Abby Cavenaugh

WARSAW — Agricultural roots run deep for Justin Snider, James Sprunt Community College livestock and poultry instructor.

“I grew up on a ranch in western Oklahoma — in a big rodeo family. I rodeoed professionally until I was in my 30s,” said Snider. “I grew up with horses and cattle and all that — It’s all I knew.”

Snider, who moved to North Carolina 12 years ago, has an animal science degree and a business degree from Oklahoma State University. Prior to accepting his role at JSCC in July 2023, he was as a high school ag teacher and worked for a national FFA partner.

The Texas, Oklahoma import told Duplin Journal animal science is where his passion lies. 

“I’ve taught in three different states. What makes North Carolina unique is that they provide a pathway through the community college systems to your high school juniors and seniors that qualify because of good grades and background,” said Snider, explaining that the state will pay for the students’ coursework through what is called the Career and College Promise Program. Through the CPP program students can graduate high school with a community college degree completely free.

“So, that is a huge advantage that other states don’t have. We see a lot of kids that take advantage of that opportunity,” said Snider. “I tell kids all the time, you know, agriculture is the only industry that 100% of the globe needs… everybody has to eat …have clothing, and shelter in order to survive. Agriculture is the only industry that satisfies those needs. So, as a first world country, as long as we can feed our people, we will remain a global power. The day that we cannot feed our people anymore and we’re dependent on other countries, that’s a threat to our nation and the way that we know it.”

Snider spoke about the importance of steering more people back to the agriculture industry.

“The biggest challenge we’re seeing right now is that we’ve steered everybody toward technology and all these other pieces. We still got to eat, we still have to have food, clothing,  and shelter. And we don’t have the workforce,” said Snider. “I have industry partners contact me quite regularly with all kinds of openings. There are more jobs than we have applicants right now. So, if people want a job, there are opportunities in agriculture. There’s definitely a labor shortage in our industry.”

Snider told Duplin Journal of the large demand to fill jobs in the agriculture industry.

“We don’t have near the enrollment we need to satisfy the labor shortage that we’re seeing in the area. Duplin County is the number one agricultural county in the state. The jobs are here. But, you know, there is a lack of interest with the current generation coming into agriculture as an industry and I don’t know where that stems from. I think we’re enough generations removed from the farm that people forget where their food comes from,” he said, explaining that agriculture requires more hard work than other industries and that’s not always a draw.

Snider told Duplin Journal that since COVID there has been an increased desire for locally sourced foods.

“I think COVID scared everybody enough. It was the first time in anybody’s lifetime they walked in a grocery store and the shelves were empty. And it woke people up to the idea that if we don’t protect our supply chain, we could have a problem,” said Snider. “They’re seeing an increase in interest of locally sourced meats, produce, meat handlers licenses, all kinds of things were people may want to own a cow or two and then harvest their own meat and not have to worry about getting it from the grocery store –that’s coming from the state department, that we’re seeing an increase of interest. …I do think COVID opened a lot of people’s eyes that maybe I need to know how to provide a little bit more for myself and not be so dependent upon the supply chain that we’ve become so accustomed to.”

Snider shared that most of their students are enrolled in the agribusiness pathway.

“It’s our largest one because it’s the most diversified. You can go do anything within agribusiness, but I would probably say it’s two-thirds are in agribusiness, a third is in animal science, and then we have a few sprinkled in the other programs. Those two carry the weight,” said Snider.

According to Snider, starting this school year,  JSCC will be able to also service Pender County high school students that want to take advantage of the CCP program.

“We have four pathways that we offer through our associates program, which is animal science, agribusiness technology, ag education, and swine management, which is a program that we’re actually closing out, but we still offer it at this point. So, we will be down to three,” said Snider, explaining that they don’t have much participation, and industry partners have shared that an animal science degree would suffice.

“We already offer that, with the exception of about three additional courses in swine production,”  he said, adding that it is more cost effective and for efficiency purposes.

Several Duplin County emergency crews responded to a corn silo explosion at the Nash Johnson & Sons Farms Rose Hill Feed Mill, located at 3362 S. US 117 Highway on Monday morning. 

