Department of Emergency Management officials advise residents to be cautious, monitor weather conditions
Last week the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council issued a drought advisory showing Duplin County as one of 69 counties under moderate drought conditions.
According to Matthew Barwick, Department of Emergency Management director, despite the recent rainfall it is important for people to monitor the weather and remain vigilant when conducting outdoor activities.
“Residents should be aware constantly of hazardous conditions that can contribute to fire spread, but especially during times of drought,” said Barwick, adding that while open burning is a particularly useful tool for natural debris clearing and soil conditioning, it can be dangerous and should not be taken lightly.
“Conditions such as low relative humidity, high or gusting winds, and high ambient temperatures alone create a recipe for disaster. When these types of conditions intermingle with drought, we have the potential for seemingly harmless and controlled fires that can quickly become uncontrolled peril, causing damage to property and endangering lives,” Barwick said.
Barwick recommends people to monitor current weather conditions and local laws in place before initiating any burning activities.
“Ground fuels can exist anywhere but more specifically this describes fuels that we cannot see that can contribute to fire spread days later. These fuels can include peet, duff, and tree roots near wooded areas,” said Barwick.
“Though we have received some measurable rainfall, that does not always mean fuels underneath the top layer have received any of this moisture. Even if you have received measurable rainfall in the previous days before you intend to burn, complacency can be dangerous. When managing fire, vigilance is key.”
Barwick shared that heat-related emergencies have increased since the beginning of this year.
“Most of the patients that our EMS system is activated for, are related to this extreme heat,” said Barwick, explaining that most of the calls have been related to overexertion and people being outdoors for extended periods of time without hydrating properly.
“During this part of Summer even with efficient hydration, our extreme heat and humidity is just too much. If you must be outdoors during times of extreme heat, do so in short periods with rest breaks. Outdoor chores are best in the early mornings and late evenings,” said Barwick. “Lastly, hydration is key — if you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.”
More information about local burning laws can be found on the Duplin County Emergency Management website at duplincountync.com/fire-emergencymanagement.
KENANSVILLE — At the July 2 meeting of the Duplin County Board of Education, two policy updates were approved, which update graduation and promotion requirements for high school students and eighth-graders.
Erica Jones, director of CTE/9-13 curriculum, made a presentation to the board, filling them in on all the changes for upcoming school years.
“The first thing we’re going to be looking at are the new promotion requirements that are tied to our career development plan,” she explained. “Senate Bill 193, which passed in March, requires that all middle and high school students have to have a career development plan within 90 days in order to be promoted from eighth grade to ninth grade. And then we have to revise that plan to be promoted from 10th grade to 11th grade.”
She added that this wasn’t a huge change for Duplin County Schools, since most students already have career development plans in the eighth grade. The school system will use a software system that parents will have access to, she added.
House Bill 259, another recently passed piece of legislation, states that local boards cannot require any additional credits beyond those mandated by the state Board of Education for high school graduation. “It also required that we develop a sequence of courses and outline a process that we must make students aware of, where we allow them to graduate in a three-year period of time if they desire to,” Jones said.
“The minimum requirements listed for the state have not changed,” she added, “except for the arts elective for 2025-26 and the computer science credit for the 2026-27 freshman classes. The change really is that in the past, as a board, we were allowed to require six additional electives to include a STEAMA pathway beyond the state minimum of 22. Now we’re not able to require that; we can only recommend it as a district. We can recommend that students complete at least 28 credits to include a STEAMA pathway.”
Moving forward, Duplin County high school students will have three different paths to graduation, Jones explained. “The first is your traditional four-year graduate, which is no different than we’ve always done,” she said. “So they have the opportunity to take 32-plus credits. The second one is a mid-year graduate, which is still no different. We already had mid-year graduates, they take 28 credits and go for three and a half years. The third one, this is the new one required by HB 259, that’s your three-year accelerated graduate. They complete high school in three years and they would have the opportunity to take up to 24 credits. They must apply for this path prior to entering the ninth grade.”
Students must make the decision on which graduation path to pursue prior to entering the ninth grade.
Jones noted that students attending Duplin County Early College are not eligible for the three-year path, due to the nature of the early college.
