A month-by-month look at 2010, the year that was, in Wayne County
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on January 2, 2011 1:50 AM
JANUARY
Jan. 1 -- The annual Mt. Olive Pickle Co. Pickle Drop kicked off the new year in Wayne County on Dec. 31 at 7 p.m.
Jan. 3 -- Bars, restaurants and many public places in Wayne County went smoke free as new state laws went to effect Jan. 1.
Jan. 4 -- Bobby Kenneth "Deacon" Jones, 69, died in Orlando, Fla. Owner of multiple Deacon Jones car dealerships, Jones was best know for his civic and philanthropic work.
Jan. 5 -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's 335th Chiefs returned after a four-month stint at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Jan. 5 -- Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Director David Carter submitted his resignation, effective Jan. 22.
Jan. 6 -- Wayne County's jobless rate increased to 9 percent in November from 8.7 percent in October after steadily dropping since July.
Jan. 6 -- Asia Danielle Webb, born Jan. 1, was the first baby born at Wayne Memorial Hospital in the new year. Her parents are Antonio Webb and Dekeisha Webb.
Jan. 8 -- The rest of the 4th Fighter Wing's 335th Chiefs returned home from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Jan. 8 -- Steven Lynn Barbour, 29, Fourth Street, was charged with the Dec. 3, 2009, murder of Jamie Lee Hinson of Princeton whose body was found in Evergreen Cemetery.
Jan. 8 -- Earl Whitted Jr., the first black member of the Goldsboro City Council, died Jan. 5 at Wayne Memorial Hospital. He served on the council from 1964 to 1987.
Jan. 10 -- Tara Leann Sparks, 29, and Joseph E. Lanier, 21 of Fourth Street also were charged with the murder of Jamie Lee Hinson, as well as with two counts of burning certain buildings.
Jan. 12 -- Stevenson Honda of Goldsboro opened at the site of the former Honda of Goldsboro location on West Grantham Street.
Jan. 13 -- The Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair won the Youth Award, the Agricultural Award, the Media Award and, for the 12th time, the Image Award for having the best fair in North Carolina, presented by the North Carolina-South Carolina Convention of Agricultural Fairs.
Jan. 15 -- Ryan's Family Steak House, after 14 years on Berkeley Boulevard, closed its doors.
Jan. 17 -- More than 20 years after beginning his political career, musician Charlie Albertson of Duplin County, announced he will not run for re-election to his state Senate District 10 seat in November.
Jan. 22 -- Two senior Cherry Hospital administrators, Dr. Kimberly Johnson, clinical director, and Bonnie Gray, nursing director, stepped down from their posts as the hospital also passed a surprise inspection.
Jan. 24 -- A Wayne County Superior Court jury could not reach a verdict in the first-degrree murder trial of Deon Mclean in the 2007 shooting of Antron Demon Hines, resulting in a mistrial. He was to be tried again, and was to serve time for other related assault charges.
Jan. 27 -- Joe Nathan Spruill Jr., 33, died after being tased by Wayne County Sheriff's Deputies Martin McAlduff and Zachary Kinlaw when he became combative while being placed under arrest.
Jan. 28 -- Wes Seegars, owner of Seegars Fence, was awarded the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Cornerstone Award.
Jan. 31 -- State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents cited members of Willie Nelson's band for drug and moonshine possession prior to a scheduled show at the Duplin Events Center in Kenansville on Jan. 28.
Jan. 31 -- Wayne County received three to four inches of snow and ice Jan. 30, covering the county and possibly contributing to the death of a pedestrian, Marc Glenn Walston, 21, who was hit by a DOT snow plow, on US. 70 West.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 2 -- State NAACP President the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II was awarded the Human Rights Medal at the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro.
Feb. 3 -- Wayne County's jobless rate ticked up from 9 percent in November to 9.2 percent in December.
Feb. 3 -- A body was found at a South Georgia Avenue boarding house destroyed by fire Feb. 2.
Feb. 3 -- Mary Garner and Versa Stevens received, in January, the Governor's Award for Excellence for Safety and Heroism for evacuating 10 men at O'Berry Center after a fire broke out in the group home.
Feb. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice said it will investigate the state NAACP's claim against Wayne County Public Schools, filed in December with the U.S. Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and the state Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, alleging resegregation and unconstitutional practices.
Feb. 8 -- Clifton Boyd Jacobs, Tram Road, Duplin County, shot himself following a standoff with Duplin County sheriff's deputies who arrived to execute a search warrant in connection with alleged animal abuse and 14 dead horses discovered by an adjacent property owner.
Feb. 9 -- The victim of a South Georgia Avenue house fire was identified as Jerry Spruill.
Feb. 9 -- Lawrence Russell Jr., 80, Beaufort County, died from cardiac problems after choking at Cherry Hospital.
Feb. 10 -- Hollywood Video on Ash Street announced it will close in the coming months.
Feb. 11 -- Goldsboro police reported that a disabled Central Heights woman Sandra Monroe, 52, had her toes chewed off by four puppies after being left unattended for four days at her home.
Feb. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a cocaine drug smuggling ring in Newton Grove had been broken up with the help of the Wayne County Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The drugs were trafficked by a Mexican drug cartel through the Hispanic speciality stor Tienda Avilez, owned by Julian Avilez.
Feb. 12 -- Latrina Latasha Monroe, 23, Central Heights Road, was arrested and charged with abuse of a disabled adult after puppies chewed the toe off of her disabled mother Sandra Monroe.
Feb. 14 -- Anywhere from six to eight inches of snow fell on Wayne County Saturday.
Feb. 17 -- Former Southern Wayne High School teacher Shannon Grace Herring, 35, Lenoir County, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the deliquency of a minor, a reduction of the two felony sex offenses with a minor she originally faced.
