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Three crowned as Ayden Collard Pageant returns
Pageantry made a triumphant return to the town of Ayden after a five-year hiatus when the 2024 Ayden Collard Pageant re-emerged to crown three new title holders for the upcoming 50th annual Collard Festival. On Aug. 10, more than 200 people attended the pageant in the Doug Mitchell Auditorium at the Ayden Arts and Recreation Center. Pageant director Megan Keifer said the event was a collaborative labor of love. “We...
Horizons of Pitt County boosts students' summer learning
WINTERVILLE — Horizons of Pitt County teamed up with Pitt Community College this summer to offer learning opportunities to local youths. This tuition-free summer program hosted close to 40 K-8 students who engaged in learning inside and outside the classroom. In addition to taking classes in reading and math, the students also applied their knowledge to practical applications, such as making 3D name tags, volunteering at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, visiting the mayor’s office and other municipal offices, swimming and...
Input sought for Neuse River hazard mitigation plan
Pitt, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and Wayne counties and their incorporated communities are updating the Neuse River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Local governments are required to prepare and update hazard mitigation plans to be eligible for FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grants. Public input is critical to the planning process. County residents are being asked take a few minutes to complete a brief public survey to provide input on hazard risks and mitigation options. Visit the survey at https://tinyurl.com/dabe62rb. For more information about the plan update, visit the project website at www.NeuseRiverHMP.com. On this site you will find information about upcoming and past Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee meetings and public meetings, a link for the public survey, draft documents, and other mitigation planning resources.
Tim Myatt is still crazy about the five-string
It felt like a pilgrimage to a covert, Prohibition-era speakeasy. Should we dim our lights as we approached down dark, winding country roads, searching for the elusive banjo player at the provided address? Upon pulling up behind other vehicles, the high lonesome sound of a string band provided the necessary breadcrumb trail to a large workshop behind the main house in the country outside Winterville. We approached tentatively, peering surreptitiously in the window. But we’d been invited — this wasn’t the trespassing it felt like. ...
Mitchell Oakley: Caitlyn Clark has answered the critics and she’ll get better
I’ve never been a real fan of women’s basketball, either on the high school or college level. I believe I got off on the wrong foot with the women’s sport because of the way the game was once played. If you’re as old as I, you will remember when high school women played with six players in a half-court game. It was basically a three-on-three game. The guards played defense and could not go full court while the shooters (the only players who could score)...
Aug. 10 Birthdays & Anniversaries
BirthdaysAug. 10: Christine Bell, Danny Croom, Rita S. Ross, Laurie Hedgepeth, Morgan Norville, Donna Rasberry, Tom Tunstall Jr., Jessie Cooper, Gladys Mozingo, Kayla Koda, Connie Moore Corey Aug. 11: Bill Lewis, Ernestine Bass, Alice Harper, William H. Lewis Jr., Lisa Hudson, Barbara Sauls, Willie Mae Barnes Aug. 12: Gloria Cates, Charlene Gill, Pat W. Moore, Margie Joyner, Wendy Summerlin, Denise B. Blunt, Evelyn Aguirre ...
Shots fired in Ayden inspire march for safety
AYDEN — The sound of gunfire in her neighborhood late last month upset an Ayden town commissioner so much that she organized a neighborhood march on Aug. 3 to spotlight safety issues. Commissioner Sarah Connor, who lives in Kennedy Estates on Allen Drive, said she was relaxing at home with her husband on July 28 about 10 p.m. when she heard gunshots. After she thought the barrage was over, another round of shots was fired. ...
New, returning members take seats on PCC Trustees board
WINTERVILLE — Two new members and two returning members of the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees took the oath of office during a special meeting June 19. Returning to the board for four-year terms are Lindsey Griffin and Virginia Hardy. Hardy was re-appointed by the Pitt County Commissioners, while Griffin was nominated by the N.C. House of Representatives. Since Jan. 1, the North Carolina governor’s office and local school...
Matthew Stevens: Watermelon harvest should at hand
Watermelons are a favorite vegetable for many gardeners. They grow on fast-growing vines that cover a large area of the garden. At this time of year, watermelons should be at or close to maturity, depending on planting date and management or environmental factors — such as how much rain you got compared to elsewhere in the area. Watermelon is related to cucumber, pumpkin and squash and therefore shares many of the same pests, though they don’t necessarily affect each plant in the same way. Watermelons...
