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George Whitfield: Always a winner

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Arendell Parrott Academy won the Eastern Plains Independent Conference baseball championship last week with a remarkable, come-from-behind 4-3 victory against perennial powerhouse Harrells Christian Academy in Kinston.
It was quite an accomplishment for a squad that hadn’t won a league title in recent memory. But what made the championship that much more special was the man who led the Patriots to the championship — 78-year-old George Whitfield.
The word “legend” is thrown around a lot these days. But it doesn’t matter what your definition of the word is, Whitfield qualifies for the moniker on every level. He is currently in nearly a dozen halls of fame throughout the country, including the Kinston/Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the national American Legion baseball Hall of fame. 
 
KINSTON
It’s remarkable Whitfield even made it out of his teens, though. His mother died when he was a toddler and his father passed away when he was 12. Not long after his dad’s death, while on the steps of the gym that would be later named for Frank Mock on the campus of Grainger High School, Whitfield met another Kinston coaching legend, Amos Sexton, who opened up his home and family to the youngster.
It was the perfect situation for Whitfield, who eventually became a spectacular three-sport athlete for the Red Devils in the early to mid 1950s. He learned how to be a championship coach at the feet of Sexton and Mock, two of the best coaches in any sport in Kinston history.
Among the hundreds of fans celebrating after last week’s EPIC championship at APA were six men — Billy McLawhorn, Ricky McLawhorn, Joe Franklin, Jim Bahen, Wells Gulledge and Zacchaeus Rasberry — from three distinctly different generations. All six have been positively impacted by the legend, George Whitfield.
 
GOLDSBORO
Franklin, Bahen and Ricky McLawhorn were part of Whitfield’s first team in 1959 at Goldsboro Junior High School. Whitfield, then just a 23-year-old who was the school’s head baseball and football coach, had left Kinston to become a student-athlete at Lees-McRae Junior College and later graduated from East Carolina College (now ECU).
But in 1959, Whitfield was just another young coach trying to make his mark in the world. That first team was the first of many who won — and won big. The team won all but one game and won the Wayne County junior high championship in the last year of the 1950s.
“I remember those boys back when they were studs,” Whitfield said of the quartet of men who were among several others who came to see APA’s conference championship game last week. “They’re all older now — some in their 60s, early 70s and some even crippled — but they came back to see me coach again. Can’t begin to tell you what that means to me.”
Whitfield’s “boys” — an earned term of affection the coach bestows on those young men who have given their all for him on a baseball diamond or football field — were proud to be on hand to witness last week’s championship.
Whitfield’s passion was fierily evident with that 1959 squad.
“He was a ‘rah-rah’ coach, for certain,” Bahen, now 71-years-old and a Wilmington resident, said. “We loved playing for him. We were a bunch of old country boys who loved to play for Coach Whitfield.”
Franklin agreed with Bahen’s assessment.
“Only six or so games into that (1959) season, we knew he was a winner,” Franklin, now 69, said. “We focused on winning for him, because he hated losing. If you lost, you were going to run wind sprints until it got dark outside.”
It was a unique situation for the core of that squad as Whitfield followed them from junior high to Goldsboro High School, where their only loss as seniors was in the Eastern 4A championship game to eventual state champ Rocky Mount in 1963.
Billy and Ricky McLawhorn are brothers who both played for Whitfield at Goldsboro junior and high schools; Ricky played football for Whitfield while Billy played baseball and basketball.
Both said they were excited to support Whitfield at last week’s game.
“We respect him as a person and a ball coach,” Billy McLawhorn, 68, said. “He’s the best.”
Ricky McLawhorn, 70, said, “We’ve talked about coming to support him because we still care a lot about him.”
 
ROCKINGHAM
 
After winning state championships at Goldsboro High School, Whitfield was wooed to Rockingham in the south central portion of North Carolina to take on a bigger challenge at Richmond County High School.
It’s easy to say he lived up to the challenge after he won multiple state titles at RCHS and with Hamlet’s American Legion baseball team.
Before becoming one of the most recognizable prep coaching names in North Carolina while leading Kinston High School to three state basketball championships in a heralded 11-year career from 2001-2012, Wells Gulledge was a star basketball guard at RCHS in the early 1990s. His family lived in the same neighborhood as Whitfield — along with other RCHS legendary coaches Hal Stewart and Charlie Bishop. 
Growing up, Gulledge spent huge chunks of his summers at Whitfield’s house — one of only two in the neighborhood that had a swimming pool.
Whitfield’s reputation and championship resume was well-established before Gulledge played his first basketball game for the Raiders or stepped foot on the RCHS campus.
“Coach Whitfield was like a rock star in Richmond County,” Gulledge said. 
Growing up down the street from Whitfield in Rockingham, Gulledge admits he has sought counsel with the legendary coach at every one of his coaching stops — from being a graduate assistant at Mount Olive College to becoming the youngest 4A coach in the state at Jacksonville High School to coming to Kinston, retiring from the Vikings and then returning to the sideline at Parrott.
Whitfield was also one of the main catalysts for Gulledge coming to Kinston High School in 2002. George Stackhouse was a successful coach who had led the Vikings to the 2001 3A state championship game, but he joined the college coaching ranks after the 2001-02 school year began. 
The powers-that-be at KHS were interested in a young up-and-comer Gulledge, who had turned around a moribund Jacksonville program in only three seasons.
“I was out on the tennis courts at Jacksonville High School when (Whitfield) and his son pulled up,” Gulledge recalled. “He called me over to him and said he’d been sent to come get me and take me back to Kinston.”
The rest is history. Gulledge coached the Vikings to titles in 2008, 2010 and 2012 before taking two years off and returning to Parrott last season.
 
