Wayne Week — June 9, 2024

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR E SE N T S A W E E K LY N E WS M AG A Z I N E

J U N E 9, 2 024

Wayne

WEEK

Celebrating our first year in print by checking in on our most discussed stories. page 4

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

CONTENTS 4 Issue No. 1: Homelessness JUNE 9, 2024 Volume 1, Issue 44

NEWOLDNORT H .CO M

EDITORIAL EDITOR Ken Fine EDITOR Renee Carey DESIGN DIRECTOR Shan Stumpf PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Casey Mozingo

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Tent City has been shuttered, but now, according to Goldsboro police, homeless residents are sleeping under overpasses, on “random front porches,” behind businesses, and, in one case, have “taken over” the home of a man found dead by the GPD last month.

6 Issue No. 2: Gun violence

The number of shots-fired incidents and rounds fired continues to climb inside the Goldsboro city limits, but Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said he and his officers are about to shake things up in the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

10 Issue No. 3 — Schools vs. County Wayne County Public Schools has “well over 100” teaching vacancies as of today and despite the fact that the district asked the Wayne County Board of Commissioners to help local schools compete with neighboring communities via funding an increase in stipends, the county did not include the money in its budget.

14 Issue No. 4 — Feds vs. WCSO

Former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox was supposed to be sentenced at the end of June after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking and bid-rigging charges, but a 60-day delay means he will not learn his fate until the end of the summer.

16 Issue No. 5 — Goldsboro’s budget The Goldsboro City Council has figured out a way to lower Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston’s recommended 15cent property tax increase to 9.5 cents, but several members of the board believe getting there by taking $500,000 from the General Fund balance is a mistake.

22 Other issues we are watching

From lawsuits and upcoming elections, to the uncertain future of the 4th Fighter Wing and investigations into several Wayne County municipalities by the state, there is still much more to cover as we begin Wayne Week’s second year.

COVER DESIGN

BY SHAN STUMPF/ ADOBE STOCK newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 3

Wayne

Out of the woods.

Into your backyard.

WEEK

FIRST YEAR IN REVIEW THIS WEEK’S EDITION IS SPECIAL. When we started this journey, people told us we were crazy — that there was no way we could launch and sustain a successful print publication in 2023.

Newspapers were dying, they told us.

Nobody will pay to read it, they said.

Forget about advertisers, they cautioned.

But nearly a year to the day since we published our debut edition of Wayne Week, here we are.

Frankly, it’s because of you.

And as we put together the content map for this celebratory newspaper, we realized something else about just why Wayne Week has resonated across this community — why we have, together, impacted real change in nearly every municipality in this county since we wiped the ink off our fingers for the very first time last June.

It’s a result of a journalistic philosophy.

As you, our subscribers, are well aware, we have relentlessly hammered away at many of the issues you will read about in this special edition of Wayne Week.

And yes, we believe that continuing coverage is a hallmark of high-quality journalism, but that is not why we have used so much ink on everything from Goldsboro’s homelessness and gun violence crises to the state of Wayne

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County Public Schools and criminal cases built by the federal government against two former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office leaders.

Not entirely.

We believe that by keeping critical conversations going, together, we have ensured change has come that has improved this place we will one day leave to our children and grandchildren.

And it sends a message to those we elected to serve us that we will no longer accept the status quo.

So, as we celebrate all our coalition has accomplished this year, we felt it was worth reminding ourselves that there is still more work to be done on what we feel are the most critical issues in Wayne County.

Those in power have responded many times since this journey began.

Let’s see how much more we can accomplish in Year Two.

Despite the fact that he contends it was “necessary” to shutter the Tent City off Royall Avenue, Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West acknowledges the city now has a homelessness “fiasco” on its hands.

T

BY KEN FINE

hey refuse to accept the help being offered to them and, instead, are pitching tents in wooded areas behind local businesses, sleeping on “random front porches” and “under overpasses,” and, in one case, have refused to leave the home of a man Goldsboro police found dead inside the house last month — a person they claim “gave them permission” to live on the property.

