The Charity Mission Center cafeteria was packed with representatives on Thursday, October 3rd from various Eastern Baptist Association (EBA) churches to take action on disaster relief. The meeting, led by the husband and wife team, Richard and Tammy Weeks, provided information and instruction concerning the relief efforts towards the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. "The damage of this hurricane is worse than Florence," said Richard Weeks, Director of Missions for the EBA. "If it wasn't for the churches in the Western part of the state,...

Steele Memorial Library hosts fun and educational events throughout the year, these are the upcoming programs for the month of October. Steele Memorial Library, located in Mount Olive, hosts a range of children’s programs throughout the school year and summer. These events are designed to inspire creativity, foster early literacy, and bring families together in a welcoming community setting. From building LEGOs to musical movements and excavating “fossils,” these are the programs happening in October at the library. ...

The University of Mount Olive (UMO), in coordination with the OFWB Convention, has been designated as an emergency relief drop-off site to support the ongoing recovery efforts in Western North Carolina, particularly the hardest-hit areas in Black Mountain and surrounding communities. All donated items will be delivered to Cragmont, an established distribution site, where they will be provided to those in need. Starting Wednesday, October 9, UMO will accept donations from the community between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Volunteers will be on-site to assist...

Be sure to ring in the fall season at these three pumpkin patches in and around Duplin County. Fall is quickly approaching and North Carolina is getting into the spirit of the season. Pumpkin patches in and around Duplin County have opened their gates, inviting families to embrace autumn. From picking the perfect pumpkin to enjoying hayrides and corn mazes, these local spots provide the ultimate fall experience. Cinderella Farms...

“Meet us after church. We’ll find a place there where we can run through some of the songs.” Sounds simple enough. But these days, church services often begin and end at odd hours. I came too early. Oops. First of all, let me say that on all sides, I ran into nothing but friendly and courteous Episcopalians. No low-church Protestants were harmed in this experiment. So anyway, I wound up...

A large sign was prominently displayed at campaign headquarters with big, bold letters: “It’s the economy, stupid.” James Carville, one of Bill Clinton’s primary advisors, wanted all to stay focused on the primary issue in the 1992 election. Voters say this is the main issue in 2024. Polls repeatedly reveal voters think Trump is better at handling the economy than Harris. Democrats have done a miserable job of addressing the economy, partly because you can’t fully explain it in a 30-second sound bite. But Trump’s...

I love the game of football. I played it until I was almost 30 years old. I am also a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan — and I hope Tua Tagovailoa never plays football again. I mentioned all of those facts about me so you understand where I’m coming from and recognize my biases. I certainly have them and despite these biases, I still arrived here, wishing Tua would retire. ...

Sen. Phil Berger is steeped in the libertarian tradition. In a strikingly erudite interview, he told Business North Carolina that the main lesson he gleaned from the writings of Frederic Bastiat was to be wary of “what the government can do to you.” The irony is that his legislature has flipped this maxim on its head. Leading legislators seem to be asking themselves, “What can I do to the government?” One of the signature tics of Berger’s majority has been to put greed on a...

This week, let’s round out our discussions of fall-blooming perennials by considering the aster. Asters, botanically known as Symphyotrichum after a recent name change, are a genus of plants in the Asteraceae family (who would’ve guessed), also known as the daisy family. Their late-arriving blooms are a welcome sight in fall gardens and, with flower colors mostly on the blue-purple edge of the color wheel, they make a fabulous pairing with yellow and orange-blooming fall plants such as goldenrod and assorted chrysanthemum varieties, which I mentioned in previous columns. Let’s look closer at a few of the most prominent species...

You have probably seen this one’s bright butter-yellow flowers, the plants commonly very abundant in old agricultural fields and roadsides. The plants are sometimes present in the thousands and they can produce a brilliant floral display in the fall, sometimes even through a light frost. This species occurs nearly throughout the southern states and well into the Mississippi River valley. It is most commonly seen at lower elevations and is especially common on the coastal plain and Piedmont, not too often seen in the mountains. It can make quite an autumnal display at the edge of an old field along...

