April 2008 archives

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Duct tape attire

Photo submitted C.J. Albee, left, and Amber Leeming, seniors at Rosewood High School, model the outfits they created from duct tape to wear to their prom. For more information see They went to the prom ... in duct tape....

Council takes closer look at expenses

The Goldsboro City Council added items back to the proposed budget for 2008-09 during a work session Tuesday, but admitted by the end of the meeting that there would not be enough money to cover all the expenses and that...

Senate hopeful takes his campaign on road

With less than a week to go before Tuesday's primary, former state Sen. Tony Moore is still out working to find votes, often spending his afternoons going door to door in various Pitt, Greene and Wayne county neighborhoods. "It's been...

Jobless rate up and down in Wayne

Wayne County's unemployment rate bumped up .2 percent to 5.1 percent in February and back down .2 percent in March, returning to 4.9 percent. The rate for March 2007 was 4.3 percent. And although the rate has gone up some...

Meth lab arrest made on Waller Road

Meth lab components at a Waller Road home had Wayne County sheriff's deputies looking for one of its residents. They found Roy Allan Fountain, 28, and he was charged with possession of 2 1/2 grams of methamphetamine and two counts...

Planning Board gives nod to plan for new city bar

Goldsboro residents are one step closer to having another bar and restaurant to frequent. The Goldsboro Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit requested by Jeff Darwin at its meeting Monday night. Darwin wants to use property located on the...

Duplin commissioners hope for sales tax OK

KENANSVILLE -- Duplin County Commissioner L.S. Guy and school board member William Gillespie spent some time Monday counting out what they hope will be a sign of the future -- approval of the county's proposed one-quarter cent sales tax increase....

They went to the prom ... in duct tape

Ambitious high school seniors typically begin searching early for ways to pay for college. Those with stick-to-itiveness usually come out ahead. At least that's what Rosewood High School seniors Amber Leeming and C.J. Albee are hoping. Back in November, C.J....

MOC's womanless beauty pageant raises money for Make-A-Wish

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College students raised $600 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation recently, when the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee sponsored its third annual woMANless beauty pageant. Seven male students dressed up as women and performed for the event. Winners include:...

Public record

Armed robbery North Park Avenue Ruby Tuesday Manager Freddie King was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of First Citizens Bank on the corner of Spence Avenue and Ash Street Monday night, police said. The suspect took an undisclosed...

Friends of Library seeking to double its membership

The Friends of the Wayne County Public Library is conducting a membership drive that the organization hopes will bring in 500 new members. "In recent years, membership in the Friends has remained relatively level at about 250 members," organization president...

Red Cross to host tennis tournament

The Wayne County Chapter of the American Red Cross will have its first ever tennis tournament fundraiser Friday through Sunday at Goldsboro Country Club. It is for tennis players of all ages and skill levels. It's being held in connection...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Goldsboro, Mount Olive officials share concerns

Members of the Goldsboro City Council and Mount Olive Town Board met for a round-table Monday night to discuss cooperation, a stronger working relationship, annexation and water. This was the first time in recent history that the two boards have...

33 speak to voters at forum at Grange

Speaking at the Grantham Grange's candidate forum Monday night, the issue of taxes was on the lips of several Wayne County Board of Commissioners candidates. Some were advocating against the upcoming sales tax referendum; some argued in favor. Others pledged...

Democrats agree citizens should vote on sales tax

As individuals, members of the executive committee of the Wayne County Democratic Party Monday night appeared to support passage of the proposed one-quarter cent increase in the sales tax. But as an official arm of the party, committee members were...

Duplin schools ask county for $13.2 million

KENANSVILLE -- Bringing per student local spending up to the state average is among the chief goals of the proposed Duplin County Schools budget. Duplin school officials met with County Manager Aldridge during an informal work session Monday. The schools...

Man charged with using boys to break into city warehouse

Goldsboro police say a man encouraged four young boys to break into Johnson Sherman Co. on West Walnut Street this weekend. Dominic Toomer, 22, of North Virginia Street was charged with four counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles,...

Public record

Bond set An arrest report details the secured bond amount for a man allegedly responsible for a string of 12 robberies with a sawed-off shotgun. Police reports show Anthony Jerome Lee, 40, of Dudley and Goldsboro, was jailed under $450,000...

Wayne County Reads wants input from readers abouit book, events

The Wayne County Reads Committee is polling readers to find out what they thought about this year's book and the series of events surrounding it. The survey also seeks out what books people want to explore during next year's Wayne...

Battle of the Books winners

Tommy's Road Elementary School won the second annual Elementary Battle of the Books Competition recently. The event took place April 17 at Herman Park Center with 105 students from nine elementary schools competing. The Tommy's Road team consisted of Caitlyn...

Monday, April 28, 2008

Graduation preparation

News-Argus/Greg Sousa Cutline For more information see Trying on their futures....

Heavy storms rock parts of N.C.

Wayne County received between an inch and three inches of rain over the weekend and forecasters were calling for more before the night is over. Rainfall estimates range from just over 1.23 inches at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to...

Jim Neal trying to catch up to Kay Hagan for Dem's U.S. Senate

Running in what he considers to be one of the state's "defining races," Jim Neal is confident he is drawing closer to his opponent for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Elizabeth Dole. Currently,...

Facelift continues on depot downtown

More than eight months since Mayor Al King announced that Goldsboro's Union Station would undergo rehabilitation to its former glory as a working passenger rail service center, the work on the frame of the historic structure is continuing to progress....

Trying on their futures

A state-mandated addition to high school students' "senior project" has educators and administrators a little nervous. The controversy heated up when the Department of Public Instruction first announced the mandated component in 2006. Effective with the class of students entering...

Thrift store offers bargins and sale chance for airmen

Forget about yard sales and Internet auction sites. Take a break from long hours in department stores. And please, avoid the trash bin when you can. If you have access to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, its thrift shop wants...

Wessell honored by physics teachers

A state award has been named for Conrad "Bo" Wessell of Goldsboro, who is also its first recipient. The honor was presented by the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (NCS-AAPT) at its Thirteenth Annual Spring...

WCC students recognized

Four Wayne Community College students participated in the statewide community college system's annual academic excellence awards luncheon recently in Raleigh. Current students Wendy Womble and Tabitha Parkton were among 116 students --two from each of the 58 community colleges in...

WCC Phi Theta Kappa awards

Upsilon Chi, Wayne Community College's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, recently received more than a dozen awards at its annual regional conference. In addition, member Michelle Rogers was named 2008 vice-president of the...

Foundation raises more than $1 million

LUCAMA -- Gifts totaling nearly $1.69 million have been made to the North Carolina Foundation for Christian Ministries since it was inaugurated three years ago. That was reported last week by Dr. Don Robeiro of Snow Hill, the treasurer of...

Sunday, April 27, 2008

First comes property, then water use

Higher property taxes might not be the only bills Goldsboro residents will see increasing this year. Their water and refuse rates might be on the rise, too. Goldsboro officials are continuing to work on the proposed budget for the coming...

Chamber asks area legislators 'why' at briefing

To state Sen. John Kerr, D-Wayne, the biggest problem facing North Carolina is not necessarily education, transportation or infrastructure, although all of those are important concerns. Rather, he explained to the members of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce during...

Moore has plan for area, but will not visit

Running with a week left before the May 6 primary, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Richard Moore doesn't have any visits to Goldsboro or Wayne County planned, but he says that he is still the most in touch with the needs of...

Volunteer Wayne/RSVP honors local volunteers' contribution

Ted Ivey retired from the military after 20 years of service. It didn't take him long before he was bored with retirement. Ivey found another job, only to retire from it and find himself sitting at home, bored, again. When...