Feb. 17 -- Laura Ann Glaspie, 46, Gainey Drive, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon after driving over the foot of a Goldsboro police officer during a routine traffic stop.
Feb. 18 -- Ruben Wall was named Goldsboro's new parks and recreation director. He was formerly the assistant director of parks and recreation in Durham.
Feb. 19 -- Paige Barwick, daughter of Branny Vickory, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and Jaycees at the annual award banquet. Also unveiled was the Ruff Huggins Lifetime Community Service Award. The first recipient was Mount Olive Hurricanes coach Alex Ferrell.
Feb. 21 -- For the second time in two years, a Wayne County School, this time Wayne Country Day School, won a share of $1 million in U.S. Cellular's "Calling All Communities" campaign.
Feb. 21 -- Tony Ballew, 44, Wayne County, an employee at Peninsula Packaging died in an industrial accident Feb. 18.
Feb. 23 -- Randy Alan Gray of Circle G Farm received the Oustanding Livestock Producer Award from the Wayne County Livestock Association.
Feb. 24 -- State Rep. Russell Tucker, D-Duplin, said he will not run for re-election to the state House District 4 seat.
Feb. 24 -- A Mount Olive man was found beaten on the street and later died of his injuries.
Feb. 24 -- Lloyd Massey was honored by the state Grange for his work with the Grantham Grange, as well as on the state and national levels.
Feb. 24 -- B.F. Grady Elementary also won $100,000 in the U.S. Cellular "Calling All Communities"campaign.
Feb. 26 -- United Way of Wayne County ends its fundraising campaign two months late, raising $1.25 million -- only 90 percent of its goal.
Feb. 26 -- Longtime United Way volunteer and incoming board of director chairman Bob Logan was awarded the Emil Rosenthal Volunteer Award.
Feb. 28 -- The city of Goldsboro announced its overall crime rate was down about 6 percent from 2008 to 2009, and that violent crimes were down about 2 percent, even though rapes and homicides increased.
Feb. 28 -- The Mount Olive Unity Group held its second annual Black History Month Parade on Feb. 27.
MARCH
March 1 -- City of Goldsboro voted to turn over its portion of the Goldsboro-Wayne Airport to Wayne County, which would become the sole owner of the facility north of town, on Airport Road.
March 4 -- Several holes along Spence Avenue and structural damage to an underground pipeline prompted officials to close the popular thoroughfare for several months for repairs.
March 7 -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Commander Col. Mark Kelly confirmed his departure from the post April 1, with current vice commander Col. Patrick Doherty to take the reins.
March 11 -- Cherry Hospital worker James Allan Smith found not guilty of patient abuse or neglect, stemming from a 2006 incident.
March 14 -- Expansion project at Kitty Askins Hospice Center reached its halfway mark, raising $2.5 million of its $4 million goal.
March 15 -- Vandals destroyed a $20,000 marker statue of Jesus at Evergreen Cemetery and did $8,000 damage to a nearby status retaining wall.
March 15 -- Students at two schools, Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Early/Middle College High School, had to retake state writing exam after a "wayward text" message transmitted a prompt from the test.
March 16 -- Carolina Fury powerhockey team received the 2010 Community Spirit Award at the Raleigh Sports Council's Evening of Champions.
March 18 -- Possible water rate hike of 17 percent discussed for Fremont residents, as result of study conducted by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill Division of Government, which took a closer look at the town's water and sewer rate structure.
March 21 -- Dr. Philip Kerstetter inaugurated as Mount Olive College's third president in the institution's 59-year history.
March 23 -- A fundraising campaign for a new Steele Memorial Library in Mount Olive got a boost with a $50,000 donation from the Mt. Olive Pickle Company Foundation.
March 24 -- The unemployment rate in Wayne County jumped slightly during January, from 9.2 percent to 9.9 percent.
March 26 -- Sprunt Hill, assistant superintendent of auxiliary services for Wayne County Public Schools, responsible for spearheading many of the district's facilities plans, quietly retired effective March 1, after having been earlier placed on administrative leave amid a state investigation.
March 28 -- Wayne County set a record for Career Readiness Certificates. Since its formation in the fall of 2007, the CRC program has awarded 4,335 certificates, the most of any county in the state.
March 30 -- Wayne County officials discussed plans by Mississippi-based Sanderson Farms to invest an estimated $94 million in a new poultry deboning facility in the county that could employ up to 1,100 people.
APRIL
April 1 -- Col. Mark Kelly relinquished command of 4th Fighter Wing, also received Legion of Merit award.
April 2 -- A Kinston man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint at Busco Beach, Tony B. Taylor, 45, pleaded guilty.
April 4 -- Southeastern Medical Oncology severed ties with Relay for Life after years working with the American Cancer Society, citing the economy as the reason for the decision.
April 5 -- Preparations began for the 62nd annual Wayne County Junior Livestock Show and Sale.
April 6 -- "Internet Cafes" operating within the city limits to face new rules June 1, according to city's Code of Ordinances that could require businesses to pay $2,500 licensing fee and an additional $1,000 new machine tax.
April 7 -- Former Mount Olive commissioner Jimmy Kornegay found safe after missing overnight and fending off coyotes.
April 8 -- NPR's Carl Kasell named emcee for Kitty Askins fundraiser to benefit expansion project.
April 9 -- County commissioners considered possible 90-day moratorium on development around Wayne County Airport.
April 11 -- First-time fundraiser "Pig in the Park" BBQ cookoff, held to benefit Boys and Girls Club, deemed a success.
April 13 -- Two members of 335th Fighter Squadron received Distinguished Flying Cross -- Capt. Mike Polidor and 1st Lt. Aaron Dove.
