Briefly
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on March 14, 2004 2:10 AM
Fire victim needs clothing
Friends of a man who was severely burned in a fire near Seven Springs are seeking donations of clothing.
Dennis Wanamaker, 45, of 1941 Pineview Road, is currently in Wayne Memorial Hospital where he is being treated for burns and is listed in good condition. His dog died in the fire.
His friend Barbara Gurley said Wanamaker woke up and his arm was on fire. He jumped out a window to escape. His face, legs and hands were also burned.
Ms. Gurley said Wanamaker, who was renting the house, lost all of his possessions in the fire and needs clothes. He wears a men's medium shirt, 32-inch by 32-inch pants and size 10 shoes. To donate clothes, call Ms. Gurley at 778-0655 or drop them by Andy's Transmission at 595 Dollard Town Road.
Employment improves
The unemployment rate dropped slightly in Wayne County in January.
Around 2,598 county residents, or about 5.2 percent of the workforce, were unemployed, according to the Employment Security Commission.
That's a decrease of about 117 people from December, when the county's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.
The state rate in January was 6.3 percent, which was up from 5.9 percent in December.
The unemployment rate rose in these surrounding counties: Duplin, 6.2 percent in December to 6.8 percent in January; Johnston, 3.9 to 4.2 percent; Sampson, 5.7 to 5.9 percent; Lenoir, 5.3 to 6.0 percent; and Wilson, 8.4 to 8.9 percent.
Hyde County had the state's highest unemployment rate in January, 14.2 percent. For the fourth consecutive month, Watauga County had the state's lowest unemployment rate, at 2.6 percent.
'Mockingbird' trivia winner
Fittingly, a "Robbins" knew enough about a "Mockingbird" to win the final drawing in the News-Argus' trivia contest.
The answer to last week's "To Kill A Mockingbird" question was that the Ewell children had been sent to buy ice cream at the time when Mayella Ewell was allegedly attacked.
Twenty correct answers were received, and Nona Robbins was selected in Friday's drawing for a hardback copy.
"After reading the novel, I have really wanted a nice copy for my library," she said.
Mrs. Robbins read the novel with the "Books in the City" club, which has embraced the Wayne County Reads project, she said. The club held its own book discussion and attended community events. "We're already looking forward to what's next," she said.
Sponsored by the Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Department, the Books in the City is open to any adults interested in regular discussions about books. Call 734-4511 for more information.
The News-Argus thanks everyone who took part in the trivia contest. We received more than 250 correct answers during the eight weeks of the contest.
'Cover pet'
Does your pet have star quality?
The Wayne County Humane Society is taking the highest bid for a pet to be pictured on the cover of the 2005 calendar. Bidding starts at $125.
The highest bidder also gets his pet on the front page of the society's Web site, along with two 2005 calendars, a T-shirt, and a free Holiday Pet Photo in December.
The bidding closes on April 15. To obtain additional information or place a bid, call Suzanne Tyner at 734-4571 or Suzi Wharton at 751-2572.
Job fair scheduled
The sixth annual March to Work Job Fair will be held on March 25 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The event will be held at the National Guard Armory off U.S. 117 South. It is sponsored by the Workforce Development Council, the Wayne County Department of Social Services, WAGES and Wayne Uplift Resource Association.
Transportation to the job fair will be provided for Wayne County residents by Wayne Uplift. For more information, call 658-9489.