KINSTON, AGAIN
After leaving Rockingham, Whitfield started the uber-successful baseball program at Pitt Community College in Winterville and had college assistant coaching stints for ECU and Ole Miss. 
Outside of his popular annual baseball clinic that has been hosted by Goldsboro High school every year for more than four decades, Whitfield hadn’t donned a uniform and been a head coach of a program for 20 years.
So when Whitfield announced his decision to return as the full-time head baseball coach last fall at APA, many people throughout the state were shocked.
Not Gulledge.
“I wasn’t a bit surprised,” Gulledge said. “Once a competitor, always a competitor. That’s all he’s ever really known and it’s all he’s ever done. … He’s a living legend. To see him come through those doors of the gym every day, it makes my day. He’s 78 years old and he’d fight a rattlesnake right now.”
Gulledge considered it an honor to be an assistant coach alongside Whitfield on Matt Beaman’s APA football squad that made a run deep into the 8-man playoffs last fall. It was the first time Gulledge had coached with Whitfield — and it was certainly an eye-opening experience for Gulledge.
“I learned that everything is true what the kids used to say about Coach Whitfield,” Gulledge said with a hearty laugh. “Listen, when he’s out there on the field, he’s all business. He doesn’t care where he is, he hates to lose. (Losing) hurts my belly, too, but he’s such a competitor, you know it hurts him.”
Currently a junior at APA, Zacchaeus Rasberry is a tremendous athlete — he’s among the county’s best in soccer, football, basketball and his most beloved sport, baseball. Free Press staff photographer Zach Frailey — who has covered every sport at every school in this paper’s coverage area for more than three years — swears Rasberry is the top overall athlete in Lenoir County this year.
After he scored the winning run in last week’s EPIC title game and celebrated with Whitfield, Rasberry took a few moments to reflect on playing for a living legend.
“Despite him being an older guy, he’s got so much fire,” said the soft-spoken Rasberry. “He gets us really pumped up before games and keeps us focused. … He’s taught me to be mentally angry at the ball and to be a little more pumped up.”
Despite being more than 60 years older than many of the athletes he now coaches, communication with the APA youngsters has never been an issue, Rasberry said. 
“Everyone respects him,” Rasberry said. “We know that every single day we come to the baseball field with (Whitfield), we’re going to learn something new.” 
 
THE FUTURE?
The 2015 season is far from over for the Whitfield, Rasberry and the Patriots, who received a first-round bye in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association baseball playoffs. They are the No. 3 seed in the NCISAA playoffs and will open the postseason on Friday or Saturday.
“He’s shared so many stories about his other teams that have overcome great odds to win championships,” Rasberry said. “It’s our goal that 10 years from now, he’s using our team as the subject in one of those stories.”
Gulledge thinks Whitfield can even coach beyond another decade.
“I hope he can do this until he’s about 98,” Gulledge said. “And why not? The kids love him. It’s really neat these kids get a chance to see a legend like him in action.”
Whitfield isn’t as optimistic about Gulledge’s prediction; there’s a hip that’s going to require surgery after the season ends and the old coach – who turns 79 in August – admits his energy is there “some days better than others.”
But through it all, the burning passion is still there for a man who began his heralded coaching career 56 years ago in Goldsboro.
“The Good Lord has let me coach much longer than I ever thought I would,” said Whitfield, with emotion slowing his words. “Health-wise, the game is starting to take its toll on me, but I’m just going to take it day-by-day.”
 
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCHanks.
 

The Rundown

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Wright named to All-Star game

Ayden-Grifton’s Jake Wright was named to the NCCA East-West All-Star football game last week. The contest will be played July 22 at Grimsley’s Jamieson Stadium in Greensboro.

Wright, the Eastern Carolina 2A Conference Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 98 solo tackles as the Chargers’ senior defensive end. He recorded 23 tackles for loss, eight sacks and four PBUs.

The UNC Pembroke bound tight end had 298 yards on 20 receptions with a touchdown on the other side of the ball last season.

Wright was also named to the All-Free Press first team.

               

Kinston soccer improves conference record

The Vikings defeated Greene Central Monday night, 6-0.

Shannon Mayo scored two goals and had two assists; Keandria Walters scored two goals and Micaela Benoit added a goal and two assists. Aysha Zayyad and Diamoniquia Waters each contributed an assist in the victory on Senior Night.

Eight seniors were celebrated.

Kinston opened scoring 7 minutes into the match, as Benoit recorded her fourth conference goal. The Vikings would score three more goals over the next 20 minutes, taking a 4-0 halftime lead.

Kinston added two more goals after the break, managing 17 shots on the night. Greene Central did not register a shot, as Kinston goalie Victoria Kosinski registered her fourth shutout on the season.

The Vikings (6-10-1, 5-2-0 EC2A) will play at South Lenoir tonight.

               

Former North Lenoir runner snags Barton MVP honors

Barton College senior sprinter Breyuana Kittrell was named the Conference Carolina Women’s Most Valuable Performer, the league announced Monday.

In the CC championship, Kittrell, a former North Lenoir runner, took first place in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.

She set a Barton College record in all three of the events. In addition to her individual events, Kittrell also anchored the 4-by-400-meter relay, which won the event by 6 seconds.

Kittrell completed her career with 13 individual all-conference awards.

Her next outing is slated for today and May 7 at the Duke Twilight meet in Durham.

 

UPCOMING GAMES

TODAY

Baseball

Kinston at South Lenoir 7 p.m.

Soccer

Kinston at South Lenoir 7 p.m.

Softball

Kinston at South Lenoir 6 p.m.

 

THURSDAY

Baseball

Goldsboro at Greene Central 7 p.m.

North Lenoir at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Softball

Lawrence Academy at Parrott 4 p.m.

North Lenoir at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Soccer

Goldsboro at Greene Central 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

Baseball

Southern Wayne at South Lenoir 6:30 p.m.

Lacrosse

Cary Christian at Parrott 6:30 p.m. 

Softball: S. Lenoir stays unbeaten in league

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LA GRANGE | Monday night brought about the sort of softball game coaches circle when the season begins, a showdown between fierce rivals — that just so happen to be the top two teams in the Eastern Carolina 2A Conference.

In one corner, the home team North Lenoir, who entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak. In the other: South Lenoir, undefeated in the league and winners of nine in a row coming in.

The Blue Devils preserved the streak.

In the second cycle of the season series, the visitors were powered past North Lenoir, 8-0, behind three home runs and a dominant pitching performance from Matti Beyer. The win also clinched, at bare minimum, a share of the conference title for the Blue Devils, who host Kinston tonight.

“We made a lot of mistakes in the field and on the mound that cost us,” North Lenoir coach Jim Montague said. “You can’t make errors against a good team. They took advantage of our mistakes.”

South Lenoir (14-2-1, 6-0 EC2A) got on the board first when Madison Herring led off the game with a home run to deep left field. After the homer, Hawks starter Janna Moore struck out two of the next three batters she faced. For the game, Moore collected have seven strikeouts.

“We started off slow, but the girls worked hard. They weren’t hitting early on, maybe that’s because they hadn’t played in a week,” said South Lenoir coach Lisa Smith after a contest that was supposed to be played last Thursday. It was rescheduled due to rainouts. “We had two errors and, outside of the home run, didn’t hit much early on. But the offense turned it around and the girls got focused on their fundamentals.”