April 18 -- Chamber of Commerce battles shortfall, lays off two staff in wake of losses to membership investment and non-dues income.
April 20 -- Area Girl Scout Council received $15,000 grant to create more opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to participate in programs.
April 22 -- Lawyers made opening statements in a 1987 rape case being retried in Wayne County because DNA evidence exonerated one man, Dwayne Dail, and implicated another, William Neal, 54.
April 23 -- Duplin County property owners faced a 14-cent supplemental tax this year to pay a nearly $4.8 million award to the Duplin Board of Education.
April 25 -- After investing over $1 million during the past year to fund plans to construct a recreation center in downtown Goldsboro, the City Council voted the project down 4-3.
April 26 -- Seven Springs prepared for 10th annual Ole Timey Days Festival to celebrate the early days of its history.
April 27 -- William J. Neal found guilty in the 1987 rate of 12-year-old girl, a crime for which Dwayne Dail had served prison time until being exonerated in 2007.
April 28 -- Dorothy Mills of Mills Realty named 2010 Wayne County Realtor of the Year by the county's Board of Realtors.
April 30 -- Mount Olive christens its long-awaited runway extension at Yeager Field of the town's new airport.
MAY
May 1 -- Col. Randall Ogden became the new commander of the 916th Air Refueling Wing.
May 1 -- Denonna Taylor, a graduate of Charles B. Aycock High School, earned the top seat academically for N.C. State University's 6,000 graduates.
May 2 -- Buddy Shaw, 70, died. Shaw was a former member of the Goldsboro City Council, Wayne County commission and was active with the EMS.
May 4 -- The Duplin County Board of Education refused to rescind the $4.8 million lawsuit settlement after area residents pleaded with board members to do so.
May 4 -- Dr. James Atkins was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Tuscarora Council of Boy Scouts of America.
May 5 -- Members of county singer Willie Nelson's band were fined $25 each on possession of marijuana charges. The band members were charged in January prior to a concert at the Duplin County Events Center. Nelson was not at the center and the concert was canceled.
May 7 -- The state medical examiner's office ruled that Joe Nathan Spruill Jr., 33, had died of a cocaine overdose and not from being shocked by a TASER-style weapon that had been used on him by a Wayne County deputy sheriff.
May 7 -- Cherry Hospital was cited by the state for its failure to investigate the alleged mistreatment of a patient on April 7.
May 7 -- The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce approved a new plan for operations following April layoffs and financial concerns within the Chamber.
May 8 -- More than 330 graduates received their diplomas at Mount Olive College's 56th annual spring commencement.
May 10 -- Duplin County commissioners backed off some budget cuts and agreed to use $2.9 million from the fund balance in the budget.
May 11 -- Duplin County commissioners asked the school board to negotiate on a $4.8 million settlement that had been ordered by a Superior Court judge.
May 12 -- Former Mount Olive town commissioner Jimmy Kornegay died at Wayne Memorial Hospital. Kornegay had been at the hospital since April 6 after he was rescued following a night in the woods.
May 14 -- Wayne Community College awarded 566 diplomas and certificates -- its largest class ever.
May 16 -- Retired educator Shirley Sims announced that she would step down from the Wayne County Board of Education after 18 years of service.
May 17 -- The family of Steven Howard Sabock filed suit against Cherry Hospital alleging negligence in his death. Sabock, 50, died after being left in a chair for nearly a day.
May 20 -- Dr. Austin Obasohan was appointed superintendent of Duplin County Public Schools.
May 21-22 A crowd estimated at 15,000 attends the two-day Relay for Life held at Wayne Community College.
May 23 -- Willie Brinson was sworn in as the first chief of police for Wayne Community College's first full-time police force.
May 24 -- Wayne County Public Schools officials announced that budget constraints will limit summer school programs.
May 25 -- Icshon Jones, 25, received five and half to seven and one half years in prison in a plea bargain on a charge of attempted murder.
May 25 -- The GATEWAY board recommended a 19-acre county-owned site on Clingman Street as the location for a proposed $5.1 million administration/operations facility.
May 28 -- Wayne Country day, Wayne Christian and Wayne Early/Middle school hed their commencements.
May 29 -- Hundreds gathered for the Dillard-Goldsboro and Central-Eastern Wayne high school alumni reunions.
May 30 -- Hal Tanner Jr. announced his retirement after 26 years as publisher of the News-Argus. His son, Hal Tanner III., the paper's general manager, will be the new publisher.
JUNE
June 5 -- The Pikeville-Pleasant Grove Fire Department moved its trucks into its new station on Hooks Grove Church Road.
June 5 -- Mt. Olive Pickle Co. unveiled a new look for its jar labels for the first time in more than 40 years.
June 5 -- Dr. Patrick Sasser, 80, died after being hit in the hit by a baseball while watching a game at the Boys and Girls Club the previous Monday.
June 7 -- Goldsboro City Council approved a new budget that maintained the tax rate, but included increases in trash pickup and water and sewer fees.
June 9 -- Wayne Memorial Hospital received approval to proceed with a planned $21.1 million expansion of its emergency department. It will include the addition of 31,000 square feet and renovation of the existing 4,000 square feet and increasing the number of rooms from 22 to 42.
June 9 -- A bullet passed through the pants legs of Fremont Police Chief R.K. Rawlings when a bank robbery suspect he was chasing fired four shots at him. Rawlings was not injured, though he did return fire and apprehend the suspect.
June 10 -- Wayne Community College was to receive $20,000 from the state to add books on "green" subjects and gaming to its library collection.
June 11 -- Eastern Wayne, Spring Creek, Rosewood, Charles B. Aycock and Goldsboro high school held their graduation exercises.