But while Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West characterized the status of the city’s homelessness crisis as both a “fiasco” and a “complete mess,” he said at this point, he and his officers are committed to staying the course — to ensuring that property owners retain their rights and more encampments do not pop up in the wake of a decision by city leaders to clear out the original Tent City located off Royall Avenue beyond the tree line.

“The worst thing we could do is give up,” West said. “But this is going to take time. It was always going to take time.”

It started in March when, after providing several months of notice, members of the GPD and officials from various nonprofits informed residents of the Royall Avenue Tent City that they needed to vacate the land or face arrest for trespassing.

The United Way was one of those organizations and coordinated with everyone from Tommy’s Foundation and the Salvation Army to the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide as many services as possible to those the organization knew would soon be told to leave the property.

Shelters were opened — and security was paid for — but nobody came.

The DMV agreed to facilitate distribution of ID cards to homeless residents, but there were no takers.

And instead, new Tent City locations began popping up across the city — from the Stoney Creek Park Greenway to a wooded area next to a service road off U.S. 117 just past 117 Storage.

West called it a “nightmare” and said law enforcement had seen an uptick in calls relating to panhandling and “suspicious people” in those areas, but when his officers secured trespass agreements and shuttered those sites, the homeless population “scattered across the city” after being threatened with arrest.

Now, you can find them everywhere from the wooded areas behind the Berkeley Boulevard Chick-fil-A and T.J. Maxx to “random front porches.”

And every time a new encampment is identified, the process for the GPD starts over.

“The slowdown for us at this point is getting these additional properties that they’re staying on, tracking down the owners and getting trespass agreements. That usually takes like seven to ten days,” West told Wayne Week a month ago. “So, it takes some time.

But whenever we find them on properties, we’re going to talk to the owners. And if we get trespass agreements, we’re going to end up charging them and putting them in jail. That’s where we’re at. And it’s unfortunate, but it seems like they don’t want the help that’s being offered to them, and people have a right to not have folks camping on their property without permission.”

But for the chief, there is something more disturbing unfolding in neighborhoods across the city.

On May 5, the GPD responded to 212 Randall Lane and found the homeowner,

“At this point, our hands are tied,” West said. “The law sides with the tenant and unfortunately, the family is going to have to get a lawyer and go through a process.”

Meanwhile, neighbors are outraged.

Several of them spoke to Wayne Week, but declined to give their names for fear of being “targeted” by what they characterized as the “aggressive” people living inside the house.

“It’s disgusting. You see it, right? Clothes and trash all piled up all over the place,” one woman said. “My babies aren’t even safe to walk their own street anymore without being harassed by some junkie. This is outrageous.

The city is failing us, and we pay taxes.”

And a man who lives a few houses away from the home Rowe was found dead in said he has already noticed “strange activity” on Randall Lane — from “random things disappearing from our yards” to disturbances “in the middle of the night.”

“My gut tells me that, as a man, I have the

This is a hornets' nest and this whole of Goldsboro is about to get stung.

Mansel Rowe, dead inside the residence.

They also found tents, piles of trash, shopping carts, and other debris on the property.

A former Tent City resident told officers he had “an agreement” with Rowe — that he was “paying rent” to live in the house but failed to produce any documentation that proved he was a tenant.

The family of the deceased has tried, in the month since, to evict the man and the “four or five” other former Tent City residents who now reside inside the house on Randall Lane.

But the legal process is a lengthy one and, to date, they are still living there — despite the fact that all of the appliances have been removed from the home and the power has been disconnected.

right to defend my neighborhood and my home,” he said. “But watch what happens if I take the law into my own hands. I’ll be the one who gets locked up.”

This is not, he said, a Randall Lane or Central Heights Road problem.

So, he urged the community to “take a stand” before “y’all’s neighborhoods are next.”

“Here’s what they’re gonna do, because they did it here. They are gonna find a sickly person or an elderly person and wait ‘till they die. Then, they are gonna claim they were told they could stay in their house,” he said.

“That’s how you end up with the mess we got out here. And Mr. Mayor, if you’re listening, we vote, too. This is a hornets’ nest and this whole of Goldsboro is about to get stung.”n

{our TAKE }

SADLY, THERE ARE LIMITS

E

mpathy.

That’s what pushes honest, Godfearing, and good-hearted people to feel sorry for those who are living in the woods, in tents, in enclaves, and in the elements.