In addition to House Bill 259, there was also Session Law 23-132, which requires the 2026-27 freshman class to have a passing grade in a high school computer science course. “This course requirement can be met by taking a high school computer science course in middle school,” Jones explained. “Due to the fact that our computer science course offerings in the high schools do not have the capacity to handle every student taking computer science in high school, we’ve come up with a plan for our middle grade CTE business teachers to teach computer science discoveries to our sixth- and seventh-graders. And then to our eighth-graders, they will teach an introduction to computer science course, which will be for a high school credit.”
Students who cannot complete the computer science course in middle school will have other options open to them when they enter high school, Jones said, but the new requirement should cover the majority of students.
The updated policies, Student Promotion and Accountability and Graduation Requirements, were approved as part of the consent agenda, with no discussion from the school board members.
The man was found using marijuana and in possession of a loaded gun
A Mount Olive man who is on probation was arrested on June 20, for illegal possession of a gun and using controlled substances. He was placed in the Duplin County Detention Center under a $42,500 secured bond.
According to the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, while they were assisting probation officers conduct a search at 1289 Bennetts Bridge Road, Cesar Jacob Fernandez-Chigin, was found in possession of a loaded .38 caliber revolver. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; simple possession of a schedule VI-controlled substance, possession of marijuana paraphernalia; and probation violations.
Law enforcement conducting the arrest found the man was carrying a concealed weapon
LAST WEEK Phillip Marshall Thompson, of Goldsboro, was arrested by the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division, at a traffic stop on US Highway 117 near Calypso.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, on June 25, deputies conducting the traffic stop located a 9mm handgun, approximately 17 dosage units of Ecstasy pills, multiple bags containing marijuana, and a large digital scale in the vehicle Thompson was driving.
Thompson was charged with felony possession of a concealed weapon, possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a schedule II controlled substance, possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a schedule VI controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana paraphernalia. Thompson received a $20,000 secured bond and is in the Duplin County Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 12.
Madeline Chandler (right) presents Renee Sutton, James Sprunt Community College chief of staff, with the Honorary State FFA Degree on June 25 at the State FFA Convention in Raleigh. Photo Courtesy James Sprunt Community College
Renee Sutton, James Sprunt Community College chief of staff, was awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree at the State FFA Convention in Raleigh on June 25.
This is the highest honorary degree awarded by the North Carolina FFA Association, bestowed to volunteers for their exceptional contributions to agricultural education and FFA programs in the state.
Sutton was recognized for her dedication to the FFA Association and contributing to the growth of agricultural programs at James Sprunt Community College.
“I was just very honored to be nominated and given that award,” said Sutton, who has been involved in the FFA programs since 1987, when she married her husband. “I think that I got adopted into the FFA when my husband was teaching agriculture… When he retired, two of our children started teaching agriculture in public schools in North Carolina. So it’s been an organization that our whole family has poured into as far as volunteering and trying to help students realize their leadership development opportunities in agriculture.”
Father and son team up to reignite family farm, join HappyDirt
WARSAW — Located in the small town of Warsaw, just a stone’s throw from Interstate 40, is the Moore Family Farm, where owners Robert and Dakota Moore are building their dreams one seed at a time, reviving the family farm that has deep roots in their ancestry.
After graduating from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University last May, Dakota returned home with a degree in agriculture and environmental science and determined to bring back the thriving business his ancestors once enjoyed in the very same land they stand today.
The father-son duo recently joined the HappyDirt family and are excited for what the future holds. HappyDirt, formerly known as Eastern Carolina Organics, is an organic produce distributor, broker and marketer based in North Carolina championing farmer-owners and farmers from NC with 67% of the produce they purchase being from the state.
Dakota learned about them through an assistant professor at NC State University while doing an internship through the Center for Environmental Farming Systems.
“She knew that my father and I were trying to farm. I was roughly a sophomore in college trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go into, and I met HappyDirt. They were helping farmers,” said Dakota.
HappyDirt understands challenges such as an aging farmer population and the need for young farmers like Dakota who can transition from the current generation to the new generation of farmers.
“Our family has been farming for hundreds and hundreds of years. My great-grandfather began this same farm in around 1830 and his sons farmed, and my granddaddy farmed, and all the brothers farmed. They had a thriving business in the 1970s, that carried on until approximately the 1990s,” said Robert.“This farm has been able to produce doctors, lawyers, businesspeople, professionals, military, educators, all that kind of stuff, but didn’t produce any more farmers.”
