Kinston High School students were dismissed at 10:30 a.m. today after a power outage darkened a large portion of the campus.

The lights were out in a main classroom building before staff arrived at 7 a.m. School officials suspected there was a problem with an on-campus transformer, Principal Angela Bryant said.

School administrators thought the building’s power would be restored after visits from the City of Kinston and Lenoir County Schools maintenance but were told all power from the transformer would have to be shut off — including power to the cafeteria.

“Almost half my campus had no power,” Bryant said.

When maintenance workers attempted to restore power, the transformer blew out and needed up to six hours to be repaired.

Parents and bus drivers were notified of the early dismissal through Kinston High and LCS’ central office.

See Thursday's Free Press or Kinston.com for further information.

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

AMERICAN HOLIDAY CELEBRATION/New Bern

Voci Allegre Vocal Ensemble’s “An American Holiday Celebration” will be presented from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church, 239 Middle St. Voci Allegre's performance is sponsored by the Craven Arts Council. Admission is free and the church is handicap accessible. For information, contact the arts council at 252-638-2577 or cravenarts@cravenarts.

HIKE/Washington

Goose Creek State Park will host a two-and-a-half mile hike from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday along the Ivey Gut Trail. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Meet at the Ivey Gut Parking Lot. The park is at 2190 Camp Leach Road, 10 miles east of Washington off US 264. For information, call 252-923-2191.

CHORAL SOCIETY AUDITIONS/Greenville

The Greenville Choral Society will hold auditions for the spring 2013 season Monday at St. James United Methodist Church, 2006 E. Sixth St. The Concert Choir will perform Schubert's Mass in G and Hummel's Mass in B-minor on April 6. Rehearsals will begin Tuesday at Peace Presbyterian Church in Winterville. To schedule an audition, call 252-353-5495, see greenvillechoralsociety.com or email greenvillechoralsociety@cox.net.

SMILES AND FROWNS AUDITIONS/Ayden

Smiles and Frowns Playhouse will hold auditions for its spring musical, “The Little Mermaid,” from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Ayden Recreation Center, on South Lee St. Students in grades K-12 are eligible to audition. All students are asked to bring a recent photo which will not be returned. Students in grades K-2 should come prepared to recite a poem. Older children will read from the script. All students will be asked to sing “My Country 'Tis of Thee” unaccompanied. Production dates are March 22 & 23. For information, contact 252-756-4959 or smilesandfrowns@smilesandfrowns.net.

Editor’s note: These reviews originally were published Oct. 3, 2012.

New album: Push and Shove

Artist: No Doubt

Label: Interscope

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

No Doubt hasn’t released an album of new material since 2001. “Push and Shove” may be attributed to No Doubt, but it sounds more like a continuation of lead singer Gwen Stefani’s successful solo career.

The pop world has changed immensely since No Doubt released “Rock Steady” in 2001 — which itself was a glossier affair than the band’s previous efforts. “Push and Shove” for the most part eschews the band’s trademark pop/ska sound in order to make way for shinier, radio-friendly tunes. Sadly, No Doubt drummer Adrian Young’s impressive musicality is mostly buried beneath layers of keyboards, treated drums and drum machines.

Unquestionably, the highlight of this collection is the song “Push and Shove.” Adrian Young is frustratingly kept under control while a tepid computer beat pulses along, but the vocal hooks and choice reggae guitar shapes almost make up for this oversight.

Restraint can be a virtue when it comes to music, but relegating Young to intermittent drum fills instead of turning him loose on this song is borderline criminal. Sometimes criticized for having a limited range, Stefani’s singing is still impressively nimble. Her performance on “Push and Shove” recalls the command she had on previous hits such as “Hella Good” and “Don’t Speak.”

“Settle Down” was supposedly the single that would pull the masses into the record, but the decision to use this track to reintroduce the band to the world ranks right up there with the time Coca Cola changed its recipe.

“Settle Down” is pleasant enough, but aside from a clever bass pattern and a few cute vocal phrases, the song leaves no impression. “Undercover” sounds like Lady Gaga sitting in with Coldplay, and the musically interesting “One More Summer” is marred by lyrics straight out of an episode of the new Beverly Hills 90210.

