Tyrrell County, NC

Part of a history series examining each of North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties. Tyrrell County in North Carolina’s Albemarle region was formed in the earliest years of Colonial settlement, but Tyrrell does not have the historical reputation of other early counties. It has the smallest population in North...

HYDE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Smoke from the Hyde County woods fire is causing an air quality alert in Tyrrell County. The Ferebee Road fire has been burning for 13 days and so far 1,938 acres of woods have been charred. The North Carolina Forest Service said the fire, which is believed to have been started by lightning, remains at 24% contained.

As you may have heard by now, I am about to enter a new chapter as the Librarian for the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library in Edenton. While this is an exciting transition, I cannot help but reflect on my time at the Tyrrell County Public Library, for it is here that I have truly learned what it means to serve the public. I remember how in early 2018, my first week started with my wife and I rolling in from Rhode Island with three cats having...

Valerie Phelps was recently sworn in as director at the Tyrrell County Department of Social Services and is reported to be the first African American to hold that position. Phelps, the youngest of five children, was born and raised by her mother in Columbia. She and husband Kelvin Phelps have been married for 24 years and have two children.

Activists want a Confederate monument removed from the public lawn in front of the Tyrrell County Courthouse in Columbia. The 23-foot statue of a Confederate soldier was erected in 1902 and includes the inscription that it was dedicated "in appreciation of our faithful slaves." It was moved to its current location in 1938.

This weekend marks the second nationwide celebration of Juneteenth! June 19, 1865 is celebrated as the effective end date of the institution of chattel slavery in the United States Why do we mark this particular day instead of the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which freed all of the enslaved persons in the Confederacy, or the ratification date of the 13th Amendment on December 18, 1865, which formally abolished chattel slavery throughout the entire United States? ...

COLUMBIA — Dozens of Tyrrell County residents are scheduled to rally in Columbia Saturday in front of a newly-erected billboard calling for removal of the Confederate monument at the county courthouse. The billboard is the second that Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County and Emancipate NC have erected in Columbia calling on local officials to remove the monument. Joyce Fitch, a member of the Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County, is one...

Next week marks the beginning of our 2022 Summer Reading Program, “Oceans of Possibilities!” This year at the Tyrrell County Public Library, we have a lot in store for all ages. Participants in the program can sign up to track their reading and earn prizes along the way. Every time a participant from 2 to 9 years old reads a book from one of our eight genres, they will receive...

Greg Rubino drives his elongated spade, called a sharpshooter, into the decaying organic matter of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. He’s a wetland scientist with the North Carolina Division of Water Resources, and once he’s dug about a foot underground, past a mat of roots, he reaches into a bed of “real soil” and grabs a sample, crumbling it between his fingers.

A Chowan County womanperished last week when her subcompact car collided with the rear of a farm tractor on US Hwy 64 East in Tyrrell County. Melissa Riddick, 23, was at the wheel of the vehicle at the time of the crash about 1:30 p.m., Monday, May 30. Her husband, Justin, and 14-month-old daughter — who was reportedly properly secured in a child safety seat —were in the back seat of the car and escaped serious injury, according to NC Highway Patrol Trp. Caleb Becker.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - A tornado warning for three Eastern Carolina counties was allowed to expire. The warning was for Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties until 3:15 p.m. At 2:50 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Alligator Lake, or 22 miles southeast of Plymouth, moving southeast at 40 mph.

NEW BERN, Craven County — A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Tyrrell and Hyde counties. The warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Previous: A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Beaufort and Washington counties. The warning is in effect until 3:30 p.m. Previous: A tornado...

Officials in Washington, Tyrrell and Martin counties are working with MTW District Health Department to maximize the use of their share of proceeds from a $26 billion nationwide settlement, the result of a mountain of lawsuits filed a few years ago in response to the deadly opioid crisis that swept America.

At the Tyrrell County Public Library, we feel the hot breeze of summer bearing down on us. Good thing the Library’s Summer Book Sale starts May 31 and runs through June 10th. Our inventory is organized and ready for rollout, and let me tell you, we have a ton of great options for your next summer read. If you are a member of the Friends of the Library, show us your membership card, and you will receive 50 percent off everything you purchase. ...

TYRRELL COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The reward for information on who killed a red wolf in Tyrrell County now stands at $22,500. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is the latest organization to add more money to get information on the illegal shooting of the endangered animal. The U.S. Fish &...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $5,000 for information regarding a federally protected red wolf found dead in Tyrrell County April 15. The wolf was shot in the spine, causing it to collapse on a muddy farm field. During a necropsy, the wolf’s lungs were found to be full of mud.

In public librarianship, you get to know your community very well. From working with local leaders to accomplish major goals to enjoying the day-to-day interactions with individual patrons, it is a job that goes beyond providing information services and building a collection. When you work with the public, you have the opportunity to really help someone and provide an ear for another’s concerns. Between seeing a child graduate from Story Time to the Summer Reading Program, helping a retiree rediscover their love of reading and...

A federally-protected red wolf was found dead in Tyrrell County in a muddy farm field located south of Newlands Road on April 15. On May 13, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a press release asking for the public’s help in the investigation of the red wolf’s death.