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Mitchell Oakley: Ayden woman taught us all to walk the righteous road
She was about four years younger than I, but her smile brightened up any place she happened to be. Ball games in the Ayden gymnasium, the school auditorium, or in the bleachers on a cold night for football in October would be lit up with the smile that she flashed to all of us who knew or met her. A naïve but magic smile it was, always coming at the appropriate time. I saw it because I watched and reported on many of Ayden High...
Matthew Stevens: Muscadine grapes make wonderful jams, pies, juices and wines
You can’t travel far in Northeastern North Carolina without passing a home with muscadine grapes growing in the backyard. Many of those vines we see have been growing for decades and the care of them has been passed down from one family member to the next. Or, perhaps, gone forgotten. Muscadine grapes are native to North Carolina and the southeastern United States. The first cultivated variety of muscadine was a bronze selection, discovered in Tyrrell County, N.C., in 1760 and named Scuppernong. ...
Celia Stone: Love's redeeming work is done
Redeeming people from every tribe and nation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ always has been God’s plan in light of his covenant faithfulness. The Bible is the epic story of redemption for humankind. Every part of scripture fits together and points us to the love of God as revealed in Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of Israel’s messianic hope. Throughout the ages, God has acted through covenants or two-sided promises with his people. All history is redemptive history. ...
J.M. Biggs: Believers are walking in the supernatural
Can we all agree that we born-again Christians serve a supernatural God? Can we also agree that the word says man was made in God’s image and his likeness? Remember this scripture? “I give thee power to become the sons of God.” That leaves me to ask one more question: Why isn’t any of God’s church walking in the supernatural? Has the church become content walking in the natural? There...
Carolyn R. Newcomb
Ms. Carolyn Rouse Newcomb, age 76, passed away Tuesday evening, February 27th, 2024, at ECU Medical Center in Greenville. Born November 7th, 1947, she was the second child of Jessie J. and Mittie Edwards Rouse. Carolyn was reared on the family farm in the Maury Community of Greene County and, like many of her generation, a strong work ethic was taught tilling the soil; a work ethic that she carried throughout her lifetime. Following graduation from Greene Central High School she continued her post-secondary education at Weslyn College for one year before transferring to East Carolina University where she earned...
High school basketball: Jags outlast Northwood in 4th round; Panthers cruise
FARMVILLE — While Northwood’s Drake Powell didn’t disappoint, Farmville Central’s MJ Williams stole the show. Williams shined even brighter than the Chargers’ North Carolina Tar Heels recruit, finishing with 36 points in a 77-70 victory for the Jaguars in a NCHSAA Class 2A boys’ basketball fourth-round matchup in front of an overflowing crowd at the Jaguar Den. “Division I player,” Farmville Central coach Larry Williford said of his 5-foot-10 junior....
Grifton book club hosts author Lisa Allen
A local author attended the Grifton Community Book Club’s meeting on Feb. 23 giving the members an opportunity to discuss their most recent read with the woman behind the book. The group gathered at Grifton’s First Christian Church at 7:15 p.m. where they welcomed special guest Lisa C. Allen, the author of “The Key in the Willow Tree.” Allen said the book is a sweet Southern saga about how four...
Battleboro woman, 109, to attend State of the Union Address
A 109-year-old Battleboro woman will be attending the upcoming State of the Union Address as the special guest of U.S. Rep. Don Davis, D-1st District. Cassie Smith on Feb. 20 was visited by Davis, who is in his first term, at her residence, where he extended his invitation for her to accompany him on Capitol Hill to the yearly joint session of Congress. President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at 9 p.m. Thursday to give his administration’s view of the condition of the nation...
Time to give the guy his due
LeBron James is corny and incredible. Not in that order. The man from Akron (no, not Steph Curry) is undeniably one of the best basketball players of all time. People thoroughly enjoy the debate about the GOAT (greatest of all time), and I could make a convincing argument for several players. There can be no definitive answer, but if your list of potential candidates doesn’t include LeBron James, you’ve lost all credibility with me. ...
Prep Spotlight: South Central's Troy Loftin
Troy Loftin is a 6-foot-2 senior guard for South Central’s boys’ basketball team who averaged 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals per game heading into the 3A state playoffs. Loftin helped the Falcons win the Big Carolina 3A/4A Conference regular-season title and tournament title. Loftin scored in double figures in 14 of South Central’s regular-season games, highlighted by a 27-point outing against Washington on Dec. 6 and a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds against Jacksonville on Jan. 19. ...