South Lenoir’s Beyer was equally stingy when it came to the batters. She pitched six strong innings to earn the shutout victory. She allowed only one hit and walked one. Three other Hawks got on base due to errors, and Beyer picked up six strikeouts. Reliever Janna Dawson, would close out the seventh, giving up one hit and striking out two. Beyer improved to a record of 11-0 with the win.

“I’m not able to do it without my team backing me up,” Beyer said. “My defense bails me out time and time again. They have my back. I love pitching. I love having the ball and the control of the game. Most of all, I really enjoy pitching with these girls behind me.”

In the top of the fourth inning, the Blue Devils struck again. Meredith Sanderson took a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall just above the glove of a leaping Madison Allen. The homer extended South Lenoir’s lead to 2-0. The home run was followed up by a double by Dawson and a single by Anna Wetherington. With two outs and two on, Jenna Greer hit a shot to center field that was dropped.

Moore was pulled in the top of the fifth after allowing a runner on another dropped ball to the outfield and surrendering a walk. Moore gave up six runs and seven hits, with most of the damage done in the fourth inning. Kaci Letchworth replaced her and was able to get the lead runner out in a very physical run down on a sacrifice bunt. North Lenoir first baseman Megan Lanier then made an amazing snare to prevent a hit and record an out. Letchworth was able to close out the inning without any runs scored, striking out the batter.

The very next inning saw Herring collecting her fourth hit of the game with an RBI triple that got lost in the lights. The ball rolled to the wall and Herring ran as hard as she could to reach third. Herring would score on Brianna Williams’s RBI single. Overall, Herring was a double short of the cycle, score three runs, and knock in four RBIs. She leads the conference with five home runs.

“This was a very fun game. Everyone played hard,” Herring said. “We stuck together as a team and played well. We talked about the pitches we were seeing and it helped us when we batted. Great team effort tonight.”

“Our pitchers played well, but they have to hit their spots,” Montague said. “The more pitches the other team sees, the more likely you are going to run into trouble. Good hitters will hit those pitches and you can’t do that against a good team like South Lenoir. You can’t set up a good batter like Herring because you are going to get hurt when she finally finds a pitch she likes.

“The beauty of a game like this is that we are no worse off than before we played. We are still in second place all by ourselves in the conference. We need to swing the bats better if we want to do well in the playoffs. If we play like we did tonight, we are going to last long.”

South Lenoir 8, North Lenoir 0

BLUE DEVILS       100 501 0 — 8 9 2

HAWKS 000 000 0 —0 2 3

WP : Beyer (11-0)

LP: Moore  (5-2)

Baseball: Hawks survive first-place showdown

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La GRANGE  | North Lenoir versus South Lenoir, first place on the line — and it ended with the tying run on second in the final inning.

Did anyone expect anything less?

“It was a great high school baseball game,” said NL coach Donnell Garris, who certainly had reason to think so after his team held on for a 3-2 victory over its arch-rivals. “Pitching was tremendous on both sides, it came down to the final out. For a baseball fan, this game had a little bit of everything.”

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils (10-8, 5-3 Eastern Carolina 2A Conference), it also featured a few costly mistakes.

What would prove to be the eventual winning run, a solo Hawk marker in third inning, was unearned, and SL also committed a huge base running blunder in the bottom of third that turned a bases-loaded, nobody out situation into a runners on first and second with one down scenario.

Naturally, the Devils failed to score at all in the inning.

“Errors in the field and on the bases really hurt us,” SL coach David Combs said. “We fell behind early and we did a good job of fighting back. You just can’t make mistakes and beat a team like North Lenoir.”

The Hawks (12-5, 7-1) pushed across a single tally in each of the first three innings before holding on for dear life.

A sacrifice fly by Cody Ladich got the Devils on the board in the sixth, and then SL placed runners at first and second with none out in the top of the seventh.

Following a sacrifice bunt by Hunter Winfield, another sac fly by Dalton Lane drew SL to within 3-2.

With two outs and the tying run at second, NL reliever Orlando Cannon then retired Garrett Tyndall on a fly to center to preserve the victory and complete a season sweep of the Devils.

 “Both of our pitchers (starter Drew Burke and Cannon), worked out of jams and got big outs when they needed them,” Garris said. “They really buckled down and both pitched well overall.”

Burke, the crafty lefty, allowed five hits in five plus innings with two walks and three strikeouts. His three K’s all came in succession and all were of the caught looking variety.

Cannon surrendered one unearned run but did not give up a hit in earning the save.

 SL’s Montana Thompson allowed six hits and was the hard luck loser. He hit two batters and whiffed five.

"Montana deserved better,” Combs said. “He did a great job of keeping us within striking distance. We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it.”

Hunter Winfield led the Devils with two hits, including a picture-perfect bunt single in the third.

Cannon collected two hits, including a double, for the Hawks, while Luke Jackson drove in a pair of runs.  

 

South Lenoir      000        001         1—2       5              3

North Lenoir      111         000         x—3       6              2

Thompson and T. Winfield. Burke, Cannon (6), and Letchworth. W—Burke. L—Thompson. S—Cannon.

South Lenoir's Williams headed to Pitt CC

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DEEP RUN | Bree Williams’ family and friends will only have to travel about 35 miles to watch her play college softball.

South Lenoir’s senior catcher on Tuesday made her commitment to Pitt Community College official in the lobby of Munn Gymnasium. Williams said she had interest from multiple other programs, including South Carolina’s Presbyterian College, but wanted to stay close to home.

“I didn’t want to go too far,” said Williams, who overcame a knee injury that sidelined her most of last season. “I toured the school and I liked it a lot.”

She said she made her decision nearly two weeks ago after working out with the Bulldogs. The team finished 22-11 last season and 10-6 in the Region X Conference.

PCC coach William Bailey was on hand Tuesday morning for the ceremony, hugging his new addition and handing her a blue team shirt as he walked in.

He said Williams is going to fit well with next season’s group.  

“She can do a lot of things: catch, middle infield, I imagine if we need her in the outfield, we can put her there as well,” Bailey said. “She comes with a lot of good references and that type of stuff, too. One of the coaches that called me originally about her was one that I trust, so when she came out to our workout, I was really excited to see her out there.”

He added, her family can benefit from the “community” aspect of PCC, as “the parents are going to be supportive. Any time we have good support from local people, it just adds to everything.”

Williams, donning her new shirt and a warm smile, was also glad her injury didn’t keep from her goal of college softball.

