WEEK Wayne
WATER RESCUE
The city of Goldsboro — and the Wayne County Development Alliance — are working to save Eureka so the town can remain … and grow.
In another reversal, Air Force officials confirm that the 333rd Fighter Squadron is safe and the 4th FW's mission won't change. p 4
BY KEN FINE
p. 12
Mount Olive
said he was doomed from the moment he took the post — that members of the Board of Commissioners would not let him do his job. p. 6
Former
Town Manager Jammie Royall
JANUARY 26, 202 5 Volume 2, Issue 21 NEWOLDNORTH.COM
EDITORIAL
EDITOR Ken Fine
EDITOR Renee Carey
DESIGN DIRECTOR Shan Stumpf
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Casey Mozingo
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CONTENTS
4 333rd, 4th FW’s mission are safe Air Combat Command officials confirmed to Wayne Week Tuesday that the planned 2025 deactivation of the 333rd Fighter Squadron — and the transitioning of the 4th Fighter Wing to a training-only mission — would no longer be happening.
6 Fired Mount Olive manager speaks
Jammie Royall said that he took the position because he loves Mount Olive, but that it quickly became clear that members of the Board of Commissioners were working against him — and preventing him from doing his job.
8 PowerSchool hacked
Wayne County Public Schools officials say no Social Security numbers were compromised when a hacker downloaded data from PowerSchool’s cloud, but the district still does not know what student and teacher information was accessed.
10 Our take
Another victory for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base — and the community that houses it — does not mean local leaders and residents should let their guards down, as the future of the Goldsboro installation’s F-15E Strike Eagle fleet is still very much up in the air.
12 Cover story
Goldsboro leaders and the Wayne County Development Alliance are doing everything they can to help Eureka with its water and sewer problems so the town can grow and prosper.
20 Spectator
It has been three years since Wayne County residents have had the chance to enjoy a proper snow day, so when three inches of powder fell late Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning, many decided to have a little fun.
DESIGN
COVER
BY SHAN STUMPF
NEWS + VIEWS
333rd Fighter Squadron is safe. So is the 4th Fighter Wing’s mission.
According to Air Combat Command officials, saving Seymour Johnson Air Force Base’s F-15E fleet was only the first victory realized as a result of the passage of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
BY KEN FINE
Back in December, Wayne County leaders — and residents — celebrated the news that the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act had reversed the Air Force’s plan to divest a significant percentage of F-15E Strike Eagles from the branch’s fleet, replacing them with additional F-35 Lightning IIs and F-15EXs.
But questions about the fallout from the 2024 version of the NDAA remained, as in early 2024, then-4th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Lucas Teel confirmed that as a result of the approved divestment, the wing’s mission would also shift — that the 4th would become a Formal Training Unit; that the 333rd Fighter Squadron “Lancers” would be deactivated.
Tuesday, Air Combat Command officials gave the Goldsboro installation another reason to cheer.
In response to questions from Wayne Week, an ACC spokesman said the Lancers would no longer disappear — and that the wing’s mission would not be changing.
“The 333rd Fighter Squadron will remain active, and the 335th Fighter Squadron and the 4th Fighter Wing will continue executing their current missions at Seymour Johnson,” they said.
And for those, like Goldsboro Mayor Charles Gaylor, who were caught off guard by the flurry of “shocking,” “devastating” news early last year, it was a relief hearing someone say out loud what they hoped would come to pass after the divestment of Strike Eagles was paused through the end of 2028.
Because in the mayor’s view, everyone who lives in Wayne County is a part of “Team Seymour.”
“Team Seymour is made up of some critical components including our city government, our county government, our Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee, and the Friends of Seymour who, amongst other things, directly oversees the work of our lobbyists, Crossroads Strategies, located in D.C,” Gaylor said. “We are grateful to have other partners at the state level who support military bases and opera-
tions within the whole of North Carolina, but the folks focused on Seymour and only Seymour are our local partners. We strive to work together and see as much as possible but must be strong enough to respond effectively when something unexpected happens. That collective strength is what brought about this change, and how we best prepare for the future.”