Grantham Grange will host forum

With only a week to go before the May 6 primary, members of the Grantham Grange are making one last effort to make sure people know who the candidates are and what they stand for, as they host a candidate...

Council considers downtown bar, eatery business

Goldsboro officials take into consideration a number of factors when deciding whether to approve a business that serves alcohol. Proximity to neighboring homes and businesses and the establishment's effect on them is something that both the city Planning Commission and...

Pickle festival pleases crowd, taste buds

MOUNT OLIVE -- This must be one of few festivals where you'll see thousands meandering along an old but active railroad line, crunching on green triangular sticks. Those sticks are dill pickle slices, and this is Mount Olive's Pickle Festival,...

Wayne 4-H team second in state

Wayne County 4-H's senior team came in second in the annual state Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program competition. It was held April 19 at Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County. Sixty youths representing eight counties from across the state...

Downtown trolleys May 4

An historic narrated horse-drawn trolley ride will be held Sunday, May 4, from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The event will start at Pupetta's Italian Restaurant followed by the two-hour narrated trolley tour. Lunch will be held at 12:30, with...

'Shred-a-Thon' May 12 at mall

A "Shred-a-Thon" to give people a chance to get rid of sensitive documents will be held Monday, May 12, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Sears at Berkeley Mall. The event is sponsored by the...

Public record

Tobacco store robbed Tobacco World at 523 E. Ash St. reported an armed robbery Thursday morning. The clerk told Goldsboro police a man entered the store, displayed a handgun and demanded money from the register. The report said the thief...

Best promotes voting to teen peers

For somebody active in the Democratic Party, active in the campaigns of gubernatorial candidates and in other races, casting a simple one-stop early ballot wouldn't normally be a big deal. But when that somebody is the 17-year-old president of the...

Fill the Boot campaign to help fallen firefighter's son

Hoping to help pay the medical bills and other costs -- not covered by their insurance policy -- incurred by the family of Paxten Mitchell, the 3-year-old son of an Asheville firefighter who died of a rare form leukemia earlier...

Charlie's world

Charlie Royal runs a finger across the face in the photograph his teacher is holding. "Who is that Charlie?" asks Ricky Lofton, one of the Life Skills instructors at Southern Wayne High School. "Is that your mom?" The boy grins...

Doctor says finger-pointing isn't an answer to the 'whys' of autism

With diagnosed cases of autism on the rise, physicians have to consider all possibilities when it comes to the most effective treatments. Dr. Dave Tayloe of Goldsboro Pediatrics has found himself thrust into the heated battle since becoming president-elect of...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Pickle art

News-Argus/Bobby Williams Southern Wayne High School students, from left, Amanda Barfield, Trey Massengill and Ofelia Martin prepare artwork Thursday for display at the North Carolina Pickle Festival on Saturday. The art show will be held in the former Belk...

Robbery suspect caught

Goldsboro and Wayne County lawmen say county convenience store clerks --and patrons -- can breathe a little easier. The alleged armed robber is behind bars. Authorities said late Thursday that Anthony Jerome Lee, who turned 40 today, has been charged...

Sales tax ad protest rejected by the state Board of Elections

After receiving a complaint filed against the Wayne County Board of Commissioners regarding its advertisement of the quarter-cent sales tax Tuesday, the state Board of Elections reported Wednesday that no violations were found. "We reviewed it, and there are no...

F-15s set to perform flyover in Raleigh

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base F-15E Strike Eagles are scheduled to kick off one of the largest military appreciation celebrations in state history Saturday. Officials expect the Salute to Our Troops Day to draw thousands to the state capital to...

Ready, set, pickle

MOUNT OLIVE -- The excitement is building in Mount Olive today as the 22nd annual North Carolina Pickle Festival gets under way. The event started with a golf tournament Thursday and will continue with carnival rides this evening in the...

Hospital staff honors community volunteers

Wayne Memorial Hospital said thank you Thursday to more than 100 people who volunteer their time to help staff and patients. Staff members were the waiters and waitresses at Lane Tree Golf Club as they served the honorees and their...

Electronic recycling Saturday at Sam's Club

People with electronic items that are broken or outdated can safely dispose of them Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Sam's Club parking lot, where a state-of-the-art electronic processor will be present to accept discarded computers, cell...

DIllard science teacher receives $10,000 grant

Dillard Middle School science teacher Darrell Coston has been awarded a $10,000 grant for excellence and innovation in science education. Coston and Katie Tatum, a science teacher at Terrell Lane Middle School in Louisburg, were two of 50 teachers acrosss...

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Police arrest suspect in string of armed robberies

An arrest has been made in two Thursday morning armed robberies, and Goldsboro police report strong suspicion it is the man involved in a string of at least 11 other storefront assaults. A Dudley man, Anthony Jerome Lee, who turns...

Water-logged Learning

News-Argus/Greg Sousa Mary Ella Spengler, left, Madison Eddy and Alanna Price, third-grade students at Spring Creek Elementary School, react after placing their hands in a cooler of ice cold water during a Water Safety Day event Monday at Herman...

No school on Memorial Day, but ...

Students in Wayne County Public Schools will likely have Memorial Day off after all, officials announced Wednesday. The trade-off is students and teachers will have to make up the day by going to classes on a Saturday. Responding to disgruntled...

Lawmakers taking look at N.C. rules on annexing

After holding a series of public hearings across the state, a special House study committee voted Wednesday to recommend that a temporary moratorium be placed on all involuntary and satellite municipal annexations. If adopted after the General Assembly goes into...

Armed robber is back at work

The shotgun-toting robber suspected in as many as nine other robberies in recent weeks probably struck again early this morning, police said. Police were still investigating an incident reported around 6 a.m. today. Police Sgt. Chad Calloway said he was...

Man faces charges in shooting near school

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office charged a Goldsboro man with shooting a sign outside Northwest Elementary School. The Pikeville-Princeton Road School was letting out classes around 4 p.m. Wednesday when shots were reportedly fired, Capt. Tom Effler said. Deputies were...

School district honors volunteers and partners

An Army captain based in Kinston was named Volunteer of the Year for Wayne County Public Schools for efforts by soldiers in his unit at North Drive Elementary School. The school system recognized outstanding volunteers at each of the public...

Tickets on sale for shrimp and lobster fest

Think you might be interested in a lobster or shrimp dinner next week? Then call the Partnership for Children of Wayne County by Friday and order your shrimp or lobster meal. Holding its 4th annual Lobster and Shrimp Fest, the...

Gang conference Friday at JSCC

KENANSVILLE -- Eastpointe is sponsoring a conference on gang psychology entitled "One Child, One Plan, One Team," on Friday at James Sprunt Community College. The purpose is to help parents and professionals identify the warning signs that a child might...

Public record

Armed robbery Goldsboro resident Thomas Ellis said he was robbed Wednesday at gunpoint while loading up his work truck in the 600 block of East Royall Avenue, police reported. A black man with a medium build, weighing about 222 pounds,...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Youths take over county government

News-Argus/Greg Sousa Wayne County students Joshulyn Johnson, Michael Thevenin, Mary Elizabeth West and Caroline Keen discuss several issues facing the county during their stint as mock county leaders Tuesday. For more information see If they were in charge....

City considers 5-cent tax increase

Goldsboro residents might see a tax increase in their future. City officials are working on their budget for the next fiscal year, beginning in July, and the proposed budget includes a tax rate increase from 65 cents per $100 valuation...

