Evelyn Dove Coleman: Verna Mae Chapman Was Regal

Majestic, dignified, splendid. These are words that described Mrs. Verna Mae Chapman of Grifton, North Carolina. When her daughter Jean Hill told me that her mother's health was frail, I began remembering her from decades ago. I met her daughters in the first grade at Savannah High School. Jean and Faye were to later become majorettes under Ms. Kathryn Jones. They were already well-poised for the job because of their mother.

Songs for a New World

Lenoir Community College Performing Arts invites audiences to experience Songs for a New World, a one-weekend-only production that is both intimate and deeply affecting. Written by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, this contemporary song cycle features a series of vivid musical vignettes that capture the moments when everything can change—when a choice must be made and a new chapter begins.

Obituary: Terry Foss

Terrance “Terry” Fleming Foss, 73, passed away on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Terry was born in Lenoir County to the late Emmett Wooten Foss, Sr. and Geneva Smith Foss Wood on April 7, 1952. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by the love of his life, Kathy Mundinger English; brothers, Robert Earl Foss and Simon Wood; and great-nephew, Charlie Robert Foss.

Obituary: Russell Vinson

Cary Russell Vinson, 78, passed away on January 25, 2026. Russell was born in Wayne County on October 24, 1947, to the late Milford Russell Vinson and Carrie Mae Parrish Vinson. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Andrea Nikole “Nikki” Vinson; and two sisters, Jean Rouse and Kaye Gray.