With “Push and Shove,” No Doubt has crafted a perfectly fine collection of pop music that will undoubtedly (sorry) fare well on pop radio in 2012. Fans of the group’s original sound will be left scratching their heads, while those who thought “Holla Back Girl” was the bee’s knees will be delighted. Figure out which camp you are in and proceed accordingly.

Classic album: Trilogy

Artist: Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Label: Rhino

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Throughout their long and winding career, Emerson, Lake and Palmer were equally praised and vilified. For every prog rock fan who deemed them the greatest band of all, there was a rock purist who demonized them for their classical indulgences. In the end, both camps were partially correct.

“Trilogy” was the third ELP release, hot on the heels of their landmark album “Tarkus.” “Trilogy” did contain some of the aforementioned excesses (see the somewhat meandering “Endless Enigma”); other tracks on the album were so brilliant, those trespasses could be forgiven.

Possibly the best known ELP track of all, “From the Beginning” is quite unlike the intricate, classically-tinged blitzkrieg that ELP reputation was built on. Instead of flashy solos and bombast, “From the Beginning” is a delicate almost-ballad driven by Greg Lake’s acoustic guitar and usually-spinning drummer Carl Palmer’s tasteful, delicate percussion.

Near the end of the track, Keith Emerson lets loose with a sparse Moog keyboard solo that sounds like a quiet storm slow jam beaming from a radio station on Mars. There are few perfect songs, but “From the Beginning” is one of them.

Elsewhere on “Trilogy,” ELP whip out a monumental rendering of “Hoedown” from Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo” ballet. “Hoedown” would eventually become one of the most celebrated instrumentals in all of rock music. ELP’s ability to reinterpret classical pieces for the trio format simultaneously gave them an excuse to demonstrate their formidable chops and prove they could rock as hard as any of their peers.

The other diamond in this collection is the eight-minute “Trilogy,” which recalls the melancholic psychedelia of Greg Lake’s stint with the original King Crimson. Lyrically, the song “Trilogy” gets a bit schoolboy at times, but Lake’s delivery is so earnest it’s not a major deterrent.

The stomping “Living Sin” crashes in just in time to provide enough well-choreographed bluster to save the day, and the proceedings come to an end with Emerson’s regal “Abbadon’s Bolero.”

Most of the criticism ELP suffered over the years was unwarranted. Any band that can produce an album as sublime as “Trilogy” deserves a break.

Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase Jon’s book ‘Making Gravy in Public’ at The Free Press office and at jondawson.com.

One of the best known bluegrass bands in the Southeast will return to the Schechter Auditorium for a special performance Jan. 13 hosted by the Kinston-Lenoir County Friends of the Library.

This group has performed before standing-room-only crowds in venues throughout the Southeast and is a regular on the bluegrass festival circuit.

The Friends of the Library sponsor the group’s annual appearance as part of its series of musical, entertainment and educational programs throughout the year.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring such a talented and popular musical group for a return visit to our library,” said Agnes Ho, director of libraries for the Neuse Regional Library System.

In previous visits to the library, Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion drew capacity crowds. For reservations, call the library at 527-7066, ext. 120.

The new year is bringing new visual dynamics at the Community Council for the Arts.

New exhibits will begin unveiling next week, with a community-wide reception signaling the grand opening Jan. 17.

The Hampton Gallery will house works by Nigerian native Tunde Afolayan. His paintings explore color and are infused with spiritualism and symbolism. He is a graduate of the Yaba College of Technology’s Yaba School Lagos-Nigeria, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, Mo.

His color pallet tempered with strong and vibrant hues exemplifies his powerful traditional African roots and aesthetics.

The Permanent Collection Gallery will display a retrospective of the late Chick Wooten. Wooten grew up on a farm in La Grange and began making sketches in 1959 after moving to New Jersey. In the ’70s, he returned home and began receiving widespread recognition for his art. His work is best known for depicting the Carolina countryside, with the central themes being family life, togetherness especially in tough times, and the importance of faith and community traditions.

Audrey Coward’s works will be on display in the Minges/Rayner Gallery. Coward, an African American Kinston artist, paints and draws still lifes, lighthouses and scenes portraying life in Kinston and North Carolina neighborhoods and environments.

The African American Music Trail Photography Exhibition will be on display through Jan. 19 in the Music Room Gallery. This is a traveling exhibit which celebrates the rich musical culture of Kinston.

It is a collaborative project of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources and the N.C. Department of Transportation, with local arts council partners. It recognizes the achievements of musicians from Eastern N.C. and documents and develops the music and cultural assets of eight Eastern N.C. counties.