Duplin Emergency Communications Center received the call about an explosion at approximately 11:15 a.m. According to Duplin County Fire and Emergency Management officials, no one was injured during the incident.

According to Dave Witter, House of Raeford Farms Manager, there was no pre-warning of the explosion, so employees were evacuated immediately after it happened. 

“Currently making sure the original hazard is under control and emergency conditions no longer exist,” Witter told Duplin Journal.

Immediately after the incident, the public was asked to avoid the area as responders were on scene conducting cleanup operations. 

Matthew Barwick, Department of Emergency Management director & Fire Marshal told Duplin Journal the incident is still under investigation and the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.

According to Witter, it is too early to determine the latitude of the damage.

“Investigation of the cause and extent of the damage may take several more days or weeks,” said Witter. 

During the month of July, seven of the planned 12 all-way stops throughout Duplin County were installed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT).

The most recent all-way stops are at the intersections of NC Highway 11 and Bay Road, NC Highway 11 at Register’s Crossroads (Register Road and Stocking Head Road), and Charity Road and Bay Road. Earlier in July, all-way stops were put into place at the following intersections: Tram Road at Bethel Church Road, Tram Road at Bennetts Bridge Road/Scotts Store Road, Tram Road at Red Hill Road, and Bowdens Road at Revelle Road.

Those still to be determined include: NC Highway 41/NC Highway 111 at Jackson Store Road, NC Highway 50/NC Highway 403 at Warren Road, Warren Road at Solomon Street, Liddell Road at Drummersville Road, and NC Highway 403 at Beautancus Road.

Many motorists are wondering why the stops are needed. To answer that, NC DOT Communications Officer Lauren Haviland told Duplin Journal, “After studies were conducted at these intersections, NC DOT determined an all-way stop would be a cost-effective way to improve safety.”

According to NC DOT’s website, converting intersections into all-way stops has been shown to reduce fatalities and injuries by 77%. “The N.C. Department of Transportation recommends an all-way stop only after a thorough evaluation of the intersection,” the website goes on to say. “That evaluation includes an analysis of the traffic volumes, crash history, sight distance and a field investigation.”

There are no public hearings or approvals sought from county commissioners or other local government entities before these projects are scheduled and completed. The DOT does send out press releases with dates when the all-way stops will be added, but that, along with signs at the affected intersections, is really the only public communication that DOT carries out.

Though county commissioners have no part in bringing the all-way stops to the county, the commissioners discussed the stops at their February meeting, in hopes of informing the public of what was to come.

Commission Chair Dexter Edwards stated at that meeting that he wasn’t sure the all-way stops were necessary. “There may be information that the state has from accidents and such that I’m not aware of,” said Edwards. “I’m old school, but when I’ve rode down a road as many years as I have, all of a sudden I come under a four-way stop on it, I’m aggravated and, like I said, if it is preventing accidents, I’m not trying to argue with the data, but I don’t see the value myself today.”

At that same meeting, Commissioner Wayne Branch stated that he had received many calls when an all-way stop was installed last year at the intersection of Bay Road and US Highway 117. “So, I went out there and actually sat there a little bit and watched a lot of tires sliding as a result of not being aware,” he said. “So, I contacted the DOT just to try to get an understanding as to why you would put a stop sign on a 55-mile-an-hour zone.”

In an interview with Duplin Journal, Branch said he learned from that experience that sometimes, all-way stops are necessary, even though it may be an inconvenience or a shock to motorists who are used to sailing straight through at 55 mph.

“I, from my perspective, especially with the one at Bay Road and 117, I felt that there was a strong effort by the DOT to make that road safer,” he said. “I reached out to DOT and they told me that a lot of research had gone into that decision and that there had been a lot of wrecks at that intersection.”

He said it was somewhat frustrating that the county commissioners are not part of the decision-making process, but it is their duty to try to make the public aware that the new stop signs are coming. “Especially in rural North Carolina,” he said, “making sure everyone knows it is coming is important. And I feel this time, we have been made more aware of what’s coming.”

