Local digest
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on April 1, 2004 2:00 PM
Spring lambs arrive at Aycock site
FREMONT -- Spring has sprung at Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site, and two new lambs are leaping into the season.
Baby Abigail arrived on March 8 and is doing just fine, say site officials. She's the baby daughter of proud parents Will and Christine, two rare Gulf Coast sheep welcomed to the site last year.
Abigail is white with a round brown spot near her rear, and already enjoys frolicking with other sheep in the pasture.
When Will and Christine were bought last June, it was hoped that they would produce offspring to add to the flock of Gulf Coast sheep at Aycock. Also known as Florida native sheep, this breed is particularly adaptable to heat and humidity. Gulf Coast sheep once were common in the Southeast, and possibly were raised on the Aycock farm when Gov. Charles Aycock was a boy in the 19th century.
Not to be outdone, Curly Sue, an older ewe at Aycock, gave birth on March 22. Curly Sue had a longer labor and recovery, but now she and baby boy Ricky also are doing well. Ricky is all white, and he too is chasing and playing with the other sheep.
Both sheep have short hair now, but when they mature their wool will grow to up to four inches in length. The wool ranges from white to dark brown, so the lambs may change color as they grow older. This variety of sheep is small, with wool-free faces and legs.
Airport seeks better security
The Goldsboro-Wayne Airport Authority approved a preliminary budget this morning for the new fiscal year that would increase security at the airport.
The authority approved a budget totaling $183,730 for the fiscal year beginning July 1. That's up from this year's $177,000 budget, with the increase mainly due to the increasing costs of insurance and grass-cutting.
The airport would also have a $43,000 capital budget. That includes money for the security improvements, such as new secured gates and camera systems.
The airport draws both state and county funding. The authority is also seeking a $35,000 contribution from the city of Goldsboro.
The airport's budget faces approval from the county commissioners.
Seminar set for retirement plans
The Business and Industry Center of Wayne Community College will offer the free seminar "Retirement Plans and Fiduciary Responsibility for Small Businesses" on Thursday, April 22, from 6-8 p.m. in Room 145 of the Dogwood Building on the college's main campus in Goldsboro. Call 735-5151, ext. 334 by April 20 to pre-register.
The seminar, presented by Danny Brown, addresses the basic fiduciary responsibilities of a business owner, including plan operation and management.
WCC scholarships available
Wayne Community College students who will return for the fall semester may apply for scholarships April 1-30.
Applications are available in the Wayne Community College Foundation's office in the Dogwood Building on campus.
Students applying for foundation scholarships are required to apply for federal financial aid also and can do so on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtain materials from the college's financial aid office. Contact the foundation or financial aid office at 735-5151 for more information.
The Foundation of Wayne Community College is a nonprofit organization that works to promote and to broaden the base of community support for educational opportunities at Wayne Community College. In the 2003-2004 school year, the foundation assisted students with more than 300 scholarships totaling around $185,000.
Bloodmobile schedules stops
The April Bloodmobile schedule for the Wayne County Chapter of the American Red Cross is as follows:
Friday: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
April 13: Red Cross chapter house, 600 N. George St., from 2 to 6:30 p.m. by appointment only by calling 735-7201.
April 14: Cherry Hospital from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
April 15: Red Cross chapter house, 600 N. George St., from 2 to 6:30 p.m. by appointment only by calling 735-7201.
April 17: El-Bethel Assembly from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
April 18: Providence United Methodist Church from 1 to 5:30 p.m.
April 20: Wayne Community College from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
April 21: APV from noon to 4:30 p.m.
April 22: Goldsboro Milling Co. from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
April 30: Lowe's from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dill to take a dive
MOUNT OLIVE -- When a daring Mt. Olive Kosher Dill takes a dive from the air Friday, April 23, Mount Olive charities will benefit.
The Death Defying Dill Dive is a fund-raiser for the Waylin Area Foundation's Physician Recruitment Program and other Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce projects.
When the dashing dill makes its landing, someone will win $500.
And the Waylin Foundation will receive up to $3,500 to help fund scholarships for young people attending medical school from the area.
The event will be staged at 6 p.m. at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport just prior to the N.C. Pickle Festival's Friday night concert.
The pickle will be dropped into a "Dill Dive Zone" on the runway. Each $10 ticket sold prior to the Dill Dive will represent one of 400 four-foot squares in the Dill Dive Zone.
The winner gets a $500 prize.
Tickets are on sale now and are available from chamber members and at the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce. Ticket holders do not have to be present to win.