June 14 -- Longtime Tommy's Road Elementary School Principal Patsy Faison announcd her retirement on June 30.
June 15 -- Southern Wayne High School held its graduation at Kornegay Arena on the campus of Mount Olive College.
June 15 -- Wayne County commissioners approved a new $156 million budget that did not include any tax increase or salary increases for employees.
June 16 -- Goldsboro police arrested Andre Devon Weeks, 26, for the Jan. murder of Larry Donnell Mathis, 34.
June 16 -- A Cherry Hospital nurse was hospitalized after she was pushed by a patient.
June 17 -- A $25,000 donation from United Way allowed the Meals on Wheels program to add a Mount Olive route.
June 17 -- A State Bureau of Investigation bomb squad detonated "suspicious" materials thought to be pipe bombs found by Goldsboro police during the investigation of a sexual assault at an East Holly Street residence.
June 19 -- Ashley Cartwright, 19, Mount Olive, died in a single-vehicle accident June 28 on N.C. 403 near Faison.
June 21 -- The Mount Olive Town Board approved a $5.586 million budget. The tax rate did not increase.
June 21 -- Duplin County commissioners voted 4-2 for a $47.7 million budget that did not include any tax or salary increases.
June 22 -- Longtime Scout leader Dick Auger, 91, was recognized for his years of service by the Friends of Scouting who announced plans to build a shelter in his honor at Camp Tuscarora.
June 22 -- The Fremont Town Board voted 4-3 to adopt a $3.48 million budget. The budget did not increase taxes, but did have hikes in the water and sewer rates.
June 22 -- County Relay for Life officials announced the event raised $567,197.
June 22 -- Lenoir County sheriff's deputies found Kenneth Leefe, manager of the LaGrange Bojangles, shot to death in his car.
June 27 -- A 19-year-old man was killed while walking on Interstate 795 when he got out of a vehicle after arguing with family members.
June 28 -- Ashley Cartwright, 19, of Mount Olive died in a one-car accident on N.C. 403.
June 29 -- A storm with strong winds and hail hit Wayne County causing some localized flooding.
June 29 -- The State Employees Credit Union donated $75,000 to the Kitty Askins Hospice Center's $4 million expansion project.
June 29 -- The body of a June 28 drowning victim Michael Gardner, 44, of Rocky Mount Olive was recovered from the waters at Busco Beach.
June 29 -- The murder trial of Brandon Lee Williams got under way in Wayne County Superior Court.
JULY
July 2 -- Wayne County Schools learned they would receive $1.3 million less in lottery funding.
July 2 -- Twelve Wayne County athletes participated in the Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games in Raleigh.
July 4 -- Earnest (also spelled Ernest) Terrell Ellis, a patient at Cherry Hospital, was charged with assault.
July 5 -- Wayne Community College announced a tuition increase for the fall 2010 semester.
July 6 -- The Lord's Table church dedicated a park in memory of four church members who died in an Ocracoke Island fireworks explosion in 2009.
July 8 -- Brandon Lee Williams was found guilty of the 2008 shooting death of Silvia Benitez Morales, 28, a Fremont mother of two, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
July 12 -- Sudie Davis announced her resignation from the Junior Leadership Wayne County program.
July 12 -- Sherry Archibald received the Goldsboro Jaycees 2010 Distinguished Service Award at the annual banquet.
July 15 -- Wayne Memorial Hospital announced its decision to acquire Goldsboro Medical Clinic in order to add more doctors to its staff.
July 16 -- A record number of students enrolled at Wayne Community College for the fall 2010 semester.
July 18 -- The town of Mount Olive was forced to borrow money to pay a sewer loan, officials said.
July 18 -- Goldsboro police arrested Tushon Brown in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl.
July 18 -- City of Goldsboro held a public information session to allow residents a first look at plans to restore Union Station.
July 20 -- County employees who are smokers, and eventually those who are overweight, will have to pay more out-of-pocket health care expenses, the county announced.
July 21 -- Infant Jaliyah Garner survived being accidentally run over by her family's SUV.
July 21 -- One person died and six others were injured when a Virginia family's minivan collided with a hog truck near Calypso.
July 22 -- The Wayne County Commissioners committee held a whispered discussion during an open meeting about how to fill a vacant school board seat.
July 23 -- Len Henderson of Dudley by a 5-2 vote Friday morning was appointed to fill the District 2 school board seat left vacant since June 30 when longtime board member Shirley Sims stepped down.
July 23 -- Maj. Mike Hopper retired from the Goldsboro Police Department after 28 years of service.
July 25 -- An elderly Mount Olive woman was assaulted in her home after a break-in. Duplin County law enforcement officers later extradited the suspect, Romeo Rosinos Villatoro, 32, after he was arrested July 28 in New York.
July 28 -- Michael Pierucki, 21, of West New Hope Road and William Earl Wooten, 20, of Miller Avenue were accused of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl, Goldsboro police said.
AUGUST
Aug. 5 -- One-third of the county's schools made high growth under the state's ABCs accountability model, while 22 of the 30 schools, or 73 percent, made at least expected growth, according to the state's final 2009-10 results.
Aug. 8 -- Duplin County Emergency Services Director Brian Pearce has announced his resignation effective Aug. 27.
Aug. 8 -- All but one Duplin County school made expected growth, and seven of the county's 16 schools achieved high growth according to the ABCs of Public Education report.
Aug. 9 -- The pre-trial proceedings began for the trial of accused murderer Cesar Laurean. The trial lasted only a few weeks. Laurean was found guilty Aug. 23 and sentenced Aug. 24 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, although his defense attorney stated that the ex-Marine will appeal the ruling.