That “collective strength” was needed, as it was then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown Jr. who pushed forward the plans that would have ultimately hurt Seymour Johnson.
The general, who later served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the decision was made to “balance capability and capacity.”
“Prioritizing modernization efforts to keep pace with near-peer competitors requires difficult tradeoffs with existing inventories and programs,” Brown said. “The Air Force determined the best mix for the fighter fleet calls for maintaining an F-15E fleet of 99 aircraft … and shifting resources to maximize procurement of newer fighters and capabilities.”
Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) and Congressman Don Davis (D-NC) disagreed with Brown’s philosophy.
And then, after the 335th Fighter Squadron’s successful defense of Israel in the wake of an unprecedented aerial attack launched against the U.S. ally by Iran, they started
to fight — ultimately convincing their colleagues to reverse their 2024 decision reflected in the NDAA.
Goldsboro and Wayne County elected officials got involved, too.
They broke ties with the lobbying firm, The Roosevelt Group, and hired a new one, Crossroads Strategies, to engage lawmakers and military brass — to tell the Chiefs’ story and the story of the heritage of a fighter wing that dates back to World War II.
And thanks to their efforts, less than a year after Teel confirmed that the Strike Eagle divestment had come home to Seymour Johnson, the threat had been neutralized.
“When these divestments were announced, we had the ability to respond because we have a robust team,” Gaylor said.
But, he added, the hard work of securing the base’s future remains.
“This debate within the Air Force and Congress about future funding, missions, and locations is not over,” Gaylor said. “So, we must keep every member of Team Seymour engaged and productive, doing its part to secure a future for Goldsboro that includes a strong Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.”
State Rep. John Bell, who has been a champion for the base since his community first sent him to Raleigh, agreed.
But he also believes that President Donald Trump’s administration will give local military advocates an opening they did not have during former President Joe Biden’s tenure in the Oval Office.
“This is what happens when you’ve got a pro-military administration. Our president has said he wants to have the strongest military in the world. He wants to recruit. He wants to expand. So, this is our opportunity. We have to go after it. Period,” Bell said Tuesday evening. “But man, knowing that the 333rd isn’t going anywhere and the 4th Fighter Wing is going to keep showing the world what topnotch air power looks like, this is huge news for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Let’s keep it going.” n
Fired Mount Olive manager speaks out
Jammie Royall said he took the job because he loves the town, but that it quickly became clear that members of the Board of Commissioners were interfering with his job.
BY KEN FINE
Editor’s note: On Jan. 17, former Mount Olive Town Manager Jammie Royall spoke with Wayne Week for nearly two hours about the circumstances by which he was recently fired during what he believes was an “illegal” meeting. The following story is the first in what will be several published in the coming weeks.
He wants his neighbors to know that he loves Mount Olive — that he only took on the position of town manager so he could finish his career in a community he cares about so deeply.
But Jammie Royall also wants to tell his side of a story that began with a controversial meeting change and a warning from the elected leader of the town to move cautiously and ended with the Board of Commissioners voting to terminate a man who claims he never got a chance to really do his job.
So, he spoke with Wayne Week for nearly two hours Jan. 17 to do just that.
And Royall made it clear that in his view, internal conflicts and deteriorating relationships with certain board members played a significant part in his termination.
serve the board and the town with dedication and hard work.
“I am gonna work hard in any job that I have,” he said.
And that, Royall said, is exactly what he did.
But often times, he would hit a wall, as fellow town leaders worked against him — making negative comments about the job he was doing and suggesting that it was only a matter of time before he would be fired.
Royall said he believes the board chose to hire him to meet diversity goals — he is black — but added that there were some town employees who disagreed with the choice and who wanted to have the job themselves.
That created a tough work environment from Day One, Royall said, adding that while diversity might have “played a role” in his hiring, the notion that he was given the job simply because he was black “is not correct.”
“I’ve always worked hard for anything I got,” Royall said. “So for anyone to say, ‘Well, they just gave it him,’ is just a misstatement.”