She returned this season from a knee injury, prepared to contribute to a second straight Eastern Carolina 2A Conference championship. The Blue Devils (14-2-1, 6-0 EC2A) finished undefeated in the league last season, and are two games shy of repeating in the same fashion.

At the plate, Williams leads the starters with a .458 batting average this season, as Bailey noted "she's got good power at the bat." She leads the team with 27 hits, 26 RBIs and four doubles. Williams also boast a team-leading .976 fielding percentage.

“I feel like I can see everything,” she said about being a catcher. “I feel like I have to keep the pitcher on task.”

Williams started playing the sport at T-ball age and has played alongside many of her current teammates since she was 8-years old. Watching her brother’s baseball games encouraged her to play softball at a young age.

She also added her father has helped coach her every step along the way.

And Williams didn’t leave out her prep program when talking about how she wound up achieving her goal.

“(South Lenoir softball) makes me keep up with my grades, practicing little pointers here and there and getting me information to get to the right school,” she said.

Devils coach Lisa Smith added the Bulldogs picked up a special catcher.  

“They’re getting an outstanding player,” Smith said, “an outstanding young lady who brings a lot to the table.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

Greene County prison escapee captured in Oregon

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A prison escapee from Greene County tried to disappear into the vast expanse of America, but it didn’t work.
Tuesday night, U.S. Marshals captured Timothy Brian Hardee in Salem, Ore.

Hardee made his break from Greene Correctional Institution around noon on April 23 then stole a pickup truck parked nearby before making his run west.

The next day, authorities saw surveillance footage of Hardee at a pawn shop in High Point, but he kept moving until being found in Oregon, though how he made it as far as the Pacific Northwest isn’t known at present.

Hardee, 34, was scheduled for release from prison June 15 regarding convictions for felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, two misdemeanor counts of resisting a public officer and one misdemeanor count each of wanton injury to personal property and giving fictitious information to law enforcement.

Check Kinston.com and Thursday’s edition of The Free Press for further updates.

 

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports. 

The Rundown

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Local scores

Baseball

NORTH LENOIR 14, GOLDSBORO 0

The Hawks shut out Goldsboro on the road Tuesday night in their penultimate game of the regular season.

Drew Rogers got the start, picking up the win with five innings of work. He struck out six, allowed two hits and walked one in a complete game effort.

Joseph Harrison and Allen Sutton led North Lenoir’s offense with two hits apiece, fueling the Hawks’ 11-hit attack. Turner Butler, Drew Burke, Reed Parris, Drew Rogers and Luke Wiggins also contributed hits.

North Lenoir (13-5, 8-1 Eastern Carolina 2A) will travel to Ayden-Grifton tonight for a regular-season finale showdown. The Chargers defeated NL, 1-0, in the team’s last meeting.

               

BETHEL 5, RAMSEUR FAITH CHRISTIAN 2

Bethel defeated Faith in the quarterfinals of the NCCSA quarterfinals Tuesday. Hunter Truett picked up the win on the mound, pitching one and 2/3 innings in relief, striking out three with no hits and no walks.

The Trojans scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead after giving up a run in the second and the top of the sixth. Seven different Trojans recorded singles.

Bethel (9-5) advanced to the semifinals at Wilson Christian against an opponent to be determined.

 

UPCOMING GAMES

TODAY

Baseball

Goldsboro at Greene Central 7 p.m.

North Lenoir at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Softball

Lawrence Academy at Parrott 4 p.m.

North Lenoir at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.

Soccer

Goldsboro at Greene Central 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

Baseball

Southern Wayne at South Lenoir 6:30 p.m.

Lacrosse

Cary Christian at Parrott 6:30 p.m. 

Baseball: Greene Central pounds South Lenoir

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DEEP RUN | One team came to play, the other didn’t, and Greene Central’s 12-0 mercy rule-shortened smack down of South Lenoir on Tuesday was a predictable result.

“I don’t know if it was a hangover or what,” said Blue Devils coach David Combs, whose team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at rival North Lenoir the night before. “Whatever the reason, our heads never seemed to be in the game, especially after they hit us hard in the first inning.”

The Rams (9-7, 6-3 Eastern Carolina 2A Conference) popped the Devils for five first-inning runs, and SL never recovered. The onslaught did end there, either. By the time the carnage had cleared, GC had pounded SL pitching for 16 hits in just five innings.

“We were aggressive at the plate and hit the ball hard,” GC coach Scott Jones said. “Everyone contributed up and down the lineup. Coaching’s a lot easier when you score 12 runs and get 16 hits.”

Nobody swung the bat better than GC’s Justin Lee and Tyler Jones.

Lee was a perfect 4-of-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Jones, meanwhile, was a one-man wrecking, collecting three hits, a pair of doubles and six RBIs.

The Rams’ pitching wasn’t bad either. Starter Austin Mooring allowed four hits to go along with three walks and four strike outs.

“Austin did a good job keeping his poise and his focus once we gave him the lead,” Jones said. “Pitchers sometimes relax when they’ve got runs to work with, but Austin didn’t let up.”

For good measure, Mooring also shined offensively, delivering a two-run double and a run-scoring single.

Bailey Ormond and Will Creech also contributed two hits apiece for the Rams, while Nick Kearney added a double.

Christian Yanez, Dalton Lane, Hunter Winfield and Jared Puckett managed base hits for the Blue Devils (10-9, 5-4).

“I told the guys after the game that we were like a boxer that had been knocked down,” Combs said. “We can stay down and get counted out, or we can get back up and continue fighting. We’ll see which way we go.”    

 

Greene Central 521         04—12  16   2

South Lenoir      000         00—0    4     3

Mooring and Murphy. Kelly, T. Winfield (5), and T. Winfield, Lane (5). W—Mooring. L—Kelly.


Parrott soccer pulls through on Senior Night

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Mimi Piner probably couldn’t have asked for a better Senior Night.

The Arendell Parrott Academy senior forward was responsible for half of the team’s goals in its 4-2 victory over Coastal Christian School Tuesday night.

“It was pretty much high expectations coming out,” Piner said. “I think we came together pretty well.”

In their regular-season finale, the Patriots were hungry.            

Hungry for early goals.

Hungry for possession.

Hungry for the best possible playoff situation.

The North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 2A soccer playoffs are scheduled to start Friday. Parrott (10-4-1) was seeded at No. 9 and will tracel to Grace Christian Friady at 5:45 for the first-round contest. It's the team's first playoff berth since 2011, "so, it's a pretty big deal for us out here," Parrott coach Shivar Person said. 

