June 2011 archives

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Law enforcement counts sex offenders

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office teamed up with the U.S. Marshals Service Wednesday to verify that all registered sex offenders in the county are in compliance with state registry laws. Of the 174 sex offenders registered in Wayne County,...

WCC tuition to rise

While Wayne Community College students will have to pay more to take college classes in the fall, officials maintain it's still a bargain. The North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges next month will adopt the $10 increase per credit...

Public record

Man starts fire in own home to evade deputies The Wayne County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic dispute at a home on Camp Jubilee Road in Seven Springs Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. involving Jorge Adan Ramirez, 33, and his...

Plans grind to a halt

When the Goldsboro City Council makes its decision Tuesday concerning the purchase of the Arts Council of Wayne County building for an Air Force museum, it will not be the first time a vote has been taken on such...

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Jones takes questions at GOP headquarters

With rising national debt, conflict in Libya and war in Afghanistan, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones took time Tuesday to hear concerns from Wayne County Republicans over the job Congress is doing. In a question and answer session at the...

Metal thefts causing problems around city

A recent rash of unusual thefts -- thieves pulling metal off the outside of buildings -- is causing problems for several local groups and businesses. On June 23, Goldsboro police were dispatched to Eden Place between Goldsboro Country Club...

The fish are back

Hannah Newsome, 9, releases goldfish into the Herman Park fountain. Recently the "Lady in the Park" statue was returned after extensive repairs. John Albert, city parks superintendent, let several children who were playing in the park Tuesday afternoon return...

Air Force museum -- the road to a vote

When Goldsboro celebrates Independence Day on Monday, it will also mark another potentially pivotal date in the city's history -- exactly 20 years since the North Carolina General Assembly granted the city the full use of an occupancy tax...

Gas prices on roller coaster ride

Gas prices in North Carolina jumped sharply this spring, going from an average of $3.13 per gallon in February to $3.83 in early May, according to the AAA. But Wayne County residents are finally feeling some relief. Since May,...

Heroin valued at $30,000 seized

A joint effort between Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Goldsboro Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in one of the largest heroin seizures in Wayne County history early Saturday morning. Quashon Marquise Phillips, of Olivia Lane, was...

Wayne gears up for Fourth of July

Local, state and federal offices, including Postal Service offices and banks, will be closed Monday in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Wayne County offices also will be closed. Employees working four- or five-day workweeks will all have...

Fireworks safety tips

Goldsboro Fire Department Fire Inspector Capt. John A. Morton is urging city and county residents to stay safe this Fourth of July weekend. Morton said that North Carolina, unlike neighboring South Carolina, is a "Safe and Sane" state that does...

Jones presents Keen with comments from House floor

GRANTHAM -- Slipping the bright green bracelet on his left wrist, Congressman Walter B. Jones Tuesday afternoon promised Abby Keen that he would not remove it until she told him she didn't need for him to wear it any...

Victim's relatives beat rape suspect

A 40-year-old Duplin County man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at Busco Beach. Anthony Pfaff, 41, of Quinn Store Road, Beulaville, was arrested by Wayne County sheriff's deputies over the weekend and charged with second-degree...

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

New Wayne County principal assignments announced

Eight county schools will have new principals in the fall, Goldsboro High School among them. Three administrators actually retired at the conclusion of this school year, but when the dust settled and re-assignment were made in time for them to...

Plowing ahead

Alfred Williams tills a garden off Harris Street. He and two members of First African Baptist Church, located next door, maintain the garden for the church every year. Most of the produce is given away to the elderly and...

County ordinances available online

People who need to look up a county ordinance don't have to go any farther than their computer. After years of discussion and planning, the county has finally made an electronic version of the ordinances available online. "You can go...

Rosewood teen missing since June 20

Goldsboro police are searching for a 14-year-old boy who has been missing for more than one week. Austin Tyler Thompson, a student a Rosewood High School, was last seen by his mother in the evening of June 20. Austin...

French students need homes

The Terra Lingua/Terre des Langues Program, sponsored through East Carolina University, gives students from abroad a chance to learn American culture by living with an eastern North Carolina family for several weeks, sharing their normal daily life while imparting...

Monday, June 27, 2011

Proposed voting maps

Proposed new voting district maps for Wayne County county commissioners and school board will be the topic of a July 12 public hearing at 9:15 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex....

Mount Olive town board OKs budget

MOUNT OLIVE -- Town commissioners Wednesday night rescinded then readopted the same $5.1 million budget that they had approved just two weeks earlier on a "contingent" basis. "There is no such thing as contingent budget ordinance," said William Rivenbark of...

SJAFB facility named for pilot

It was just a simple piece of metal -- a bracelet purchased by a young ROTC cadet more than 20 years ago. But as Phil Heseltine came to know Maj. Robert Francis Woods, the name etched on that band...

Dr. Tyndall dies at 85

Longtime doctor Durwood Tyndall died Sunday at Kitty Askins Hospice Center. Dr. Tyndall, 85, practiced family medicine in Goldsboro for almost 40 years, working with his son-in-law, Dr. Howard Newell, for nine years before retiring. He was president of the...

Fremont budget gets approval

FREMONT -- The Fremont Board of Aldermen adopted the town's 2011-12 budget last week. It contains no increase in taxes, fees or utilities. Wayne County's recent tax reassessment would result in a tax neutral rate for Fremont of 60.97...