Artwork by students of Laura Jackson, art teacher at South Lenoir High School, will hang in the children’s Gallery.

A tiny sprite will bear a lighted candle into the darkened world. Representing the Church, the rector receives the light, and from this flame rise the lights of the altar and the lights of the church itself.

A brass fanfare announces the entrance of the herald and the boar’s head company. Then follow King Wenceslas and his page; the woodsmen with the Yule log, ridden by a tiny sprite; the shepherds searching for the Christ; and the three kings, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Thus begins St. Mary’s Episcopal Church’s annual ancient celebration and festival, free to the community.

Again this year, the members of the church will capture this ancient celebration in the tradition of its presentation at Queens College, Oxford, England, in 1340. It is probably the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season.

The pageant has its roots in ancient times when the boar was sovereign of the forest. A ferocious beast and menace to humans, it was hunted as a public enemy. At Roman feasts, boar was the first dish served.

As Christian beliefs overtook pagan customs in Europe, the presentation of the boar’s head at Christmas time came to symbolize the triumph of the Christ Child over sin.

The boar’s head tradition was carried on in many of England’s great manor houses, and grew to include a host of characters from all walks of life — lords, ladies, knights, cooks, huntsmen and the like. Shepherds and Wise Men were added to tell the story of the Nativity. The whole was then embellished with carols and Yuletide traditions, both savory and symbolic.

The yule log — lit from last year’s embers, representing the warmth of the family fireside and the continuance of human life and concern — has from the earliest times symbolized the rekindling of love. The old year passes, the new is born, yet the same love lights each. 

The annual event at St. Mary’s is a gift to the community, a tradition for families and a personal reaffirmation of faith to the participants. The sanctuary is transformed into that manor house of old, with costumed lords and ladies inviting attendees to be a part of the great celebration.

Gift to increase children’s collection

The Kinston-Lenoir County Friends of the Library have announced the receipt of a grant award of $1,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation Community Partner Program for improvements to the La Grange Public Library.

Jamie Martin, store manager of Wells Fargo in La Grange, made the presentation to Agnes Ho, Director of Libraries. The funds are to be applied toward increasing the Children’s collection at the La Grange Library.

“On behalf of Wells Fargo Bank in La Grange and our team members, it is with great pleasure to award the Friends of the Library in Lenoir County a gift in the amount of $1,000 to be used for the Children’s Department at the La Grange Branch Library,” said Martin.

“As citizens of La Grange and Lenoir County, all of us at Wells Fargo in La Grange are so happy and honored to be able to assist the library with the purchase of some new children’s books.  Having a local, vibrant library in our community is truly a privilege and without the library’s patrons in La Grange and through charitable giving through the Friends of the Library, that privilege could be taken from us.”

Ho expressed appreciation for the gift.

“We are ecstatic to receive this grant award from such a well-regarded and community-minded business,” said Ho. “Wells Fargo and its Charitable Foundation are pillars of our community and we are extremely grateful for their continued support of our mission. Their contribution will help ensure that the children of our community enjoy a brighter future through literacy, learning and education. We look forward to continuing to work with them towards improving the cultural landscape of community.”

For more information about the La Grange library, call 252-566-3722.

Hospital promotes therapist 

Pete Balent was recently promoted to director of Therapy Services at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.

Balent was employed by Lenoir Memorial in 2000 as an occupational therapist and served as senior occupational therapists from 2005-2011. He was promoted to Rehab Services Department Manager in January 2011.

Balent is a 1999 graduate of ECU with a degree in Occupational Therapy. He is an avid ECU fan and attends as many games as possible. He also enjoys games, Do-it-yourself projects and cooking.

He is married to Amber Stallings and has a son Nicholas, age 6.

Plenty of tickets are still available for the inaugural Veterans Ball, which is being put on Jan. 12 by Veterans Challenge of Kinston.

“We’re trying to encourage them to come right away and get them as soon as possible,” said Debby Guthrie, director of Veterans Challenge.

Veterans Challenge is a nonprofit, volunteer-staffed entity which recently set up shop in Vernon Park Mall. The organization is designed to provide assistance — or referrals to other agencies — to veterans with PTSD counseling, housing, employment, disabilities and more.