Churches protest plan for new bar

Five speakers representing a downtown church spoke against the establishment of a tavern at the corner of East Walnut Street and North John Street during a public hearing held by the City Council Monday night. Jeff Darwin has asked the...

Youths take over county government

Had it been a real Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, public school teachers would be receiving a 1.5 percent salary supplement increase, a juvenile detention center would be being considered, and an after-school program for homeless students...

Thirteen students named North Carolina Teaching Fellows

Thirteen area high school seniors have been named recipients of the 2008 North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarships. The scholarship program is considered one of the top teacher recruiting programs in the nation, created by the General Assembly in 1986. Each...

Local candidate gives perpective on campaign, race

Stuck in a crowded field for the Democratic nomination for the state Senate District 5 seat, former Wayne Community College President Dr. Ed Wilson said this week that he expects the race to go to a second primary. "My gut...

All-County Band concert set for Thursday night

More than 100 band members from Wayne County Public Schools will showcase their instrumental talents Thursday during the 2008 All County Band Festival at Dillard Middle School. Accomplished professionals will direct students representing 16 middle and high schools. The program...

Farm equipment show

The Eastern Carolina Vintage Farm Equipment Club will hold its annual Antique Farm Equipment Days tractor and engine show May 2-3 at the Wayne Regional Fairgrounds, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days. Admission is free. For information call...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Skyrocketing Prices

News-Argus/Greg Sousa The price of gas had risen to more than $3.50 today for regular at most gas stations around Goldsboro. Above, at the Kangaroo station on Wayne Memorial Drive the price was $3.55 this morning. Nationally, the average...

Republican alleges sales tax push

A Wayne County resident has filed a formal complaint about what he considers to be the county Board of Commissioners' illegal promotion of the May 6 quarter-cent sales tax referendum. County officials, however, maintain that their brochures and radio advertisements...

Limits on water use voluntary, city says

Goldsboro Mayor Al King announced Monday night that the city is downgrading its water restrictions to voluntary conservation, effective today at noon. The move means city residents won't have to limit their lawn watering or car washing to just Saturdays...

Relay will add new fun at night

This year's Relay for Life event will go on ... all night long. The annual community-wide effort to battle cancer, which is scheduled for May 16-17 at Wayne Community College usually ends at bedtime, when tents and teams settle down...

Another armed robbery added to officers' list of investigations

A North Spence Avenue store was robbed again by a man with a shotgun, possibly the ninth in a string of recent attacks. But unlike other attacks, this robbery involved two men inside the store, according to police reports. A...

WCC instructor honored

An English instructor at Wayne Community College who coordinates the college's new honors program, was honored recently at the annual national convention of the internatinal honor society for two-year colleges. Tara Bass, who recently stepped down as advisor to the...

Public record

Armed robbery A Spence Avenue Subway employee said two men robbed the store with weapons late Saturday night, Goldsboro police said. Two black males sat inside the store for about 10 minutes before one jumped the counter with a gun...

Monday, April 21, 2008

Tobacco Rows

News-Argus/Bobby Williams Workers transplant tobacco on the farm of Jake and Vinson Price off N.C. 111 South near the Duplin County line on Friday. With the danger of frost mostly past, area farmers have begun transferring the tender young...

Towns give OK to sales tax hike

With the debate over the quarter-cent sales tax increase heating up, three of Wayne County's four major towns -- Goldsboro, Mount Olive and Pikeville -- have either approved or are preparing to approve resolutions supporting the May 6 referendum. The...

Sales tax fast facts

n Voters will have the opportunity to decide whether or not they want to approve a quarter-cent sales tax increase. n If it is approved, the commissioners must then take another vote to enact it, and as long as that...

Allergy season is taking its toll on sniffling sufferers this year

Michelle Montgomery of Pikeville and her 6-year-old daughter, Abi, are among hundreds of patients flocking to doctors' offices this spring to take care of sniffles, sneezes and watery eyes. The pair visited David Whitley Jr. at the Eastern Sinus and...

Public record

Robbery *Michael Emmitt William Ballree, 23, of Crystal Road, Southport, said he was in on the 100 block of Rockafeller Court when someone struck him three times in the face with a closed fist, demanded money and went through his...

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Wayne Republicans oppose sales tax addition

The Wayne County Republican Party is coming out today against the quarter-cent sales tax increase that residents will have the opportunity to vote on during the May 6 primary. Planning an all-out media blitz with newspaper and radio advertisements...

School decision on Memorial Day draws ire

Memorial Day, a federal holiday commemorating the lives of men and women who have died in military service, will be a regular day of classes this year for Wayne County Public Schools. And the decision has military parents and veterans...

Wayne Democrats gather to firm election battle plan

The Wayne County Democratic Party's annual convention Saturday turned into a candidates' forum, with 18 candidates running for everything from state Senate to county register of deeds taking the podium. Five of the six Democrats seeking the seat held by...

Beny is back home again

Within a few hours of word getting out about a missing airman named Beny, 4th Fighter Wing Staff Sgt. Jamie Emerson was in tears. She got a call Friday afternoon from a woman who claimed to have found her...

Fremont must get Goldsboro approval to add sewer users

Goldsboro might have more of a hand in economic development in the northern part of the county than some might have thought with the city in control of sewer lines that go to and from Fremont. A home interior business...

Duplin schools seek $13.2 million from county

After having $5 million chopped from their budget proposal last year by the county commissioners, Duplin County Public School officials are trying again this year, increasing their requested local funding by nearly $1 million. Their request this year for...

Churches travel county helping residents

Volunteers from at least 10 churches were working all over Wayne County Saturday in an effort called Operation InAsMuch. The project is based on the Scripture from the book of Matthew: "... inasmuch as you did it to one of...

Rescuers get help from first responders

Even with a paid, paramedic-level county emergency medical service, Wayne County Emergency Services Director Joe Gurley knows the county still depends on a large first responder force to help out in emergencies. He explained that oftentimes, the first responders...

City Council meets Monday night

Goldsboro City Council members will have a lot on their plates and in their glasses Monday night as they are expected to discuss several food and beverage topics. A public hearing will be held for a proposal for a downtown...

Wayne Republicans oppose sales tax addition

The Wayne County Republican Party is coming out today against the quarter-cent sales tax increase that residents will have the opportunity to vote on during the May 6 primary. Planning an all-out media blitz with newspaper and radio advertisements...

School decision on Memorial Day draws ire

Memorial Day, a federal holiday commemorating the lives of men and women who have died in military service, will be a regular day of classes this year for Wayne County Public Schools. And the decision has military parents and veterans...

Wayne Democrats gather to firm election battle plan

The Wayne County Democratic Party's annual convention Saturday turned into a candidates' forum, with 18 candidates running for everything from state Senate to county register of deeds taking the podium. Five of the six Democrats seeking the seat held by...

Beny is back home again

Within a few hours of word getting out about a missing airman named Beny, 4th Fighter Wing Staff Sgt. Jamie Emerson was in tears. She got a call Friday afternoon from a woman who claimed to have found her...

Fremont must get Goldsboro approval to add sewer users

Goldsboro might have more of a hand in economic development in the northern part of the county than some might have thought with the city in control of sewer lines that go to and from Fremont. A home interior business...

Duplin schools seek $13.2 million from county

After having $5 million chopped from their budget proposal last year by the county commissioners, Duplin County Public School officials are trying again this year, increasing their requested local funding by nearly $1 million. Their request this year for...

Churches travel county helping residents

Volunteers from at least 10 churches were working all over Wayne County Saturday in an effort called Operation InAsMuch. The project is based on the Scripture from the book of Matthew: "... inasmuch as you did it to one of...