Duplin's Fussell to resign

KENANSVILLE -- Duplin County Commissioner David Fussell will resign June 30 due to illness, County Manager Mike Aldridge said Thursday. Fussell has been absent from commissioners' meetings since early March, and has been suffering bouts of illness ever since...

Best: Winning still not 'sunk in'

For perhaps the first time in history, Wayne County will have a contestant in the Miss America Pageant. Hailey Best of Goldsboro was crowned Miss North Carolina in Raleigh Saturday night. The 20-year-old former Eastern Wayne High School student beat...

Public record

Property damaged Goldsboro police are investigating a break-in at the home of Nora Smith, 78, of Seaboard Street. Police said that someone had broken into the home doing $1,600 in damages to a breaker box and $150 in damages...

Crash victims identified

FREMONT -- A head-on collision on U.S. 117, just north of Fremont, killed a Lucama woman and a South Carolina man about 9:30 Saturday night. Donna Jean Braman, 53, of Greg Swamp Loop, and James Richard Govan, 51, of...

Progress Energy customers can report outages online

A month into hurricane season, Progress Energy Carolinas has introduced a new tool this year to help customers report power outages more easily. In addition to its automated outage reporting phone line, the utility has expanded its online resources...

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Red Cross offering students chance to try for scholarships

The American Red Cross is offering scholarships -- and all students have to do to qualify to compete for one is collect blood. The Red Cross held its first Bloodstock blood drive last week in Goldsboro. It's a scholarship...

Two killed in crash outside Fremont

FREMONT -- Two people died in a two-car head-on collision Saturday evening on U.S. 117 North near Fremont Auto Tire and Gas less than a mile north of the town limits. Speed was cited by the Highway Patrol as...

County working out kinks in new system

After more than two months of operation, Wayne County officials are still working the bugs out of the county's new emergency communication system. Wayne County Office Emergency Services director Joe Gurley said there have been some problems with the...

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Hailey Best wins Miss North Carolina Pageant

Hailey Best of Goldsboro, Miss Durham, was crowned Miss North Carolina on Saturday night. Ms. Best, 20, is the daughter of Michael and Kim Best and a sophomore at Meredith College. She is a former student at Eastern Wayne High...

He's just Anthony: Teen doesn't let having just one hand stop him

Anthony McKinney digs into the batter's box and waits for the teenager on the mound to make his move. The pitcher fires a fastball. Anthony swings and misses. "Come on now. You've got this," the boy's father, Steve, hollers from...

Ham radio field day puts Wayne practice skills Saturday, today

Ham radio operators, long known for their ability to operate in times of disaster and emergencies that cripple other forms of communications, were operating equipment ranging from satellite technology to Morse Code in the wooded area in front of Greenwood...

Couple's efforts earn their yard national wildlife certification

Goldsboro newcomers Sherry and Jack Frye only recently moved from Charlotte into their new home on Woodcroft Drive, but they have already succeeded not only in beautifying their new yard, but also in getting it officially recognized as a...

Four charged after chase

Three Goldsboro men have been arrested, and a fourth is wanted for allegedly breaking into a home on June 16, leading to a car chase, a collision with a police patrol vehicle, and multiple foot pursuits. Marquell Devon Ruffin,...

Anthony McKinney video

Video of Anthony McKinney playing baseball with his Boys and Girls Club baseball team....

Friday, June 24, 2011

County has a budget

A sigh was heard from the audience of tax and revaluation opponents Thursday as the Wayne County commissioners by a 4-3 vote adopted a $158 million budget and a tax rate of 70.25 cents per $100 worth of property....

School officials: Remarks untrue

Wayne County School officials refuted a claim made this week by County Commissioner Jack Best that the county schools superintendent, Dr. Steven Taylor, had requested the board extend his contract and pay him $6,500 out of teacher supplement money. The...

Relay wrapup: $512,965

The balloons signaling the start of Wayne County's Relay For Life 2011 had been released more than a month before, but the nervous excitement was still thick in the Wayne Memorial Hospital cafeteria Thursday night where team captains, chairpersons...

Doctor injured at Cherry Hospital

State Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Van Sciver acknowledged today that a doctor at Cherry Hospital was injured after being attacked by a patient on June 8. He said the doctor, a psychiatrist, was taken to...

Best apologizes for comments

Wayne County Commissioner Jack Best Thursday afternoon offered a left-handed apology for comments he made Tuesday about schools superintendent Dr. Steve Taylor. Best had scolded the school board for using teacher supplements to pay bonuses for Taylor. "I want...

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Best chides schools for spending decisions

Wayne County Commissioner Jack Best took aim at the county schools, his fellow commissioners and the local media during 20 minutes of commentary during the commission's Tuesday morning budget hearing. Best accused the school board of using teacher supplement funds...

Duplin will raise tax rate after all

KENANSVILLE -- After voting no to a tax increase last week, Duplin County commissioners decided to tack a 2-cent tax hike onto the budget Monday night shortly before they approved it. Commissioner Tim Smith, who proposed the increase, said...

Commission eyes new district lines

Looking at the proposed new voting district lines for the Wayne County Board of Commissioners and the county school board, the most obvious changes involve Districts 1, 5 and 6. District 5 currently extends from the Duplin County line east...