“Our main motto is, ‘promoting the health and prosperity of veterans and the community,’ ” Guthrie said.

Next week’s Veterans Ball is not designed to be a fundraiser for Veterans Challenge, but to give veterans, as well as active-duty military members and reservists, a chance to have fun. Each person can also bring one guest.

Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased in advance at Veterans Challenge’s office, which is two doors down from the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles’ office at the mall.

Awards will be given for the youngest and oldest veterans, and for the couple that has been married the longest. The king and queen of the ball will be crowned as well.

The event will take place from 5-11 p.m. at the Hampton Inn of Kinston. Anyone who travels to Kinston and must spend the night or weekend in town can tell Hampton Inn staff they are with the Veterans Challenge Ball and receive a discount, plus a hot breakfast.

Discounts are also available for photos taken by Williamson Photography during the event.

“(The ball is) to honor them, to have a good time and for them to have something to look forward to,” Guthrie said of veterans.

A cash bar will also be available.

“We just would really like it to be supporting be the community,” Guthrie said of the ball.

David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or David.Anderson@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at DavidFreePress.

BREAKOUT BOX:

If you go:

What: Inaugural Veterans Ball

When: 5-11 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12

Where: Grand Ballroom, Hampton Inn, 1382 U.S. 258 South, Kinston

Cost: $5 per person

Contact: Veterans Challenge; 252-933-3540; veteranschallenge@yahoo.com; veteranschallenge.org or “Veterans Challenge, Inc.” on Facebook

SNOW HILL — Greene Early College High School is the only area school nominated to be a 2013 National Blue Ribbon School.

The federal award is recognition by the U.S. Department of Education of schools exceeding student achievement goals or making great strides in a few years. 

“(Blue Ribbon) is trying to find ways to get rid of achievement gaps among minority students, students with lower socioeconomic statuses (and) students with disabilities,” said first-year Early College Principal Patrick Greene. “(They’re) looking at all students, not just one particular group.”

Last year, 100 percent of Early College students proved academically proficient on their end-of-course exams. The school has 134 students enrolled, making it the largest group in its eight-year existence.

“We’ve got a lot of kids whose data says — in one way or another — that they shouldn’t be able to go to college,” Greene said. “This (nomination) kind of validates our mission in a lot of ways.”

The school recruits students from Greene Middle School with a goal to get them a two-year associate’s degree and high school diploma in five years.

Nine other North Carolina schools have been nominated, and eight Tar Heel State schools were named Blue Ribbon schools last year.

The Department of Education can select up to 300 public and private schools of all levels across the nation.

“I think it gives (students) a sense of pride and a sense of worth,” said English teacher Natasha Martin. “Even though they live in a small county, they’re still recognized on a huge level for their achievements.”

Early College administrators must complete and extensive application, laced with imperative school data, by Feb. 22. Winners will be announced in the fall and honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Since 1982, more than 7,110 schools in the country have been received Blue Ribbon awards.

“It’s an honor to be nominated,” Greene said, “and it’s going to be an even bigger honor if we can walk away with it.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

Some people shoot guns during New Year’s Eve celebrations. One man started a day early.

Kinston Department of Public Safety officers responded to 1007 Jefferson Drive at 2:06 a.m. on Dec. 30 to reports of shots fired. It was determined the suspect — Lemuel Gray Wiley, 27 — fired his Glock 17, 9-mm pistol while at his residence at the location.

Authorities also determined he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

KDPS seized the weapon, valued at $600. In some small amount of irony, Glock calls its model 17 the most widely used law enforcement weapon worldwide.

During the course of their investigation, officers also found and seized a stolen street sign, valued at $50. Wiley’s charged with discharging a weapon in city limits and receiving stolen goods.

He was not, however, taken to jail.

“He was issued a citation to appear in district court and released, so he was never taken into custody, per se,” KDPS spokesman Woody Spencer said.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolfeReports.

Everybody have a nice Christmas? I sure did.

How many of you had your Christmas decorations put away before Santa made it back up the chimney? How many of you didn’t realize until October your decorations from last year were still up and just rode it out the save the effort? How often do you see a paragraph made up entirely of questions?

We still get a real tree because there is nothing like the aroma of a Douglas fir in full stank. If I live long enough, I’m sure our decorations will devolve into a stolen poinsettia with a candy cane stuck in the middle for good measure, but for now I want whatever we stick our ornaments and lights on to have been killed with a chainsaw.