Rescuers get help from first responders

Even with a paid, paramedic-level county emergency medical service, Wayne County Emergency Services Director Joe Gurley knows the county still depends on a large first responder force to help out in emergencies. He explained that oftentimes, the first responders...

City Council meets Monday night

Goldsboro City Council members will have a lot on their plates and in their glasses Monday night as they are expected to discuss several food and beverage topics. A public hearing will be held for a proposal for a downtown...

Friday, April 18, 2008

Obama visits Greenville

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Sen. Barack Obama speaks during a rally held on the East Carolina University campus Thursday. Thousands of supporters filled Minges Coliseum the arena to hear the Democrat speak. For more information see Barack Obama draws crowd at...

Barack Obama draws crowd at ECU

GREENVILLE -- Some came to see history. Others came out of simple curiosity. But as the doors to the gym floor opened and the crowd's roar began to overpower the two speaker stacks flanking the stage, there was no denying...

County options 104 acres on U.S. 117

The first results of the Wayne County Development Alliance's recent industrial site study are now being realized as the county commission approved an option Tuesday on 104-acre tract of land near Mount Olive. The land, owned by the Luke Donnell...

City's Bond Rating

While most other entities' bond ratings are decreasing, the city of Goldsboro's rating has increased -- a sign that despite an uneasy national economy, bond rating officials believe the city is financially well-prepared for the future. Three bond rating agencies...

Missing After Action

Jamie Emerson had just gotten back from a deployment in Korea when she received orders to report to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. But her fiancé was assigned to Langley, so when the staff sergeant arrived in Goldsboro, she was...

Public record

Man struck with gun Elvis Isler of Mobile Circle, Dudley reported that a 46-year-old man he knows opened his door and struck him with a handgun late Wednesday, causing minor injury, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said....

Thursday, April 17, 2008

These seniors have talent

News-Argus/Greg Sousa Shirley Jones, left, Vivian Holden, center, and Beulah Taylor, right, perform a comedy act as “The Over the Hill Gang” during the first annual Senior Talent Show on Wednesday at the Senior Center in Goldsboro. Organizers hope...

On the loose

News-Argus Video Report Early this morning, a shotgun-wielding robber put doubt on speculation that two other men in custody were responsible for a recent string of armed robberies. On Wednesday morning, Goldsboro and Wayne County lawmen were wondering if...

Proposed sawmill near base gets OK

Despite the possibility that the change in zoning might someday open the 12-acre tract of land south of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base up to unwanted uses, the Wayne County Planning Board voted 3-2 last week to approve the request...

6.4 pounds of cocaine seized in LaGrange

The Goldsboro- Wayne County Drug Squad said it seized 6.4 pounds of cocaine, weapons, a bullet-proof vest and cash from a LaGrange home on Wednesday. A Drug Squad news release lists two men who face charges in that raid in...

Laptops for the love of learning

Through a statewide effort to equip students for the future workforce, every student at Wayne Early/Middle College High School received a personal laptop computer Tuesday night. The school was one of nine in the state chosen to participate in the...

MOC looks towards global economy

An economic connection between North Carolina and the eastern European nation, the Republic of Moldova could benefit both the small country and eastern North Carolina. The Moldovan ambassador, Nicolae Chirtoaca, recently visited Mount Olive College and Dr. Kenneth Stokes, the...

Poultry litter plant is going to Sampson County

Fibrowatt has made its decision, and it will not be building its poultry litter-fired power plant in Duplin County. Instead, the Pennsylvania company, which built its first three plants in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and its first in...

'Jazz on George,' 'Walk it Out Goldsboro' to be held Saturday

Kicking off festivities across Goldsboro, Saturday, will be the Earth Day event, "Walk it Out Goldsboro." Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stoney Creek Park, it will include a one-mile fun walk, guided trail walks and other games...

Engineering school helping county health department

Students at the newest public high school will assist the Wayne County Health Department this season in efforts to reduce the mosquito population. Beginning April 22, 75 students from Wayne School of Engineering will spend four weeks canvassing the community,...

MOC parents pledge funds for art program

Parents of two Mount Olive College students have made a $50,000 pledge to the school, which will be earmarked for construction of the proposed Fine Arts Village. Gregg and Bonny Henderson, parents of Corey, 21, a psychology major, and Taylor,...

Meadow Lane students raise money for custodians

Students at Meadow Lane Elementary School have spent the past three years working toward helping out the custodians who serve at their school each day. Fourth graders at the school have held several fundraisers to purchase a golf cart for...

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Berry tasty

News-Argus/Bobby Williams Mackenzie Gurley, the daughter of Tammy Weaver and Robbie Gurley, of Virginia, and the granddaughter of Dale and Beth Rumbley of Dudley, picks strawberries Tuesday at Cottle Farms in the Mar-Mac community. Cooperative Extension agent Kevin Johnson...

Firemen back sales tax increase

With more than two dozen members standing behind him, Kirk Barnett, president of the Wayne County Firemen's Asso-ciation, announced their support for the quarter-cent sales tax referendum during Tuesday's county commission meeting. County officials plan to use the revenues from...

Authorities interview two robbery suspects

Authorities confirmed that two more convenience stores were robbed in the county last night and two suspects are currently being interviewed. Last night's robberies bring the total to nine robberies possibly committed by the same sawed-off shotgun-toting robber, police said....

Best calls for tutoring study

With a group of Wayne County business leaders preparing to come together to form a series of committees to address their concerns with the public school system, Commissioner Jack Best offered a fifth possibility Tuesday. The four committees the business...

His dream came true

George Silvey sits in his home in Fremont, sporting a "Pirates of the Caribbean" T-shirt. The 8-year-old got the shirt during a week-long trip to Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. George, a 3rd-grade...

Library promoting poetry

The Wayne County Public Library will host its first ever Poetry Walk on Friday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Participants will gather at the library and then walk through the surrounding neighborhoods, letting the sights and sounds and of the...

Public record

Theft Bobby Dixson of Millers Chapel Road reported that someone entered her yard Monday night and stole a rooster worth $30....

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

April 15 ... tick tock

News-Argus/Bobby Williams C. Earl Davis, left, an AARP volunteer, helps Michael Brown today with his taxes at the Wayne County Senior Center, the last day to file taxes. For those mailing out tax forms, Goldsboro’s two post offices will...

Gas prices guzzle municipal pocketbooks

With oil hovering at $112.38 a barrel, the increasing price of gas is beginning to take its toll not only on Wayne County residents, but also on city and county governments. The city of Goldsboro usually buys 3,500 to 5,000...

Man stabbed over chicken

A fight between two roommates over the biggest piece of chicken ended when one stabbed the other with a knife, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said. Detective Sgt. Richard Baker and other patrol officers found Mario Pascual suffering from a...

Boy sets family's terrier on fire

A Wayne County teenager is facing charges of animal cruelty after a dog in the Dudley area suffered burns in a backyard fire. Officers at the Wayne County Animal Control Department were alerted to the incident after receiving an anonymous...

Attitude, not money, key to city's future, mayor says

Mayor Al King spoke to the city of Goldsboro in the form of a taped speech on Monday night about its past, present and future. In his first-ever State of the City address, King said that the night was a...

Grant gives witnesses, victims legal assistance

When most court systems are clogged with a backlog of cases, sometimes it's the victims of crime who get lost in the red tape. Victims come through the courts every day -- brought there by larceny, assault, communicating threats or...

Scouts honor Sen. Kerr with citizen award

State Sen. John Kerr received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Tuscarora Boy Scouts Council during a banquet Monday night at Walnut Creek Country Club. Friends tried to roast Wayne County's retiring state senator, but every time they did, they...