In fact, he worked for the town for a number of years — training under former Town Manager Charles Brown and working his way up to Public Works director.
And no matter what the reason was for his hiring, Royall said that he always intended to
The atmosphere, he said, made success unattainable — as interference from some of the town leaders, especially with regard to personnel, created not only a “hostile work environment,” but conditions that made it “impossible for me to do my job.”
“We had to watch our backs. That’s no secret. Every employee knew this,” Royall said. “It was a hostile work environment for all our employees. It’s been chaos up there.”
So, he was not surprised when he received a performance review from the board that included a list of items to accomplish if he wanted to keep his job.
That was in June, Royall said.
And while he claims he set about working to accomplish the list — which included specific tasks that required him to work with individual board members — scheduling became an issue.
“They wanted me to work with different commissioners and, you know, it’s kind of hard to work with commissioners on stuff like this because they’ve got their own stuff that they do, so they are not always available,” Royall said. “And they can work after hours, but I’ve been there all day and I’m not wanting to stay at Town Hall for two more
The above email was sent to Mount Olive Mayor Dr. Jerome Newton by an attorney representing former Town Manager Jammie Royall.
Jammie Royall
hours or three more hours.”
Despite those obstacles, he said he got the work done.
But Royall alleged that Commissioner Barbara Kornegay had a different opinion.
“She said things weren’t done like they should be. I said, ‘You can’t tell me that. You told me to do it. Nobody stated how to do it. So, as far as I’m concerned, it’s done,’” Royall said. “I said, ‘Barbara, I’m the town manager. You’ve told me what to do. I’ve done it. So, you can’t come back and tell me I didn’t do it because it’s not how you like it.’”
And it was not until recently that he heard any comments or received any follow up from the commissioners about that 90day performance review.
“My attorney always said that if you don’t do (a performance review) in the time you put down, everything is fine and you go from there,” Royall said.
And when he attempted to hire an employee, he was told by board members that he did not have the authority to do so — a statement that drew a response from that attorney, Glenn Barfield.
“I met with her, talked to her, interviewed her and, since she’s already working with us, I said, ‘This would be great. It’s just moving somebody up.’ Then, whenever I sent out the email saying that I hired her, (Kornegay) came up and said, ‘You can’t hire her.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ I
hired her. I told her how much she would be making. I already had her change of pay and promotion slip done. (Kornegay) and them just called it off.”
He was fired soon after that exchange.
In the end, Royall feels he was not treated fairly — and was not given the chance to do his job well, or at all.
And when asked if he felt race played a part in the firing decision, Royall said that while the comment made by Kornegay to Commissioner Delreese Simmons — Kornegay, in response to Simmons quipping about throwing his name into the hat for the town manager position should Royall be let go, allegedly told him “they would string you up” and later apologized for what she called a “poor choice of words” — did give him pause, there were many factors, from professional jealousy to him refusing to relinquish the power that came with his job to certain commissioners, that caused an insurmountable rift.
“They never let the town manager run the town,” he said.
Wayne Week is still waiting on a response from Commissioner Barbara Kornegay who said last week that it would be “helpful” if “we could put this conversation off a few days until things calm down a bit.” Should she provide one, or sit down for an interview, her thoughts will be published in a future edition of the paper. n
IT’S TIME FOR BOLDER BONDING
John D. Lewis Gaston Lewis
PowerSchool hacked, teacher and student data “compromised”
Wayne County Public Schools officials say no teacher or student Social Security numbers were jeopardized.
BY KEN FINE AND RENEE CAREY
Moments after the tardy bell rang and classroom doors were secured, Wayne County Public Schools teachers were expected to use it to take attendance. During planning periods, they used it log grades.
With a few clicks of a mouse, they could use it to tell you where each one of their students lived — and with whom.
They could, through the PowerSchool platform, access students’ birthdays, health information — including allergies and other medical conditions — and their guardians’ phone numbers.
Information about teachers was stored on its cloud, too.