Council close to final vote on opening street in park

Nearly three months after seven citizens spoke out at a public hearing on the closing of Park Avenue through Herman Park, there should finally be a decision on what the City Council would like done with the road. The...

Schools waiting for final news on budget

Awaiting the final outcome to the latest reductions and changes to the state budget, officials with Wayne County Public Schools are anticipating whether, and where, personnel changes will take place. "Right now we're crunching the numbers and trying to get...

It's a grenade

It started with a thoughtful gesture -- the passing of a family heirloom from parents to their son and his wife. But when David and Susan Crooks started working to restore the antique sewing machine that recently made its...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Health Department primary care clinic now open

Three years after Dr. Ashton Griffin signed on as medical director at the Health Department, one of his target goals is being realized -- establishing a primary care clinic. Although still in the early growth stage and he hopes...

Public record

Grantham business claims embezzlement Grantham Supply and Pizza Inn Express, located in the 3300 block of U.S. 13 South, contacted the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for suspicions of embezzlement. The report listed that $14,000 had been embezzled from the business...

Dillard Academy cotillion

The annual cotillion Saturday evening for fourth-graders at Dillard Academy charter school began with a receiving line of parents and families. Earlier in the day, students also attended a formal luncheon at Goldsboro Country Club. The cotillion represented weeks...

City OKs spending plan for 2011-12

The City Council unanimously approved the city's budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year Tuesday in the Council Chambers just after 5 p.m. during a special reconvening of the council for the sole purpose of adopting the spending plan. Finance...

Special Olympians earn medals at state games

Special Olympics Wayne County sent 22 athletes to the State Games in Raleigh recently, participating in the areas of athletics, aquatics and powerlifting. Athletes competed in running and walking events, the shot putt and long jump events. Coached by...

Smoke gone -- for now

Smoke that blanketed Wayne County and much of the eastern and central portions of the state had largely dissipated by early today. Officials with the National Weather Service said the smoke came mostly from a large wildfire burning in...

New position will promote communication

With an elevated budget ceiling giving the city $223,815 to work with thanks to revaluation and an increase in golf course revenue, the city has put in plans for a new position that Mayor Al King said has been...

Red Cross needs O negative blood donors

The American Red Cross is making an appeal to donors to give type O negative blood as the supply has dropped to a critically low level. That's because O negative is in high demand because it can be used...

Painting for the dogs

Kaitlyn Kosuda paints a fire hydrant as part of a fundraiser for the Stoney Creek Dog Park. Local businesses have purchased one-of-a-kind fire hydrants that can be decorated in any way to raise money for the canine exercise area....

County eyes budget

A public hearing on the county budget Tuesday morning quickly turned into a referendum on the higher property values returned by the recent countywide revaluation as 16 mostly retired Wayne County residents paraded in front of county commissioners to argue...

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Drivers urged to be cautious as wildfires create smoky conditions for traveling

RALEIGH -- Motorists in the central and eastern sections of North Carolina are urged to use extra caution while driving as the combination of wildfires and high summer temperatures have created a hazy condition that is limiting visibility along roadways....

Smoke from wildfires reducing visibility, could cause breathing problems

 Motorists in the central and eastern sections of North Carolina are urged to use extra caution while driving as the combination of wildfires and high summer temperatures have created a hazy condition that is limiting visibility along roadways. Crews are...

Five hurt in head-on crash

A head-on collision on N.C. 55 Monday afternoon sent five people to Wayne Memorial Hospital and has one man facing drinking and driving charges. State Highway Patrol Officer J.M. Holloman said a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, driven by Erasmo Bartolon-Bartolon,...

Commercial ice makers cause motorcycle crash

A father and daughter from Maysville were injured late Monday morning while riding a motorcycle on U.S. 70 when they attempted a maneuver to avoid colliding with a commercial ice maker that had fallen from a trailer. Henry Francis...

Council takes no action on building purchase, postpones election

The City Council decided during its work session Monday to delay its decision on the Arts Council of Wayne County building purchase until July 6 to allow for more meetings to determine how to implement a more direct educational...

Revenue won't be neutral in city

Budget revisions that freed up an extra $223,815 in the city's 2011-12 fiscal year will be supplemented with even more revenue from taxes if the City Council approves its budget as amended today at 5 p.m. The council recessed...

Duplin schools plan to shuffle teachers, staff

Duplin County teachers and principals are getting new assignments -- a part of an effort to better meet the needs of students, school officials said. The process, part of Superintendent Dr. Austin Obasohan's Strategic Staffing Initiative, involves assessing the...

Hello, summer

Alejandro Lugo, 12, splashes into Peacock Pool on Monday to get some relief from the heat. Today is the first day of summer, but temperatures already have been in the 90s for weeks, with little relief on the horizon....

Monday, June 20, 2011

Subdivision residents ask for help with pothole problem on key street

For months now, Bill Edmundson said not a week has gone by without him finding a muffler or a hubcap in his yard. That's because, he said, the paved road in front of his home on East April Lane...

Special Olympics athlete heading to Greece for Games

Donna Countryman's mailbox has been flooded with correspondence all week from Special Olympics, offering last-minute instructions about the upcoming World Games in Greece, where her daughter, Heather Pardue, will be participating in events. Among items included was a list of...