On April 30, a mob of pro-Hamas protestors defaced public property at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and yanked down, for a brief time, the American flag fluttering over a prominent part of the campus called Polk Place. Then-interim leader Lee Roberts responded with firmness and resolve. He is now the chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. A group of fraternity brothers helped defend and restore the flag to its rightful place. They became national heroes. ...

The Wall Street Journal editors turned their newspaper’s attention to North Carolina recently. In a Sept. 19 article headlined “Republican Party Kamikazes,” The Journal editors wrote, “In North Carolina and D.C., the party’s suicidal impulses are on display. “If you want to understand why Republicans keep losing elections they should win, events this week in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., are illustrative. The party keeps nominating candidates whose record makes...

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month an informative Lunch and Learn about a program called Safe at Home was held at The Country Squire Restaurant & Winery on Wednesday, September 25th. Safe Haven of Pender County held the event to try to connect with partners and referrals now that they have a Duplin County Office which is located at 506 South Norwood Street. “We had our Lunch & Learn today because we have funding for Duplin County which is called Safe at Home which...

Pumpkins and Praise Fall Festival The Charity Mission Center is hosting a festival in Rose Hill. The event will run throughout the day on October 5 with a chili cook-off, raffle, pumpkin painting, and entertainment at 1333 West Charity Road from 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Downtown Wallace is hosting...

The Duplin County Democrats made it a goal in 2024 to get more young people involved in the democratic process regardless of their political preference. They launched the initiative Friday, Sept. 23, with a Karaoke Night event at Puerto Escondido, a restaurant in Kenansville and Warsaw that offers entertainment such as karaoke night, country night, bull riding, mariachi night, and more. “We wanted to do something to help younger people...

At 53 years young, Jannette Coppage-Montgomery has proven that it’s never too late to achieve your dreams. After a nearly three-decade break from her educational journey, Coppage-Montgomery completed her bachelor of science in human services at the University of Mount Olive in August. She earned the status of Cum Laude with a 3.7 GPA. Growing up in the small, close-knit town of Hamden, Connecticut, just a few miles from Yale University, Coppage-Montgomery was the third of four siblings in a hardworking and loving family. After...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Swing for the Cure brings three events to Wallace to raise money for breast cancer research. The River Landing Golf Association for Ladies (RL GALS) initiated the Swing for the Cure as an extra Play Day 22 years ago with the annual event coming up in the next two weeks. There are two Putting for Pink Events on October 9 and 12 from...

On September 17th and 18th, the Shackle Free Community Outreach Agency (SFCO) team traveled across Eastern North Carolina to promote their message and recognize citizens for their work in the community through The Shackle Free Buzz, which is an initiative created during the COVID pandemic in 2020. As an organization, SFCO has a mission to promote holistic well-being, equity, and self-reliance in historically marginalized communities and to educate, inspire, advocate, consult, counsel, and increase awareness in rural communities of color. So it is no surprise...

Charles ‘Twig’ Rollins has announced his resignation as Town Manager of Magnolia. His next venture is moving to the greater Greensboro area as Summerfield’s next town manager. Over the last year and a half, Rollins has worked as the town manager and his final day is October 12. Prior to this role, he was the County Planner for Duplin County. Rollins is leaving his position of town manager for personal and family reasons. ...

A rough 2024 football season got a little rougher for the winless South Lenoir Blue Devils Thursday night as a strong Wallace Rose-Hill Bulldogs team defeated them 82-0. The 3-2 Bulldogs would score early and often as they ran up the score 57-0 in the first half against the 0-4 Blue Devils who were just simply outmatched. The second half moved quickly as the clock ran continuously due to 42-point mercy rule, still the Bulldogs were able to rattle off several more scores ultimately winning...