Obituary: Alanis "Little Bit" Whitfield

Alanis “Little Bit” Whitfield, 15, of Deep Run, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville, surrounded by the love of her family. Visitation will be held from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Woodington Ward, 6655 US-258, Deep Run, NC.

Seniors honored, awareness raised at annual Senior Appreciation Day in Kinston

A crowd filled the Kinston Community Center on Wednesday for the annual Senior Appreciation Day and Elder Abuse Awareness Walk, a community-wide event honoring Older Americans Month and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Held under the national theme “Flip the Script on Aging,” the celebration aimed to both uplift the senior population and raise awareness about the critical issue of elder abuse.

Meet Me: Shayla Nguyen

My fingers shook while I wrote “Monster by Nicki Minaj” on the karaoke sign-up sheet. I mean, what could go wrong? As I stood on stage, my gaze was glued to my feet as the heavy beat dropped. The crowd hushed, watching me in slight confusion as I looked at everything but the 50+ faces in front of me.

Kristy Kelly: Holiday fatigue

When asked what I’d wanted for Mother’s Day, my answer was simple: To be left alone.
In previous years, I had done all the work to make sure my children were able to give me the Mother’s Day they thought I deserved, and quite frankly, every year it was annoying and exhausting.