Elections will move forward

Plans by the city of Goldsboro and the towns of Mount Olive and Fremont to delay their respective 2011 municipal elections until next year because of redistricting will not affect other upcoming municipal and sanitary district elections in the county....

Cleanup costs concern county

State and federal agencies cut off funding for cleaning up methamphetamine manufacturing and dump sites earlier this year, pushing the cost down to local officials. With the average cost of cleaning up such sites about $3,000, and Wayne County...

County to weigh options for new districts

Wayne County commissioners are expected to approve criteria for the redrawing of voting district lines for the commission and the school board at their meeting Tuesday. Demographer Bobby Bowers, who is handling the redistricting for the county, first outlined the...

Public record

Breaking and entering *David Warren, of Warren's Small Engine Repair on U.S. 70 West, reported to Goldsboro police a breaking and entering at the business, and produced a surveillance tape that contained footage of a subject walking around the premises...

Council will weigh building buy, road opening

Budgets and the opening of Park Avenue are slated to headline today's City Council meeting, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. due to an extended work session to allow for more discussion on the city budget. Council will hear...

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Wounded Warriors

Last month, 4th Fighter Wing Staff Sgt. Ben Seekell was injured when an Improvised Explosive Device went off under his feet just outside of the Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, perimeter. He and his partner, his working dog, Charlie who was injured...

Working Dogs

Video Postcard to Staff Sgt. Ben Seekell from his comrades at the 4th Fighter Wing Kennel....

A new battle: 4th Fighter Wing Staff Sgt. Ben Seekell fights to face a new life

WASHINGTON -- He considers himself one of the lucky ones -- the young father of three whose life was forever changed more than a month ago just outside the Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, perimeter. He rejects the notion that he is...

Event celebrates fathers

Adam Patton began celebrating Father's Day on Saturday afternoon with a unique activity not typically seen this time of year -- watching his 4-year-old daughter Savanah fly a kite. As her Barbie kite gained momentum and wafted higher, Patton...

Goldsboro residents can now deannex

Special to the Messenger Homeowners living in the Buck Swamp and Falling Brook areas of Goldsboro have finally got what many of them have long been working toward -- the chance to get out of the city limits. Annexed into...

Arts Council building on City Council agenda

The Goldsboro City Council will decide Monday if the city will go through with its intention to purchase the soon-to-be-former building of the Arts Council of Wayne County. The budget amendment to allow the city to pay $500,000 for...

Titan coach, former players remember, pass along lessons of respect to youth

Joined by three of his "Titans," Herman Boone, the former high school football coach who inspired the Walt Disney film "Remember the Titans," came to Goldsboro Saturday with a message for its youth: respect. Sponsored by Dennis Peele, a...

Pediatric leader urges child water safety

After two children were admitted to the hospital after nearly drowning during the past week, Dr. Dave Tayloe of Goldsboro Pediatrics issued a reminder about the importance of water safety. They were separate incidents, the physician said, but were...

Wayne commissioners to revisit budget, taxes and cuts

A county budget leaner by $1,492,005 and minus a proposed 2.35-cent increase in the tax rate will be the subject of a Tuesday morning public hearing before the Wayne County commissioners. The hearing on the $158 million budget will...

Camp Killowatt offers youth studies in alternative energy

Camp Killowatt, a summer day camp for middle and high school students interested in alternative energy, will again be offered at Wayne Community College, thanks in part to a $15,000 grant from the Progress Energy Foundation. The program is designed...

Accident shuts down U.S. 13; driver trapped

A one-car accident Saturday morning on U.S. 13 South sent the driver by helicopter to Duke Medical Center. The condition of Wendy Bass Noll, 37, of Spring Branch Road was unavailable at presstime. She was pinned in her car,...

Friday, June 17, 2011

Peacock Pool officially open for the summer

Those seeking to beat the heat at city pools this summer will be splashing in freshly renovated pools today. Peacock Pool opened for the season at noon. The city spent more than $113,000 on renovations to the facilities at...

School district names 31 top teachers

Wayne County Public Schools has announced its 2011-2012 Teachers of the Year to represent each of its 31 schools in the upcoming academic year. Nominated by their peers, the educators will compete for the district honor, which will be announced...

City measures self-sufficiency

A strained budget has led the City Council to take a second look at the services it offers residents to see how close they are to paying for themselves. The council recently has criticized the formula used to evaluate...

Duplin officials vote to hold off on any tax hike

KENANSVILLE -- Following more pleas from the public at a Monday work session, Duplin County commissioners voted not to raise taxes despite an estimated $4 million budget deficit for 2011-12. County Manager Mike Aldridge said Wednesday the commissioners were...

Public record

Copper theft A home in the 500 block of South Pineview Avenue was broken into sometime between June 11 and Wednesday, according to a police report. The unknown suspect(s) entered through an unsecured window. Once inside the suspect(s) took power...

Fundraiser for sixth-grader with cancer to be held Saturday

A family fun day is planned for Saturday as a benefit for a Brogden Middle School student recently diagnosed with cancer. Isaiah Henderson, 12, is the grandson of county Board of Education member Len Henderson. In February he underwent...

