It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Joseph Egbert "J.E." Blizzard of Kinston, North Carolina, on Monday, August 18, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that all donations be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital of Memphis, Tennessee; The Shriners Children's Hospital; or Spilman Memorial Baptist Church of Kinston, North Carolina.
Dorothy Raper Turnage, 84, of LaGrange entered into the presence of her Lord and Savior on August 16, 2025, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro. Visitation will be held on Friday, August 22 starting at 6:00 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life service at 7:30 p.m. at Bethel Church in Kinston. Pastors Chris Truett, Bert Potter, and Allen Stocks will officiate. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 23 at 11:00 a.m. at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Kinston.
Ambleside Preparatory Academy is only a year old, but the private Christian school is already breaking ground on a new building to keep up with its rapid growth.
Lenoir County 4-H’ers Lamonie Taylor and Sanaa Thompson, both students at Kinston High School, are raising their voices and inspiring change in a special new episode of The Best Better Podcast, which launched Friday, August 15, 2025.
Raleigh, N.C. - The state’s seasonally adjusted July 2025 unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, unchanged from June’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.2 percent.
Early Head Start slots are now available for children ages 1–3 years old (child must not turn 3 before August 30, 2025).
Mrs. Eva Faye Duke Elmore, age 79, passed away Monday afternoon, August 18th, 2025, at Greendale Forest Nursing and Rehab Center following a brief period of declining health. Funeral Services will be held graveside 11 AM Friday, August 22nd, at the Snow Hill Cemetery with the Reverend Keith Phillips officiating.
The Lenoir County Board of Commissioners met Monday, Aug. 18, recognizing county employees, local youth and a championship softball team before turning to business items that included a major grant application and courthouse renovation discussion.
On August 18, 2025, at approximately 10:18 p.m., officers with the Kinston Police Department’s B-Squad responded to the Carver Court area in reference to a report of a female subject banging on doors and stating she was “looking for someone to shoot.”
On August 16, 2025, Deputies with the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division D Shift attempted to stop a motorcycle on Gray Branch Church Road in Deep Run after it was clocked at 74 mph in a 55 mph zone. The driver, identified as Toby Keith Griffin of Deep Run, continued for several miles before pulling over.
Big news in Kinston: Emma Webb Park’s new 2,000-square-foot splash pad opens today. Featuring ground sprays for easy maintenance and inclusive play, the splash pad will be open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Labor Day.
Lenoir Community College has officially launched LCC Online, a new way for students to earn the same high-quality degrees offered on campus—anytime, anywhere. The launch took place at the College’s Professional Development Day on August 13, marking the beginning of a new era in flexible, accessible learning for students near and far.
On August 16, 2025, at approximately 11:20 a.m., officers with the Kinston Police Department’s C-Squad were dispatched to Sarah’s House of Beauty, located on the 2400 block of North Herritage Street, in reference to a reported stabbing.
I received a text from a friend on Wednesday that posed a disturbing question: “Hi Mike, can this be true? Almost half of all homeless are foster kids who aged out of the system?”
Growing up, horses were more than just animals for the founder of Trail of Faith Farms — they were a lifeline. Introduced to riding at 6 years old by her grandfather, she says the “horse bug” never left. Years later, after her father passed away, she reconnected with her aunt and witnessed something that would change her life: a boy who could barely form sentences steering a 1,200-pound horse on his own during a therapeutic riding lesson.
The following restaurant inspections were conducted by the Lenoir County Health Department:
Kinston Police are urging the public to come forward with information in three separate cases, with rewards ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. All tips remain anonymous, and officials say community help is key to bringing justice.
August 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), a global campaign to end overdose. This day serves as an opportunity to remember loved ones who have died from drug overdose as well as to acknowledge the grief of those left behind and to encourage support and recovery for everyone impacted by substance use and overdose.
The following is a list of people who have recently passed away in Lenoir County:
Sección 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5339, 5307 y financiación estatal aplicable, o una combinación de ellas. Se informa al público que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública sobre la propuesta
