2014 -- a look back at some of the top news stories
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on January 1, 2015 1:46 PM
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Law enforcement personnel respond to a murder scene at 347 Rose Road in September.
* Gun violence in city on rise
The Goldsboro Police Department is expected to release its annual Uniform Crime Report in January detailing 2014's crime statistics, but without it, it could still be said that the epidemic of gun violence in the city continued.
Six murders unfolded over the course of the year, three of which remain unsolved. And a series of shootings occurred throughout the city in October leading up to the Halloween murder of 21-year-old mother of three Shanekqua Thompson.
And nearly 80 people were shot inside the city limits in 2014 -- the most recent numbers provided by the GPD on Dec. 12 said 76, but with three people shot in separate incidents from Christmas Eve to Dec. 28, the number now holds at 79.
City police also documented 78 cases of shots fired into occupied dwellings and 25 of shots fired into occupied vehicles.
In total, lawmen responded to 516 shots fired calls.
And 53 armed robberies were reported -- the most recent unfolding the week before Christmas when an armed man walked into the Wells Fargo bank on North Berkeley Boulevard, fired a shot at the ceiling and demanded money. The bank robber is still at large, as are many of the perpetrators of the 52 other armed robberies committed in 2014.
* Dr. Steven Taylor retires; personnel changes in schools
From the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor and two leadership team members to the departure of two school board members from the original board that hired Taylor in 2000, 2014 in the Wayne County Public Schools system was a year defined by change
Then-school board chairman John Grantham, who had served on the board for 20 years, lost his bid for re-election in November.
A week later, Taylor gave notice that he would retire Dec. 1.
Two leadership team members also retired in 2014.
Dr. Craig McFadden, assistant superintendent for accountability and student services, departed in March and Nan Barwick, assistant superintendent for fiscal services, retired in June.
And Dr. Sandra McCullen, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, announced her own retirement plans mid-October, with a target date of Dec. 1. But her plans were later put on hold when she accepted the position of interim superintendent, a post she will hold until June 30.
Board members Rick Pridgen, Arnold Flowers and Chris West were re-elected to another term, with newcomer Jennifer Strickland elected to Grantham's seat. West, vice chairman for the past two years, narrowly earned the chairman seat, by a vote of 4-3.
* It's back: Air show scheduled
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base officials made a splash when they announced that the Wings Over Wayne Air Show would return in 2015 -- and that the Air Force Thunderbirds would headline the two-day event that typically pumps millions of dollars into the local economy.
The 2013 edition of Wings Over Wayne was canceled due to budget woes, adding to the excitement news of the show's return generated.
* Kennedy McLaurin killer faces a jury
One young man was convicted of first-degree murder and the three who testified against him as part of plea deals were sentenced in April for their roles in the 2012 kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old Goldsboro High School student.
Leonard Joyner was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Kennedy McLaurin Jr. and his three accomplices, Jerome Butts, Curtis Ethridge and Kevin Smith, were also jailed -- but not until after a trial defined by scuffles outside the courthouse, emotional outbursts inside it and graphic details about how the teenager died after what was characterized as a drug deal gone bad.
The case began Sept. 12, 2012, when a statewide Amber Alert was issued in connection with McLaurin's disappearance.
What the teen's family did not know until the Goldsboro Police Department began investigating the case was that he had been murdered three days earlier.
* Goldsboro native Miss North Carolina
Goldsboro native Beth Stovall was crowned Miss North Carolina in June after wowing the judges with her beauty and talent. The 2011 Rosewood High School graduate would go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, N.J., but her dream ended there.
* Longtime school board member Thelma Smith dies
Wayne County Board of Education member and veteran educator Thelma Smith died at 78 -- leaving a vacancy on the board that was later filled by former Goldsboro High School principal Patricia Burden.
Mrs. Smith was first elected to the board in 1996 and served as its chairman in 2008. Before that time, she was a Wayne County schoolteacher for 33 years.
* Col. Mark Slocum takes command at SJAFB
The Air Force's first female fighter wing commander passed the 4th Fighter Wing guidon to a former Seymour Johnson Air Force Base officer in June -- marking the end of an historic era in Goldsboro.
Col. Jeannie Leavitt relinquished command of the wing to Col. Mark Slocum, a decorated aviator who vowed to push his airmen to maintain the standard of excellence achieved by the 4th under Leavitt and her predecessors.
* County manager resigns; new boss takes place
County Manager Lee Smith resigned in February -- and was paid $325,000 -- as part of an agreement with Wayne County commissioners that marked the culmination of a tumultuous final several months of his employment that saw him suspended with pay for his final month on the job.
Smith, who had been in the position since December 2001, left as a result of unspecified "disputes and disagreements" between him and the board.
Specifics behind his suspension -- and resignation -- were not ever publicly addressed by members of the commission.
Georgia native George Wood would ultimately be hired as a temporary -- and then permanent -- replacement for Smith.
* MOC becomes University of Mount Olive
At the beginning of the year, Mount Olive College became a memory as the institution officially began the University of Mount Olive era.
Several months later, the school unveiled its new logo and then, in May, graduated its first class.
But the name change was not the only thing that made 2014 an historic year for the university.
It also set an enrollment record -- 969 traditional students -- and awarded its first post-graduate degrees this fall.
* District Attorney Branny Vickory retires; county elects Matthew Delbridge
When District Attorney Branny Vickory, who had held the post since 1998, announced that he would not seek another term, two of his assistants faced off for the position.
Matthew Delbridge would end up claiming a narrow victory over his peer, Terry Light, in one of the most highly contested local elections that unfolded this November.
Delbridge, who had served as an assistant district attorney for more than 30 years, became known across the county for his vigorous prosecution of several high-profile murder suspects and, just weeks before his Election Day victory, added another first-degree murder conviction to his record.
* Majesty mania
A Goldsboro preschool teacher and 2010 Eastern Wayne High School graduate made a run at the "American Idol" crown and ended up earning a spot on the show's summer tour after finishing in the competition's Top 10.
Majesty Rose captured the imagination of thousands of Wayne County residents who held "Idol" viewing parties, voted for their hometown contestant and celebrated her return to Goldsboro after her stint as a TV star came to an end.
Majesty was lauded by superstar judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban for several of her performances, but in the end, the young lady known as the girl with the flower in her hair came up just short of the show's finale.
* Second phase of Streetscape begins
The second phase of the city's Streetscape project began in August, evoking emotions that ranged from excitement and optimism to concern that the construction would hurt downtown businesses.
The project, which is expected to be completed in November, was made possible by a $10 million grant from the federal government -- money that will also be used to help construct a new GATEWAY transfer center.
* Business boom
Local residents had plenty of new places to shop and eat in 2014, as national chains and mom-and-pops alike opened their doors across the county.
Perhaps the most anticipated opening, Texas Roadhouse, served its first meals during the summer to significant fanfare, and city officials announced that Panera Bread, Dick's Sporting Goods, PetSmart and Dunkin' Donuts would open in 2015.
But household names were not the only ones to make a splash in 2014.
Ed's Southern Food and Spirits, downtown's newest eatery, has had food lovers buzzing -- and competing for reservations -- since it opened in the fall.
* Veterans cemetery a 'go'
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday on the Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery east of Goldsboro on an 80-acre site on Long's Plant Farm Road.
The land was donated to the project by Wayne County, and the work is being completed by Daniels and Daniels Construction of Goldsboro.
The project has been several years in the making and is being funded through a $5.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
It is being developed as a state cemetery because Wayne County's population size does not meet the threshold to receive the national designation.