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Ena Sellers
FAISON – A crew from Faison Fire and Rescue conducted its first major water rescue since Hurricane Florence in December, after a severe storm brought more than seven inches of rain causing flooding in various areas of town.
According to Fire Chief Lee Kennedy, a woman’s vehicle got submerged in water when she drove off the path in a farm right outside of town on US 117.
“She was taking on water in her vehicle,” said Kennedy, adding that the 911 call came in from a family member in Goldsboro at 4:53 a.m. on Dec. 18. “She didn’t know where she was.”
Within six minutes of the call, Kennedy, Ricky Cameron, Alex Chilel, and Andy Cameron were out of bed and at the fire station getting their gear to help the woman. The four men walked over a mile in cold water that went from ankle deep to almost waist deep wearing shorts and t-shirts.
Kennedy shared that it took them about 25 minutes to find the patient. “You don’t know if you’re walking in a ditch or if you’re walking in a field,” said Kennedy to the Duplin Journal as he described the rescue. “We knew the path was there, but we couldn’t see it. Matter of fact, we had to put a flashlight on a post so the fire truck, when it got there, knew where the path turned. So, it was like making a trail to it. But we had radios, and we were communicating. So, it was a big effort. It was the first time we have had a major water rescue since Hurricane Florence.”
“We were inundated with 7.6 inches of rain in less than about a 12- or 18-hour period. So, it was not fast-moving flash flood water. It was really still, but it was really cold, and it was still where we had to make use of our equipment to get to her.”
Once they found the patient, they were able to bring in the 5-ton military truck they were given for high-water rescues and got her to EMS.
“We were able to get her out and get her back out to safety. She did not speak English, but luckily, we have about five or six firefighters that are translators. They are Hispanic, and they do a great job on translating for us,” said Kennedy.
“We were able to actually get a couple of the workers to that farm to get a tractor, so they could transport workers back and forth to the farm,” said Kennedy.
“We had three water rescues the same night,” said Kennedy. “We had one off I-40 that was in a ditch full of water. We got that person out and earlier, about 1 o’clock that night, two females ran into a ditch, and the water was coming in on their car. So, we had to put a ladder down and get in the water to get them out.”
“It was that front that came through Florida and came up the coast and went straight up into the New England area, but it just inundated us with bands of rain. In fact, most of the water rescues happened when the rain was gone because the roads were flooded. It was crazy.”
Seniors 60 and over can sign up to receive a daily free meal through the program
FAISON – Despite outreach efforts, the attendance numbers at the Faison congregate nutrition site are low, a problem that could result in losing meal benefits for seniors 60 and older at the Faison site.
Sandra Krantz of Faison, expressed her concern at the Faison Town Hall meeting on Jan. 3, asking for ideas on how they could boost attendance and attract Faison’s increasing Hispanic population.
Beth Taylor, Kenansville Congregate Nutrition Site Manager shared that she has found that there is hesitation from the Hispanic population across the county, in that they don’t like to share personal information. Such information is required to sign participants in the program. “They are afraid that it might be used in other areas about legal and illegal issues,” said Taylor.
The Faison congregate nutrition center gets anywhere from three to nine people at any given time, but they would like to have 10 to 12 every day according to Krantz.
“The site that I manage, we have anywhere from 13 to 25 depending on the activities we’re doing and depending on what’s going on in town,” said Taylor. “If there are certain events going on in town, those people are going to attend those events. I have to talk a lot in prior days to get people there. The seniors have been very responsive in that after an event is over in town, they will come in and eat. So that has been positive.”
Taylor explained that the meals they give are monitored every week.
“If I have low numbers, my meal numbers are going to change,” Taylor said. “I give up my meal quite often, just so we make sure our seniors are served. These are things that happen because we must account for every meal served. It is a wonderful program, but there’s accountability that we have to make sure is in place.”
