Year in review: A look back at 2016
By From staff reports
Published in News on December 29, 2016 10:05 AM
Jan. 5
Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base respond to a call to a house on Hillcrest Drive after the resident reports what she thinks might be a live hand grenade.
Jan. 16
Jennele Lea Howard Wall, 35, of Room 8, Carolina Motel, 2316 N. William St., is arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the death of Carlos Cesar Vasquez Luna, 47, of 159 Sleepy Creek Road, and the shooting of Alfred Garcias, 25, of the same address
She is charged as well with attempted armed robbery and first-degree burglary.
Feb. 4
The manhunt for two breaking and entering suspects in the area of Aycock Dairy Farm Road stretched into its second day, Wednesday, still with no results. Arrest warrants have been secured for Christopher Dail Alphin, 37, 227 Charlie Braswell Road, and an order for arrest already exists for Christopher Dail Alphin, 39, 114 Laura Lane. Alphin is wanted on felony charges of breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering.
Feb. 9
Meadow Lane Elementary School second-grade teacher Brandon Kincaid died early this morning after being struck in front of the school by a bus belonging to a local child care center.
March 17
Main Street Conference kicks off with panel talk: Goldsboro hosted the 2016 North Carolina Main Street Conference, where prominent community members from towns around the state gathered to discuss economic and community development.
March 24
House Bill 2: N.C. legislators passed the controversial HB2, which bars cities from enacting LGBT protections and requires people to use the bathroom that aligns with the gender on their birth certificate. The resulting backlash contributed to Gov. Pat McCrory's election loss in November.
April 6
PayPal canceled plans for a global operations center in North Carolina over objections to House Bill 2. The center would have provided 400 jobs, and has become a talking point for opponents of the bill.
April 24
The Goldsboro City Council voted to allow an application for TIGER VIII grant funds, in a reversal of the previous decision a month earlier.
The measure passed by a 4-3 margin, with councilman Mark Stevens reversing his previous vote to be in favor of the application. The city was later awarded the grant funds.
May 5
Kenneth Morgan Stancil III pleaded not guilty on one count of first-degree murder. Stancil is accused of the murder of former Wayne Community College print shop technician Ron Lane.
The state said it will not seek the death penalty for Stancil should he be convicted.
May 29
The completed U.S. 70 Goldsboro Bypass opened for traffic, sparing motorists stoplights and a confusing exit on the western part of town.
Gov. Pat McCrory spoke at the ceremony, as did county commissioners and other community leaders.
June 19
The Wayne County Board of Education approved a school regrouping plan designed to improve performance and scores at several public schools.
Kindergarten to second-grade classes from Carver Heights and School Street elementary were transferred to North Drive Elementary, and third to fifth grades at North Drive, School Street and Dillard Middle were moved to Carver Heights.
North Drive became a K-2 school, and Dillard was changed to a sixth to eighth grade school. School Street expanded pre-kindergarten services, with the development of an early learning center.
June 22
The Goldsboro Police Department takes steps to reinstate a SWAT team to better prepare for life-threatening and large-scale violent events like the 2015 Wayne Community College campus shooting that left one person dead.
The campus shooting triggered the interest in reforming a SWAT team, which could help during potential hostage situations.
Dates for officer orientation were set and the structure of the team started to take shape.