We know they have stories. We know what they have been through.

We have talked to many of them — and shared their tales, their struggles, with this community.

And we would like to help them — and many of us do through donations and other acts of kindness.

But then, the consequences of hurling money at a problem that you have simply hoped would go away — even though your intentions were good — come to your neighborhood.

And that’s where we are with the problem of homelessness in Wayne County.

There are families who are struggling, who need a hand up — single mothers escaping abusive relationships and folks who were living paycheck to paycheck before a layoff led to a spiral.

They aren’t the real concern.

Their needs are, largely, being met.

Our issue now is the bands of homeless residents who are in the drug culture — and who are occupying private spaces and creating debris, unsanitary conditions and who, in some cases, probably many cases, are breaking the law.

If the story of the takeover of a dead resident’s house doesn’t scare you, or the reports of increased criminal activity in neighborhoods across the city don’t make you pause, think about this: If there is not something major done, and not just another shuffle from one location to another, it will likely get worse.

Just ask some of the residents of the cities where takeovers of the streets are commonplace.

Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West and his officers are doing the best they can, but there is no more time for sitting back and waiting.

We need to root out the crime, make

sure our local laws support the rights of property owners, and get busy cleaning up this mess.

And yes, as much as we would like to be touchy feely and make excuses, we have a criminal element in our community that is wreaking havoc — real havoc.

They are panhandling. They are stealing. They are squatting. And they are using drugs out in the open, which also means that the debris is anywhere they feel like discarding it.

How long before a child dies from a chance encounter with a needle? Do we really want to wait for that?

Those who are in the grips of addiction deserve our compassion. But so, too, do the residents, property owners, and innocents who have to deal with the consequences of their choices.

There is no straddling the line.

Not anymore.

We need real action — and zero political spin.

There is no way to placate both sides here.

We need to formulate a real plan with goals that are achievable and measurable.

And that includes the non-profits who are doing the yeoman’s work here.

They can’t force anyone to get help.

But we can make sure that until they do hit that rock bottom that our residents are safe.

That should be our top priority right now — before we read about a tragedy or even one more drug-related overdose.

We can’t look down the road anymore.

And neither can the public officials who inherited this problem.

Action, not words.

Support for the law enforcement efforts and the men and women who have to do the work, not flip-flopping and equivocating to look compassionate to voters.

That’s what we need now.

Because West is right.

This is a fiasco.

And there is simply too much at stake in this community to let it go on unresolved. n

newoldnorth.com

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ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Gun violence remains a threat As schools begin to dismiss for the summer, Goldsboro police are expecting an uptick in what has already been a jarring number of shots-fired incidents inside the city limits in 2024.

BY KEN FINE

A

Friday morning shooting that resulted in a 40-year-old being airlifted to ECU Health.

An 18-year-old who took a bullet along the 1000 block of Lincoln Drive four days earlier.

A May 25 murder that unfolded on Elm Street after shots were fired at just after 6 p.m.

A teenage girl shot and flown to Greenville for treatment.

And just this Wednesday, a 21-year-old murdered — and an 18-year-old critically injured — during a broad daylight gunfight.

It has been only a month since a Wayne Week cover story unwrapped the staggering number of shots-fired incidents and rounds fired inside the city limits in 2024 after a teenager allegedly shot someone to death in broad daylight outside of a business located a stone’s throw away from downtown Goldsboro.

But in the 34 days since it was reported that 211 shooting incidents — and 1,176 rounds fired — had been logged by ShotSpotter since Jan. 1, another 15 shootings have transpired, and an additional 149 bullets have flown.

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I think, I'm hoping, that we can head this thing off.

We just need to stay on it week after week after week.

And while only six homicides have been investigated this year by the Goldsboro Police Department, that number would be much higher, lawmen say, had the shooters accomplished what they set out to do when they pulled their respective triggers.

GPD Chief Mike West has told members of the City Council repeatedly that figuring out how illegal firearms are making their way into the city — and getting them off the streets — is Priority One for his officers.

But doing so, he contends, only can happen when his depleted ranks are made whole early next year.