D.G. Martin: North Carolina peaches are a tasty summer treat
One of the great joys of summertime for many North Carolina families is a drive to the Sandhills to visit one of the roadside peach stands that dot the region. The well-drained Sandhills provide for peach trees what the California Napa Valley does for grape vines. When the peach blossoms survive the late winter frosts and when spring and early summer bring the right amount of rain, it is hard to find anything that tastes better than a Sandhills peach. ...
Harvey Estes: Grass is always greener over the skeptic tank
Of course, the Erma Bombeck book with that title has it as “septic tank.” It’s a great read, and I certainly do not wish to use her name in vain. But when I watch the evening news, septic/skeptic tank comes to mind, because the content is almost identical. Thirty minutes is all I can take. I don’t know how these 24/7 news networks manage to keep going. It reminds me...
Wes Thomas: Disrespect to Christians intolerable
How can the Paris Olympic opening ceremonies mock the last supper of Jesus Christ with drag queens and be seen as alright? Why should children of all ages tuning in to watch athletes represent their countries have to watch men with beards dressed like provocative women dance around sexually? This behavior is ridiculous but prophesied about in the Bible. ...
Celia Stone: Don't fret about actions of unbelievers
One of the most poignant, somber scenes in the Bible takes place earlier on the evening of Christ’s arrest, when Jesus and his disciples gather to celebrate the Passover feast. Christians remember Christ’s words of institution every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper. “When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ They were very sad and began to say to him one after...
J.M. Biggs: Jesus told us to love our brethren
Remember what I mentioned to you before? If Jesus came back today, about 70% of the church would be left behind. The church is in a serious mess. Sometimes I wonder if the church even knows what salvation is. Did Jesus humble himself and come down to Earth to die for us in vain? No! Not only did he die for our sins, but before that happened he taught us how to live a saved and holy life. ...
Looking Back ... The Last 100 Years
Do you recognize the people or know what’s happening in today’s Looking Back? Call 252-747-3883, Ext. 1, and leave a message to let us know who they are and include your name, town and phone number, or email us at standardnews@ncweeklies.com. Brad Woodard called to identify anyone the women in the Aug. 3 Looking Back as Lou Ann Wiley, Cindy Williams Cobb and Sharon Powell, back from left, and Trish Seager and either Margaret or Kirkie McGaughey, front from left. Call 747-3883, Ext. 1, and leave a message if you have more information or email us at standardnews@ncweeklies.com.
Association of Educators' leader advocates for higher pay for school bus drivers
The head of a local educator’s association has asked the Board of Education to find ways to increase pay for school bus drivers. Mario Blanchard, president of the Pitt County Association of Educators, told the board on Monday that educators across the state agree that drivers are underpaid. “We have to do a better job of compensating the forgotten folks that make education work,” he said. “Our bus drivers are...
Winterville hosting bicycle education programs
Free classes to teach bicycle riding and improve bike-riding skills are being offered by the Town of Winterville starting Saturday. The sessions are part of the Safe Routes to School program which is funded through the N.C. Department of Transportation. Children can learn how to balance bikes and other skills during the “Learn to Ride” class scheduled for 8:30-9:45 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Families can register at wintervillenc.com/safe-routes-to-school-grant. ...
A chance to teach my son about Jesse Owens
While I couldn’t interest my son Miles in watching the Olympics with me, I did use the games as an opportunity to educate him a bit about history and heritage. We watched a movie and took some time after to research Jesse Owens. I wanted Miles to learn about the incredible athlete Owens was. How the Ohio State track star set five world records and tied a sixth during a college track meet in Ann Arbor that witnesses dubbed the “greatest 45 minutes in sports.” ...
Late motion for sheriff's raise fails in Pitt County
A last-minute motion to increase the salary of Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance died for a lack of a second during a brief meeting of the county’s Board of Commissioners on Monday night. During a period for commissioner comments at the end of the meeting, Commissioner Mary Perkins-Williams made a motion to grant Dance a 2 percent raise in recognition of her service, specifically citing GED programming, which Perkins-Williams said helps rehabilitate people who are incarcerated. ...
Pitt County legal community celebrates new courtrooms
Local leaders converged at the Pitt County Courthouse on Tuesday to unveil two new courtrooms that a judge said will reduce travel time for staff and provide better security for magistrates. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in a new district courtroom on the courthouse’s first floor. Judges, attorneys, courthouse staff and elected officials were on hand to celebrate the occasion. A new small claims and magistrate courtroom was also unveiled...
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