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Center Street Jam canceled

Downtown Goldsboro's Center Street Jam is canceled this evening, due to the chance of rain and thunderstorms this evening. The Band of Oz was scheduled to perform at the event, which this week, was sponsored by Frema Motors. Follow...

Schools to operate on four-day workweek

With school officially dismissed for the summer, Wayne County Public Schools began its annual summer flex schedule this week. The district will operate on a 10-hour-day/four-day work week through Aug. 12. The central office on Royall Avenue will be closed...

Wayne, surrounding counties take part in search-and-rescue exercise

Rescue units from 14 agencies from Wayne and surrounding counties took part Wednesday in a training workshop and exercise at the Lane Tree Golf Club. The purpose of the exercise was to allow the various teams to interact with...

Public record

Home stolen On Tuesday, a 14-feet by 80-feet single wide mobile home was reported being stolen sometime between Jan. 4 and May 9. The home was stolen from the 100 block of BJ Drive. The value of the mobile unit...

Broken Saulston line causes brown water

After the second main break in three days in the Wayne Water District, officials received complaints from residents in the Saulston area whose water was coming out brown. A six-inch main broke near the intersection of Saulston Road and...

Senate to eye new bill to allow area to de-annex

Goldsboro's Phase 11 area will, essentially, be grandfathered into a bill in the General Assembly that outlines the process by which residents in an area to be annexed by a municipality can petition against the annexation. House Bill 196,...

Reading program begins

Kenya Copeland, 4, visits the Goldsboro Public Library Wednesday for the Summer Reading Program. The theme this year, "One World, Many Stories," explores stories from around the world....

School board can appoint for itself

The Wayne County Board of Education, for the first time in 20 years, has the authority to fill its own board vacancies -- a power it had surrendered to county commissioners in the 1991 agreement that merged the former county...

County Planning Board approves three plats

The Wayne County Planning Board Tuesday night approved three final plats and delayed action on a preliminary one. The final plats are: *Emily Britt, owner/developer William Britt one lot on Manley Grove Church Road, Grantham Township *Beaman Family Estate,...

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Saints march: 219 Southern Wayne High School seniors receive diplomas

"Freedom!" one woman shouted from the bleachers as the Southern Wayne High School graduates filed out of Kornegay Arena Tuesday night at Mount Olive College. The graduates screamed, laughed and hugged as they walked around the college grounds, ready...

Judge dismisses Sanderson suit

Superior Court Judge Russell Duke Jr. has ruled against a lawsuit seeking to overturn zoning by Nash County commissioners that would help clear the way for a $94 million chicken processing plant that would employ about 1,000 people. The lawsuit,...

Police arrest second suspect in shooting

Goldsboro police arrested a second teenage suspect Monday in the May 22 shooting at a North George Street home that hospitalized six young people. Shavaye Faronte Brooks, 16, of South Kornegay Street, was charged with 10 counts of discharging...

Community members discuss teen pregnancy impact

There is a pricetag for issues young people face -- from poverty to teen pregnancy -- and it will be paid, both by the next generation and the community that serves them, said speakers at Tuesday night's Board of...

Building deal, unwrapped

With the city drawing nearer to its June 20 deadline to purchase the Arts Council of Wayne County building at 2406 E. Ash St., much has been made of the 40-year-old building, which housed two banks before becoming the...

Homes sought for foreign students

The Terra Lingua/Terre des Langues foreign student program, sponsored by East Carolina University, is still looking for homes for several Spanish students who will be arriving in the area soon to spend several weeks learning about American culture. Homes...

VA rural health team here July 21

A story in Sunday's News-Argus gave the wrong date for a visit to Wayne County by the Veterans Administration. A news release received last week from the VA said the group would be here June 21. A corrected release...

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Chiefs: City's budget will allow both departments just to get by

The chiefs of both the Goldsboro Fire Department and city Police Department say the proposed budget for 2011-2012 will leave their departments financially strapped, but both Fire Chief Gary Whaley and Interim Police Chief Jeff Stewart said they plan...

Thieves taking air conditioners

The recent spate of hot weather has apparently led some thieves to steal air-conditioning units across Wayne County. Several thefts of air-conditioning units have been reported to authorities in recent days. * A $2,000 air conditioning unit was reported...

Public record

Break-in Eastern A/C Service, located in the 2500 block of U.S. 70 West, was broken into between late Thursday or early Friday. About $4,500 of goods were stolen, including a $1,000 of copper pipe. The owner told police that...

County targets revenue-neutral

More than five hours spent Monday by Wayne County commissioners trimming their way through the county's $158 million budget proposal fell short by about $400,000 of the board's goal of cutting enough to prevent a tax increase. However, County Manager...

Discolored water concerns residents

Wayne Water District customers living south of U.S. 70 along N.C. 111 may be turning their faucets on to find brown-tinted water early this week due to to two incidents over the weekend that led to tea-colored tap water....

Farmers' market opens at mall

As a security officer at Berkeley Mall and a farmer, it wasn't too far of a stretch for Tom Woods to see how his two occupations could work together to benefit the community. After discussions with Jan Luttrell, the...

Monday, June 13, 2011

Wayne Community College receives $600,000 in grants to improve programs

Wayne Community College has been awarded more than $600,000 in grant funding, which officials say will strengthen pre-curriculum programs and create a program considered the first of its kind in the state. The college first received a five-year $400,000 Title...