And while pay increases approved in February after months of back and forth have resulted in a “flood” of applications from would-be rookie officers — men and women who, now that they have been vetted and hired, will have to complete Basic Law Enforcement Training before they start working the beat — that does not help in the short term.

City Councilwoman Jamie Taylor suggested that until staffing numbers inside the GPD are

restored, it might be wise to ask for help from outside agencies.

“Do we call in the Feds to help us? All I know is that one life lost is too many,” she said. “What it’s going to take — somebody who is influential in this community getting killed in a drive-by shooting or by a stray bullet? Is that what it’s going to take for us to ask for the help we need?”

But West said that “you’re not going to get much help from the Feds.”

“I mean, they’re working with us when we get gun cases and arrests. If they can take a person through federal charges they will, so they’re assisting us there,” he said. “They’re just not boots on the ground.”

And as schools prepare to let out for the summer, it’s boots he needs.

“It’s not unusual. Regardless of what the current crime status is, business always picks up for us in the summertime. You’ve got young kids out of school with a lot of idle time on their hands,” West said. “So, we always see the numbers go up during the summertime.

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Continued from page 6

But this year, we’ve been preparing.”

Calling officers in on their days off and running weekly “ops” is a strategy he hopes will result in fewer gun-related incidents and homicides.

“What we typically see is that when we can get out and get boots on the ground in some of these hot areas — whether it’s Lincoln Homes or Fairview or around there — and we start putting people in jail and getting some guns off the street, things have a tendency to quiet down in the city,” West said. “People tend to hang low for a while.”

And if, despite depleted numbers, his officers agree to make the sacrifice it will take to consistently do just that, city residents will not have to wait until the end of the year to see a change.

“I think, I’m hoping, that we can head this thing off,” he said. “We just need to stay on it week after week after week.”

That, the chief believes, will buy the department — and the community — the time they need to realize a staffed-up GPD that can “do what we do best” with Gang Prevention, Selective Housing, and Vice units that are whole and “community policing” in full gear.

“For seven consecutive years, we dropped crime. We had the staffing, and

we community policed. We were doing the pickup basketball games with the kids and going to different community functions,” West said. “Then, the George Floyd anti-police stuff hit and we started losing officers, and COVID hit and we had to disengage in the community. So, now, we’re trying to get back into the community policing, but we don’t have the staffing.

So, I’m pretty confident that as we get our numbers back up toward the end of the year, we’ll be able to get back out into the community and do what we do best. And I think at that point, you will see a safer city.”

But given that there are, based on his “conservative number,” some eight gangs — and “the little wannabe punks and thugs who offshoot and want to do their own thing” — operating across Goldsboro, the chief understands that there is no time to waste.

“So, I think you’ll start to see, as early as this week, us changing things up a little bit. I’ve talked to the officers, and they are ready to go,” he said. “And again, once we start putting some people in jail and sending that message that we’re on the ground and willing to disrupt what they’re doing out there in those neighborhoods, my hope is that we will see things quiet down a little bit. But we’re on it. We know we have to do something.”n

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{our TAKE }

227

TARGETING A SOLUTION

shots-fired incidents.

Six murders.

Thirteen people seriously wounded.

1,325 rounds fired.

Those are real numbers, in this city, since January.

And yes, that’s a lot.

And no, the numbers have not gone down.

We have been through a lot in the past few years — more and more violent crime, more innocent lives lost, and more gang recruitment.

Add to that continuing issues with drug trafficking and you have some pretty shocking statistics and countless lives lost or almost lost.

You see it if you follow the police log.

And you might even know it if you are one of the people who is unfortunate enough to live in some of this community’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

But keep this in mind as you look at where we are and where we need to be when it comes to gun violence.

The borders of crime-ridden areas and places where bullets are flying include some pretty high-profile addresses these days. So, yes, it is coming to your neighborhoods, too, if it is not already lurking around the corner.

We know how we got here. It was not just about money and budgets.

Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West told us as much.

The anti-police rhetoric that has been echoing across the country has taken its toll — on budgets, on recruitment, on restrictions, and on consequences for young officers who put their lives at risk to keep their communities safe.

So, many of them — and veteran officers — just decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.