Now, some of that data could, according to state officials, make its way onto the “dark web” — a result of a “cybersecurity incident” that unfolded Dec. 28 when a hacker exported “personal
information” from one of PowerSchool’s “community-focused customer support portals.”
And while WCPS recently switched to Infinite Campus and no longer uses PowerSchool, the district likely did not come out unscathed, as historical data was also compromised — though spokesman Ken Derksen did confirm to Wayne Week that “no Social Security numbers” ended up in the hands of the persons PowerSchool has identified only as “threat actors.”
• • •
The notification came into the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Jan. 7, just a few days after students returned to public school campuses from Winter Break.
And while N.C. schools represented only a sliver of those impacted by the breach of
what PowerSchool characterized as its “global client base,” NCDPI officials acted quickly — contacting its districts and issuing the following statement:
“On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool became aware of a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to student and teacher data. The data breach occurred when the credentials of a PowerSchool contract employee were compromised. The threat actors used the compromised account to download student and staff data tables from schools around the world.
PowerSchool has shared that the threat has been contained and that the compromised data was not shared and has been destroyed. PowerSchool is working with law enforcement to monitor the dark web for any data exposure.
As the party responsible for the breach, PowerSchool will conduct all necessary notifications
once the investigation is completed to ensure appropriate and accurate compliance with local, state and federal requirements and laws. PowerSchool has informed all impacted Public School Units (PSU). All PSUs that currently or previously utilized the PowerSchool SIS were impacted by the data breach to some degree.
A limited number of student social security numbers were exposed, specifically less than 1,000 students’ social security numbers were in the data from the 12 years PowerSchool administered North Carolina’s student information system. More teachers’ social security numbers were impacted than students. PowerSchool is analyzing the data and has shared that they plan to begin the notification process by the end of January.
Both PowerSchool and independent security consultants have also confirmed that there were no actions that NCDPI or any
STATEMENT FROM POWERSCHOOL
On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool became aware of a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized exportation of personal information from certain PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) environments through one of our community-focused customer support portal, PowerSource.
PowerSchool is not experiencing, nor does it expect to experience, any operational disruption and continues to provide services as normal to our customers. We have no evidence that other PowerSchool products were affected as a result of this incident or that there is any malware or continued unauthorized activity in the PowerSchool environment.
PowerSchool will be offering two years of complimentary identity protection services for all students and educators whose information was involved and will also be offering two years of complimentary credit monitoring services for all adult students and educators whose information was involved. We are doing this regardless of whether an individual’s Social Security Number was exfiltrated
PowerSchool has engaged Experian, a trusted credit reporting agency, to provide these services. Starting in the next few weeks, PowerSchool will coordinate with Experian to provide notice on behalf of our customers to students (or their parents/ guardians if the student is under 18) and educators whose information was exfiltrated
from their PowerSchool SIS.
For involved students and educators, the types of information exfiltrated in the incident may have included one or more of the following: the individual’s name, contact information, date of birth, limited medical alert information, Social Security Number (SSN), and other related information. Due to differences in customer requirements, the information exfiltrated for any given individual varied across our customer base.
On January 7, 2025, we proactively communicated this incident to the PowerSchool SIS customers affected by this incident. On January 17, 2025, PowerSchool shared next steps with those same SIS customers. Districts and schools that do not utilize PowerSchool SIS were not affected
As soon as we learned of the incident, we immediately engaged our cybersecurity response protocols and mobilized a crossfunctional response team, including senior leadership and third-party cybersecurity experts. Since then, over the last few weeks, we have been focused on assessing the scope of data involved, making further enhancements to our cybersecurity defenses, and developing a plan to help you and our shared community. We take our responsibility to protect student, family, and educator data privacy extremely seriously, and we are committed to providing customers, families, and educators with resources and support as we work through this together. n
PSU could have taken to prevent this global cybersecurity incident.