Sheriff's Honor Guard golf tournament

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard is funded, not through tax dollars, but by contributions and the unit's members themselves. To help raise money to pay for uniforms, equipment and travel expenses, the guard is sponsoring a golf tournament...

Public record

Investigation closed The Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed an investigation into the falling death of Shine's Volunteer Fire Department's fire chief, a representative said. Shine Fire Chief Tully Layden, 52, fell to his death while repairing a Mulberry Street...

Monday, April 14, 2008

Cleaning Up

News-Argus/Greg Sousa The roof of the home owned by Richard and Denise Clark at 285 Princeton Road in Princeton, lies in the back yard on Sunday after a tornado ripped through northwestern Wayne County on Saturday afternoon. For more...

County keeps eye on 2008 legislative agenda

Wayne County officials are worried that even with the shortened N.C. General Assembly this year, decisions made in Raleigh this term could cost taxpayers money. With the short session scheduled to begin May 13, Gov. Mike Easley has already...

Short, but mighty

PRINCETON -- Richard Clark first thought he heard lightning when a tornado ripped the roof off his house Saturday afternoon. "Maybe about 10 minutes to 3 p.m. I heard a loud 'bang,'" Clark said outside his home Sunday evening. Then...

N.C. Pickle Festival April 25-26

MOUNT OLIVE -- Organizers of the 22st annual North Carolina Pickle Festival say they expect a big crowd for the annual event, that will be held Friday and Saturday, April 25-26. The fun begins April 24, with the Pickle Festival...

Program prepares graduates for work

A county program designed to better-prepare Wayne graduates to move into jobs in the workforce is already seeing results in three local high schools, officials announced. When the Wayne County Board of Commissioners agreed to establish the WORKS program,...

County will look at block grant plan

From staff reports The Wayne County Board of Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m., Tuesday in their chambers in the Wayne County Courthouse. On the agenda are two public hearings at 9:15 a.m. The first is to close out the...

Congressman doesn't like tanker deal

Despite the positive economic impacts on Wayne County, the awarding of a multi-billion dollar contract to the French company Northrop Grumman for a new air refueling tanker has caused at least one of the county's congressional representatives to question...

Airmen offer 'home' help to spouses

Simon Wess could see it on their faces. His offer to assist spouses of the deployed had been welcomed by smiles and sighs of relief. You see, his wife was among the members of the 4th Fighter Wing's 335th Chiefs...

Public Record

Charges The Goldsboro Police Department reported these charges: *Rashawn Ray McDuffie, 22, Harrell Street, driving without a license, expired inspection, possession of stolen goods and order for arrest for failure to appear in court on a Duplin County charge, $1,100...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Composer honored by Wayne Community College Foundation

Velton Ray Bunch gave an Emmy award-winning performance to his hometown crowd Saturday night in Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College. For more than two hours, he demonstrated, often without words, why his talent has been recognized in Hollywood...

Tornado strikes

A tornado crossing northwestern Wayne County ripped the roof off a modular home Saturday afternoon and left the family that was hiding in the master bedroom closet homeless. The funnel cloud, reported moving northwest across Johnson and Wayne counties...

Former President Clinton campaigns in Goldsboro

Back in 1992, Bill Clinton, then a presidential candidate, made a stop in Goldsboro to meet with local members of the Democratic Party. He ended up at Wilber's Barbecue, and months later was elected as the nation's 42nd commander in...

Two new shots required for school this fall

Changes to the state's immunization rules will require a number of children and teens to be vaccinated before the start of the next school year. A booster dose of Tdap -- tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis -- vaccine will be required for three age...

DuPont expansion in Kinston could help region

As county officials and economic developers across eastern North Carolina look for ways to grow and attract new industrial opportunities in fields like bio-technology, one company is, in a sense, returning to its roots. After 55 years in Kinston...

Firefighters to hold benefit for 3-year-old

From staff reports Thoroughfare Fire Depart-ment Assistant Chief Brandon Jones read a story about a 3-year-old son of an Asheville firefighter suffering from a rare form of leukemia and knew he had to do something. So he decided to rely...

Mayor to deliver State of the City address

From staff reports For the first time, Mayor Al King will deliver a State of the City Address to discuss where the city has been and where it is going. Although the address isn't going to be a live presentation,...

Duplin says no to land for plant

Faced with the prospect of a poultry litter-burning power plant being built in their neighborhoods, Duplin County residents in and around Warsaw have spent the last few months speaking out in opposition. Their concerns are focused on the effects...

Fire Departments plan Safety Day on Saturday

From staff reports Hoping to improve safety in Wayne County, eight fire departments and the county Sheriff's Office are coming together on April 19 to host a Safety Saturday in the parking lot of the Food Lion in the Five...

Death penalty forum at St. Mary Church on Monday

St. Mary Catholic Church in Goldsboro will host an open community forum on the death penalty on Monday at 7 p.m. Speakers at the forum include Stephen Dear, executive director of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, and Amanda...

Friday, April 11, 2008

Shriners host fish fry

News-Argus/Bobby Williams Richard Lewis, left, Ryan Lewis and George Wood batter up fish this morning for the Shrine Club Fish Fry being held at Herman Park in Goldsboro and Robert's Machine Shop on N.C. 55 in Mount Olive. The...

Ceremony set for base's new refueling squadron

A new active-duty squadron will be activated on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Saturday -- but its members will not be assets of the 4th Fighter Wing. Officials from the 916th Air Refueling Wing are scheduled to stand up...

Raid nets crack cocaine, $25,000, weapons

A Thursday drug raid produced more than a half-kilo in three solid crack cocaine rocks, $25,000 in cash and weapons and surveillance equipment, county authorities said. The raid also resulted in charges against three people who all live at...

Second arrest made in arson at C.B. Aycock birthplace

A detective said a man doing time in Pender County Correctional Institute had a role in arson at a state landmark in January. A fire at the birthplace of turn-of-the-century Gov. Charles B. Aycock near Fremont caused $200,000 in...

Legislative annexation committee meeting

After holding their third public hearing since the end of the North Carolina General Assembly's 2007 session Wednesday, members of a special House committee on municipal annexation are weighing what recommendations they might make when the legislature reconvenes May 13....

Goodwin insurance commissioner

Wayne Goodwin, a Democratic candidate for state Insurance Commission-er, made a campaign stop at Wilber's Barbecue Thursday morning and said that if elected he would work to keep the legacy left by outgoing Commissioner Jim Long alive. Goodwin serves...

Public record

Sampson man gets life for poisoning wife CLINTON -- A Sampson County man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the poisoning death of his wife Wednesday in Sampson County Superior Court. Perry Bass, 49, of Lockamy Road, Clinton, was sentenced...

New location for rabies clinic

Because of the arrival of President Bill Clinton at Eastern Wayne High School, Saturday, the Wayne County Department of Animal Control has changed the location of its annual rabies vaccination clinic. The new location will be Eastern Wayne Elementary School....

Suicide awareness and memorial service planned

A memorial and suicide awareness service will be held Sunday for former Spring Creek High School student, 16-year-old Nathan Lynn Ford, who died on April 13, 2007. A sophomore, Ford was an honor student and played on the varsity football...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Arrest in C.B. Aycock fire

Another arrest has been made in the late January fire at former Gov. Charles B. Aycock's birthplace. Police say a man with a long history of methamphetamine-related charges is the second arrest, but maybe not the last. For more...

Bill Clinton to speak Saturday

Former President Bill Clinton is coming to Goldsboro. Campaigning on behalf of his wife, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, Clinton is scheduled to appear at Eastern Wayne High School at 1:15 p.m....