And while we were lucky that the lunacy that has swept the country did not ferment as much here — even though there were some who tried to turn "back the blue" into "ban the blue" — the GPD still took a hit.

So, as we attempt to rebuild, money — and getting the incentives in place

to attract and to keep quality police personnel — matters.

We need more officers on the beat, and to have the wiggle room necessary to get busy with gang task forces and other investigatory squads that can stop crime before it starts.

We have to send the message that there will be a response — and consequences — for anyone who decides to set up a criminal operation in this community.

And we have to have a prosecutor and judges who are laser-focused on reinforcing that message.

Controlling crime is not just about safety. It is critical for property values and for attracting business and residential investment into our county.

So, no more political correctness and saying whatever will keep the “P.C.” mob off our backs.

And, although we need responsible gun laws, no more pointing fingers at legal gun owners as the “reason for the problem” while thugs roam the streets without consequence.

We need to send a message.

No more. Not here.

Fortunately, we have done that — a move you helped make happen by the way.

The city of Goldsboro has, as a result of some pressure, approved increases in pay scales to attract more applicants.

And it’s working.

But it will take time to move from reacting to reports of crime to working to stop it before it starts.

So, we will have to be patient while the Goldsboro Police Department gets the proper tools in place.

And when all is said and done, we can get criminals to think twice before choosing our city, and keep the deadly, harmful, and corrosive influences away from our kids.

But we also cannot be afraid to keep publishing — and confronting — the numbers and the reasons why these young people are out of control.

Because every single bullet is a threat, not just to “inner city” housing communities, but to all of us.

And that should rattle, to the core, all who live in the Wayne County seat.n

newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 9

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

WCPS: County budget shortchanged teachers

No stipend increase is coming for local educators and with “well over 100” teaching vacancies in the district, recruiting “the best” could be a challenge.

BY RENEE CAREY

T

he personnel report approved by the Wayne County Board of Education at its June 3 meeting perpetuated a grim reality that has been playing out for the last several months.

More than 60 teachers retired or resigned since the board’s May meeting — a number that vaulted the number of vacancies in Wayne County Public Schools to, as district spokesman Ken Dersken put it, “well over 100.”

“And that’s a conservative number,” he said, adding that the district expects to lose even more staff over the summer as neighboring districts lure them away with higher stipends and bonuses WCPS cannot afford to match.

“It’s challenging, for sure.”

Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard has been banging the drum for additional funding from the county Board of Commissioners to help him recruit and retain quality educators since he was hired in 2023.

And while many county leaders echoed a familiar refrain of results-based money — only increasing the pot for WCPS when the district “shows results” by, among other things, pulling itself out of “low-performing” status — the superintendent reminded them, and the public during a budget presentation at the Maxwell Center earlier this year, that significant progress is difficult to achieve without qualified staff in place.

His pleas seemingly fell on deaf ears, as the budget approved by commissioners June 4 omitted the district’s ask that would have supported a stipend increase.

Commission Chairman Chris Gurley told Wayne Week at the end of May that schools were not the board’s only responsibility — that the county manager had to recommend a tax increase to make his spending plan work.

In other words, he said the county was doing all it could.

“We aren’t here to grandstand and say, ‘We have done this and that.’ I have talked to some state officials who have said that in every county in the state, if you ask the school districts, they are going to say their county commissioners don’t fund them enough,” Gurley said. “There just isn’t enough money.

We can’t do but so much. It is not like we have sat on our hands and not done anything.”

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I will not say to remain competitive because we are not.

But Whichard contended Monday evening that the county’s allocation did not even properly account for increased costs related to inflation.

“As you know, and as I have eluded to in the community, inflation is running at record highs. That is rapidly outpacing our appropriations both locally and from the state level,” he told the BOE. And the number of teaching vacancies is not, he suggested, surprising, given that WCPS is far behind neighboring communities in stipend and bonus money offered to staff.

“Our needs continue to be at record levels in this district. It is my preference that we

increase the supplement for Wayne County Public Schools … to become competitive,” Whichard said. “I will not say to remain competitive because we are not.”

It’s frustrating when, as he reported to the board, early indicators from state test scores that have already come in show the potential for “one of the best years in recent memory.”