Bill could force county to change jail plans

A bill working its way through the General Assembly has the potential for forcing the county to "flip" its capital improvement plan, moving a $75 million new jail to the head of the line and delaying other projects, including schools,...

Summer fun

Zycsha Alford, 9, uses her Nemo water float to steady herself while swimming in the lake at the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park on Sunday. The lake was packed with people trying to stay cool as the temperature...

Work on Stoney Creek sets water quality as goal

The city of Goldsboro's Department of Engineering, along with Kimley-Horn and Associates, is in the middle of a nearly four-month project to restore Stoney Creek's stream in an effort to improve the water quality of the Neuse River Basin....

Public record

Missing Goldsboro police are searching for a 15-year-old who went to school at Dillard Middle Friday and never returned home. Davig Vegas was reported as missing late Friday after he didn't return home from school. School let out early for...

Summer school smaller in scope

Wayne County Public Schools will have summer school this year, albeit on a much smaller scale than last year. Funding cuts prompted the reduction, Dr. Sandra McCullen, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the school board last week. Last...

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Veterans Affairs rural health team coming to Goldsboro

Veterans in the Goldsboro area can enroll in the VA health care system, receive health screenings and health information, and find out about various services available to them through the Veterans Health Administration from representatives of the Fayetteville VA Medical...

Eagles' Class of 2011 soars

One of Kelly Best's parting memories of Rosewood as she prepared to graduate Friday night was far removed from academics. "My medal broke about 10 minutes ago," the valedictorian said as the seniors lined up in the gym. "Coach (Ryan)...

Gator grads ready to make a difference

MOUNT OLIVE -- James Beavers of Seven Springs and Ryan Viverette of Snow Hill have known each other since starting kindergarten together 13 years ago at Spring Creek Elementary. Saturday morning Beavers, valedictorian, and Viverette, co-salutatorian, clutched and glanced...

Mount Olive budget doesn't include explanation of 'tax increase'

MOUNT OLIVE -- Property owners here will pay more in town property taxes next year even though the $5.1 million budget approved Monday night by commissioners did not raise the town's current tax rate of 59 cents per $100 of...

Five Wayne high schools hold graduations

It was the perfect weekend for a graduation -- except for a few bolts of lightning and some thunder threatening during the final minutes of Rosewood's ceremony on Friday, the weather cooperated for the outdoor events and each went off...

Mother proves it is never too late

Crystal Cogdell has come a long way -- from being a drug addict to an honor graduate. But she is just as proud of the fact that three of her daughters are also graduates this spring. Ms. Cogdell, of Dudley,...

Cougars prepare for their future

A large crowd of family and friends cheered loudly Saturday morning as Goldsboro High School's Class of 2011 walked across the football field to take their seats near the 50-yard line to start the anticipated graduation ceremony. For the...

Homes still sought for foreign students

Families in the Wayne County area interested in providing a home for French and Spanish students visiting eastern North Carolina over the next few week are urged to contact Prof. Frederic Fladenmuller at East Carolina University. Several students are...

Warriors celebrate graduation day

The mood was palpable for Zsa'vae Phillips and Shantay Johnson at Eastern Wayne's commencement ceremony Saturday morning. The two friends stood between the bleachers on the home side of the Warrior Stadium, checking their programs occasionally before peering back...

Lack of rain takes toll on corn crop

Summer is ahead of schedule and the heat it has brought is wreaking havoc on the corn crop in Wayne County. Despite a light rainfall Friday morning, many farmers believe they could lose their crop within a week without...

Duplin commissioners won't cut emergency services

KENANSVILLE -- After a storm of rebukes and pleas from Duplin County residents at a public hearing Monday night, the county commissioners voted not to make any cuts to Emergency Medical Services. The commissioners had originally proposed a budget that...

Constitutional seminars planned

Officials with the Wayne County chapter of Citizens for Constitutional Liberties, often called the "Tea Party" are sponsoring a series of seminars to assist local residents interested in learning of the primary purposes of the United States' Founding Fathers in...

Young Falcons take first flights

"Nothing but jubilation" is what Jarrod James felt Saturday morning as he stepped off Charles B. Aycock High School's football field in his white graduation gown. Hugging his family, the graduate said he is ready now to take everything he...

Mayor: New city manager is a good fit

Mayor Al King had already overseen the hiring of one city manager during his time as mayor, so when the process began again this spring, he foresaw a lot of discussion as he envisioned each of the seven voting...

Arrest made in city shooting

Tremayne Malik Lane, 18, of Royal Drive, Dudley, was arrested Friday by Goldsboro police and charged in the May shooting that sent six people to the hospital. Lane, of Royal Drive in Dudley, was charged with 10 counts of...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Man arrested in Fremont vehicular assault

FREMONT -- A man has been arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office after allegedly hitting another man with a van Tuesday night in the parking lot of Citgo gas station on West Main Street near the intersection of...

Crime Watch program Saturday

Anyone interested in starting a neighborhood Crime Watch in any Wayne County community can learn how Saturday. A program at Madison Avenue Baptist Church will feature entertainment and refreshments as well as information from Goldsboro police officials on how to...