Robber strikes two more stores

A sawed-off shotgun-toting robber threatened two more clerks on Wednesday night, again taking cigarettes and cash, according to police reports. A man who matches that description closely is also suspected in four more robberies in Wayne County and two in...

Big giver of life

James E. Summerlin says he doesn't have the technical skills to help people in need. So he helps them the only way he knows how -- by giving his blood. Not just once, but 21 times. Tuesday, Summerlin sat down...

Hospital handles bond rate concern

Wayne Memorial Hospital has obtained a short term line of credit from BB&T and is working with a consultant to determine how to refinance its 2006 bond issue for $35 million. After a sharp drop recently in the auction rate...

Initiative sets sights on developing local food sources

Hoping to encourage people to think and eat locally, a group of more than 25 Wayne County organizations and residents has come together in a loose coalition to form the Wayne Food Initiative. Focused on helping create sustainable, profitable options...

Library wants readers to 'step up to the plate' this summer

The 2008 baseball season is officially underway, and this year the Wayne County Public Library is joining the American Library Association and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in inviting people of all ages to "Step Up to...

Library book sale this weekend

The Friends of the Wayne County Public Library are sponsoring a public book sale Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sunday, starting at 1 p.m., at the library on Ash Street. Members of the organization will have a...

Public record

Armed robbery Marcus Oats of Outlaw Road, Dudley reported Tuesday that two suspects unknown to him held him in his vehicle and stole jewelry and a phone worth $380 on Melodie Lane. He suffered minor injury, according to the incident...

YMCA's Healthy Kids Day Saturday

Saturday is Healthy Kids Day at the Goldsboro Family YMCA. Activities start at 11 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m., with live bands, food, swimming, water volleyball and basketball, a Bounce House, a giant inflatable slide, face painting and several...

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's new commander

Photo courtesy of the United States Air Force Col. Thomas Bergeson, front middle, is expected to take command of the 4th Fighter Wing by mid-Septmeber. Currently stationed in Baghdad, the colonel works directly under Gen. David Petraeus as chief...

Bergeson to lead 4th Fighter Wing

As Gen. David Petraeus fielded questions from presidential candidates at a high-profile Senate hearing Tuesday in Washington, one of the men under his command spoke from Baghdad about the assignment that awaits him when he returns from Iraq. Col. Thomas...

Leaders to meet to talk about schools

A group of business leaders united to improve the education system in Wayne County anticipate meeting by the end of the month to form four committees addressing the most pressing school needs. Jimmie Edmundson, senior vice president and city executive...

Police seek robbery suspect

Area authorities say one man is responsible for a string of robberies involving threats, cash, cigarettes and a sawed-off shotgun. An armed robber who victimized four other Wayne County businesses crossed Goldsboro's city line Monday night, pointing a sawed-off shotgun...

Wayne County voter registration closes this week for May 6 primary vote

Voter registration for the May 6 primary ends Friday, but that doesn't necessarily mean residents won't be able to cast their ballots if they don't sign up by then, as same-day one-stop voting and registration will once again be available....

Northern Wayne Task Force gathers to plan future

Holding its inaugural meeting Tuesday, the Northern Wayne Task Force agreed that despite a past during which the region has felt largely ignored, now is the time to take responsibility for the area's economic future. "I like the idea of...

Public record

Target surveillance leads to arrests Employees with Target's loss prevention department saw two white males break into an employee's vehicle in the parking lot, Goldsboro police said. Police detained and charged Jeffrey Dale Holzhauer, 23, Goldsboro and Josh Sharif, 18,...

Annual Shrine Club Fish Fry to be held Friday

The Wayne County Shrine Club's annual Fish Fry will be held Friday, with food served at Herman Park and at Roberts Machine Shop in Mount Olive. The event will be held from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and again from...

Relay for Life fundraising concert scheduled

On April 18, Relay for Life team Marga-Relay-Ville and KIX Country 97.7 will present a musical performance at the Paramount Theatre to raise money for the May Relay for Life event and the American Cancer Society. Calling it "Along the...

Habitat hires new family services and volunteer coordinator

Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne has hired Adrienne Parker as its new family services and volunteer coordinator. Ms. Parker is a life-long resident of Wayne County. She holds a degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington...

Public reading of local authors April 15 in Rose Hill

ROSE HILL -- Local writers are invited to participate in the Duplin County Friends of the Library's Fifth annual rublic reading on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. in the Rose Hill Library. The public reading allows local writers in...

Blackbeard artifacts on display

GREENVILLE -- Conservators who are working on artifacts taken from what is believed to be the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard will pull back the curtains on their work Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at East...

Small Business of the Year nominations now being accepted

Nominations are now being accepted for three small business awards that will be given by the Small Business Center at Wayne Community College during the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours event on June 19 at the golf...

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Honoring Paramount's benefactor

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Goldsboro Mayor Al King, left, presents David Weil with a portrait of himself during Monday night’s city council meeting after Weil gave a summary of the Paramount Theatre’s finances. For more information see Weil: Paramount on track....

Duplin soldier killed in Iraq

The war in Iraq came home to Duplin County early this morning as the Department of Defense announced the weekend death of Army National Guard Staff Sgt. and Wallace police officer Emanuel Pickett. Pickett, 34, of Teachey, died in Baghdad...

Weil: Paramount on track

Local businessman David Weil believed he was coming to the Monday night meeting of the Goldsboro City Council to speak about the financial status of the Paramount Theatre. But council members had something else planned. Weil delivered his report, telling...

Northern Wayne meeting tonight

The Northern Wayne Task Force will hold its first public meeting tonight from 5:30 to 8 in the Pikeville Community Center on 105 W. School St. The task force, which was created earlier this year, marks the second step in...

Wayne County schools will add new educational access channel

Wayne County Public Schools is closer to having an educational access TV channel, possibly as soon as the fall. Olivia Pierce, executive director of community relations, media and technology, updated the Board of Education Monday night on what will be...

Duplin Commissioners will give Events Center one more year

KENANSVILLE -- With five of the six Duplin County Commissioners voting to give the Duplin County Events Center one more year to get on track -- and the sixth voting no only because he wanted to stop county funding immediately...

Public record

Clarification Stantonsburg police attempted to locate the scene of a fatal accident Sunday morning but received misguided directions, officials said Monday. The officer who recieved the initial call attempted to find the site but was told it was on N.C....

Portion of U.S. 13 North closed to permit repairs

A portion of U.S. 13 North will be closed Wednesday and part of the day Thursday to permit highway crews to repair a water line. A stretch the highway less than a mile long between Hood Swamp Road and Saulston...

Johnston County's water restrictions eased somewhat

SMITHFIELD -- The Johnston County Board of Commissioners have revised the county's water restrictions. Effective immediately, county water customers may use irrigation systems under the following rules: *No irrigation on Mondays. *Odd numbered addresses -- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. *Even...

Esther's Refuge fundraiser April 27

A fundraising event to benefit the Esther's Refuge transitional home for women will be held April 27 from 5 until 9 p.m. at Elm Grove Church at 1118 Booker St. in Pikeville. Esther's Refuge is a faith-based non-profit organization that...

Lunch menus

WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Week of April 14-18, 2008 Monday -- Breakfast: blueberry muffin; Lunch: stuffed crust cheese pizza, tuna salad w/crackers, steamed broccoli, corn niblets, diced pears, golden delicious apple; Tuesday -- Breakfast: apple turnover; Lunch: lasagna w/wheat bread...

