi ng seven and walking one.

WRH was tested early this week against unbeaten North Lenoir (5-0, 2-0). The Bulldogs face Clinton today (Thursday) and travel to Smith eld on Friday to play American Leadership Academy — Johnston. WRH nipped the Dark Horses 4-3 on Feb. 28. ALAJ is 3-2 against private schools this spring.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

WRH’s Lexi Kennedy has pitched and hit her Bulldogs to ve wins their rst six games.

Luke Jackson single to left eld.

JK went up 2-1 in the third when Cal Avent singled to right and scored o the lone WRH error, charged to Lui no less. Turner’s sacri ce y to center tied it, after Gavin walked and swiped a pair of bases. The inning could have been bigger if McGee hadn’t struck out Hayden Lovette and Logan Marks with his curve ball.

The fourth frame was his undoing as WRH manufactured

three runs.

“Our young guys are starting to pick up the baseball,” Kissner said. “We’re preaching for our kids to nd a way to reach base. We can win a lot of games playing small ball.” Jackson and Gavin did as Kissner suggested, lashing early hits and walking twice. Gavin scored three times and Jackson once.

The win eased the pain of WRH’s 17-0 loss to Southwest Onslow three days earlier.

NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

The undersigned DEBORAH C. BAKER, having quali ed on the 1ST day of MARCH, 2024, as CO-EXECUTOR of the Estate of WILLIAM REX CARLTON, deceased, of Duplin County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE, 2024., or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 13TH Day of MARCH, 2024.

DEBORAH C. BAKER, CO-EXECUTOR

718 JOHNSON CH. RD.

WARSAW, NC 28398

Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

DUPLIN COUNTY

The undersigned BRENDA SUE S. CRANFORD, having quali ed on the 8TH day of MARCH, 2024, as CO-EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOHN ALFRED STALLINGS, JR. aka JOHN A. STALLINGS, JR., deceased, of Duplin County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE, 2024., or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 13TH Day of MARCH, 2024.

BRENDA SUE S. CRANFORD, CO-EXECUTOR

377 STALLINGS RD.

TEACHEY, NC 28464

SANDRA S. STALLINGS, CO-EXECUTOR

432 CHICKEN NECK RD.

TEACHEY, NC 28464

TOMMY RAY STALLINGS, CO-EXECUTOR

EDUARDO PUAC FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

ED’s Ava Noble is hitting .556 through ve games after getting a late start because she played on ED’s basketball team that advanced to the third round of the playo s.

EDUARDO PUAC FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Walter Murphy Rivenbark

Aug. 10, 1940 - March 8, 2024 (age 83)

Walter Murphy Rivenbark III, age 83, of Gainesville, Florida passed away on Friday, March 8, 2024. He was born Aug.10, 1940 in Wilmington to Walter Murphy Rivenbark Jr. and Hazel Smith of Wallace. He graduated from WallaceRose Hill High School in 1958. He attended Campbell University and Atlantic Christian College, now known as Barton College. He was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. He met his bride, Carol Ellis Bishop, in Jacksonville, Florida, and married her in 1965. He was married for 53 years and a member of the First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Florida, for the last 52 years.

His children survive him, Amy Chin (Ian), Walter Rivenbark IV (Camila), and David Rivenbark (Kristen), along with his seven grandchildren: Cole, Colin, Luke, Aidan, Jake, Alyssa, and Weiland. He is also survived by his dachshund dog companion, Molly.

Most knew him as Murphy or Murph and he was the proud father of his four kids. He was a serial entrepreneur, starting out with a Milk Delivery Business as his rst owned business very early in his career, all the way to real estate investing into his late seventies. He focused on his family, being a great Dad and doing everything he could to provide for them and his wife. He was the eternal optimist no matter how hard life got.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, March 24, 2024, for viewing at 1 p.m. at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home, 612 S. Norwood St, Wallace, NC 28466, with service following at 2 p.m. Burial will follow the service at Rock sh Memorial Cemetery in Wallace. For those who wish, donations may be made to Alachua County Humane Society, 4205 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32609.