While we all know Santa brings most of the toys at Christmas, he sometimes leaves the assembly of said toys to the parents. Anything beyond building a s’more is usually beyond my mechanical prowess, but a recent successful attempt at assembling a child’s tent/tunnel set had artificially inflated my confidence.

Tax Deduction No. 2 always wants to help out when anyone is vacuuming in our house, which is cute until she tries to vacuum the toilet. With this in mind, Santa brought her a toy version of a Dyson Ball vacuum. According to the instructions left by Santa, the Dyson assembly consisted of only two steps. Step 1: Attach handle to base of unit; Step 2: Insert four C batteries.

Upon reading the instructions, visions of sugar plums and getting to bed before midnight danced in my head.

Attaching the handle was a snap. Surely, inserting four C batteries wouldn’t be a problem.

Before I could insert the batteries, I’d have to remove a plastic cover that was held in place by 37 amoeba-sized screws. After the screws were removed, I started placing the batteries in the provided slot. The first three batteries were no problem; it was that fourth one that repeatedly caused the first three to spring from the slot in a rather violent manner.

At one point I asked The Wife — who was working on her own toy assemblage project — to hold down the three batteries while I tried to convince the fourth battery to join its brethren. With all four batteries finally in place I slid the aforementioned cover over the batteries and proceeded to re-install the 37 microscopic battery cover screws.

While in the process of tightening the 37th screw, I heard the batteries shift from within the demon instrument of suction. I wasn’t sure how batteries packed in tighter than a Kardashian’s butt girdle could have possibly broken loose, but they did.

An hour and 40 minutes later, the batteries were finally in their final resting place. I hit the big red button expecting to hear a whir, but all I could hear was a deafening quiet and the intense throb of blood that was pulsating through my ears.

I started retracing my steps over the previous year, wondering what I’d done to cause that obese burglar in the red suit to do this to me. I’d given what I could to charity and helped a few elderly people with their groceries. Sure, I may have snapped on a few people who felt the urge to unload their grievances with the paper on me while I was out in public with my children, but stitches rarely leave a mark these days.

Maybe he was paying me back for the time the cashier was too busy blathering on his phone to realize he’d undercharged me by $12. Nah, I’d imagine Santa would be down with that.

As it happens, a family member had also awakened to find a Dyson toy vacuum left at her house by Santa. We got on the phone and explained the Ken Burns-style drama that we’d just gone through. Apparently, their Dyson toy vacuum was assembled in about one minute and fired up without incident.

I was so, so happy for them.

Admitting defeat, we finally got to bed around 2 a.m. True to form, Tax Deduction No. 2 called out for some hooch around 5 a.m. We wanted to let Tax Deduction No. 1 sleep till at least 7 a.m., so in a flurry of inspiration and ninja-like choreography, I set up my laptop computer on the floor of our bedroom so Tax Deduction No. 2 could watch Cinderella, thus buying us another 90 minutes of "sleep.”

Before the movie was over, Tax Deduction No. 1 ambled into our room. Instead of trying to yank us into the living room, she crawled in bed and started watching the movie. For about 15 minutes, we were having a very Huxtable-like Christmas.

Tax Deduction No. 2 is prone to get excited and react physically to the movie when things get tense, but I didn’t mind taking a Onesie-covered foot to the nose. Compared to the horror I experienced with the toy vacuum, it was almost pleasant.

Around 7:10 a.m., we marched down the hall to see what Santa had left. Tax Deduction No. 2 ran past several items and straight to the dreaded toy vacuum. Our intention was to let her push it around a bit that morning and search for a replacement the next day, but there would be no need.

Without any instruction from us, Tax Deduction No. 2 found the on/off button, pressed it and brought the vacuum to life. In a somewhat mocking manner, the motor in the toy vacuum revved as if it were being simultaneously powered by Shearon Harris and the Hoover Dam. That thing inhaled half of a foot stool before we could shut it off.

Be it a Christmas miracle or spiteful St. Nicholas, we all lived happily ever after. Lord help us all if I ever run into that British nob in the Dyson commercials.

Jon Dawson’s columns appear every Tuesday and Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase Jon’s book "Making Gravy in Public" at The Free Press office and at jondawson.com.

Marcus Pittman’s birthday may have turned out better than expected.