Monday, April 7, 2008

Fatal accident

News-Argus/Bobby Williams Eureka volunteer firemen work at the scene of a one-vehicle accident early Sunday on Red Hill Road, about three miles northeast of Eureka. For more information see Man dies in weekend crash....

Rain could keep restrictions away

The heaviest rainfall yet this year will likely enable Goldsboro residents to avoid stricter water restrictions, at least for the time being. Wayne County received as much as three inches of rain over the weekend, drenching fields and pushing the...

Man dies in weekend crash

A 48-year-old Zebulon man died after his pickup truck plunged into a creek off Red Hill Road near Eureka sometime late Saturday or early Sunday, the Highway Patrol said. Robert Lynn Herndon died after a single-vehicle crash in which his...

Strike Eagles vs. birds

Chris Willis gets the call. An F-15E has just been hit during a routine sortie. You might think the 4th Fighter Wing commander would be the first to know. And had it been enemy fire that struck that jet, he...

Runners brave cold to beat hunger

More than 170 people ignored the cold, damp weather Sunday to show their support for the 25th annual Walk for Hunger sponsored by United Church Ministries. The walkers and runners started off at the Herman Park gazebo and covered a...

EWMS hit by vandals; $2,000 in damages

Eastern Wayne Middle School officials discovered buses, buildings and sidewalks spray-painted with graffiti Saturday morning. An estimate of the damage was set at $2,000 Goldsboro police are investigating the crime. Wayne County Public Schools spokesman Ken Derksen said school maintenance...

U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan makes a stop in Goldsboro

Working for the opportunity to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in November, Democrat Kay Hagan spent part of Friday afternoon campaigning in Goldsboro, stopping at Wilber's Barbecue to talk to some of her possible future constituents. Mrs. Hagan,...

Public record

Investigations The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is investigating these thefts: *Shamika Artis of Buck Swamp Road reported a break-in at her home and $650 in jewelry and clothing stolen. *Michael Anthony Durham of Erik Drive in Dudley reported a blue-and-white...

Lunch and Learn session April 17

The Wayne County Mental Health Association will hold a Lunch and Learn session on Thursday, April 17 in the Cherry Hospital Conference Center with Drs. Kimberly Johnson and Steve Peters speaking about professional and personal boundaries. Cost is $5 for...

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Market not as tough for house sales

Bucking declines throughout the state in 2007, existing home sales in Wayne County actually increased over 2006, but only by a modest 1.2 percent. And, while it's too early to tell how 2008 will play out with gains in January,...

EWMS student reports knife threat

A 13-year-old girl is claiming she had a knife pulled on her in the Eastern Wayne Middle School gym Thursday. The teenager reported the incident Friday to school officials who later informed the Goldsboro Police Department. According to the incident...

Garden of hope

A few weeks ago, when Daina Taylor looked out her apartment at the corner of Slocumb and Olivia streets, she saw an empty lot full of trash. Today she sees potential -- a lot that has been cleaned, two piles...

Teen, 18, charged in arson at Aycock

FREMONT -- A Fremont 18-year-old helped start the late January fire that caused $200,000 in damages to a state landmark, authorities say. Children take field trips to the Charles B. Aycock birthplace near Fremont to view farm life, original time...

Myers takes position of N-A classified manager

Steve Myers has been named classified advertising manager for The Goldsboro News-Argus. Myers, a native of Washington, D.C., comes to the newspaper from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area. "I'm very excited to come back to a community-based newspaper group and...

Pulitzer Prize-winning author speaks on race, politics, news

Gene Roberts said he first believed that racial change in America was truly possible after hearing Martin Luther King Jr. speak at a Raleigh church in the late 1950s. Roberts, a Wayne County native and Pulitzer Prize winning author, spoke...

Council to decide on plans for sites

Goldsboro City Council members will talk about restaurants, landscape and finances at their meeting Monday. On the agenda at the council's first meeting in its new chambers will be site and landscape plans for the proposed Community Recreation Center and...

Kidnap report ends up assault

FREMONT -- An Ayden man head-butted his girlfriend, then called police to falsely report men had kidnapped her at gunpoint early Friday morning, authorities said. That initially sent Wayne County sheriff's deputies searching for the non-existent kidnappers in a four-hour...

WCPS jobs fair planned

Prospective teachers are invited to attend Wayne County Public Schools' annual job fair on Saturday at Goldsboro High School from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Representatives from the 33 county schools will be on hand to answer questions about licensure,...

Wayne students will perform at All County Choral Festival at DMS Thursday

Students from 31 schools will blend their voices on Thursday when Wayne County Public Schools hosts its annual All County Choral Festival at Dillard Middle School. The program starts at 7 p.m. More than 270 students have been chosen to...

Healthy Kids Day Saturday at YMCA

The Goldsboro Family YMCA will sponsor Healthy Kids Day 2008 on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Activities will include live bands, food, swimming, water volleyball and basketball, a Bounce House, a giant inflatable slide, face painting...

Fremont settles city sewer bill

Fremont has paid off its long-standing sewer debt to the city of Goldsboro and is working with Eureka as that municipality continues to pay off its bill. Fremont owed the city $160,000 last year, but has now erased the debt...

Art show winners announced

The Goldsboro Junior Woman's Club had three winning submissions in a recent arts festival sponsored by the General Federation of Woman's Clubs and held in High Point. Hannah Pettus from Wayne Country Day School won first place in the computer...

Red Cross reaches '08 Heroes goal

With a slowing economy, the Wayne County chapter of the American Red Cross volunteers and staff knew they had a challenge when they set their goal at $90,000 for this year's campaign. But the organization's "heroes" came through once again,...

City received accreditation

Downtown Goldsboro has been accredited as a 2008 National Main Street, a program that will help the city with economic development by providing a network of resources to further the restoration and revitalization of the downtown area. The Main Street...

1K donation to GSA

MOUNT OLIVE -- Butterball of Mount Olive has given the Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines a $1,000 donation. "We are pleased to support the great program of Girl Scouting and know that this donation will have a meaningful impact...

Friday, April 4, 2008

Kwast headed to Langley

By early fall, the 4th Fighter Wing will have a new commander. Air Force officials confirmed Thursday Col. Steve Kwast has been assigned to Langley Air Force Base, where he will serve as Air Combat Command's deputy director of requirements....

Shine fire chief dies in fall

The chief of Shine Volunteer Fire Department fell to his death Thursday from a Mulberry Street building where he was repairing the roof, authorities said. Tully Layden, 52, was a longtime firefighter and this year's president of the Greene County...

City officials to Days Inn owners: Damaged motel is coming down

Days Inn owners are less than 30 days away from having to choose a contractor to tear down the wind-damaged structure, city officials say. Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra said he has finalized a bid package for demolition of the...

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle campaigns for Obama

With North Carolina's primary only a month away and the race between the Democratic presidential hopefuls tightening, both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton have made campaign stops across the state. But on Thursday it was Wisconsin Gov. Jim...

John Kerr officially endorses Ed Wilson

With a crowded field looking to take his place in the state Senate, John Kerr announced this week that he is endorsing fellow Wayne County Democrat Dr. Ed Wilson for his District 5 seat. Kerr, who is retiring after 20...

Services on Aging to honor volunteers

The Wayne County Services on Aging will hold a volunteer appreciation reception on Saturday at Wilber's Barbecue at 2:30 p.m. Senior Center Director Eryn McAuliffe says the agency has 50 volunteers altogether, and she expects about 25 to attend. "Wayne...

Butterball donates $1,000 to Girl Scouts

MOUNT OLIVE -- Butterball of Mount Olive has given the Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines a $1,000 donation. "We are pleased to support the great program of Girl Scouting and know that this donation will have a meaningful impact...