Health Department to discuss teen health issues

Teen health is an important enough topic to warrant the Board of Health moving its meeting to draw a public audience. The board, which typically holds a noontime meeting each month, voted to open it up to a community offering...

Police Department drops charges in shooting

A Goldsboro man charged this week for his alleged involvement in a shooting that sent six people to the hospital has been cleared. Goldsboro police placed Jaquan Amand Dennis under a $1.7 million bond Tuesday in connection with the May...

$21,000 for sick children ... one dollar at a time

Shoppers at Sam's Club know Vicki Mozingo as the lady at the door with the big smile. And those who talk to her might even know that she is passionate about children. But what they probably don't know is...

Few hear ideas for district line shift

The constitutional requirement of one person, one vote will be the overriding criterion as Wayne County redraws voting district lines for county commissioners and school board, demographer Bobby Bowers told a small gathering at a public meeting Thursday night....

Officials: Rail system needs work

Wayne County commissioners created a new zoning district this week -- Heavy Industry Conditional District -- and just moments later applied that zone to Goldsboro Milling Co.'s operation on Miller's Chapel Road to allow expansion of the rail siding and...

Lemonade and sprinkler days

Caroline Lovic could pretend Thursday that she was enjoying a relaxing afternoon in her back yard as she enjoyed the afternoon sun at the city's Cornerstone Commons downtown. Almost. The mother of five entrepreneurs, all 10 or younger, was...

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Eighteen ask for hikes in fire district tax rates

More than half of the 30 volunteer fire departments that serve Wayne County have asked for increases in their fire district tax rates. The increases would generate anywhere from $124.84 to $15,865.96 in additional revenues for the departments. The rates...

Fundraiser Saturday for wounded Marine

A fundraiser for a Clayton Marine who was severely wounded last week in Afghanistan will be held Saturday in Kenly. Marine Corps Sgt. Mark Andrew Bradley was injured by an explosive device Friday. He is currently receiving treatment at...

Students share experiences from school year in Wayne

Most students in Wayne County Public Schools are spending the last week of school finishing up assignments, taking exams and cleaning out their lockers. But for four foreign exchange students who have spent the past year at area high schools,...

Police catch suspect in hit-and-run

A Goldsboro man has been charged in the Memorial Day hit-and-run that sent a teenage girl and a 10-month-old child to the hospital. Cedric Jones, 28, of North Kornegay Street, was arrested this week at the Wayne County Magistrate's...

And the heat goes on ...

Although summer does not officially begin for another two weeks, the weather report says otherwise. A heat wave has left Wayne County residents, along with those across much of the state and nation, sweltering under temperatures that have reached...

Last day of school

Third-grade students in Melanie Batts' class at School Street Elementary School play a game of Monopoly this morning before an awards ceremony. Today marks the end of Ms. Batts' first year of teaching, as well as the last day...

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Dog days start with Pet Parade

It's months before the dog days of summer arrive, but the dogs are already here, taking over Center Street Tuesday afternoon as Goldsboro residents gathered for the annual Pet Parade and Ice Cream Social. And while most of the...

Council reviews plan for museum

The City Council had its first look at plans for the proposed Air Force museum Monday night as 4th Fighter Wing historian Doc Heidicker presented a schematic showing initial ideas for a chronological walking tour through the museum that...

Public record

Copper theft More than $6,000 in copper pipe and tubing was listed as stolen from a building at 810 Pou St. According to the report, suspects removed all copper tubing and pipe from under the building and from the air...

Mount Olive forced to delay 2011 election

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Olive Town election scheduled for November will be delayed until next summer or possibly until the 2012 presidential election to allow time to redraw voting district lines. It will be the first time in 20...

County's top scholars get set for graduation

By next week, Wayne County Public Schools will have graduated 1,206 seniors from the Class of 2011 -- 1,113 from the six traditional schools and 93 from the newest, non-traditional high schools. Thirty-seven students already participated in commencement ceremonies as...

Teens save driver

A single-car accident near the Wayne-Johnston county line Tuesday afternoon sent four people to the hospital. But emergency officials said the result could have been much worse if it had not been for the quick actions of six teenagers...

County eyes 2011 budget, hears tax hike protests

The $1.3 million that would be generated by a proposed 2.35-cent increase in the Wayne County tax rate would quickly be gobbled up by reduced state funding for the Department of Social Services and Health Department and a state-mandated increase...

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Students share thoughts on GHS teacher

The Wayne County Board of Education got, and gave, a lesson on the value of a caring teacher Monday night. It started out as a presentation by Janet Krueger, allied health teacher in Goldsboro High School's health academy, who shared...

Wayne County plans redistricting hearing for this Thursday

Wayne County residents Thursday evening will have the opportunity to learn about and to offer comments and suggestions on how the county's voting district lines will be redrawn because of changes and shifts in the county's population. Demographer Bobby Bowers...

Olive Garden coming to Goldsboro

When the City Council approved its consent agenda Monday in a 6-0 vote, it likely had the full consent of city residents as well, as the measure contained the site and landscape plans for an Olive Garden restaurant coming...

Mount Olive approves spending plan, with no new taxes

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Olive Town Board of Commissioners approved a $4.7 million budget Monday night, contingent on state funding and the county budget. "We don't know what the state is going to do and we do not know...