Joyce Pate Mozingo

Dec. 12, 1949 - March 15, 2024 (age 74)

Joyce Pate Mozingo, 74, passed away on Friday, March 15, 2024 at her home.

Funeral service was Monday, March 18, 2024 with visitation following at Community Funeral Home, Beulaville. Interment was Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at Brinson Family Cemetery, Richlands.

Survivors include: son, Michael Danny Brinson of Richlands; daughters, Melonie B. Hu man (Barry) of Richlands; grandchildren, Austin Hu man (Colton), Hank Hu man (Savannah), Kelly Hu man-Walden (Dustin), Tadan Brinson; great-grandchildren, Grayson Hu man.

Yolanda Ann Carroll

Jan. 15, 1970 - March 11, 2024 (age 54)

Ms. Yolanda Ann Carroll, age 54, of Brooklyn, New York passed away on Monday, March 11, 2024 at Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 1 p.m. at Duplin Memorial Gardens, Highway 117 in Teachey. She is survived by her mother, Carolyn Carroll of Fredericksburg, Virginia, along with other family and friends that will miss her dearly.

Joseph “JoJo” Raheem Boney

Oct. 13, 1994 - March 13, 2024 (age 29)

ROSE HILL — Mr. Joseph Raheem Boney, aka “JoJo” of Rose Hill passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. at Rose Hill Funeral Home, 472 Wells Town Road in Rose Hill. Burial will follow at Hayes Cemetery in Wallace.

Helen W. Britt

Aug. 1, 1930 - March 8, 2024 (age 93)

Mrs. Helen Whit eld Britt, at the age of 93, passed away Friday evening, March 8, 2024, at a daughter’s home. She had lived in the Garner’s Chapel community near Mount Olive.

Mrs. Britt will be buried with her son and husband in the Albert Britt Family Cemetery following a private committal service. She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Britt Whaley and husband, David Whaley, of Mount Olive, and Susan Britt Wilt of Goldsboro; three grandchildren, Jason Whaley of Mount Olive, Miranda Goulet and husband, DuWayne, of Goldsboro, and Kelly Merritt of Goldsboro; and three great-grandchildren, Paul Whaley of Michigan, Sadie Dearing of Wilmington, and Savannah Goulet of Raleigh; a brother, Rex Whit eld of Mount Olive; and several nieces and nephews. She now joins in death, her husband, Albert O’Neal “Sholl” Britt; a son, Phillip Gregory Britt; her parents, Frank and Minnie Hill Whit eld; two sisters, Hazel W. Jones and Janice W. Lane; and brothers, Harold Whit eld, Bobby Whit eld, and Franklin “Bug” Whit eld.

Jacey Kiara

Newkirk

June 21, 2004 - March 7, 2024 (age 19)

Jacey Kiara Newkirk, 19, passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at her home. Funeral service was held on Friday, March 15, 2024, with visitation one hour prior to the service, at Community Funeral Home, Beulaville. Interment was at East Duplin Memorial Gardens, Beulaville. Survivors include: father, Jeremy Newkirk of Jacksonville; mother, Crystal James of Rose Hill; daughter, Aubree Newkirk of Rose Hill; brothers, Xzavier Newkirk of Kenansville, Desmond James of Rose Hill, and Jashod Hardy of Warsaw.

Angel Figueroa Moreno

Aug. 22, 1983 - March 13, 2024 (age 40)

MAGNOLIA — Mr. Angel Figueroa Moreno, age 40, of Magnolia passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at Duke Raleigh Hospital in Raleigh.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel, 472 Wells Town Road in Rose Hill. Burial will follow at Duplin Memorial Gardens in Teachey.

Esther Graham Crooms

July 9, 1941 - March 8, 2024 (age 82)

Mrs. Esther Graham Crooms, age 82, of Kenansville passed away at Sentra Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 22, 2024 at noon at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill. She is survived by two sons: Lawrence Graham and David Lee Crooms (Janet); three grandchildren: Tristian Garvin, Carlton Lee Crooms and Brandon James Crooms; three sisters: Carolyn Hall (Emmett), Mary Phyllis Lamb (Larry) and Margaret Blackman (Tony); one sister-inlaw, Ozelle Sharpless (Casey), along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that will miss her dearly.