Aug. 14 -- Mount Olive College welcomed a record-breaking freshman class.
Aug. 22 -- The members of the 4th Fighter Wing's 336th Rocketeers deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan for a six-month tour.
Aug. 22 -- Michael David Smith, 40, of Buttercup Lane died after being struck by a car as he walked along U.S. 117 Alternate South.
Aug. 25 -- Donnell Devise Hamilton Sr., 48, of Rose Street, a former Goldsboro firefighter, was fired from the department when he was charged with one count of second-degree rape.
Aug. 26 -- Former school resource officer Scott Hardy was named Wayne County Public Schools Teacher of the Year.
Aug. 28 -- More than 300 Mount Olive College students graduated during the school's 57th commencement.
Aug. 31 -- Time Warner Cable ended its programming agreement with PACC-10 and the channel was designated as a government channel for use by the county and city of Goldsboro.
Aug. 31 -- Anecia Neal, 25, of West James Street, LaGrange, died from injuries sustained during a car crash.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 1 -- The Goldsboro City Council voted to move forward with a redesign of the downtown streetscape that includes 18-foot sidewalks, underground utilities, a walkable median, more open green space and the elimination of the holly trees.
Sept. 3 -- Mount Olive College and Wayne Community College is named by G.I. Jobs magazine as one of the nation's most military friendly colleges.
Sept. 5 -- Norwayne High alumni celebrate their reunion in Fremont on Sept. 4.
Sept. 6 -- Miracle child 16-month-old Elayah "Liyah" Monae Garner continues her recovery, moving to a regular hospital room, after being accidentally run over in her driveway, suffering severe head injuries in July.
Sept. 9 -- Jessie Hand Ladson was appointed Sept. 7 to fill the Duplin Board of Commissioners seat vacated by the Rev. Reginald Wells who moved.
Sept. 10 -- The United Way of Wayne County kicked off its 2010 fundraising campaign Sept. 9, with a $1,400,932 goal.
Sept. 10 -- Progress Energy broke ground Sept. 9 on a $900 million natural gas-fired power plant off Black Jack Church Road near the current H.F. Lee Plant.
Sept. 12 -- Taylor Smith won the Wayne County Junior Miss pageant Sept. 11.
Sept. 13 -- Based on the 10-day numbers, nearly 1,100 more students were enrolled in Wayne County's 31 schools this year.
Sept. 14 -- Members of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's 916th Air Refueling Wing were honored by the Air Force Association as the best Reserve unit.
Sept. 15 -- For the second year in a row, scores dropped on Wayne County's SATs, nine points in reading and math and 15 points in writing -- 1393 overall, compared to the state average of 1485.
Sept. 16 -- Wayne Memorial Hospital announced a 4 percent rate increase for 2011.
Sept. 16 -- Austerity moves by Mount Olive resulted in the lay off of two workers.
Sept. 18 -- Four men were killed in an accident on U.S. 117 Alternate in front of Tri-County Electric. The men were later identified as Jeremy Elijah Bryant Pate, 20, Dudley; Gordon Lane, 41, Mount Olive; Joseph Lee Carter, 22, Dudley; and Jerrod Roddick McKiver, 20, Dudley. Pate was found to be at fault.
Sept. 19 -- Cherry Hospital nurses spoke out about the number of violent patients and the number of staff injuries in recent months.
Sept. 20 -- Charles Sexton, 37, Fremont, died of his injuries in a single-car accident Sept. 19.
Sept. 21 -- Mount Olive officials admitted the town has had to hold checks or otherwise face bank overdrafts in 13 of the past 15 months.
Sept. 21 -- The Duplin County Board of Commissioners approved the leasing of Duplin General Hospital to University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina for 25 years.
Sept. 22 -- Cherry Hospital Director Philip Cook admitted the past several months were hard for the state psychiatric facility with a number of violent patients and nurse injuries, but said things were improving.
Sept. 24 -- State Department of Health and Human Services officials said the new facility will make big difference for Cherry Hospital's staff and patients.
Sept. 24 -- Gov. Beverly Perdue came to town Sept. 23 to announce a second $6 million rond of Rural Center grants while standing in front of the Kitty Askins Center, which received a $288,000 Rural Health Care Initiative grant for its expansion.
Sept. 26 -- Goldsboro Mayor Al King was awarded the Downtown Lifetime Achievement Award by the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp.
Sept. 26 -- A break-in of the Wayne County Courthouse Sept. 24 was discovered. Brent Mannis, 27, was later arrested.
Sept. 27 -- Cop shooter Jerome Wright, 27, was found guilty on seven of eight charges in connection with the June 2008 shooting of Goldsboro police officer Clint Hales, and sentencted to at least 17 years in prison.
Sept. 27 -- Wayne County Special Olympian Heather Pardue was picked to travel to the 2011 Summer World Games in Athens, Greece for bowling.
Sept. 28 -- Dr. Dave Tayloe of Goldsboro Pediatrics announced the reciept of a $500,000 grant to track children with special health care needs to make sure they are receiving the necessary care.
Sept. 29 -- Wayne Community College announced its fall enrollment was about 6.5 percent higher than in 2009, with 3,862 students, and approved a $34 million budget.
Sept. 29 -- Heavy rains fell on Wayne County as a tropical depression moved over the area, dropping between eight and 12 inches of rain.
Sept. 30 -- The Wayne County Regional Fair opened but the midway was closed because of wet conditions.
Sept. 30 -- Wayne County unemployment numbers drop again from 8.5 percent in July to 8.3 percent in August, continuing a trend.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1 -- Officials at the Wayne Regional Fair reopened the midway after heavy rains closed it Sept. 30.
Oct. 1 -- The Wayne Shrine Club held its fall fish fry, raising a record $25,000.