As for the necessity of so many all-way stops coming to county roads, Branch said, “I wouldn’t say I agree, but then DOT are the subject matter experts. There have been a lot of questions as to why they’re needed, but again, they are the experts on this and have done the research.”

WARSAW — The Town of Warsaw held their monthly meeting on July 8. After the approval of the consent agenda, Mayor A.J. Connors swore in Commissioner Al Searles. He will fill the vacant seat left by the late Commissioner Russell Eason until the 2025 municipal election. 

Warsaw residents, Christine Dewitt and Marzella Morrisey, signed up for public comment. 

Dewitt addressed the board about code enforcement. She said it was good the town is looking to hire a code enforcement officer and asked the board that the businesses in town be held to the same standards as residents are when it comes to code enforcement. 

Morrisey expressed her disapproval for how the town’s budget was handled, stating that she felt the citizen’s opinions were not considered. 

“You did not allow any citizens’ input… It was as though we didn’t exist,” said Morrisey. “We are citizens of Warsaw, Duplin County, North Carolina, but we were not allowed to ask for a dollar to improve anything. You made it so we couldn’t speak during the budget, that we could only speak at the end once you had made a decision.” 

Morrisey also reiterated her request to establish committees so the people of Warsaw can get actively involved in helping the board improve the town. Morrisey has been persistent in her desire for the board to establish committees — a subject that has been brought up at about every town hall meeting for several months. Morrisey shared she is aware that commissioners have other responsibilities in addition to serving the town and feels having citizens who can volunteer in committees would be beneficial for everyone. 

“When you have good committees working with you, you can get more things resolved. And we have a lot of citizens here in Warsaw that have been here all their lives or have moved away and come back, and they see that the town is still the same and there could be some changes,” said Morrisey. 

After public comment closed, Town Manager Lea Turner, presented a request from Bryan Kennedy to approve a resolution for street dedication. This would extend Victoria Street and add Addilyn Circle as new streets to the Town of Warsaw. 

“These streets would be added to the Powell Bill so that we could receive state funding for those streets,” explained Turner. 

According to meeting documents, Kennedy purchased the land on Victoria Street and added Addilyn Circle to build more homes. “He has previously asked for the town’s assistance in paving his newly added street. He was told that he would have to complete the construction and dedicate the street to the town. He has now completed the subdivision and is requesting a street dedication.” 

Commissioner Ebony Willis-Wells excused herself from the conversation per Mayor Connors request due to a conflict of interest. 

The board discussed whether the improvements were to the Powell Bill standards. 

“It’s all rock road at this point and it’ll be included on the Powell Bill as rock, and any improvements made after that point would be up to the board to vote to pave,” explained Turner. “Some of you may remember when Scotty (Summerlin) was town manager, the Kennedys did ask that we pave the street for them, and they were told that construction had to be completed before paving could be done. But the town did agree that if they dedicated it, at some point it would be paved. And at this time, construction is complete, and they are requesting the dedication.” 

The town manager shared they are working on maintaining streets now that they are fully staffed and have a paving project open on Victoria Street for which they are waiting on quotes. 

“Victoria Street is for the simple fact that it was torn up so bad, especially around the manhole where they replaced the sewer,” said Turner. “We have tried to do the crushed asphalt, but it is not working around those manholes. It is going to have to be rebuilt and paved.” 

Commissioner Willis-Wells returned to her seat and addressed the public in attendance, stating that she wanted to be fully transparent with the public. 

“According to GIS statutes, the town is responsible for roads that are within the town’s city limits. …Victoria Street is within the town’s city limits,” said Willis-Wells. “I just want to have adequate access to my property… I just want equality for myself as a citizen, just as I fight for each and every citizen that elected me as their commissioner to serve them. So, I just want to make that clear to everybody… When I ran for this position, I ran for total transparency. So, if any citizens want to see any of the statutes of limitations or anything regarding this matter, I will be more than happy to go over that with anybody.” 

The board approved the resolution to accept Victoria Street and Addilyn Circle as new streets to the town. 