Taylor, who used to be a town of Faison employee, told the Duplin Journal that while conducting a census in Faison, she found out that the migrant population is not keen on sharing personal information. Adding that between March and November the number of migrants that come to the area can be around 1,000.
“When we were doing the census, we hit every house in Faison and we were distributing information so they would not be afraid, so they’d understand what the census was and that sort of thing,” Taylor explained.
Melisa Brown, Senior Services director explained that the Faison location has struggled with attendance issues for some time, decreasing more since the pandemic.
“Even with the outreach efforts implemented, very little growth has taken place. When a congregate nutrition site attendance continues to decline, we begin to review ways that we can continue to serve seniors as well as be mindful and responsible with the budgeted funds received,” said Brown.
“The challenge we face the most is not having a bilingual employee on staff to be able to communicate more effectively.”
There are five congregate nutrition sites serving seniors of all diversities in Duplin County with locations in Beulaville, Faison, Kenansville, Wallace, and Warsaw. Each site is open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. where they provide registered seniors one hot meal a day, and the opportunity for socialization.
“We welcome our Hispanic seniors to visit any of the site locations,” said Brown, explaining that any senior who wishes to participate will need an address to complete the registration form, which collects data to verify the person they are serving.
The information required includes name, address, telephone, birth date, last four of their social security number, and an emergency contact person.
Meals must be eaten at the site location unless the senior qualifies for home delivered meals.
Brown explained that they adjust the number of meals each week.
“Initially, if the person registers that day, we could possibly serve the same day. It actually depends on the number of meals that were ordered the previous week,” said Brown. “Specific to Faison, additional meals would need to be ordered and would be available the following week.”
Someone under 60 is considered special eligibility or a guest.
“If the husband is 60 and the wife is 58, she is eligible because of her spouse. Both would register, but she is only eligible with the spouse,” said Brown.
“Occasionally, we have a guest accompany a senior. They may not qualify under special eligibility, so if there is a meal available, they can pay the full price of the meal after seniors are served.”
Brown encourages seniors to register for the program and take advantage of the opportunity to socialize with other seniors as well as enjoy many of the activities and classes planned at each nutrition site.
The Duplin County Democratic Party welcomed candidates for statewide offices to a meet and greet on Saturday night, Jan. 6, at the Country Squire in Warsaw.
Mike Morgan, who retired in September as chief justice on the N.C. Supreme Court, is a native of New Bern who’s running for governor. Prior to the forum, he told the Duplin Journal that rural counties like Duplin are integral to the state. “We want to make sure rural North Carolina is not neglected,” he said.
Sen. Rachel Hunt, who serves in the state senate for Mecklenburg County and is the daughter of former Governor Jim Hunt, is running for lieutenant governor. “I think all of rural North Carolina is made up of really great people,” she told the Duplin Journal. “People that are running for statewide office should never forget the rural areas that make this state great.”
Duplin County Commissioner Wayne Branch served as emcee of the event. He encouraged those present to participate, and make their voices heard, especially in the upcoming election. “Our democracy thrives when its citizens actively participate, and joining the Democratic Party is a powerful way to contribute to the collective voice of the people,” he said. “The Democratic Party champions inclusivity, diversity, and social progress. By becoming a member, you align yourself with a party that values equal opportunities for all.”
Duplin County Democratic Party Chair Douglas Walter also took the opportunity to speak before the candidates took the floor. Walter said he was heartened to see so many faces at the event. “I can guarantee you, the Democratic Party is not going to just sit back this year,” he said.
Each of the statewide candidates in attendance took 10 minutes to speak. Judge Carolyn Thompson, who’s seeking re-election to her seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals and was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper, was first up. She has served as a District Court Judge and Superior Court Judge, and has presided over criminal, domestic, juvenile, and mental health proceedings over 27 years.
“This seat is one of 15,” she explained. “I am currently the only African-American female out of 15 judges sitting.”
