The Down East Bird Dawgs asked Kinston City Council and the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners for $125,000 annually from each government for two years during a joint meeting Tuesday.

Kinston was alive with energy and optimism as the Recovery Together ENC Center joined forces with the Lenoir, Greene, and Jones County Re-entry Council to host the Second Annual Re-entry and Recovery Resource Fair on September 17, 2026 during National Recovery Month. 

The EPIC Center has announced a leadership transition as Executive Director Emma Barnes prepares to step down from her role to focus on her family. Effective October 1, Deana Rose, currently the Kinston Center Director, will assume the additional role of Interim Executive Director. 

Kinston City Council voted after closed session Tuesday to dissolve the Downtown Kinston Revitalization director position from the city government, following an extended open-session discussion that included criticism of the current director’s performance.

Thank you for taking the time to read my most recent updates from Eastern North Carolina and Washington, D.C. As always, it remains a true honor and a privilege to represent you in Congress! If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe to my e-newsletter here.

The following couples were married in Lenoir County:

James Donald “Donnie” Heath Jr.,74, passed away on Sunday, September 27, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family.  Donnie was a devoted family man whose greatest joy came from the people he loved. 

On the evening of Friday, September 25, 2026, Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reduction Team hosted a GHSP Saturation Patrol with partnering agencies across eastern North Carolina. During this event 43 law enforcement officers from twelve agencies, including Deputies, Officers, and Troopers, focused on dangerous driving and motor vehicle violations throughout Lenoir County. During the five-hour operation, 116 charges were issued with 67 warnings given.

State Employees Credit Union recently awarded the SECU Foundation “People Helping People” Scholarship to Lenoir Community College students Rylee Brewer of Nashville and Willow Gardner of Kinston. The $5,000 scholarship, awarded to students who embody the credit union’s membership philosophy, provides $1,250 per semester for each semester they are enrolled full time at LCC.

Detectives with the Kinston-Lenoir Drug Task Force initiated an investigation into Khalil Dail, 27, regarding his suspected involvement in the trafficking and distribution of marijuana. During the investigation, detectives gathered evidence indicating Dail was actively involved in distributing marijuana within Lenoir County.

Update: The Kinston City Council and Lenoir County commissioners will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, to discuss matters related to the Down East Bird Dawgs. The council will then consider Municipal Service District requests regarding its operations and a proposed litigation settlement.

Coleen P. (Baker) McKivergin, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, daughter, and sister, passed away on September 13, 2026, at the age of 94 in Kinston, North Carolina. A graveside service will be held at Lindenwood Cemetery Chapel in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

Kinston Public Services will host a fall cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Neuseway Nature Center, 401 W. Caswell St. in Kinston. Volunteers should meet at the picnic shelter.

Kinston police reported three drug-related arrests and a separate arrest on burglary and assault charges Sept. 24-26. The assault left one person seriously injured, according to police.

In Loving Memory of Beverly Kennedy Alston July 3, 1946 – September 25, 2026 Beverly Kennedy Alston of Kinston, age 80, passed away peacefully on September 25, 2026. Born on July 3, 1946, to the late Rozelle and Alyne Kennedy of Richmond, VA.