Easley raises Final Four stakes, bets pound of Wilber's barbecue

The impending clash between the basketball teams of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Kansas, who will meet Saturday in the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament, has prompted the governors of the two states to wager...

Correction

The story in Wednesday's News-Argus about amnesty day at the county landfill on April 26 provided the wrong times for the all-day event. The correct times that the landfill on Landfill Road in Dudley will be open are 8 a.m....

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Shine fire chief dies in Goldsboro fall

A prominent Greene County resident and chief of the Shine Volunteer Fire Department died in a fall Thursday afternoon on Mulberry Street in Goldsboro. For more details, pick up a copy of Friday’s News-Argus....

Smith makes campaign stop at Paramount

With country music singer Lee Greenwood at his side, Fred Smith stopped at the Paramount Theatre in Goldsboro Wednesday afternoon as he enters the homestretch in his race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. "At the end of the day, it's...

Five houses slated for summer demolition

MOUNT OLIVE -- For Danny Keel, bulletholes in a window that used to keep the weather out of a home on the south side of town provide a stark reminder of the stakes. So does the charred, rotting frame that...

Ceremony pushes for child abuse prevention

Child abuse and child neglect will not be tolerated in Wayne County, county residents said Wednesday. WAGES For Children Council of Wayne County sponsored the abuse and neglect prevention ceremony on the steps of Goldsboro City Hall. The theme for...

Residents will walk to feed families in county on Sunday

The 25th annual Walk for Hunger will be Sunday afternoon at Herman Park. The fundraising event is sponsored by United Church Ministries, which provides short-term assistance as well as offering ministry of support and guidance. "The UCM is funded through...

MOC establishes new scholarship fund

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Opey Dew and Jenny J. Jeanes Family Endowed Scholarship Fund was recently established at Mount Olive College. A native of Wilson County, Jeanes has been active in higher education for over 48 years. He joined Mount...

MOC awards cash for fall semester

MOUNT OLIVE -- Several area residents have been awarded scholarships to attend Mount Olive College in the fall. Eric Williams of Goldsboro and Tyler Johnston and David Cooper, both of Mount Olive, have each received $3,000 Leaders Scholarships, while a...

Library sets Spring Book Sale dates

The Friends of the Wayne County Public Library invite the public to attend the organization's annual Spring Book Sale April 11-13 in the Gertrude Weil Auditorium at the Main Library at 1001 East Ash Street. Sale hours Saturday are 9...

Public record

Tractor stolen Goldsboro police and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office named last month's theft of a John Deere tractor from Malpass Builders its "crime of the week." The tractor is a 2004 John Deere 5105 with a land leveler and...

N.C. Pork Council pledges funds to MOC

MOUNT OLIVE -- The North Carolina Pork Council has pledged $100,000 to Mount Olive College over a five-year period. The money will be used to establish an endowed scholarship at the college in memory of Lois G. Britt. The fund...

Gene Roberts to speak Friday

Wayne County Reads has rescheduled award-winning author Gene Roberts to speak on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College. He was originally set to appear in February, but inclement weather prevented his travel. Wayne County...

N.C. Bar Association to offer free legal info to residents Friday

The N.C. Bar Association will conduct a statewide Public Service Day on Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. More than 500 volunteer attorneys will provide free legal information to the citizens of North Carolina from call-in centers in Asheville,...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Chamber: More to come on county issues

Despite complaints by some of the attendees that last week's 2008 State of the Community program was simply a "feel-good" event, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Geoff Hulse thinks it was a good way to kick off a long-term...

Store owner charged in sales of fakes

A Goldsboro store owner accused of producing pirated DVD movies for sale at his Elm Street Store turned himself in Tuesday, authorities said. Detective Lt. Carl Lancaster also said another city store owner targeted in raids last week was expected...

Schools target absence problem

School attendance is not only a right, it's the law -- and county officials say they are redoubling their efforts to make sure children are in class. With end-of-grade tests fast-approaching, missing a day of school for any reason should...

Amnesty day planned for residents in late April at landfill

As expected, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners approved Tuesday an "amnesty day" for the county landfill April 26. Running from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the event will give county residents -- not commercial businesses or haulers -- the...

Scouts still seeking donations to reach 2008 fundraising goal

The Tuscarora Boy Scout Council's fundraising campaign is off to a good start, Council Executive Harold Keller said, but more supporters need to come forward over the next two months for the organization to reach its goal. The council's Friends...

Man wanted in Warsaw shooting

WARSAW -- The Warsaw Police Department is looking for a suspect wanted for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. Frankie Maurice Williams allegedly fired a shotgun at a woman during an argument on Friday...

Two join city recreation department staff

The city's Parks and Recreation Department has added two new staff members in recent months. Gladys McClary is the new assistant center leader for the W.A. Foster Center. A former girl's basketball coach at Goldsboro High School and teacher and...

Livestock heat loss benefits now available

The U.S. government has started a new program for livestock owners who suffered losses in livestock due to excessive heat last year. Administered through the Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, the Livestock Indemnity Program provides benefits to livestock producers...

Signups for 'Camp-A-Lot' still available

There is still time to sign up for the Tuscarora Boy Scout Council's Cub Weekend "Camp-A-Lot," a renaissance-fair type family "over-knighter." Scout officials say more than 1,700 people have registered. That is more than they have had sign up for...

Business women to meet Thursday

The Wayne-Duplin Business and Professional Women's Club willl hold its annual meeting Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at the Pizza Village in Mount Olive. Dr. Sandra McCullen, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Wayne County Schools and a candidate for...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Ready for business

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Kristy Albert, foreground, a hyperbaric technician, along with Dr. Phillip Moye, and Jennifer Bateman, director of the Wound Care Center, demonstrate the use of Wayne Memorial Hospital's new hyperbaric chamber. The chamber, used to oxygenate the patient's...

No spike in water usage, city says

Exactly two weeks after city officials cut back on mandatory water restrictions, Goldsboro residents seem to be continuing to conserve, city officials said this week. Public Utilities Director Karen Brashear said there hasn't been a significant change in water usage...

Goldsboro Planning Commission approves recreation center

Goldsboro's Community Recreation Center is one tree closer to becoming a part of downtown -- and a new restaurant is on its way, city planning officials learned Monday. The Goldsboro Planning Commission approved a site plan for the nearly 60,000-square-foot...

Wound Care Center opens doors to public Wednesday

The Wound Care Center at Wayne Memorial Hospital opens its doors Wednesday as a state-of-the-art facility designed to improve level of care and decrease healing time. Most people probably don't realize the importance of such a center, said Tom Bradshaw,...

Number of meals increasing at Community Soup Kitchen

Recent economic concerns are bringing more people to the Community Soup Kitchen, volunteers learned Monday. Community Soup Kitchen director Dorecia Benton told the organization's board of directors during its annual meeting that as many as 50 or 60 more people...

Public record

Marijuana bust Goldsboro police responding to a report of heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic at Irish Inn Motel arrested a Humphrey Street man on marijuana charges, authorities said. Police stopped Damien Coley, 26, and smelled marijuana, leading to a search....

Kindergarten registration April 11

Wayne County Public Schools will hold kindergarten pre-registration at all 15 elementary schools on April 11 from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. To register for kindergarten, a child must turn 5 on or before Oct. 16. Parents or legal guardians...

Man charged with mall peeping

RALEIGH -- A Goldsboro-area man faces three counts of secret peeping for reportedly taking inappropriate video with a cell phone at a Raleigh mall. Brian Williams, 28, faces three counts of secret peeping and two counts of non-payment of child...