Debra Brown Kornegay

April 7, 1958 - March 8, 2024 (age 65)

Debra (Gail) Brown Kornegay, 65, passed away on Friday, March 8, 2024 at her home.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Shirley Brown and a granddaughter, Raelyn Faith. Funeral service was held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, with visitation one hour prior, at Community Funeral Home, Beulaville. Interment followed at East Duplin Memorial Gardens, Beulaville. Survivors include: daughters, Sara-Beth Kornegay (James) of Chinquapin,Tracy Foss (Rusty), of Beulaville, Sheri Blackmon (Braxton) of Wallace; sisters, Cindy Batts of Wallace, Charlene Brown, of Jacksonville; brother, Vann Brown (Jennifer) of Pink Hill; and grandchildren, Jeremiah, EmaLeigh, Ethan, Austin, Gracie, Hunter, Jayden, Kensley, Paisley, RyLeigh, Brynlea, and Ellee Grace.

Keith Ervin Brown

Feb. 4, 1958 - March 14, 2024 (age 66)

Keith Ervin Brown, 66. passed away on Thursday, March 14, 2024 in ECU Health Duplin Hospital, Kenansville. He is preceded in death by his mother, Grace W. Brown and a daughter, Constance Brown.

Funeral service was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at Community Funeral Home, Beulaville. Interment was at Hallsville Baptist Church Cemetery, Beulaville, with visitation following. Survivors include: spouse, Rhonda Albertson Brown of Beulaville; father, Richard E. Brown of Beulaville; daughter, Stephanie Brown of Beulaville; brother, Emery Brown (Becky) of Beulaville.

May 10, 1946 - March 13, 2024 (age 77)

Lillian Gertrude Morrisey, 77, of Warsaw left this earthly realm for her eternal home March 13, 2024 at Kenansville Health & Rehabilitation Center. Funeral service was held March 19, 2024 at Hawes Funeral Home Chapel in Warsaw. Visitation was held one hour prior to service.

Benjamin Franklin Parks

March 26, 1937 - March 9, 2024 (age 86)

Benjamin “Ben” Franklin Parks passed away peacefully at his home on March 9, 2024 at age 86. He was a resident of Calypso, and was best known as owner and operator of Bear Swamp Taxidermy in Faison, where he and his partner, Sam Taylor, loved serving the hunters of eastern North Carolina for over 60 years. He is survived by two daughters, Peggie Parks (Alan Story) of Calypso and Paula Parks Barnes (Jonathan) of Clayton. He was loved deeply as “Papa” by his seven grandchildren, Benjamin, Spencer and Will Story, and Jackson, Collin, Ryan and Owen Fitzhugh.

Ben was the youngest son of Norman and Sallie Caudell Parks of the Taylortown area in Faison. He was preceded in death by his parents as well as his brother and three sisters, Gordon Parks, Ann Parks Sutton, Ina Parks Little and Ruth Parks Byrd. His wife of almost 50 years, Frances Sutton Parks, also preceded him by two years and we are sure she is nding things for him to do in heaven already! Ben was an active member of Calypso Presbyterian Church since 1969. Although he held deep spiritual convictions, Ben did not like formal services following a person’s death and so no formal service will be held. Instead, the family had a time of visitation and remembrance on Thursday, March 14 at the Calypso Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of owers memorials could be sent to the memorial fund at Calypso Presbyterian Church in his memory.

Dennis Parker Hobbs

Feb. 18, 1944 - March 13, 2024 (age 80)

Dennis Parker Hobbs, 80, of Faison, laid down his earthly burdens and entered into eternal rest at home. Funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Friday, March 22, 2024 at Moses Chapel Church, Faison. Visitation will be from noon until 1 p.m. (one hour prior to the service). Interment in the Cobb Cemetery of Faison.