“My ancestors were heavy into education,” Robert told Duplin Journal. “They were pushing building a culture that their children would go to college or go to the military, you know, get professional jobs, and it really worked well, but everybody left the farm.”
According to Robert, his family began leasing their land to industrial farmers in the 1990s, but after he retired and Dakota returned from college, they decided to use their resources and farm their land.
Growing up, Dakota remembers noticing that many of his friends’ parents who were doing well, were farmers.
“They’re eating nice and they’re buying boats, and houses at the beach,” said Dakota. “I was like well we have land — my family lived for generations farming — why can’t we do this? I just never realized nobody in the family went to school for agriculture.”
This realization sparked Dakota’s initial interest in farming. He wanted to learn and began cultivating watermelons in a small area behind his barn.
“We used a hoe to clean the land. No heavy machinery, nothing,” said Dakota, adding they wanted to see if they could grow anything.
He later pursued a career in agriculture and discovered his passion while working at the university’s farm. Currently, Dakota is building their second greenhouse.
Today, the Moores are farming 15 acres of land with their 1957 Farmall tractor, using equipment they rent. Robert shared that while the Farmall doesn’t run perfectly all the time, it has been incredibly helpful.
“It has enabled us to grow because you can do but only so much with the garden hoe.”
Robert Moore and his son Dakota pose for a photo on their 1957 Farmall truck. Photo by Ena Sellers / Duplin Journal
When asked what the top item on their wish list would be, the Moores said a Kubota tractor, because with a modern hitch they might be able to find someone who could loan them a disc.
“All of our equipment now is single hitch,” said Dakota. “So, nobody’s equipment would even align with anything that we have.”
Despite the challenges of working without modern equipment to ease some of the labor-intensive tasks on the farm, the Moores are optimistic about the future, especially with a promising partnership that could help market their produce.
“This year we’re trying to make a really big step — to sell at the grocery stores,” said Robert, adding that now the next step for them is to get GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified and also obtain their organic certification.
“To be GAP certified you have to have inspectors come and [watch] while we’re harvesting to see how we’re harvesting and that we’re following the food safety procedures — $1,500. Then organic has to follow the same path, another $1,500 and everything has to be logged and recorded. You have to keep extensive records,” said Robert, explaining that everything is documented so that it can be traced back to where it came from and when it was harvested.
“If we pick a watermelon from row one, of plot one. We have to document what day we picked it,” said Robert.
Dakota explained that with organic farming they work with nature, and they use cover crops to add nutrients back to the soil. He emphasized the importance of soil testing and adding nutrients back to the soil, so it doesn’t completely deplete the nutrients over time.
“A cover crop is really a crop that you grow to add amendments to the soil, which is nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — those are the main nutrients in your soil when you’re growing things,” said Dakota. “A cover crop changes your whole soil quality… You can grow different things just to add those nutrients back to it. … We started with a cover crop mix and that mix actually changed our whole soil microorganisms.”
Robert added that, beyond farming, they are actively involved in community outreach. They teach their interns about organic farming practices and the importance of environmental stewardship. Robert told the Duplin Journal they hope to raise awareness about various career opportunities within the agriculture sector.
“We’re not the only black people who were farmers back in the day that have now leased out their land, there are a lot of those around,” said Robert. “That’s why we are trying to get younger people into farming. Because a lot of these younger people’s grandfathers are farming…And the ones who are not farming still have the land, they are just leasing it out.”
He explained that families who lease their land often receive just enough income to cover their property taxes, missing out on the potential earnings they could make from farming.
Dakota echoed his dad’s sentiment, comparing how much a person could earn working their land versus working in a processing plant for example. “In three months, you could make your yearly salary. Every season, you can make your salary. That is the difference — That puts you in a different mindset,” said Dakota.
The father and son are looking forward to this next chapter for Moore Family Farms and their new partnership with HappyDirt.
Moore Family Farm carries seven different varieties of watermelons, which vary in size, color and sweetness. According to Dakota some of their sugar babies watermelons peaked at 12-14 % in the Brinx meter last year. Photo by Ena Sellers / Duplin Journal
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