NCDPI is working closely with PSUs across the state to identify the specific information accessed at each school and to support students and staff throughout this process. We are also advocating with PowerSchool on behalf of North Carolina’s students and educators to ensure timely notification and appropriate actions, such as credit monitoring. NCDPI remains committed to providing guidance and resources to help affected individuals stay informed and receive the necessary support as we work to address the impact of this incident.”
• • •
Beyond the good news that Social Security numbers from WCPS were not compromised, Derksen said the district was unable
to provide additional information at this time, as local officials wait on a complete report from NCDPI.
And that means it remains unclear what data from previous years when the district utilized PowerSchool was downloaded during the breach.
But when that information does become available, Derksen pledged transparency from WCPS — while noting that it was the responsibility of PowerSchool to communicate directly with those whose data was impacted.
PowerSchool has committed to offering “two years of complimentary identity protection services” and “two years of complimentary credit monitoring services” for all students and educators whose information was involved, regardless of whether their Social Security number was “exfiltrated.” n
{ our TAKE }
CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF
When we got the news in late December that then-President Joe Biden had signed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act into law — that with the stroke of a pen, the Air Force’s plan to divest a chunk of its F-15E fleet had been reversed — we celebrated. We thought about the Strike Eagles that have ripped through Wayne County skies for decades — and what it would have been like to lose them.
We thought about the men and women who ensure they are ready, at a moment’s notice, to deliver the world’s most lethal display of air power — and what it would mean to our nation and our allies to see them sidelined in nofail moments.
But we also sent a request to the Air Force for additional information.
Because, you see, losing Strike Eagles was not the only local fallout from the 2024 edition of the NDAA — and while our fighter jets being saved through the end of 2028 was certainly a headline that merited jumping up and down, we knew there was more to the story.
And it was, potentially, bad. Very bad.
The 333rd Fighter Squadron — the “Lancers” — would be deactivated in 2025.
And, in a blow that was, perhaps, even worse than losing a few fighter jets, the
4th Fighter Wing would transition to a training-only mission.
Col. Lucas Teel confirmed as much almost a year ago when he was still in command.
Here’s why those two things matter:
The F-15E community is a relatively small one, and those who work on — or from the cockpit of — Strike Eagles are shuffled across a handful of bases for the better part of their careers.
And because the 4th has two training squadrons and two operational squadrons, most members of that F-15E community know that they will likely spend a large part of their Air Force journey right here in Goldsboro.
Many, because of that, invest in Wayne County.
They buy homes, plant roots, and start families right here. Some even retire to our neighborhoods when their service comes to an end.
They become coaches and mentors and start businesses. (Think Brick’s Woodfired Pizza.)
And yes, that generates an impact — on both the fabric of this community and its economy.
So, why was nobody — from our highpaid consultants to our local military advocates — talking about the Lancers and the 4th’s mission?
And why, nearly a month after we sent a request for that information, were we still hearing crickets?
Well, Tuesday, we asked again and finally got a response.
If you have read this week’s News + Views section, you know the news is good. Very good.
Air Combat Command officials confirmed that the changes announced for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base are no longer.
The Lancers aren’t going anywhere.
And the 4th as a training-only wing? Not anymore.
Said another way, this week, we got another second chance.
State Rep. John Bell, a tireless advocate for the military and Wayne County, thinks the credit belongs to what he characterized as President Donald Trump’s pro-military agenda. There is no telling, he said, what is coming with regard to improving not only conditions for military personnel and their families, but for strengthening readiness and equipment — as well as recruitment and benefits — for all service branches. Indeed, Trump has promised to make America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines his top priority — and to ensure strengthening the nation’s military is Job 1.
And if he lives up to that pledge, that means good news for any community that is home to a military installation — but especially for one with a long, positive record of support like Wayne County.
But Bell said something else — something that he has said before and so, by the way, have we.
This is not a time to sit back and to let our guard down — not if we want to create a bright future for our community and make sure Seymour Johnson Air Force Base remains a growing, thriving part of it.
We have to lobby NOW to be included in those future plans, in the advancements in warfighting, in the next generation of air frames, and base and mission structures.