Dennis Parker Hobbs, known to everyone as “Jit” was born to the late Calvin and Flonnie Parker Hobbs in Faison.

In addition to his parents preceding him in death were as follows: sisters: Martha Wolfe (June), Ola Mae Hill (Roscoe), Doretha Hobbs, Sadie Bell Faison) Johnnie), and brother, Kenneth Hobbs. The only surviving sibling is Calvin “Bud” Hobbs (Laura) in addition to a host of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and relatives. Special acknowledgement to Minister Carl Faison for taking care of him in his later years.

Lillian Gertrude Morrisey

2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

“Town of Beulaville” Water System Number: “04-31-020”

Este informe contiene informacion muy importante sobre su agua potable. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

We are pleased to present to you this year’s Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is a snapshot of last year’s water quality. Included are details about your source(s) of water, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the e orts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water and to providing you with this information because informed customers are our best allies. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water, please contact Angie Miller at 910-296-7219. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held at Beulaville town hall rst Monday each month at 6:30 pm.

What EPA Wants You to Know

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health e ects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-4264791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Town of Beulaville is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by ushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/ safewater/lead.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled.water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife; inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runo , industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming; pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runo , and residential uses; organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runo , and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

When You Turn on Your Tap, Consider the Source

The water that is used by this system is ... and is located at .. A 15 S. Railroad Ave. Well N 3 & 306 N. Brown Rd. Well# 4

Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Results

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Public Water Supply (PWS) Section, Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) conducted assessments for all drinking water sources across North Carolina. The purpose of the assessments was to determine the susceptibility of each drinking water source (well or surface water intake) to Potential Contaminant Sources (PCSs). The results of the assessment are available in SWAP Assessment Reports that include maps, background information and a relative susceptibility rating of Higher, Moderate or Lower.

The relative susceptibility rating of each source for Town of Beulaville was determined by combining the contaminant rating (number and location of PCSs within the assessment area) and the inherent vulnerability rating (i.e., characteristics or existing conditions of the well or watershed and its delineated assessment area). The assessment ndings are summarized in the table below:

The complete SWAP Assessment report for Town of Beulaville may be viewed on the Web at: https://www.ncwater.org/?page=600 Note that because SWAP results and reports are periodically updated by the PWS Section, the results available on this website may di er from the results that were available at the time this CCR was prepared. If you are unable to access your SWAP report on the web, you may mail a written request for a printed copy to: Source Water Assessment Program - Report Request, 1634 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1634, or email requests to swap@deq.nc.gov. Please indicate your system name, number, and provide your name, mailing address and phone number. If you have any questions about the SWAP report, please contact the Source Water Assessment sta by phone at (919) 707-9098.

It is important to understand that a susceptibility rating of”higher” does not imply poor water quality, only the system’s potential to become contaminated by PCSs in the assessment area.

Help Protect Your Source Water Protection of drinking water is everyone’s responsibility. We have implemented the following source water protection actions: You can help protect your community’s drinking water source(s) in several ways: (examples: dispose of chemicals properly; take used motor oil to a recycling center, volunteer in your community to participate in group e orts to protect your source, etc.).

Violations that Your Water System Received for the Report Year= No Violations for 2023

Important Drinking Water De nitions:

• Not-Applicable (NIA) - Information not applicable/not required for that particular water system or for that particular rule.

• Non-Detects (ND) - Laboratory analysis indicates that the contaminant is not present at the level of detection set for the particular methodology used.

• Action Level (AL) - The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

• Treatment Technique (TT) - A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

• Maximum Residual Disinfection Level (MRDL) - The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

• Maximum Residual Disinfection Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not re ect the bene ts of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

• Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA) - The average of sample analytical results for samples taken at a particular monitoring location during the previous four calendar quarters under the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule.

• Running Annual Average (RAA) - The average of sample analytical results for samples taken during the previous four calendar quarters.

• Level 1 Assessment -A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.

• Level 2 Assessment - A level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.

• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Water Quality Data Tables of Detected Contaminants