The Kinston High School sophomore anticipated making up work at school the first day back from winter break Wednesday, but a surprise power outage on campus led to an early dismissal from classes.

All students were released at 10 a.m.; staff and teachers remained at school for a meeting but were released later in the day. Some teachers were able to work at other locations if there was availability.

School is set to resume this morning. 

“I’m kind of confused about it mainly,” Pittman said. “We just got back; shouldn’t all the problems be solved already?”

Whatever the difficulty, it was waiting for staff when they arrived on campus at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. One of Kinston High’s main classroom buildings — the V Building — was completely dark.

City of Kinston and Lenoir County Schools maintenance teams went on campus to repair an issue with an on-site power transformer. When workers attempted to restore power, the transformer blew.

Repairers from the city had to shut off all the school’s power around 11 a.m., taking up to six hours to bring it back.

Principal Angela Bryant said one of the buildings that lost power when the transformer went out was the cafeteria, which raised safety concerns for her students.

“I just felt it was in the best interest of the school — after talking with (LCS superintendent) Dr. (Steve) Mazingo to go ahead and dismiss school,” she said. “It was really a safety issue, as well.”

The V Building holds 15 classrooms, and she had to shift students into other buildings.

Bryant sent a message to parents and students through the school’s database around 10 a.m., which triggered non-stop phone calls to the front office.

“We’re going to work through it the best we can,” Bryant said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s the first day back, but it would have been unfortunate if it were the fifth day back.”

Some students realized they had class work to do after the holiday break.

“I’m glad we’re getting out, but then again, I need to catch up on work,” said freshman Janiya Miller.

As she waited with a friend in front of Kinston High for her ride, she added she’d likely use the early out day to sleep, but “it’s stuff that we could be doing here.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

The New Year opened up to the final day of Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, community and tradition for Africans around the world, according to OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org.

The third year of the seven-day event held at True Worship Outreach Center came to a close Tuesday. When Johnny Noel moved to Kinston, he founded the place of worship.

“I came from New Jersey four years ago,” he said, “and when I saw this building, I saw a vision for the community to restore South Queen Street.”

Marquetta Brown of Kinston said she’s attended the Kwanzaa events every year at the Outreach Center.

“It’s a tradition that shouldn’t die,” she said, “and, again, we should remember the seven principles of Kwanzaa so we can practice them the whole year.”

Those seven principles are unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba) and faith (imani).

Tuesday was a day to reflect on faith. Candles were lit for each of the seven principles, as they had been the six days prior.

Brenda Stewart said before moving to Kinston she lived in San Francisco, where Kwanzaa was embraced by the community. She performed an African dance Tuesday — a “salute to the drums” that she has been doing the last five years.

“Faith has been that strong, strong quality, along with our religious beliefs, that has kept us keeping on,” she said.

Drummer Edward Cobb of Kinston said the event is about love, appreciation and getting together with family and friends.

Pastor Anthony McGleen said knowledge is instrumental in understanding the differences in the cultures around the world.

“We do this in celebration for cultural, as well as spiritual, reasons for the community,” he said.

Noel said people often forget that they need one another. Kwanzaa provides a reminder.

Reginald Barrett of Winterville said there needs to be a progression towards the future, while preserving the rich heritage of the past.

“I think it’s a sense of cultural identity,” he said, “a sense of awareness to maintain a history to preserve who we are as a people.”

Gina Sabir of Kinston said Kwanzaa is a reflection of African history, which “embellishes our culture,” and on the direction people are headed.

“We stand on the great shoulders,” she said. “We give tribute to them.”

Nashid Sabir said the holiday is also about believing in oneself, working together and supporting one another in order to grow.

The last day of Kwanzaa is a day to reflect on oneself and commit to being the best one can be. Everything used in the celebration must be the best, the freshest and the most beautiful.

“It’s a celebration of our unity,” Nashid Sabir said, “like first fruits.”

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

Four shots from an off-duty Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s gun caused extensive injuries leading to the death of William C. “Billy” Gibbs III.

The official autopsy report released by the N.C. Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Chapel Hill details how Gibbs, 26, suffered four gunshot wounds to the left side of his body outside of the Waffle House on East New Bern Road on Nov. 25.

Two bullets entered Gibbs’ chest, one 3 inches lower than the other. Another bullet struck Gibbs’ abdomen and the fourth hit his left upper thigh.