Tuesday night, the Pats came out strong, scoring just 6 minutes into the match. Senior midfielder Sallie Sylvester found the back of the net in a crowded box.

“That one goal kind of let the flood gates in,” said Piner, who put in the next two goals on assists from Sommer Holmes and Chelsea Thomas. “I was excited (about the two goals). I mean, I was in the right place at the right time, so I felt like anybody could have got it in. It helped me a lot throughout the game and it motivated me throughout the game.”

Piner was an aggressive force at the net as the contest unfolded, spraying Coastal goalie Ally Pleasant with shots all night — not so pleasant for the opposing keeper, although she recorded 12 saves.

Up 3-0 in the first half, the Patriots powered up their offense to maintain possession and eventually tack on an additional goal. In the 35th minute, Frances Barringer hooked up with eighth grader McKinsey Walter to take a 4-0 lead.

  “It’s just what we talked about coming into today, that if you put the ball in the frame, you’re going to score,” Person said. “We shot regularly. I think we controlled the game, even by losing the second half.

“They had to play catchup for a reason.”

Coastal’s Savannah Waldon scored 3 minutes before the break to avoid the first-half shutout.

When the game resumed, so did the offensive tug-of-war — and the Centurions (3-12-1) pulled it in their favor to open the second half.

After a series of solid passes, Bailey Blevins found Caroline Mansfield inside the 50th minute. Manfield's kick brushed the fingertips of Parrott junior goalie Victoria Newberry, as the scoring pair of Centurions connected with a high five after the goal.

The make sparked a fire in the visitors, pushing them to compete with a heightened intensity — only, Parrott matched it.

Piner pressured Pleasant with a few hard shots, as Parrott came inches away from scoring again on two separate occasions. Alex Harper’s kick went just shy of the left post, the senior sweeper burying her face in her hands after the miss. In the 76th minute, Thomas had a good look at the goal, the shot clearing the top like an Olympic hurdler.

With playoffs days away, Person said this team thrived in the pressure.

“Games like this help you: close games, nerve games,” he said. “This is going to help us because now we have the best teams left. Now everybody’s got a chance. We think we have the best conference in the state.

“We’re all good enough to be high seeds.”

Harper, Piner, Sylvester, Thomas, Madi Finizio, Blair Gilgo and Charlotte Snead were the exiting seniors honored before the contest began.

 

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan. 

Wyse Fork battlefield segment preserved near Union fortifications

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WYSE FORK | In the last weeks of the Civil War, Federal troops moved like an express train from the coast with the intention of joining Maj. Gen. William Sherman’s forces in Goldsboro.
 
Between U.S. Gen. Jacob Cox’s XXIII Corps and Sherman were Confederate Gens. Braxton Bragg, D.H. Hill and Robert Hoke in the area of Southwest Creek.
 
Attacks by Hill and Hoke on the Union left flank threatened to throw a significant wrench in Federal plans, but Bragg called off his dogs and sent them north of what’s now U.S. 70 to counter a perceived Union attack that never materialized.
 
During the next few days, Cox’s troops solidified their position by building solid earthworks and with reinforcements and well-positioned artillery, repeated advances by Confederate troops proved futile.
Bragg withdrew, the CSS Neuse’s sailors scuttled their ship and Federal troops marched into Kinston.
 
A significant portion of the center and left side of those earthworks and Wyse Fork battlefield are now protected in perpetuity through an agreement between the landowner, Donny Taylor, the Civil War Trust and the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.
 
“As a member of the (Lenoir County) Battlefield Commission, we’re constantly trying to preserve what little bit of historical value the battlefield has, so I was very pleased this was chosen,” local historian Lonnie Blizzard said. “And, thanks to Donny Taylor for being willing to work with us on that.”
 
Taylor said the property – 88 acres – has been in his family for more than a century.
 
“My great-grandfather Patrick Worley, a Civil War veteran, was in the 3rd N.C. Regiment, Company B,” Taylor said in a statement. “He purchased the property shortly after 1900 and farmed the land until selling it in the early 1920s to my grandfather, Blake Taylor, husband of Patrick’s daughter Anna, and it has been handed down to generations since.
 
“I grew up walking these fields and finding bullets, which ignited the love of Civil War history. I farmed the land for 20 years and always had a desire to see it remain farmland. This easement will forever make this battlefield remain as open land with battlefield features. It not only is part of my family’s history, it is part of the nation’s history.”
 
An American Battlefield Protection Program grant covered expenses incurred in the endeavor.  
 
“It is a special opportunity to combine historic preservation of the battlefield with land conservation,” said Lee Leidy, northeast director of the N.C. Coastal Land Trust. “We are delighted to help the Civil War Trust and the Taylor family permanently conserve this 88-acre tract – a beautiful working farm – which has such historic value.”
 
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

Tropical storm could skirt coast

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JACKSONVILLE | The area could be seeing an early start to the tropical storm season this week — and it wouldn’t be the first time.
 
“The season starts June 1 and continues through Nov. 30 and that’s the normal climatology for when storms occur, but we have had storms develop before and after those dates,” said Bel Melendez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Newport, which includes Onslow County in its forecast area.
 
It was too soon to say Tuesday if a system sitting about halfway between Florida and the Bahamas would develop into a named subtropical or tropical storm but there is that potential.
 
“We are monitoring and watching,” Melendez said.
 
The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season kicked off with two tropical storms in May: tropical storm Alberto, the first system of the year, developed May 19 and was followed soon after by a second tropical cyclone, Beryl.
 
As of a Tuesday update, the National Hurricane Center was giving the system a low, or 20 percent chance, of developing within 48 hours and a medium, or 40 percent chance, of developing within five days.
Models showed an area of low pressure developing into a depression or storm by Thursday or Friday and tracking slowly northward and skirting the coast of the Carolinas.
 
While it was too far out to say what specific impacts may be, if it does develop the area will likely see rain as well as rough surf and high sea conditions not favorable for boating.
 
Whatever the forecast, it is always best to be prepared for storm or disaster, said Vicki LaBelle, executive director for the Onslow County Chapter of the Red Cross.
 
“We’ll be watching the forecast and we’re always ready with resources as needed,” she said. “This is also a great reminder to the public that it is a good time to update their emergency preparedness kit, and the easiest way to do that is to go to go to the website redcross.org for a list of items they may need.”
 
LaBelle said the website is a helpful resource that includes links to Red Cross mobile emergency and hurricane apps that will keep you informed in case of a storm or disaster.
 
While the tropical season may be getting an early start, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will also be an active season.
 
