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Governor Roy Cooper announced a modified Stay-At-Home order as of 5:00 pm on Friday to slow the spread of COVID-19. US Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy, NC Senator Jim Perry and NC Representative Chris Humphrey all react to Governor Cooper’s curfew. The order requires businesses to remain closed from 10:00 pm until 5:00 am. and shortens the timeframe on-site alcohol can be sold to 9:00 pm, from the previous order of 11:00 pm.
Parrott’s SERV Society this week concluded a successful toy giving campaign, which started after students returned from Thanksgiving. Each day, a growing pile of toys filled collection boxes in the school lobby.
Effective Friday, December 11th at 5:00pm, the State of North Carolina will be under a Modified Stay at Home Order. Businesses are required to close by 10pm. All alcohol sales to end by 9pm.
According to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, earlier today (Monday, Dec. 7, 2020), three people were injured in separate incidents being investigated by the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office. A little after 1 p.m., a county resident was killed by a gunshot on Beechnut Drive in Kinston. Lenoir County Sheriff Ronnie Ingram said the person who called in the shooting to 911, Clayton Fernando Clark Jr., 42, was charged with an open count of murder. There has been no bond set for Clark, who is being held at the W.E. “Billy” Smith Detention Center in Kinston. Around 90 minutes later, at 2:36 p.m., a bail bondsman who was attempting to retrieve a subject was struck by a vehicle driven by that subject on Lake Pines Drive in La Grange. The bondsman was injured in the incident and opened fire on the driver, who was also injured and taken to a local hospital.
The County Commissioners met Monday morning and elected Linda Rouse Sutton as the Chair, and Eric Rouse as the Vice-Chairman. After swearing-in for new terms, including new Commissioner Chad Rouse, the board voted on the additional three days of vacation for county employees.
All North Carolina teachers and their classes are invited to attend a free two-day online immersive experience for NC educators and their students focused on arts and the humanities. The Cultural Arts LIVE (Live, Immersive Virtual Experiences) Conference will take place December 15-16. The conference will give students and teachers the opportunity to travel virtually across the state and participate in workshops and activities led by North Carolina artists, musicians, dancers, actors, writers, journalists, historians and educators.
In the upcoming Lenoir County Commissioners meeting on Monday, there is a resolution to approve three additional days of vacation for county employees in 2021. The proposal in the agenda cites employee burnout as a real prospect in which they hope to avoid by approval of the resolution. The average daily payroll for county employees is $66,612.24. In 2020 the Board of Commissioners currently provides 14 paid holidays for county employees.
Mr. Brent Williams, Superintendent of Lenoir County Public Schools (LCPS), was named the 2021 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year at an awards presentation and reception held Thursday, Dec. 3.
Greene Early College Super Seniors, Christian Gonzalez and Randy Villigran, took a leap of faith in Fall 2019. After working the summer of 2019 with a reputable landscape contractor and gaining the experience, these two young men ventured out on their own in the Fall.
In 1960, the US Surgeon General, in response to substantial morbidity and mortality during the 1957-58 pandemic, recommended annual influenza vaccination for people with chronic debilitating disease, people aged 65 years or older, and pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have chosen the week of December 6th thru the 12th this year to bring awareness to the fact that it is not too late to get a flu vaccination.
This Saturday, we welcome as our guests, the Woodington FFA . The members will be selling red poinsettias and white ones, as well. Let's try to support their effort so they may raise dues money and tee shirts.
The National Weather Service in Morehead City/Newport has issued a Severe Weather Outlook for Friday night into Saturday afternoon. Impacts: Strong, damaging winds in thunderstorms could lead to structural damage, trees down/uprooted, and power outages. A couple of isolated tornadoes are possible, resulting in areas of enhanced damage.
Congratulations to LCPS Superintendent Brent Williams, who was today named 2020 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.
Automotive instructor Holland Pace spends some class time holding mechanic’s tools up to a laptop’s camera. Stephanie Sumner, in teaching food preparation, shops for and packages “lab kits” of ingredients so students can cook at home. Kim Hipkiss is preparing 10 seniors for certification as nurse aides in ways she’s never done in her 24 years of teaching.
Each year the Greene County Middle School Jr. STEM Ambassadors and advisor Samantha Haislip host a toy drive for Toys For Tots. This year will be the sixth year that the students have organized the event to collect toys for local families in need. Students help assemble and wrap boxes, create flyers, and publicize the event.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2021 today. The designations, which are mandated by state law, play a role in several programs that assist in economic development. For 2021, Jones County is shifting from Tier One to Tier Two. The county’s economic distress rank is #46 (it was #32 in 2020). This shift was largely driven by a change in the county’s unemployment rate rank, which moved from #50 last year to #93 this year.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is planning to replace several crossline pipes over the next three weeks on a Lenoir County road. Live Oak Hog Company Road will close in both directions for the maintenance work. The first closure is scheduled between 8 a.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday.
Magic Mile Media, Inc., parent company of Neuse News, has assumed ownership of NCPoliticalNews.com effective December 1, 2020. Frank Williams, a public relations professional who has been involved in North Carolina’s political process for over 25 years, founded N.C. Political News in early 2013. BJ Murphy, president of Magic Mile Media and publisher of Neuse News, will assume publisher duties for NCPoliticalNews.com.
For his service to his state, and to his country, and on behalf of Senator Thom Tillis’s office, NC Representative Chris Humphrey and Tillis representative Adam Caldwell bestowed a flag flown over the capital to Gary Kornegay’s son, Samuel Kornegay. Gary Kornegay served in the National Guard for 16 years and the United States Air Force for four years and retired from the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office after 30 years of service. He died on November 16th, 2020.
The Lenoir County Health Department is reporting three deaths in the county of residents who had tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number in Lenoir County to 57. The patients were older than 65 with underlying health conditions.
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