That’s right. We have to be thinking ahead, planning ahead, and making sure our voices are heard.
We have to continue to clean up our community — to get rid of the problems, the bad management, and the poor performance that seem to be bubbling to the top in many of our towns.
We can’t afford to find out years later that bad management or neglected duties and poor financial decisions have made it impossible — or very difficult — to make the changes we need to welcome investment of any kind in our community.
In other words, we must be ready when opportunity knocks.
And that means we have to continue to push to support those who are fighting to improve our public schools.
We have to help towns like Eureka when they are getting railroaded by their neighbors.
have to eagle eye spending and work with efficiency in mind.
For Goldsboro, that means taking seriously the recommendation of the consultant who recently told the City Council that the city government was functioning, “in many ways,” like it was stuck in the 1980s.
And while we have said it before, we have to restate the fact that we don’t need partygoers, mix-and-minglers and scotch-sippers to be spending our tax dollars on unchecked “advocacy” efforts.
We need people who understand the mission — and who aren’t “too cool” to talk to those who got us here for advice.
Sometimes the old ways offer critical insights.
Force Base stands to benefit in big ways.
So, it is up to us, the voters, to ensure that promise is kept.
But we don’t have to travel to Washington to make our voices heard.
In Wayne County, we send messages in other ways.
We always have.
We have had decades of experience in not only providing support and compassion for military personnel and their families but also in creating a home away from home for those who have retired here.
We are a community that understands the mission.
We flood the streets of downtown Goldsboro during N.C. Freedom Fest and converge on the flightline during Wings Over Wayne.
The Lancers aren't going anywhere. And the 4th as a training-only wing? Not anymore.
We have to hold elected officials accountable when they do dumb things. (Think Mount Olive and the mess the town’s Board of Commissioners just created.)
And we cannot afford any more worthless public officials or bureaucrats at any level.
It is time to weed the garden — literally.
And since we have broached the subject, let us just say this: Throwing money at an organization or government entity — especially one for which you exchange that money for services or advocacy — without proper supervision and accountability is a recipe for disaster.
If we want to be players, we have to act like players — not chumps.
Of course, all of this also means that we
We have had the relationship we have had with Air Force personnel because of the groundwork laid by those who worked for decades to build it.
Now that we have gotten another huge piece of good news, we should ask them to help us reset to ensure we’re never in the place we were in a year ago again.
But there is another warning as well.
There are a few elected leaders in our community whose focus is solely on lining their pockets and gumming up the process because they really have no interest in truly understanding the importance of the base and its mission in Wayne County.
Their ignorance is dangerous and their embarrassing “speed bump” behavior is tiresome.
We can’t afford to let them dictate policy and impede progress.
So, it is up to the majorities on our city and county boards to ignore them and do the right thing.
And remember this, too.
No matter who you voted for in November, Jan. 20, 2025, brought with it a sea change — a whole new perspective on how this nation defends itself and how we support the men and women charged with that mission.
If the Trump Administration delivers on its “America First” agenda, Seymour Johnson Air
And yes, we slap “I Love Jet Noise” bumper stickers on the back of our family vehicles. Now is our chance to take advantage of the shift in Washington and to position ourselves to be a part of the future.
But if we sit back and do nothing, if we let out a huge sigh of relief that we dodged another bullet and go back to our old ways, this will not end well.
We can’t count on white knights to come along to save us like they did the last time. Because, trust us, they made it look easy, but both Senator Ted Budd and Congressman Don Davis had to do a whole lot of work to fix this one — or at least to get us even close to a reprieve.
We can’t count on that happening again. So, we must acknowledge that each and every one of us has a role to play.
Sitting back and complaining is not enough.
Shaking our heads at incompetence and poor leadership isn’t going to move us forward.
Waiting for someone else to do the work or to take the risk? That’s no solution either.
We have to be the county that thinks big, that isn’t afraid to hold its leaders accountable, and that understands that moving forward and creating a strong and vibrant community to leave to our children and grandchildren takes real effort.