Forecasts for the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane season indicate a relatively quiet one.
 
Forecasts from researchers at North Carolina State University as well as Colorado State University were released last month and each indicated the season should be less active than averages from 1950 to the present.
 
The NCSU forecast indicated the 2015 season should see four to six named storms forming in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
 
Of those named storms, one to three may grow into hurricanes and one may become a major hurricane.
 
The Colorado State University forecasts seven named storms, three hurricanes and one major hurricane.

Kinston author publishes first book

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Kinston resident Kristy Woodson Harvey, 29, released her first published book “Dear Carolina” on Tuesday.
 
After signing copies of her book at the Lenoir County Farmers Market, she held a launch party downtown at Buy Local.
 
The Southern women’s fiction story involves the dialogue by way of a letter from two women to baby Carolina, the adoptive daughter of Frances “Khaki” Mason, an interior designer, and the birth daughter of 19-year-old Jodi, Khaki’s husband’s cousin, who was recently out of rehabilitation.
 
In 2010, Harvey wrote her first couple of novels, simply testing the waters. She began to see improvement with her third fiction book, “Lies and Other Acts of Love,” which is slated to publish in April 2016.
“I really feel like I kind of found my voice as a writer in that third one,” she said.
 
Harvey obtained a literary agent and began to send out query letters for the third book after finishing her fourth, “Dear Carolina,” which she entered in a writing contest and won.
 
“The final round judge was an editor at Penguin,” she said. That got her the attention she needed to begin the road to publishing.
 
The inspiration for that fourth book, written in 2013, came after her son, Will Harvey IV, now 3, was born. The new baby was crying, and when her father handed the baby to her, he stopped crying.
 
“I wasn’t really prepared for how bonded we would be and how much he would know me and recognize me as his mother, even in those first days after he was born,” she said. “And I just remember thinking what would have to happen in your life for you to be able to make this decision to give this child up.”
 
It was then the idea of the fourth book surfaced. As Harvey began writing, the characters began to develop. Jodi, however, wasn’t based on anyone she knew.
 
“I think Jodi was the character that really kind of grabbed hold of me,” she said, adding she could almost hear her thick Southern accent.
 
Khaki is a funky Southern woman and more relatable to her.
 
“(Khaki’s) fun and she’s cute and she’s strong-willed and she’s kind of made all these big dreams of hers come true,” Harvey said.
 
Originally, the story was placed in another location, but later Harvey rewrote it with the women living in Kinston.
 
“There are a lot of Kinston places and a lot of it is at the Kinston farmers’ market,” she said.
 
Harvey is a native of Salisbury and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and mass communication from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2007.
 
She had the idea she would eventually go to law school, but after graduation she married William “Will” Harvey, who now owns and practices dentistry at Harvey & Associates Family Dentistry.
 
In journalism school, Harvey wrote as one of her goals the possibility of writing a novel at the age of 30.
 
“I remember putting 30 and thinking that is so far away I cannot fathom that I will ever be 30 years old, and the book comes out in May and I turn 30 in July,” she said, with a laugh.
 
While living in New Bern, Harvey earned a master’s degree in multi-cultural literature in 2008 from ECU with the idea of becoming a college teacher, but couldn’t find a full-time job.
 
She and her husband moved to Kinston, where she worked at her husband’s practice and began novel writing.
 
Harvey has contributed to Domino magazine, Houzz and The Salisbury Post and writes about interior design on her blog, Design Chic.
 
“Dear Carolina,” published by Berkley/Penguin Random House, is $15 and is available in major bookstores and on amazon.com.
 
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

Snow Hill budget proposed for June 8 public hearing

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SNOW HILL | The town will be holding a public hearing on its proposed budget at its June 8 meeting.
In addition, the town board approved on Monday night contracting with CPA Andrew Harris of Farmville for audit services after the audit for the period ending in July wasn’t presented until mid-November. A few years back when Snow Hill was having financial difficulties, Harris was contracted temporarily as the town’s finance officer.
There are no proposed increased fees, utility rates or property taxes planned for the 2015-16 year. Taxes will likely remain at 35 cents per $100 of property value.
The proposed budget is balanced at nearly $1.95 million, with the general fund at $927,800 and the water and sewer fund at more than $1.02 million. This is up from the current year’s budget at nearly $1.87 million, with $875,500 for the general fund and $990,200 for water and sewer.
Town Manager Dana Hill said the town was able to balance the higher expenditures without raising fees.
“I’m pleased with the budget,” he said. “We’re able to maintain a low tax rate and at least fair water and sewer rates and provide quality service.”
A number of increases and decreases in the budget are based on actual figures from the current year, Hill said. Salary fluctuations are based on hours spent in different departments by a particular employee, such as in maintenance and lawn care.
Property insurance is expected to increase as there’s been two claims submitted this year, Hill said. They include damage to a work truck and a sweeper that caught on fire.
Professional services in administration is budgeted for a $4,000 increase for services, including attorney costs.
Street light bills to Duke Energy are up, so the budget shows a $4,000 increase.
Proposed projects include a shelter for the street sweeper and tractor for ice and snow removal, a garage for the three mowers at the cemetery because the town is no longer contracting the mowing and painting or adding vinyl siding to the well houses, Hill said.
There are increases budgeted for the capital reserve funds in the water and sewer departments to cover any major equipment replacements as needed. A well pump could cost $100,000, Hill used as an example.
“Every year we get a step closer to them wearing out,” he said. “So we’re putting money aside so that we’ll be able to replace those without rate increases and things like that.”
Customer water and sewer bills are projected to increase — water revenues will go up by $1,000 and sewer up by $6,300.
The water line and meter replacement loan payment will be $23,130.
Police department revenue may see a $3,000 increase to $20,000, with insurance increasing by $5,300 as one officer who retired didn’t require insurance but the new employee does.
The community center’s revenue is expected to decrease by half to $3,000.
Hill said the lease for the community center grant requires the floor, air conditioning and roof to be replaced one-time during the lease period. The carpeting were replaced recently with a durable commercial-grade vinyl tile, lowering the amount of money needed to put aside for those improvements, Hill said.
“There’s been enough build-up in that fund already so that the floors have been replaced,” he said, “and the commissioners just agreed there would be enough in there at a reduced rate to take care of what we want to take care of.”
Revenue for the PEG Channel increased by $38,000 to $69,000. That funding from the N.C. Department of Revenue is transferred through the town to Infinity, which is required to use it for the local television access channels. Town meetings and events are broadcast on those channels.
“The state doesn’t give the town the responsibility to police that money,” Hill said. “... Infinity or any other company has to justify their case to the state to say that they’re meeting the requirements to receive that money.”
 