In other business: 

Turner reminded the board to review ordinances, so they can be sent to American Legal Publishing for legal review.  

“I do need you to be reviewing those diligently and preparing comments. We have to send a response back to them by Sept. 1… At this time, I am not requesting a special meeting, but I do think that we will need at least one special meeting to discuss just the ordinance portion. What I am seeing so far is a legal review. This is not adding to any of the ordinances. This is not changing the ordinances. It’s just making sure that they are legal and valid as they are presented. Also prior to full adoption I do think there needs to be a public hearing on these ordinances as well,” said Turner. “If you see changes that need to be made during this process this is the time that you would bring those changes up and this board would have to vote on any changes to the ordinances.” 

Turner updated the public about the sewer issues on Cross Street 

“I do want to advise the public that we realize we have an issue on Cross Street. We are going to do our best to keep it where it is safe for travel. Please bear with us,” said Turner. “We do have an RFP out for an emergency sewer repair.” 

Turner told the board that she did not have an exact amount for the budget amendment yet, but the RFP is out for bidding. “Bids will be coming in hopefully within the next two weeks so that we can go ahead and get this work done immediately.” 

Mayor Connors provided various updates and shared about a drainage problem on Frisco and Hill Street. 

“One set of contractors have looked at that and there’s some areas in there where it’s starting to cave in and have some problems that they are looking at,” said Connors, adding that they may have to work on it soon. “As you proceed down, it is East Hill Street and make a left on Frisco, it is the very first drainage area there. It has been there probably since the 1950s or early 1960s and it is deteriorating greatly.” 

The next town hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.

KENANSVILLE — In a relatively brief meeting on July 15, the Duplin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a franchise agreement with StellarMed of Jacksonville to provide non-emergency ambulance service within the county.

Brandon McMahon, the county’s emergency services director, made the request, stating that there are currently two ambulance services in the county, CAST and Elite Medical. “However, they cannot keep up due to staffing issues,” he said. “This causes the hospital a problem to get patients out.”

StellarMed will only perform non-emergency transports, such as hospital discharges and dialysis appointments in which a stretcher is needed, McMahon said.

The commissioners approved the agreement, 4-0, with Commission Chair Dexter Edwards absent from the meeting.

Also at the July 15 meeting, the commissioners honored Kay Nichols, who worked in the tax office for nearly 30 years.

“Kay started to work in the tax office about November 29, 1994, about the same time I did,” said Tax Administrator Gary Rose, who presented a retirement plaque to Nichols. “She has been there a long time, and we miss her. She mostly worked with real estate transfers and did it her way, which was the right way. She wasn’t afraid if a deed had an error in it to call up the attorney and tell him he made a mistake.”

Commissioner Jesse Dowe stated that he admired Nichols’ work ethic. “It’s such a milestone for someone to bank 30 years with the county, and we thank you for your service,” he said.

Rose added that Nichols had agreed to help the tax office with the upcoming revaluation.

In other business at the July 15 meeting, the commissioners:

• Approved the renaming of a road in the 900 block of Old Wilmington Road to Ronald Ann Lane.
• Approved a LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant from the State Library of North Carolina in the amount of $19,402 to create story walks at parks in Kenansville, Warsaw, Rose Hill and Faison. The county’s match was $2,307. “These are aluminum stands with acrylic faces where books are separated into sections so the families and children can walk through the area reading books, all the way around the park area,” explained Duplin County Library Director Laura Jones.
• Appointed Commissioner Wayne Branch as the voting delegate and Commissioner Dowe as the alternate for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners annual conference on Aug. 20.

Assistant County Manager Carrie Shields reported that the animal shelter is open one Saturday a month for adoptions, and that adoptions are free for military (retired or active duty) and first responders with proper identification through July 31.

Shields also reported that an elected officials ethics course will be hosted by the town of Magnolia on July 31, 6-9 p.m. Dinner will be served by the Magnolia Fire Department. The event is only required for newly elected or re-elected officials.

The county commissioners will next meet on Monday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m.