We can do it. We have already started. Now, it is about taking it to the next level. We got our “moment” when Congress — and Biden — saved the F-15E fleet for the next few years.
And we just got another one with the announcement that the Lancers were here to stay, and the 4th’s mission won’t change. The third? Whatever it is, all of us will have to be a part of making it happen.
So, let’s get to work.
No more excuses.
No more settling. Let’s go. n
WATER RESCUE
The city of Goldsboro — and the Wayne County Development Alliance — are working to save Eureka so the town can remain … and grow.
BY KEN FINE
As of the 2023 Census, the town only boasted a population of 215.
But according to Goldsboro Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston, that has not stopped Eureka from racking up a water bill that rivals — and might even eclipse — that of its 1,199-person neighbor, Fremont.
The reasons are fairly simple.
But in order to gain a complete understanding of the situation — and the consequences of not seeking a way to rectify it — Livingston said it is important to start with how the water and sewer systems in the towns are set up.
Fremont has an interlocal water and sewer agreement with Goldsboro.
Eureka is Fremont’s customer. So, when it is time to collect payment for the services provided by the Wayne County seat, Fremont foots the bill. At least, that is how it used to work.
But then, Fremont decided to charge Eureka more than twice what Goldsboro charges Fremont — a price, Livingston said, that is not sustainable for Eureka given the town’s “inflow and infiltration” problems.
And now, Fremont has notified its neighbor that the town is terminating it as a customer at the end of March for Eureka’s failure to pay its bills.
“Fremont is paying their bill, but what they’re not doing … is paying Eureka’s bill,” Livingston said. “And they’re saying to us, ‘Well, Eureka isn’t paying us so we can’t pay you, Goldsboro, for Eureka’s flow.’”
Fortunately for Eureka, Livingston has a plan.
Back in 2019, Eureka was notified by the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer that the state intended to take over the town’s finances — a move justified by then-Treasurer Dale Folwell as being necessary over concern about how the town was managing its sewer system funds.
Soon after, he followed through, impounding Eureka’s financial records and taking over its accounts.
But the town did not, thanks to Rep. John Bell, have to declare bankruptcy — and was, instead, the recipient of a $200,000 bailout courtesy of a bipartisan legislative effort, Senate Bill 691, which
allocated emergency operating funds for small towns with utilities issues.
And instead of dissolving, Eureka was given a five-year suspension of its charter.
With the Local Government Commission in charge of the town, Bell said he felt good about seeking $20 million to ensure Eureka’s faulty system — one that allowed for infiltration that generated far too much flow to Goldsboro via Fremont — was replaced.
He was wrong.
“They just failed. They failed this town,” Bell said. “They had four years. They couldn’t do it in four years.”
Instead, they failed — twice during a five-year period — to apply for access to the emergency fund created, essentially, for Eureka.
“I raised hell,” Bell said. “And I withdrew the $20 million that was carved out for the Town of Eureka because the Local Government Commission failed to do anything with it. It was just sitting there.”
But when the town was nearing the end of its takeover this summer and seemed poised to get its charter back, he “clawed” the $20 million back and gave it to the Wayne County Development Alliance.
Freemont and Eureka’s water and sewage is treated by the city of Goldsboro.
Photos courtesy of the City of Goldsboro
“I trust that they’ll get the job done,” Bell said. “And now, they’ve tapped into even more funding, and we’ll be able to create a regional system. Now, we’ve just got to deal with Goldsboro and we’re moving forward.”
Dealing with Goldsboro means figuring out a way to ensure Eureka can weather their current issues with Fremont — a problem Bell said was a result of greed.
“You’ve got Fremont jacking their rates up and you’ve got a lot of people living there on fixed incomes and it’s a community that isn’t growing. The math just doesn’t work,” Bell said. “Now, it looks like Fremont has said, ‘Hey. We’re cutting you off.’ It’s ridiculous. So, now, we’re looking at a pathway to how do we do this and just go around Fremont? That’s why we’ve been working with (Livingston) and his team in Goldsboro.”