Oct. 3 -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 1, indoors, because of all the recent rain, for the new Cherry Hospital to serve the state's eastern region. It is expected to open in March 2013.
Oct. 3 -- Stacie Dawson was crowned 2010 Queen of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair on Oct. 1.
Oct. 3 -- Princeton announced it will give property tax breaks to businesses and residents moving to and building in town.
Oct. 3 -- The Mount Olive Heart Walk saw its largest turnout ever, about 200 walkers, on Oct. 2.
Oct. 5 -- Two women, a mother and daughter, Mary Smith, 90, and Mary Jones, 73, were killed in a two-car accident at the intersection of U.S. 117 and West Main Street outside of Mount Olive.
Oct. 7 -- Patty Huffman was named the new executive director of the Partnership for Children of Wayne County.
Oct. 8 -- Dave Odom challenges Goldsboro to help raise funds to pay for repairs to the Boys & Girls Club on Royall Avenue. Odom coached at Goldsboro High, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, East Carolina University and the Univeristy of South Carolina.
Oct. 10 -- Three people, Joshua Brantley, 25, Fremont; Jacob Floars, 17, Fremont; and Ashley Haskins, 18, Fremont, were killed in a single vehicle accident on N.C. 222 near its intersection with Airport Road, while a fourth, driver Mark Aaron Pope, 17, was taken to Pitt Memorial Hospital. Floars was a current student at Charles B. Aycock High School, while Pope and Ms. Haskins were former students.
Oct. 10 -- Big Lots announced it will move from U.S. 70 to the old Goody's store on North Berkeley Boulevard.
Oct. 10 -- Monica Sasser was named the 2010 Wayne County Fire Princess on Oct. 9.
Oct. 10 -- Duplin County names Amy Powers of Wallace-Rose Hill High School its 2010-11 Teacher of the Year, and Debra Hunter of North Dupline Junior/Senior High School its 2010-11 Principal of the Year.
Oct. 12 -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base mourned the loss of two airmen -- Senior Airman Ross Merrit Horton, found dead Oct. 4, and Tech Sgt. Robert Steven Newlon Jr., found dead Oct. 10, both in their homes of apparent self-infliced wounds.
Oct. 13 -- Susie Garner Stanley, 60, was killed in a single-car accident on U.S. 70.
Oct. 13 -- Rick Sumner of Wooten Development Corp. was awarded the first Leader of the Year Award by the Leadership Wayne County Alumni Association on Oct. 12.
Oct. 17 -- The annual Neuse Regional Alzheimer's Walk was held Oct. 16, raising $60,000.
Oct. 18 -- Kristie J. Lee, 37, Thunder Swamp Road, died after being struck by a drunk driver Oct. 17.
Oct. 18 -- One man, Jose Vazquez, 19, Mount Olive, was killed in a single-car accident on Herring Road near Thoroughfare Volunteer Fire Station. Five others were injured. Driver Mestedez Vazquez, 31, Mount Olive, was charged with one count of misdeamor death.
Oct. 18 -- Carson Thomas, victim of a hit-and-run accident in front of Greenwood Middle School in 2005, received his Eagle Scout badge, walking the final steps to get it.
Oct. 19 -- Marcus Andre Griffin, 28, Mulberry Street, was shot to death Oct. 16.
Oct. 19 -- The Goldsboro City Council learned Oct.18 that its 2011 elections might not be able to be held as scheduled because of the redrawing of district lines based on the 2010 Census is likely to take too long.
Oct. 20 -- The state Department of Health and Human Services announced the deaths of four people at GlenCare assisted living facility in Mount Olive from complications of hepatitis B.
Oct. 20 -- The Goldboro City Council learned Oct. 18 that the U.S. 70 Goldsboro Bypass is now scheduled to be complete by 2016, years earlier than expected.
Oct. 20 -- Wayne Early/Middle College High School was recognized as one of 11 schools in the state achieving a 100 percent graduation rate.
Oct. 21 -- Warsaw Elementary School is placed on a state watch list to improve student performance by 10 percent or face a state-ordered improvement process because of its AYP scores.
Oct. 21 -- The Arts Council of Wayne County announced it will sell its current building on the corner of Spence Avenue and Ash Street.
Oct. 24 -- The Wayne County Historical Association announced the 2010 selections for its Wall of Fame -- Wilis Casey and George C. Royall.
Oct. 26 -- State officials report a sixth case of hepatitis B at GlenCare.
Oct. 26 -- Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson explained his decision to not pursue charges against Christina Laurean, the wife of ex-Marine Cesar Laurean, convicted in August of murdering Maria Lauterbach.
Oct 27 -- Wayne County Sheriff's deputies looked into the death of a 21-month-old Pikeville child who died of a traumatic injury.
Oct. 28 -- GE Lighting Carolina Products announced it will be shuttering its doors within the next year.
Oct. 29 -- Two new cases of hepatitis B were reported at GlenCare.
Oct. 29 -- Dwayne Dail's lawsuit against the city of Goldsoro and several of its police officer, filed in August, is moved to federal court. Dail was wrongfully convicted of rape in 1987 and exonerated in 2007 after evidence stored in a Goldsboro police locker was found.
Oct. 29 -- Ap Exhaust Products was named the Wayne County Development Alliance's Industry of the Year.
Oct. 31 -- Willis Casey and George C. Royall were posthumously inducted in the Wayne County Museum Wall of Fame.