An LCSO statement released subsequent to the incident said deputies Joseph Heck and William Shambeau were working security while off-duty at the restaurant, when around 3 a.m., they conducted a security check of the parking lot.

The statement says Gibbs fired a gun at another person, and when he didn’t obey commands to put down his weapon, Heck shot him. Gibbs died shortly thereafter at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.

The deputies initially went on paid administrative leave as the State Bureau of Investigation began looking into the case. They’ve since gone back to work.

“They are not on leave, they are just on administrative duty now,” LCSO Chief Deputy Chris Hill said.

The autopsy was conducted at the ECU Brody School of Medicine on Nov. 26 and signed off by Dr. Jonathan Privette on Dec. 10. Though the wounds are listed in order from bottom to top, it’s unknown in which order they were created.

The bullet entering the highest on Gibbs’ body fractured a posterior rib, then continued from left to right as it lacerated his diaphragm, spleen and left kidney before fracturing another rib and one of his vertebrae, where it stopped. The wound resulted in dangerous internal bleeding between Gibbs’ lungs and chest cavity, as well as between the abdominal lining and abdominal organs.

The second chest gunshot wound, slightly lower than the first, showed the bullet passed between two ribs before it lacerated Gibbs’ left kidney, perforated his colon and fractured a vertebra. It also caused significant internal bleeding.

A third bullet caused three minor wounds before entering Gibbs’ left abdomen, fracturing his pelvis, perforating his colon, bladder and the right illiac artery, lodging in his right thigh.

The fourth bullet caused the least amount of serious, immediate damage. It went through his upper left thigh, through his scrotum and exited through his right thigh. The report lists only injury to skin and soft tissue.

According to the report, Gibbs had a black lighter, a North Carolina driver’s license and $45 in cash when his body arrived for examination. It also shows he had a 0.10 blood alcohol level. A Facebook post by one of Gibbs’ friends from that evening said he’d been at Club Climax before going to the Waffle House.

SBI Agent Jennifer Matherly took into evidence a blood card, hair samples, Gibbs’ clothing, shoes, cash, the lighter and the four bullets. It’s unknown the specific state of the investigation at this time.

“I just checked and that investigation is still ongoing,” said Jennifer Canada, N.C. Department of Justice assistant public information officer, Wednesday. No other information on the case was available.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolfeReports.

SNOW HILL — Greene County’s two-year process of revaluating properties is coming to a close, and while residents whose property values — and amount they pay in property taxes — have gone up aren’t happy about paying more, they know there is no way around it.

Carl and Emma Moye, who live outside Stantonsburg, engaged in a lengthy discussion Wednesday with Tax Department staffers regarding a permit to move a trailer, which they also paid $82 in taxes on for 2012.

“I thought it was a little high for that model of trailer,” Carl Moye said of the single-wide.

He and his wife have not yet received their notice of what their property values will be for 2013, but regardless of whether the values go up or down, they will pay the taxes.

“Whatever they say the tax is, that's what I send them a check for,” Emma Moye said.

The revaluation, which was carried out by the Kinston firm Raspberry Shackleford & Associates under contract with Greene County, began in early 2011 and took effect Jan. 1.

County tax officials are currently collecting 2012 property tax payments — Monday is the last day to pay before they are considered delinquent — and hearing informal appeals from taxpayers who have received their revaluation notices.

Tax Administrator Becky Sutton said taxpayers can bring their appeals before the county’s Board of Equalization and Review during the spring.

“If they’re not satisfied with the findings after the Board of Equalization and Review, they can appeal to the (N.C.) Property Tax Commission,” she said.

Sutton said counties are required by law to revaluate properties every eight years — the last Greene County revaluation occurred in 2005.

“We're charged to bring our values to market value, and any contributing factor that enhances or takes away from value is taken into consideration,” she explained.

Greene County’s current property tax rate is 75.6 cents for every $100 of assessed value. While the county commissioners could not be reached for comment Wednesday on whether the rate would be increased or decreased this year, Interim County Manager Richard Hicks said elected officials must publish a “revenue-neutral” rate each year.

“They have to show the citizens — for us to bring in the same amount as last year, plus growth, a revenue-neutral rate is required to be published,” he said.

Ulysses Rouse of Snow Hill was at the tax office Wednesday paying taxes on his home and vehicle. He said his home value went up by about $60.