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr. 
 
Breakout box:
Total proposed and current Snow Hill budget
2015-16 fiscal year
General Fund – $927,800
Water/Sewer – $1,021,750
Total – $1,949,550
Current fiscal year
General Fund – $875,500
Water/Sewer – $990,200
Total – $1,865,700
 
Proposed Snow Hill budget by department
General Fund
Governing Body – 54,370
Administration – $97,230
Election – $5,000
Public Safety – $251,100
Streets – $104,080
Sanitation – $138,130
Cemetery – $68,940
Powell Bill – $40,510
Community Development – $145,310
Debt Service – $23,130
Water Sewer Fund
Water – $463,710
Sewer – $558,040
2015-16 Budget public hearing set for 6:30 p.m. June 8 at Snow Hill Town Hall
Source: Town of Snow Hill
 

Guest Column: With county’s help, schools can take giant step toward future

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What a difference a few months makes. As everyone who has a elementary-age son or daughter in Lenoir County Public Schools knows, or as anyone who’s taken the time to visit classrooms in any of LCPS’s nine elementary schools can tell you, the way our youngest students do school nowadays doesn’t look much like the way they learned in the past, even if you think of September or October as the past.
 
What happened in the interim is iLCPS, the digital learning initiative that, after many months of preparation, planning and professional development, equipped our teachers, students and their K-5 classrooms with the best in digital equipment and began the process of changing the way teachers teach and students learn. Since early December, when the last of the iPads were distributed to students, classrooms have transitioned to digital learning and all that it promises with an enthusiasm and at a pace that has pleased and surprised everyone associated with iLCPS.
 
That’s not to say we’re where we ultimately want to be. Realizing the true capabilities of these devices and creating a culture of discovery in our classrooms will be done over time, and done a step at a time. We have, however, taken an excellent first step; and the evidence of that success can be seen in the advantages digital learning has already yielded – greater student engagement and more individualized instruction, among them – and the momentum generated among our teachers and students for achieving more.
 
What is being done in the elementary grades can be done to equal or greater effect in our middle schools and high schools. These older students’ facility with devices like iPads and their capacity for independent study prime them for digital learning, and incorporating apps and the Internet into the daily curriculum aligns learning in school with the way they already acquire information elsewhere. They are digital natives, they live in a digital world and they will benefit tremendously, in school and in life, from an educational strategy that acknowledges that reality.
 
They can begin reaping those benefits in middle school and high school next fall – a full year earlier than originally scheduled in our high schools – if a plan developed by school system administrators can be implemented. To make that plan work, to dramatically accelerate our digital learning initiative, LCPS has asked Lenoir County – specifically, the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners – to become a partner in this initiative and commit $300,000 to the annual cost of the program.
 
Months ago, we identified the $1.4 million needed to fund digital learning in elementary and middle schools. The $300,000 represents the amount needed to take the program into our high schools a year early. That works out to be about $107 for each high school student who would benefit in 2015-2016.
 
There are ample reasons to move ahead now. For one, we’re getting a great deal. The $1.7 million annual cost is a bit more than half of what LCPS originally estimated for a K-12 program – the result of aggressive negotiations, excellent pricing from Apple and a grant Rochelle Middle School received directly from Apple, which saves the system about $100,000 a year.
 
For another, there’s no advantage in waiting. The system for distributing, securing and monitoring the iPads is in place; networks and other infrastructure are ready; proven strategies for mentoring and training teachers are moving into middle school and high school; and the students are already sitting on Go. The only thing holding them back is $300,000. 
 
Certainly, Lenoir County has a financial stake in public education. The county typically allocates $9.9 million of its revenue for the school system, which has an annual budget of about $83 million. The local allocation works out to be a little more than $1,200 per student, about $800 less per student than the state average, but the county also uses revenue from the state lottery and the sales tax to help with maintenance costs and debt service on a school improvement bond.
 
But the county – its elected officials as well as its residents – also have a significant interest in ensuring its young people have access to opportunities, opportunities that begin with an education matched to the skills they’ll need as adults. Now that iLCPS has gotten off to such an excellent start in our elementary schools, now that people in this school district have proved capable of planning and implementing something so ambitious, it makes sense for Lenoir County to sign on as partner in this progress, to become a participant rather than a spectator in a program that shines a light not only on the school district but on the county at large.
 
Few school systems in North Carolina have any sort of K-12 technology program and none has a program as fully realized as the LCPS program can be next year. What else in Lenoir County appears so future-oriented, so forward-thinking, so full of promise for our young residents? What else – or who else – is more deserving of the county’s help?
 
Patrick Holmes is the public information officer for Lenoir County Public Schools.

Attempted murder suspect arrested

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Kinston police and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man Wednesday night accused of attempting to murder another man on Viking Drive two nights earlier.

Around 9:51 p.m. members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Kinston Department of Public Safety took into custody Mario Devon King, 26, at a residence in the 1200 block of Ferndale Lane.

King’s charged with felony attempted murder for allegedly shooting 45-year-old Cephus Bernard Whitfield in the 2100 block of Viking Drive. Whitfield remains under treatment at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.

King was placed into the W.E. “Billy” Smith Detention Center under a $2 million bond.

He last served September 2013-August 2014 in state prison for felony aiding and abetting assault inflicting serious bodily injury in July 2012. Following his sentence King was on parole, which terminated Saturday.

King previously served March 2009-October 2011 – with parole running through July 2012 – for felony convictions regarding assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and possession with intent to sell a Schedule II controlled substance.

The case remains under investigation as detectives attempt to identify additional suspects.

 

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports. 


Rouzer stops in Kinston, meets with business leaders

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Mother Earth is still is a thing of industrial beauty, but getting that still producing spirits available for public, legal consumption took a while.

With U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., in town for a meet-and-greet at the brewery and distillery, attention turned toward the sort of state and federal regulations that come with trying to bring liquor to market and keeping it in regulators’ good graces.

“There’s a lot more paperwork involved here than there is in the brewery,” Mother Earth Head Distiller Kevin Graham said. “Monthly reports … five monthly reports on the distillery every month.”

Rouzer said Wednesday’s circuit through Lenoir County is part of a regular effort to hear from people in the 7th Congressional District.

“Every district work week, we pick various areas of the district to try to get to, to talk to small business owners – get out and about and see what’s going on in the district, what their concerns are, what their needs are,” Rouzer said. “This afternoon we were over at Exclusive Jets with Jim Segrave and visiting with him. We helped them get their FAA certificate … (there was) no difficulty in getting it, just the timeline was a little cumbersome for them, so we did what we could to spur that along.”