“Our schools are doing their part. Our teachers and our administrators are doing their part,” Whichard said.

But he added that in order to continue making progress, fully-staffed schools are a must.

“We want the best. We want the brightest.

But there’s a price tag that’s affixed to that,” he said. “We’ve got to find some way to meet in the middle.”

And if something doesn’t give, WCPS will have to come up with creative ways to ensure high-quality instruction is delivered in its classrooms — including continuing to use virtual teachers and placing “long-term” substitutes on campuses across the district.

“We’re going to hold more job fairs over the summer and continue to work toward recruiting as many great educators as we can,” Derksen said. “So, unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait until August to see where we are.”

This is not the first time commissioners and members of the Board of Education have sparred over funding.

But this year felt different, as WCPS’ new superintendent made his pitch directly to the community during a public meeting at the Maxwell Center and then met with commissioners for what was billed as a chance to have a conversation.

The subsequent meeting, held March 12, quickly dissolved into finger-tapping, eyerolling, and heavy sighs.

Commissioner Joe Daughtery bemoaned the fact that he “went to the mat” for a stipend increase in the past only to watch WCPS students continue to underperform.

“How can I ask again? I think you all have to accept that it is not only the money that is affecting these teachers,” he said. “Money is not the only factor in student performance and teacher (retention).”

But Whichard said it was logical to assume that teachers would choose neighboring districts — some within a short drive of Wayne — for more pay.

“We have to be more attractive,” he said. “All I’m asking for is what can we do to compete? I am not saying that we are perfect. … The point is that we have got to do something locally to move the needle.”

And while Gurley ended the session with a pledge to “work together” with the district, it appears the county’s budget fell short of the kind of compromise WCPS was after, as Whichard told the School Board Monday that he and his team will now have to cut some $1.4 million from a spending plan he considered “conservative” to begin with.n

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

IT’S TIME TO BACK OUR TEACHERS

W

e get it. Once burned, twice shy.

After all, the county commissioners just watched as Wayne County Public Schools narrowly avoided financial disaster — a problem mitigated in part by a pretty savvy financial consultant and some wellmanaged COVID funds.

And the community just watched one of the longest-serving members of the school board and his fellow board members rubber stamp a $24,000 landscaping contract — to his son.

Add in the bad scores, the poor hires in the administrative ranks, and a whole bunch of random curriculum spending that, honestly, hasn’t really worked.

So, it would be understandable if handing the county schools more money is not top on the county commissioners’ list.

But here is why they should make that expenditure for an additional teachers’ stipend a priority — now.

It is the same reason the city of Goldsboro had to bite the bullet and increase salaries for its law enforcement personnel — and why the county had to increase its own spending to keep its best and brightest from jumping ship.

You get what you pay for. And improving the quality of Wayne County schools is not going to happen with another year of desperate hiring fueled by nepotism and cutting corners with qualifications.

We have already seen what the result of that is.

We need to attract and to keep better teachers — and administrators.

We just do.

And when Duplin County — and really all of our neighbors — are beating our offerings for teachers, that is a real sign that you need to do something now.

They get it. Why don’t our county leaders?

Wayne County is facing a bit of a crisis.

We are trying to keep Seymour Johnson Air Force Base here and thriving. And we need better schools to do it.

The Air Force has already told us so.

So, investing in bringing better teachers here and keeping the ones we have is not just a feel-good campaign move. It is necessary if this community is going to grow and prosper.

And yes, we have heard promises of performance before.

And yes, there are other reasons teachers and administrators are choosing to retire or to leave the district — discipline concerns

and lack of positive parental involvement coupled with pressure to achieve learning goals with students who might or might not be interested among them.

But it doesn’t help when there simply aren’t enough teachers to cover classes and those who are there are feeling stressed, unappreciated, and overworked.

And while money won’t solve everything, it will go a little way to getting this district back on track.

Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard says he, with the help of key administrative personnel and some pretty dedicated teachers, have got the district pointed due North again.

He says the low-performing label is about to become a thing of the past, and he is optimistic about the upcoming test scores.

We think he just might make the changes necessary to move forward — he has already made a couple of key personnel decisions that were long overdue.