Livingston told Wayne Week that his plan to rectify the Fremont/Eureka debt issue is simple.
“So, what the city has said is, ‘OK. It goes through the same pipes. We’re going to start reading the meter (where Eureka ends) so we’ll know exactly what Eureka’s flow is,’” he said. “As of January, we have started monitoring (Eureka’s) flow so we can give them pseudo bills — Continued on page 16
EUREKA'S WATER PROBLEM
Continued from page 14
what they would be paying us at the reduced rate. That way, we can reach an agreement. So, when they do disconnect (from Fremont) we’ll start billing using a separate agreement with Eureka to charge them for their flow.”
And he is confident — not only that Eureka can afford the cost of doing business with Goldsboro, but also that town officials are ready to put the money the WCDA is holding to good use to fix what he characterized as a “poorly designed” and “poorly engineered” system.
“Eureka is doing their due diligence in understanding what’s going on with their system.,” Livingston said. “And they have more than an adequate amount of money to get done what they need to do.”
But Goldsboro’s interim city manager has also made it clear that the city will not “take over Eureka’s system” until “such time when they’ve made the repairs.”
“We’re on the same page. We both know that what needs to happen first is we need to fix those pipes and fix those issues,” Livingston said. “And they think they know what the problems are. Now, it’s just a matter of taking that ($20 million) and getting a contractor to make that happen.”
And once Eureka “makes it happen,” Bell believes the sky is the limit as far as potential growth in its corner of Wayne County.
“Wilson County is booming and it’s right next door, so fixing the system in Eureka now gives them a really good chance to survive and to grow,” he said.
It's going to work out and it's gonna be special. Just watch. Eureka is gonna shock a whole lot of people.
“It could be a bedroom community right outside Wilson County for folks who want to work in Wilson County and live in a small town. Now, Eureka has that chance. It’s exciting.”
But what’s more exciting for Bell, a man from another tight-knit Wayne County community, is the fact that after nearly being dissolved just a few years ago, Eureka — and the families who have called it home for generations — will retain their identity.
“These people want to exist in their town. It’s livelihoods and families. Eureka is who they are,” Bell said. “It’s their home. It’s no different than people saying, ‘Why don’t you just dissolve Seven Springs?’ It’s their fricken home. So, (Folwell) wanted to dissolve it and just let the whole thing go to Fremont, but we had to stand up and do the right thing. Home matters. And you know what, Eureka — even though there’s only 200 people living there — matters just as much as any other home in our state.”
And once what he and Livingston believe will soon be a regional system is up and running, it will be well-postured for the second act they feel its residents deserve.
“It’s going to work out and it’s gonna be special,” Bell said. “Just watch. Eureka is gonna shock a whole lot of people. And the folks out there deserve it because the Local Government Commission really did fail them. We got more done in six, seven months than they accomplished in four years. And we’re just getting started.” n
... and get ready, because the Sept. 6, 2025 version is sure to be our best festival yet!
Congratulations to the BEST team in NORTH CAROLINA!
The Wayne County Clerk’s Office was one of only six offices in the state to achieve an “Effective” audit opinion for our internal audit — the highest opinion given, which indicates excellence in minimizing potential risks.
I feel so blessed to work with all of you.
Thank you for helping Wayne County shine!
Sending you love and best wishes as we take on this new year together as a community!
Julie Whitfield, Wayne County Clerk of Court
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Durwood Ray Grimes, deceased, late of Wayne County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 26th day of April, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 21st day of January, 2025. Lorrie G. Thomas Administrator for the Estate of Durwood Ray Grimes 611 Watery Branch Church Road, Stantonsburg, North Carolina, 27883
Published Jan. 26, 2025, and Feb. 2, 2025
SNOW DAY!
It has been three years since Wayne County was treated to a proper snow day, and local residents took full advantage of the three inches of powder that fell late Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning.
the SPECTATOR
PHOTOS BY CASEY MOZINGO and KEN FINE
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EASTERN NC’S PREMIERE WHOLESALE GROWER
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