Oct. 31 -- Members of the 4th Fighter Wing earned a "satisfactory" rating for their performace during a four-day Operational Readiness Inspection.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 3 -- In the midterm elections, Sheriff Carey Winders defeated challener Glenn Barnes, Arnold Flowers beat incumbent school board member George Moye in District 5, while Rick Pridgen held onto to his District 6 seat. In a historic election for state Republicans, the party took control of both chambers of the state Legislature, with Sen. David Rouzer, R-Johnston, beating Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod to retain his District 12 seat, former state Rep. Stephen LaRoque taking back his District 10 seat from Rep. Van Braxton, D-Lenoir, and former state Rep. Louis Pate defeating Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene, in a 2008 rematch for the District 5 seat. In other races, state Rep. Larry Bell, D-Sampson, beat Deann Poirier of Mount Olive to retain his District 21 seat, while on the national level, Rep. G.K. Butterfield defeated Ashley Woolard to retain his Congressional District 1 seat. Also elected were state Rep. Efton Sager, R-Wayne, DA Branny Vickory, Clerk of Court Pam Minshew, Board of Education District 1 Chris West, Board of Education District 4 John Grantham, Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors Bryant Worley and Ronald Parks, and in Duplin, Pam Edwards, Chuck Farrior and Jennings Outlaw to the school board, Jessie Ladson, Harold Raynor and Tim Smith to the county commission, Blake Wallace as sheriff, Katie Harrell as clerk of court, Ernie Lee as district attorney, Paul A Hardison and Sarah C. Seaton as District Court judges, Russell J. Lanier Jr. as Superior Court judge, Brent Jackson for state Senate District 10, and Jimmy Dixon for state House District 4. Also winning re-election were U.S. Reps Mike McIntyre and Walter B. Jones and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
Nov. 3 -- Steve Hicks, 67, announced he will retire at the end of the year, following a difficult year of restructuring in response to declining membership.
Nov. 3 -- Former Yankee and Goldsboro native Clyde King died at age 86. King began his professional career when he signed with the Brookly Dodgers in 1944. From there he played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinatti Reds. He also managed the San Francisco Giants, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees, eventually becoming a troubleshooter and special adviser for owner, the late George Steinbrenner until 1995.
Nov. 5 -- Richard Leon Cook, 53, of Jackson Springs was found dead in the median of U.S. 70 near the intersection with Community Drive in the early morning hours, the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
Nov. 5 -- Joanna Helms, director of the Wayne County Development Alliance, was honored as the Wayne-Duplin Business and Professional Women's Club Career Woman of the Year.
Nov. 7 -- Juan Deigo Cruz Esquivel, 22, of Caraway Creek Road in Dudley died when he lost control of his Ford Mustang while traveling on Outlaw Road about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
Nov. 7 -- Emily Weil of Goldsboro received the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians for her book, "Cornwallis' Campaign: Wilmington to Yorktown."
Nov. 8 -- A fifth GlenCare resident was announced dead of complications related to hepatitis B, following an outbreak at the Mount Olive assisted living facility.
Nov. 9 -- Goldsboro police officer James Serlick died after a long battle with cancer.
Nov. 9 -- Rosewood HIgh School teacher Jennifer Cochran was named secondary school mathematics teacher of the year for Wayne County Public Schools.
Nov. 10 -- Volunteer awards were given out -- the family of Master Sgt. Kathlee Parrish received the 2009 Medallion Award, Randy Sauls won an individual award, the Mental Health Association of Wayne County won the group award, the Rev. Ralph Johnson won in the faith category, while Freda Owen won in the senior category. The National Service Award went to Margaret Eichelberger with Habitat for Humanity.
Nov. 11 -- The Duplin County Board of Education and the Duplin County Board of Commisioners come to an agreement on the lawsuit over school funding -- an additional $4.8 million.
Nov. 11 -- Former Wayne Community College President Dr. Clyde Erwin died Nov. 10. He served as president from 1966 to 1986 and helped create the modern institution that exists today.
Nov. 12 -- The ground was broken Nov. 11 at the site that once housed the Wayne County Memorial Building. The memorial will include a pavilion, the bronze plaques once in the Community Building, a tribute to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, flags and a large granite map of Wayne County. A completion date has not been set.
Nov. 12 -- A shared diabetic pen is linked to the five deaths from hepatitis B complications at GlenCare asissted living facility in Mount Olive.
Nov. 12 -- State Rep. Van Braxton, D-Lenoir, is accused of assault by Ray Wiley after he tried to retrieve one of his signs from Wiley's property.
Nov. 14 -- The state Department of Health and Human Services released its report on GlenCare, finding that the assisted living facility stored glucometers together in insufficiently labeled containers, that they were inadequately cleaned or disinfected after use and that they were used on multiple patients, among other violations.
Nov. 16 -- A two-car accident near Seven Springs killed Jettie Best Johnson of Mount Olive when she pulled out into the path of a vehicle operated by Franklin Ray Fulghum at the intersection of N.C. 55 and N.C. 111. No charges were filed.
Nov. 16 -- Dr. Steven Taylor, Wayne County Public School superintendent, was named the 2010 N.C. Healthy Schools Superintendent of the Year for his efforts to coordinate school health programs across the district.
Nov. 16 -- Eight nurses at Wayne Memorial Hospital were honored: Denise Bruce, Carol Davis, Jodie Daugherty, Michelle Hill, Marcus King, Cindy McPhail, Kim Muntz and Carol Taylor.
Nov. 17 -- The Steak Barn announced it will reopen after closing in July.
Nov. 18 -- The state Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation announced that GlenCare will face a $20,000 fine from the state for the hepatitis B outbreak that claimed the life of five residents.
Nov. 19 -- Mt. Olive Pickle Co. breaks ground on an 138,000-square-foot addition 170,000-square-foot distribution center to streamline its shipping and receiving processes.
Nov. 21 -- Goldsboro Police Chief Tim Bell announced he will retire in March after nearly 30 years with the department.