Board member: Speak up on school concerns

One of the most frustrating things John Grantham has encountered in his 16 years on the school board is a cross between anonymous complaints and people who won't follow through on them. Sometimes, he said during board comment at Monday's...

Monday, June 6, 2011

Local Boy Scout earns district leadership post

When David Joyner first joined Scouting as a Tiger Cub, he wasn't thinking of being a leader or learning the Scout Law by heart. He just wanted to have fun. But somewhere among all the camping and hiking, Joyner...

County budget has tax hike

Wayne County property owners can expect to pay more in taxes should county commissioners agree to a 2.35 cent increase in the property tax rate that is included in the county's proposed $158 million budget. For a person with...

Goldsboro police set sights on speeders

While summer holidays and approaching high school graduations are joyful times for many, to the patrol division of the Goldsboro Police Department, summer celebrations mean serious business. As head of the department's patrol division, Maj. Mike West is committed...

Public record

An employee of NextCare at 212 N. Spence Ave. reported a series of prescription medication frauds to Goldsboro police Friday. According to the report, a patient forged three prescriptions between March 22 and May 24 to obtain more than...

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Store owner convicted of murder

Taking less than an hour to deliberate, a Wayne County jury found Mohssen Ali Almogaded guilty of second-degree murder Friday in connection with the June 2009 stabbing death of Terry Lavone Singleton. Almogaded, 43, stabbed Single-ton in the back...

Thanks to hurricane, veteran finally gets his Bronze Star

It started with a simple act of kindness -- a pair of men dedicating themselves to reclaiming, for one of their heroes, pieces of his life story taken by Hurricane Floyd. But when Larry Mozingo and Glenn Fields reached the...

City asks staff to look for expense cuts

Interim City Manager Tasha Logan met with department heads Wednesday to discuss staff responses to concerns the City Council voiced during its first budget workshop on May 10. The discussion centered around ways the departments could find more efficient,...

Having fun and learning

Mikey Reyes wasn't quite ready to face his fears. "I don't want to," the 6-year-old said, moments after realizing that, after a long wait under a shade tree, he had made it to the front of a line filled with...

County to weigh zoning proposal

Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning will hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the county's Zoning Ordinance and Map that in turn would allow them to hold a public hearing on a rezoning request by Goldsboro Milling Co....

'Remember the Titans' coach to visit

Former football coach Herman Boone, who inspired the Walt Disney film "Remember the Titans" will come to Goldsboro June 18. Boone will talk about overcoming life obstacles and controversies such as those he faced while coaching a racially divided...

Local real estate agent surrenders license

Real estate agent Jenifer Williford surrendered her license following accusations that she altered receipts for property repairs. Janet Thoren, assistant director of legal services at the state Real Estate Commission, said Mrs. Williford acknowledged that she altered one receipt,...

Duplin County bus driver charged with DWI

A Duplin County school bus driver was terminated Thursday after being charged with driving while impaired and driving a school bus after consuming alcohol. School system spokeswoman Dawn Craft said Friday the driver, Fontella Sharaka Wilson, 31, of Rose...

Cliffs blesses new visitors center

The new visitors center and museum at the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is ready for company. After all, it has been blessed by some experts. Friday's dedication ceremony included the usual speeches that officially open new buildings,...

Friday, June 3, 2011

Store owner on trial for 2009 murder

Jury deliberation was to begin this morning in the first-degree murder trial of Mohssen Ali Almogaded, who is accused of killing a man during a fight at his business nearly two years ago. The prosecution and defense finished making...

Center Street Jam jams

Willie Ray shows off his dance with his partner Ann Durnford at the Center Street Jam Thursday. Last night's event was Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by The Goldsboro News-Argus. The bi-monthly free family music event will return in two...

4th but first ... to earn inaugural James H. Doolittle Award

From the skies over Europe to the valleys of Afghanistan, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's 4th Fighter Wing has been answering its nation's call since World War II. And for its airmen's "bravery, determination, discipline, esprit de corps, and superior...

Thursday, June 2, 2011

This Old House: Free from city of Goldsboro

Following the public hearing concerning the city's grant applications for two downtown projects, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. Director Julie Thompson presented the City Council with another downtown opportunity during its special meeting Tuesday. This Old House, a home improvement...

Markets now open

Jennifer Olson sells at the Farmer's Market on Herman Street Wednesday. The market is open every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until noon. The Plum Tree Market Place Farmer's Market,  located at the corner of Walnut and Chestnut  streets, is open...

Goldsboro High School seniors finish projects

Goldsboro High School principal John Twitty said this morning that all senior graduation projects at the school have been completed, and discounted earlier reports of a large number of students in danger of not getting the work done as...

City budget scraps incentive grants

As the City Council sets dates for its budget workshops leading up to its June 20 deadline to pass a financial plan for the city, the future of Goldsboro's historic downtown district might hang in the balance as the...

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Six million dollars would allow full downtown renovation

Although plans are already in place for the city to revamp the 200 block of Center Street, the City Council moved Tuesday to try to acquire enough funding to begin construction on the entire streetscape project at once to...

Suspect identified in hit, run

A suspect has been identified in the hit-and-run at the intersection of Ash and Kornegay streets that brought traffic to a halt Monday evening. Police investigators would not release the name of the suspect this morning, but said he...