She talked about several cases in which parents didn’t fully understand their rights, and ended up losing their rights as a result. When asked by colleagues if she’s an activist judge, she said she “actively pursues justice.”
Sen. Hunt spoke next. She was elected to the state senate in 2022, and has served two terms in the N.C. House of Representatives. “Unless we allow people in rural areas to grow and thrive and prosper, we are not doing our jobs,” she said. “People in rural areas are the backbone of North Carolina.”
Because she’s running for a state office, Hunt said it’s important to visit every single county in the state. “I want to raise us up, I want to open people’s eyes, especially to the importance of the legislature to everyone’s lives, and so then, people will get involved.”
Finally, gubernatorial candidate Justice Michael Morgan spoke. A native of Cherry Point who grew up in New Bern, Morgan has served as a District Court Judge, Superior Court Judge, and N.C. Supreme Court Justice.
“The reason why I’m running,” he said, “there are several reasons. One is that the state’s government is broken. Consider that we’ve got 3,500 teacher vacancies in our public schools, 12 people dying daily from fentanyl overdoses, we’ve got a 45-day waiting period just to get an appointment with the DMV. Something’s wrong. We can do better than that.”
As the first Black student at his elementary school and the first Black drum major at his high school, Morgan said he learned that you’ve got to have courage, and exercise leadership.
Education is his number 1 priority. “Rural students, like right here in this county, deserve to have the kind of education everyone else has in North Carolina.”
Criminal justice reform and affordable housing are also high on his list of priorities, Morgan said. “We have too much good going on in North Carolina for anyone to be compartmentalized and marginalized. Everybody deserves to have the opportunity to be all they can be.”
“North Carolina is going forward,” he concluded. “We’re not going backwards. We’re going forward, and Duplin County is leading the way.”
Town accepts 100K donation to help with equipment purchases
FAISON – The Town of Faison held the board’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
Among those in attendance was Andrew Taylor, Faison Improvement Group president who signed up for public comment. Taylor requested the Board’s permission to host the annual Faison Farmers Parade in March.
Taylor shared that they hope to make this year’s parade bigger and better, with more vendors, music, and entertainment and to “have something that’s more akin to the old market days,” said Taylor. Last year the parade was a big hit, with a lineup that went on for 47 minutes.
“We would like to have permission to have the parade from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the anticipation that it ends at 2 p.m.,” said Taylor. “Because we hung around until 2 p.m. last time, we want to make sure that they are safe when people cross the street… And then for vendors, we would ask for the town to consider south Samson Street behind the fire department, to close that off for the safety of our people when they are going to food trucks and stuff like that.”
The Board approved Taylor’s request. The next step now is to start the approval process with the Department of Transportation to close Main Street from Warren Road up to the railroad tracks and have the parade on March 23.
Other highlights discussed at the meeting:
• Sandra Krantz, who has tough classes at the Faison Congregate Nutrition site, addressed the board during public comment, sharing her concerns about the congregate nutrition site not having enough attendance and hoping to find some ideas on how to get more participation so that the program can continue, low numbers could result in the potential closing of the congregate nutrition site. See story on page three for more on this subject.
• The Town of Faison received a check donation for $100,000 from a generous resident, who wishes the funds are used for anything the town needs including equipment or vehicles.
Mayor Billy Ward shared that they had been looking at some equipment and vehicles the town needs. He presented the board with the information the staff had researched for the purchase of a dump truck, a pickup truck, a mini excavator, and a trailer to haul that excavator with.
“The first two vehicles are things that the town needs,” Mayor Ward said.
Mayor Ward explained that the dump truck has an automatic transmission which is needed so that the staff can drive it. The pickup truck they are looking at buying will be used to transport supplies for the after-school program and the concession stand as well as running errands.
“The trailer and the excavator are something that Billy Mello and his department had asked for and said that it would make things a lot easier on them whenever they’re in smaller, tighter situations compared to using the backhoe and the ones he’s picked have the equipment he needs on it,” said Ward.