Exclusive Jets received its certification April 2. Owner Jim Segrave started Segrave Aviation at the Kinston Regional Jetport in 1993 and Delta Air Lines acquired that business in 2010 before shutting down the operation two years later.

Segrave said in July 2014 he intended to base $5 million in aircraft at the Global TransPark with growth expected.

“One thing that strikes me as I travel throughout the 7th Congressional District, and through this area as well, is there are really a lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses that I think the vast majority of the public doesn’t even know about,” Rouzer said. “There’s a lot of good things happening throughout the 7th Congressional District, in particular."

He added the positive strides so far could be improved with less oversight and involvement by the federal government.

 

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive set for Saturday

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That plastic bag that went out in the mail this week isn’t just for show.

The National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is this Saturday and your letter carrier wants you to fill that bag with food.

Once the bag is full with donated non-perishable, not expired food, postal customers should hang it on the outside of their mailboxes for pickup.

Those without that option can bring food to the Post Office they wish to donate.

“We first used the bags last year,” said Tab Brown, food drive coordinator. “I wasn’t sold on them, but we collected three times as much food as in the previous year.”

The bags are a more tangible reminder of the annual drive and not like a card that may be thrown away, he said.

This year, the letter carriers would like to collect at least as much as they did last year, about 30,000 pounds. The district Brown is responsible for includes Kinston, Snow Hill, La Grange, Mount Olive, Dudley and Pink Hill and whatever food is collected stays with local agencies to be distributed locally.

Food collected here will be distributed at the Salvation Army and ICOR, said June Cummings, director of the Lenoir-Greene United Way.

“There are people in this community who, through no cause of their own, still face hunger every day,” she said.

The food drive means so much to Brown, he’s still directing it after 15 years, even though he’s retired from the Post Office.

“As a carrier, we see people’s need on a daily basis,” he said. “We appreciate the people’s involvement and we hope we can get the same results this year we did last year.”

 

Jennifer Shrader is managing editor of The Free Press. You can reach her at 252-559-1079 or jennifer.shrader@kinston.com or via Twitter, @jenjshrader.

Rain expected from tropical activity

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Lenoir County Emergency Management officials say not much more than rain is expected with the tropical activity off the coast of South Carolina.

The impact of what would be the first named storm of the season, Ana, will depend on the track it takes.

“We may get some gusty winds,” said Roger Dail, Lenoir County Emergency Management director.

The main threat here will be 1 to 2 inches of rain, which was expected to start as soon as Thursday night and last through the weekend. Rainfall totals will be higher along the coast.

Dail said the rain wouldn’t be a total 72-hour event, but come through in bands like normal tropical weather.

According to the forecast late Thursday, there’s a 50-percent chance of rain today, increasing to an 80-percent chance of rain by Monday.

Retail Notebook: Olivia’s opening Saturday at former Elks Lodge

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Olivia’s opened its doors at the renovated Elks Lodge on April 26.

Mainly a catering business, the restaurant is open only for Sunday lunch buffet.

This Sunday, there will be a special Mother’s Day buffet with additional items, owner Susan Colomaio said.

The buffet features a carving station of either steamship round roast beef or baked ham. A hot bar contains additional meats, fresh vegetables and specialty items.

“We always buy local anytime we can,” Colomaio said.

There’s a large salad bar and specialty bar, which features different foods each week such as hot pasta, omelets or waffles.

The dessert bar also varies each week with cobblers, cakes, pies or cupcakes.

“That’s just according to the pastry chef,” Colomaio said.

Catering is available onsite or off, and event and wedding planning is also offered.

Early this year, William Jarman, a developer and contractor, was renovating the 1955 Elks Club building specifically for Olivia’s to lease about one-third of the 15,162-square-foot space. He and his three sons, under Jarman Construction Company, purchased the building last year.

The building has terrazzo floors, perfect for dancing, a curved stairway for photographs, a bar and handicapped-accessible restrooms. It also retains the historic flavor of the downtown.

“It’s nice to be downtown to be part of the downtown revitalization,” Colomaio said. “... It’s nice to be on the ground floor of everything that’s happening downtown.”

Olivia’s, 110 E. Caswell St., is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 252-341-0993.

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Olvera Street Taqueria is having its grand opening at 1 p.m. Saturday with a full menu.

The restaurant, which opened briefly with tacos during the BBQ Festival on Friday, will be closed Sunday and reopen Monday, owner Joe Kavanagh said.

Olvera Street, 212 W. North St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday hours are planned for the future.

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Each Monday in May, McDonald’s will be giving away a free Happy Meal to someone in need when a customer purchases one.

In the Buy One, Give One Happy Meal program, the fast food restaurant will donate a second Happy Meal to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Food Bank of the Albemarle with every purchase of a Happy Meal made.

The donated meals will be given to a needy child by all participating McDonald’s restaurants.

In January, the U.S. Census Bureau released that 16 million — or one in five children — were on food stamps in 2014, the highest number since the nation’s economy tumbled in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“During the summer months many children miss the support systems for meals at school and through backpack programs,” said Tyler Weidig, Summer Food Program supervisor at Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. “McDonald’s and their customers are helping us deliver a little more happiness to these kids.”

McDonald’s of Eastern North Carolina includes 11 counties: Lenoir, Green, Pitt, Chowan, Washington, Craven, Beaufort, Carteret, Pamlico, Onslow and Martin.

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U.S. Cellular has opened at its new $390,000 showroom location on Vernon Avenue.

The new store layout shows off the latest devices, accessories and technology through state-of-the-art features. The store employs 13 associates.

Updates include an expanded device discovery zone, a connected devices engagement counter and a lounge. The showroom has multiple phone bars with interactive screens designed to allow customers hands-on access to the latest devices from Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola and others.

“We’re thrilled to bring this new interactive store to Kinston,” said Jeremy Taylor, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Eastern North Carolina, “and we encourage everyone to stop in and learn about how you can get national coverage and a high-quality network that works where you live, work and play.”

U.S. Cellular, 4140 W. Vernon Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For information, call 252-523-7588.

 

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

 

Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.

National Day of Prayer

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Residents circle the flag pole in front of the Lenoir County Courthouse in prayer Thursday during the 64th annual National Day of Prayer. In addition to prayers for both the country and local community, children and government, the event also featured songs of worship by Bethel Christian Academy’s high school choir.

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