We won’t be satisfied with 50-80 percent of students not making the cut when it comes to the state assessment tests — and progress needs to be steady and consistent without funny business with the numbers.

But this is not time for a stubborn refusal to make a financial investment that we need. And the county commissioners have the ability to make sure that doesn’t happen.

So, we are calling on them to fund the teacher supplements as a show of good faith. We know money doesn’t grow on trees and that there are other priorities.

And we know WCPS has not yet earned the confidence that it is done with its financial missteps. (But we would be remiss if we did not point out that WCPS is not the only public body dealing with a management scandal right now. Two words commissioners, Sheriff’s Office.)

But none of those will matter if there is a “VACANT” sign at the end of Berkeley Boulevard.

And the schools have to make a commitment, too.

No more dumb expenditures and even dumber hires — and, for goodness sakes, jettison the expensive attorney.

All that it will take to undo this deal, and to prove that the county was right not to trust the board or Central Office all along, is another “There is nothing wrong with hiring my son,” moment.

Let’s see if we can make this happen.n

newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 13

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Former deputies will soon learn their fates It will be another 60 days before a federal judge sentences former WCSO Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox and former Maj. Christopher Worth’s arraignment has been delayed, too.

BY KEN FINE AND RENEE CAREY

H

is sentence was supposed to be delivered at the end of June — the former head of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit who pleaded guilty to federal drug-trafficking and bid-rigging charges handed down in a sprawling 50-page indictment by a grand jury in August 2023.

But Chief United States District Judge Richard Meyers II has delayed the proceedings for Michael Cox 60 days to allow the U.S. Probation Office to prepare a “draft presentence report” — a document meant to “assist the court in determining an appropriate sentence.”

According to the Probation Office, the officer who prepares the report is an “objective” third party — one who interviews the defendant, victims, and, potentially, members of the defendant’s family to gain a holistic understanding of the case.

They also draw conclusions about the defendant’s mental and physical health and their finances, to ensure the court is aware of whether money is available should the sentence include restitution.

Cox pleaded guilty just before Easter to two of the 15 counts associated with drug trafficking and bid-rigging he was facing as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

They include (Note: The following is pulled directly from court documents):

COUNT TWO

Beginning no later than on or about February 1, 2016, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in the Eastern District of North Carolina and elsewhere, defendants, Michael Kenneth Cox and Christopher C. Worth, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with one or more persons to commit the following:

according the direction thereon, and at the place at which it is directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341; and (b) Wire Fraud, that is to knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and for obtaining money or property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, for which one or more conspirators transmitted

Sheriff Larry Pierce remains mum on the federal investigation into his department.

COUNT ONE

From a date unknown, but no later than inor about January 2017, and continuing until at least on or about September 21, 2021, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, and elsewhere, defendant, Michael Kenneth Cox, did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate, agree and have a tacit understanding with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with the intent to distribute quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and oxycodone, Schedule II controlled substances, and marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 84l(a)(l).

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(a) Mail Fraud, that is, to knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, and for the purposes of executing and attempting to execute the scheme and artifice, to knowingly place and cause to be placed in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, any matter and thing whatever to be sent or delivered by the United States Postal Service, and to take and receive therefrom, any such matter and thing, and to knowingly cause to be delivered by mail and such carrier,

and caused to be transmitted by means of wire communications in interstate commerce certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, and sounds, for the purposes of executing the scheme and artifice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

OBJECT OF THE CONSPIRACY

The object of the conspiracy and the scheme and artifice was for the defendants, Cox and Worth, and others known to the Grand Jury, to enrich themselves by conspiring to deceive Wayne County through the fraudulent manipulation of bid documents and procurement processes

to ensure that Cox’s company, which also employed Worth, received awards for Wayne County Sheriff’s Office work regardless of whether Cox’s company provided such work at the lowest price.

Unlike Cox, Worth has yet to face Meyers since he was granted pre-trial release.

And despite the fact that his co-defendant has already pleaded guilty to what he told the court was his role in the bid-rigging scheme, it remains unclear whether Worth will also reach an agreement with prosecutors that will help him avoid a jury trial.