Jimmy Tyndall, executive administrator explained that the two pieces of equipment that Public Works cannot be without are a backhoe and a dump truck.
“Our backhoe is close to 25 or so years old right now. A brand-new backhoe costs you $100,000. That is without any bells or whistles, straight up,” said Tyndall, explaining that smaller holes mean less damage, less asphalt to put back. He added that they use the backhoe to pick up yard debris.
“It runs at least two days a week, sometimes three, depending on the season. Also, we take all that stuff back to our yard, and we dump it, and that same backhoe has to go back when it is all said and done, pick it all up, and put it where it belongs,” said Tyndall. “The idea being that once the backhoe comes off the street, the mini excavator can do the other work, and be far less invasive and take some of the heat off an aging backhoe. So, when you see the numbers, when you total all these numbers up tonight, compare that to what a brand-new backhoe costs, it comes down to what is efficient, what makes more sense, and what helps us maintain what we already have.”
The board approved to move forward with the purchases.
• Tyndall also provided an update on the demolition of the old gym, explaining this was a multi-part project.
“First part being to remove some trees that were on the opposite side of the park, which was the first thing we did. The second part is to create the gravel parking on that side of the park also and close in the ditch… We decided to build a storm drain box there and remove the T tile so it would be closed and when we are going to finish tiling it, there won’t be a ditch from that point all the way to the corner,” said Tyndall, adding that they are accepting bids for the gym demolition until Jan. 31.
“In February we will be able to award the bids and then the last piece of the proposal will be the creation of a brick courtyard… The project is really moving along better than anticipated.”
He shared that in 2022 they had an air quality report done for the old gym which has asbestos, and it is full of black mold.
“We have requested controlled access to the job site. The entire park will not be closed… “The only squirrelly part is how close this building is to the dugout, and we’ve got about a four-foot clearance,” explained Tyndall. “We are planning to add some top surface of ground behind that dugout. And we are adding about 15 or 20 feet of actual top-walking surface.”
• Commissioner Lee Kennedy who also serves as the Faison Fire and Rescue fire chief, provided an update for Faison Fire and Rescue, adding that the department closed the year with 529 calls, which is an increase of 47 calls since 2022.
2023 was a busy year for Faison Fire and Rescue, with 228 first responder calls, 72 motor vehicle accidents (10 of them having pinned-in patients), 50 service calls, 3 water rescues, 28 structure fires (six in the district), 24 hazardous conditions, 20 woods fires, and 11 vehicle fires, among others.
Lanier’s autopsy results show presence of marijuana, PCP
WALLACE – The Office of District Attorney Ernie Lee issued a press release with the toxicology results for the James Lanier officer-involved shooting case on Jan. 8.
Lanier, 36, of Rose Hill was shot and killed by an officer with the Wallace Police Department on Feb. 24, 2023, in the parking lot of the Express Mini Mart in Wallace.
According to the DA’s press release, Lanier’s postmortem toxicology analysis showed elevated levels of THC and Phencyclidine, a street drug called angel dust or PCP.
“These results help us understand Lanier’s behavior on February 24, 2023,” wrote Wallace Police Chief Jimmy Crayton in a media release about the findings, explaining that “angel dust is a well-known hallucinogenic that results in a sense of euphoria and omnipotence and gives the user what appears to be superhuman strength.”
According to law enforcement, body cam footage and video retrieved from local surveillance cameras presented as evidence, showed Lanier nearly naked “shoving and punching the officer” and “attempting to take the officer’s firearm.”
“The officer deployed his Electronic Control Device (Taser), but even though contact was made with Lanier, the Taser was ineffective. After retreating nearly one hundred feet, trying to escape the attack, and after Lanier tried to take the officer’s handgun, the officer discharged his weapon, fatally wounding Lanier. Combined with Lanier’s violent and erratic behavior, the ineffective Taser deployment led us to suspect that a controlled substance impaired Lanier’s mental and physical faculties.”