Heated governor's race ahead with Democrat Stein and Republican Robinson
RALEIGH — The Democratic attorney general and the Republican lieutenant governor won North Carolina’s primaries for governor on Tuesday, setting the stage for what will be an expensive and high-stakes November contest in a state that the two parties see as a pivotal battleground. Josh Stein and Mark Robinson, each of whom turned back multiple party rivals, will present stark contrasts for voters in the ninth-largest state’s fall elections. In separate election-night victory speeches, each candidate laid out policy and individual differences and said the...
High school basketball: Top seeds win again, on to fourth round
FARMVILLE — With Farmville Central’s boys’ basketball team, it’s usually a matter of when — not if — the Jaguars hit their opponents with a big scoring run to either get a working lead or turn the game into a rout. Southwest Onslow was tough enough to last until the third quarter, when Farmville Central rang up 18 points in a span of 4:25 to help it sprint past the Stallions 98-68 Tuesday night in a NCHSAA 2A third-round boys’ basketball playoff matchup at the...
Pitt schools' superintendent to retire this summer
Pitt County Schools Superintendent Ethan Lenker will step down this summer. Lenker, 59, who has led the district for more than a decade, on Monday announced his retirement effective July 31. His comments were made at the conclusion of the Board of Education meeting after he expressed appreciation for the school district’s senior leadership team, principals and board members. “I love the job; don’t get me wrong,” he said in...
New planning director introduced, county attorney selected at Pitt commissioners meeting
Pitt County’s new planning and development director was introduced the same night the Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to name a new county attorney. Jonas Hill, a 22-year veteran of Pitt County government is now leading the planning and development department. “I hope he stays as long as James Rhodes did,” Commissioner Ann Floyd Huggins said at Monday’s meeting. Rhodes recently retired after serving more than 35 years with Pitt...
Longtime Greene County educator killed in wreck
A longtime Greene County educator and school system supporter died after a car wreck north of Snow Hill last week. Carolyn Rouse Newcomb, 76, a grandmother of two, died Feb. 27 at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville from injuries suffered the day prior, according to. 1st Sgt. G.S. Hemby of the State Highway Patrol in Wilson. Hemby said the agency responded to a three-vehicle wreck on U.S. 13 near...
Jones family recognized with NC barbecue legends
An Ayden family earned another honor for eastern North Carolina barbecue recently when it was inducted into the inaugural class of the N.C. Bar-B-Q Hall of Fame. Sam Jones BBQ, Skylight Inn BBQ and the Jones family who started the barbecue restaurants were recognized March 1 at the first Hall of Farm event in Burlington with more than 300 people in attendance. Sam Jones accepted the award and was honored with his father, Bruce Jones, and uncle Jeff Jones. ...
Student wins love poem contest at GEC
Greene Early College ninth-grader Betania Figueroa earned top honors in a love poem contest held by students in honor of Valentines Day. Early College students in February were asked to submit poems to celebrate the holiday. The contest was sponsored by the Student Government Association and organized by Kailauni Bowles and J’Nyah Corbett. Teachers at the school judged the work. Figueroa’s poem, “If the moon speak,” earned five first-place votes....
Ayden Rotary Club honors distinguished Paul Harris Fellow recipient
AYDEN — The Ayden Rotary Club announced last week that one of its members has earned recognition as a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. The prestigious distinction celebrates their unwavering commitment to humanitarian causes and their significant contributions to the community and beyond, the club said. The recognition went to Melvin Worthington, a dedicated Rotarian who has exemplified the core values of Rotary: service, integrity and fellowship. His tireless efforts have touched countless lives, leaving an indelible mark on our local communities, the club said. ...
Matthew Stevens: Strawberry bush can be interesting addition to landscape
The many benefits of using native plants in landscapes instead of non-natives are often touted by native plant enthusiasts. Many will tell you that natives are better adapted to our local climate and to our local soils, that they have fewer pest problems and that they are less invasive. I don’t mean to sound skeptical, as I believe these claims are indeed true, provided the native plants are planted in the right locations (more on that in a minute), but one of the often overlooked...
Eleven to participate in Distinguished Young Women scholarship program
Eleven area teens will take part in the Distinguished Young Women of Pitt County scholarship program, to be held March 9 at South Central High School. One will be selected as Distinguished Young Woman of Pitt County and will go on to represent the area at next year’s state-level scholarship program. Participants include: Sophia Akhter,...
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