Nov. 22 -- Joseph Anthony Rackowski, 50, of Garrick Lane, Goldsboro, was jailed under a $6 million bond on six counts of first-degree statutory sexual offense, second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Nov. 22 -- Unemployment in Wayne County dropped below 8 percent for the first time in months.
Nov. 23 -- James Louis Maxwell Jr. and Hugh Gordon Maxwell III of Goldsboro Milling Co. were inducted into the Wayne County Agriculture Hall of Fame. Also inducted posthumously was Chester Wells "C.W." Smith Jr. Also honored was Annie Hatch of Grantham with the Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award.
Nov. 25 -- Keefe Decarlos McPhail, 37, LaGrange, is charged with the Oct. 25 murder of 21-month-old Kamari Bryant.
Nov. 25 -- Fremont Police Chief R.K. Rawlings, 57, announced he will step down on Nov. 29 to take a job training Afghan police officers in Afghanistan after four years on the job.
Nov. 28 -- Two inmates Michael D. Minard and Tracey A. Deaver broke out of the Wayne County Detention Center Nov. 26, after attacking detention officer Sgt. Albert Anders.
Nov. 29 -- Devin Barber, 20, Smithfield, was shot to death Nov. 27 by Stefan Gudac in Pine Level -- the town's first homicide victim in memory. Barber was the grandson of Ruff and Mae Huggins of Mount Olive.
Nov. 30 -- For the third time since October, a Seymour Johnson Air Force Base 4th Fighter Wing airman was found dead in his home with no foul play suspected. Tech Sgt. Joshua Grotke, 38, was found dead in his Pikeville home Monday.
DECEMBER
Dec. 1 -- State health officials confirmed the death a sixth person in connection with the GlenCare assisted living facility in Mount Olive. The six residents all died from complications from hepatitis B.
Dec. 3 -- Three Cherry Hospital patients were allegedly involved in an altercation that resulted in one being taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Dec. 5 -- All of Wayne County officially opened the holiday season on Dec. 4 with Christmas parades in Goldsboro, Mount Olive, Fremont, as well as in Princeton. As the Goldsboro parade began, a light snow began to fall.
Dec. 5 -- Wayne County was declared a disaster area by Gov. Beverly Perdue after a hot summer doomed many crops. The declaration allowed farmers to apply for low-interest government loans.
Dec. 6 -- Pikeville joins those in the holiday spirit with its Christmas parade on Dec. 5.
Dec. 6 - Willie Ray Starling, known to many for his activism in the Wayne County Republican Party, his failed attempts to run for county and state offices and, most importantly, his annual portrayals of Santa Claus died at age 70.
Dec. 7 -- Mount Olive Police Chief Ralph Schroeder, 54, announced he will retire on March 1.
Dec. 7 -- Goldsboro City Manager Joe Huffman announced he will retire on March 1 after six years in Goldsboro and nearly 30 in local government.
Dec. 7 -- Wayne County Board of Education members Arnold Flowers, Rick Pridgen, Chris West and John Grantham were sworn into office Dec. 6.
Dec. 8 -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base officials confirmed that the Air Force Thunderbirds, the Army Golden Knights Parachute team and country music singer Aaron Tippin will headline the 2011 Wings over Wayne.
Dec. 10 -- Norwayne Middle School Principal Mario Re pleads guilty to a May 2 driving while impaired charge, receiving 12-month unspervised probation.
Dec. 10 -- Heroes Restaurant on the corner of Ash Street and Berkeley Boulevard was damaged by a fire Thursday. Officials ruled arson out as a cause.
Dec. 12 -- A new monument to those soldiers who fought and died at Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield was dedicated Dec. 11 during the annual Civil War battle re-enactment.
Dec. 13 -- Santa made his last stop before Christmas at the Eureka Christmas Parade on Dec. 12.
Dec. 14 -- A 7,000-pound, 20-foot Civil War-era cannon replica was set to leave Dec. 15 for Fort Macon State Park from Wayne Community College.
Dec 15 -- A group of Mount Olive volunteers announced they met their $100,000 goal for a new chapel as part of the Kitty Askins Center's $4 million capital project.
Dec. 16 -- Two Internet gaming establishments find a way to stay open after a new state law banning machine-based sweepstakes video gaming took effect on Dec. 1.
Dec. 17 -- State Highway Patrol investigators said Jeremy Elijah Pate, 20, Dudley, had a 0.14 blood alcohol level when he crashed his car on U.S. 117 Alternate on Sept. 18, killing himself along with Joseph Lee Carter, 22, and Jerrod Roddick McKiver, 20, both of Dudley, and Gordon Lane, 41, Mount Olive.
Dec. 17 -- United Way of Wayne County announced Dec. 16 that it finished its fundraising campaign at 79 percent of its $1,115,750 goal. The organization said it hoped to reach at least 80 percent by the end of the year.
Dec. 19 -- More than 300 students graduated from Mount Olive College and its six satellite campuses on Dec. 18.
Dec. 26 -- Wayne Memorial Hospital's pulmonary rehabilitation program announced it attained its national certification status by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Dec. 26 -- Mark Aaron Pope, 17, was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired and careless and reckless driving. He was found to have a blood alcohol content of .16, as well as marijuana in his system after an accident on Oct. 10 near the intersection of N.C. 222 and Airport Road that killed three other people.
Dec. 27 -- In a rare Christmastime snow fall, Goldsboro and Wayne County were blanketed Saturday night and Sunday by 10 to 11 inches of snow.
Dec. 27 -- Tequilla Danyele Barrett, 26, Hugh Street, was found dead in an apparent murder suicide, allegedly killed by Derris Jamar Oates, 30, Dakota Street.