After reviewing all the evidence in the investigation, Lee held a press conference on May 19, 2023, to release his findings and determined that Lanier’s death, while tragic, was justified because his actions caused the officer to believe it necessary to protect his life.
“The toxicology results shed light on an additional bad choice made by Lanier. Lanier chose to ingest PCP. Lanier chose to attack a police officer,” wrote Chief Crayton, emphasizing the poor choice of attacking an officer whose presence was meant to control an escalating act of violence. “These choices are what led to Lanier’s death. Lanier’s spontaneous and continued violent assault on the officer, including his trying to take the officer’s weapon, gave the officer no other choice but to discharge his firearm.”
“This incident has caused a great deal of trauma to Lanier’s family, the officer involved in the shooting, and our community,” wrote Chief Crayton, concluding that he hopes “this final piece of evidence resolves those with lingering questions.”
Beulaville Police Chief Jamie Rogers took a rare step into the limelight at the town board meeting on Jan. 8. Rogers is set to retire Feb. 29, or as Town Manager Lori Williams puts it, be “reclassified” and remain with the town of Beulaville, in a more limited capacity.
“Although he is retiring, as I’ve told a lot of folks, he’s just being reclassified,” Williams said during the meeting. “We’re not letting him go anywhere too far. He may have to share an office with me, but he’s going to stay around.”
Williams asked the Board of Commissioners for a recess during the regular monthly meeting last Monday, saying she had to make a presentation. She left the meeting room for a few minutes, returning with Rogers’ family members and all of the Beulaville Police Department employees.
“His employees wanted to take this opportunity in public to just recognize his achievements, what he’s been able to do over the past 31 years,” Williams said.
Rogers was presented with a framed collage of his badges and handcuffs. “He kind of started this little project,” Williams explained. “The guys picked it up and kind of ran with it, collecting his badges, start to finish, from when he was a deputy to a jailer to when he got his badge as chief of police.”
Stunned, Rogers said with a laugh, “Y’all finally got me.”
Of his badges and handcuffs, Rogers said, “Just so y’all know, I started this as my daddy’s badges. These are the same handcuffs that he wore, that I started with also when I was a deputy at the Sheriff’s Office. This has always been my dream to get this done.”
To Rogers and the officers present, Mayor Hutch Jones said, “I can’t say enough about you all. You make all of us in the town look really, really good. I’m proud to know that you all are on the streets day in and day out.”
Earlier in the meeting, Williams gave an update on the search for a new police chief, saying that interviews of the seven applicants started on Tuesday, Jan. 16, and that she hoped there would be a decision by the end of January.
One of the other major items of business at the January meeting of the Beulaville town board was a request from Douglas Clark to purchase a portion of town-owned property on Lyman Road. After his initial request was denied at last month’s meeting, he proposed two other options for the town to consider.
“As I had indicated at the last board meeting, we’re not interested in selling,” Mayor Jones said. “I had asked at that point in time, which I’m going to continue to reiterate tonight, knowing Mr. Clark’s track record, I would like the board to consider declining the current offer and create a timeline on when we’ll hear any other offers from Mr. Clark.”
“It’s going to continue, whether or not we put a timeline on it,” Town Attorney Justin Hunter said. “I personally would not recommend putting a timeline. I would simply say your offers are rejected. At such time we become interested in selling this property, we will contact you and any other interested buyers, period.”
Hunter volunteered to write a letter to Clark to that effect. “This is a waste of this board’s time,” he added. “We’re not interested in selling the property and I’m happy to write the letter.”
Commissioner Gene Wickline made a motion for Hunter to write and send the letter, and after some discussion to clarify the board’s intent, it was unanimously approved.
In other business at the Jan. 8 Board of Commissioners meeting:
The Beulaville Board of Commissioners meets the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.