Briefs

Duplin County woman wins $200K 

The North Carolina Education Lottery announced that Amy Darboe of Wallace won $200,000 on Feb. 7 from the 2023 Holiday Second Chance drawing. 

Darboe took home $143,000 after taxes on Friday, Feb. 9. She was one of 22 million entries for the drawing.

Early voting begins Feb. 15

In-person early voting begins Feb. 15 and ends March 2 at 3 p.m. One-stop voting will be available at Lois G. Britt Building, located at 165 Agriculture Dr., Kenansville, and at the American Legion, located at 529 E Southerland St., Wallace. Remember to bring a picture ID.

The Primary Election is on March 5. During the primary, voters will choose which candidates should be their political party nominees, the winners will be on the general election ballot in November.

Rail symposium comes to Warsaw Feb. 20

A rail symposium on the proposed passenger line between Wilmington and Raleigh, will be held at the Warsaw Community Center located at 309 Memorial Drive, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. The symposium is co-hosted by the Town of Warsaw and Warsaw Chamber of Commerce.

UMO to host Black History Month event

The University of Mount Olive will host a Black History Month program in Rodgers Chapel on Monday, Feb. 19, at 10 a.m., with guest speaker Jerilyn Lee, creator of the renowned “Stories of the United States Colored Troops.” Lee is an active participant in the historical Civil War community. This event will highlight an in-depth look at the lives of black Civil War soldiers.  

Teens can volunteer at ECU Health Duplin Hospital

ECU Health Duplin Hospital’s VolunTEEN Program is currently accepting applicants. The program will be held this summer, June 24 through Aug. 9 and is designed for students ages 15-17 (or those who are a rising sophomore in the fall of 2024). The application must be completed online and received by Wednesday, Feb. 28. For more information go to: https://www.ecuhealth.org/volunteers/#Duplin.

Duplin Nursery & Garden Center will not open this spring

Duplin Nursery & Garden Center in Rose Hill announced via its Facebook page that it would not be opening for the spring season, due to family commitments. “Our family has had this business for 75 years and we appreciate each of our customers and your loyalty to our little family business,” the post reads. “We consider you as our family and will certainly miss seeing you. I still have hopes of being able to open up again, maybe spring 2025 and maybe a few days this spring to reduce inventory of trees and shrubs, as well as garden supplies. Thank you for all of your loyal support for all of these years.” See the Duplin Nursery & Garden Center’s Facebook page for further updates.