“I knew the taxes were going up,” he said. “I just knew that. … I feel that it was fair.”

Selwyn Thigpen of southern Greene County said his property values have gone up several times since he moved to the county in 2000.

He suggested elected officials make the revaluation process more “user-friendly.”

“Maybe the politicians should help people understand it a lot more — where the money's going, what it's for,” he said.

He estimated his tax bill has increased by about $2.

“Greene County is one of the cheapest counties,” he said.

David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or David.Anderson@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at DavidFreePress.

Caroline Jones scored 15 points and South Lenoir held host Richlands scoreless in the first quarter en route to a 41-28 win over the Wildcats on Wednesday.

Demeyia Adams added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, Heather West had eight points, five rebounds and three steals and Jones added three steals and three blocks to pull the Blue Devils (7-3, 1-1 East Central 2A) in league play.

BOYS BASKETBALL

SOUTH LENOIR 45, RICHLANDS 37: At Richlands, the Blue Devils held on late for the win.

Ishmael Baldwin scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to keep South Lenoir (6-4, 2-0) atop the EC2A standings.

Jaquan Wooten and Jonte Midgette added six points each for the Blue Devils, who travel to Topsail on Friday. Richlands (5-6, 0-2) hosts East Duplin on Friday. 

LA GRANGE — Reeling from four straight losses North Lenoir’s boys basketball team wanted to start the new year off right.

The Hawks did so with a bang.

Jauquaz Jones scored 22 points and North Lenoir cruised to a 68-37 win over winless South Johnston on Wednesday.

Braxton Davis opened the game with a 3-pointer, the Hawks (7-7, 2-0 Eastern Carolina 3A) scored the first 13 points, opened a 21-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

“It being the new year we just wanted to come back and rededicate ourselves to some things,” North Lenoir coach Anthony Loftin said.

“We’re still in first place, and our ultimate goal is to win the conference..”

Coming into Wednesday’s league matchup the Hawks hadn’t won since defeating South Lenoir 77-66 on Dec. 14 — the last of a five-game win streak. Since, they’ve fallen to Farmville Central after the Jaguars rallied late, were defeated soundly by Kinston then dropped two in a Christmas tournament at Wallace-Rose Hill.

With nothing but league games ahead of it on the schedule, North Lenoir knew it had to start 2013 off right and it did.

In addition to Jones’ 22 points, four others had seven or more — Devontae Sutton (seven), Davis (eight), Tyree Hough (eight) and Zongio Troy (nine).

The Trojans (0-9, 0-2) were held to 19 total points after three quarters, but nearly matched their total for the game with 18 in the fourth.

They were led by Justin Jeffress’ 10 points.

“I thought our defense was active tonight. We got into the passing lanes, got some deflections, and I thought we shot the ball real good,” Loftin said.

SOUTH JOHNSTON 46, NORTH LENOIR 25

While the South Johnston boys had trouble its girls did not.

The Trojans got 10 points from Emma Blackman and nine from Alexis Massengill to even their EC3A record at 1-1.

South Johnston held a 10-2 lead after the first quarter and led 18-5 at halftime. Ta’Breia Foster scored eight points for the Hawks (2-12, 0-2) and Amanda Bizzell added six.

North Lenoir is off until it hosts Southern Wayne on Jan. 11.

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.

BOYS

South Johnston 6              8              5              18—37

North Lenoir      21           15           11           21—68

TROJANS (0-9, 0-2) — Justin Jeffress 10, Collins 6, Ga. Smith 6, Holmes 4, Tart 3, Johnson 2, Ennis 2, Massengill 2, Thornton 2, Clifton 1, Ge. Smith.

HAWKS (7-7, 2-0) — Jauquaz Jones 22, Troy 9, Hough 8, Davis 8, Sutton 7, Rouse 3, Robinson 2, King 2, Carlton 2, Pridgen 1, Stocks.

GIRLS

South Johnston 10           8              18           10—46

North Lenoir      2              3              11           9—25

TROJANS (NA, 1-1) — Emma Blackman 10, Massengill 9, Webster 6, McLamb 5, Johnston 4, Collins 4, Dunn 3, Capps 2, Allen 2, Bizzell 1, Millay.

HAWKS (2-12, 0-2) — Foster 8, Bizzell 6, Cratch 3, Lee 3, Murray 2, Howard 2, Varnell 1, Porter.