At current, the former WCSO major has been granted more than a half-dozen continuances as he continues conversations with the government — the most recent, requested May 30. As of press time, no new arraignment date has been set.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Larry Pierce remains mum on the federal investigation into his department — and the fact that a man who was, at one time, among his highest-ranking deputies, has pleaded guilty to crimes that could see Cox spend decades in prison.

In fact, his only statement came nearly a year ago when, after Cox and Worth were taken into custody by agents, he said he and his team cooperated with the government.

“Wayne County and the Sheriff’s Office were notified in the Fall of 2021 of an ongoing federal investigation. The County, Sheriff’s Office, and all employees fully cooperated with the investigation and provided all information that was requested from authorities,” Pierce’s statement read. “After learning of the investigation, the Wayne County Finance Department and Sheriff’s Office implemented immediate corrective action.”

But just what that “corrective action” was has never been disclosed, and despite the fact that the WCSO has been excoriated by prosecutors in open court — taking criticism for everything from evidence being stored in personal lockers and stashed in an abandoned shower to deputies allegedly selling seized firearms on the internet and tipping off suspects who were under federal surveillance — Pierce has not responded.n

{ our TAKE }

TIME FOR A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN?

W

hen there is a major dust up in an organization, when what is supposed to be happening turns out to be exactly the opposite of what is happening, you have to look to leadership.

And, when the excuse for why the wrongdoing happened on their watch is, “It was the other guy,” or “I did not know it was going on,” you have to seriously question whether that “leader” has the credibility to remain in charge.

It has been exactly that situation in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

What has been revealed over the last 12 months is nothing short of shocking.

And while we have said that, editorially, multiple times, now we have a guilty plea.

So, we know with 100-percent certainty that one of the WCSO’s highest-ranking deputies — the one in charge of the Drug Unit — was, by his own admission, involved in everything from sharing information with suspects to trafficking in drugs himself.

And we know that other deputies were slipping him information.

It’s astonishing.

But it really just skims the surface.

Because that guilty plea means we will never know the full extent of the evidence federal prosecutors had in their bag.

And just reading through the text messages seized by investigators is enough to make you wonder whether justice has been being served in this county for a long time.

The crimes Cox was accused of did not just affect the ease by which drug dealers moved in our county, but also caused harm to innocents.

That is not what justice is supposed to be about.

Not here. Not anywhere.

And Cox was not the only story that stirred up concerns about the Sheriff’s Office. There was also a bid-rigging scheme he pleaded guilty to being a part of — one officials say funneled money through, in some cases, “altered” invoices that went directly to a business owned

by Cox and involving another high-ranking Sheriff’s Office official, Chris Worth.

Cox will likely head to prison, while Worth’s fate has yet to be finalized.

But the cases also raised questions about why no one caught what was going on — up to and including the county Finance Department.

As invoice after invoice was cleared for payment, why didn’t anyone ask a question, insist on documentation, or perhaps wonder why a sitting sheriff’s office employee would be taking taxpayer money?

And that leads us to the question we really think needs to be addressed.

Where was Larry Pierce while all this was going on?

And we get it.

We, and many of you, are conflicted about Pierce.

You have met him, you know him, and he has seemed over the years like a good, honest man of faith.

And perhaps he is.

But that is not the criteria by which we should judge if he should remain in office.

When you are the boss and bad things happen — and your top people are involved — you should know.

You should have such a finger on the pulse of your department and understand — especially now — how important it is to have a squad that is above reproach.

You should be keeping a sharp eye out, because that is what you promised the county you would do.

And Pierce didn’t.

The fact that he has not resigned shows, in our view, audacity at worst and arrogance at best.

Perhaps we would feel differently if he had been bold enough to meet this crisis head on, but he hasn’t.

Instead, it’s been crickets.

So, since it looks like his pride — and, perhaps, an inner-circle of supporters — is keeping him from doing the right thing, it will be up to us to remind every single Wayne County voter why this should be his final term.

It is about accountability and credibility.

It is about trust.

And in today’s anti-law enforcement climate, it is imperative that this community send those messages loudly.n

newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 15

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Council gets tax increase down to 9.5 cents But rather than using a line-by-line review of the budget to make the cuts necessary to get there, the city will likely pull $500,000 from its General Fund balance to ensure, among other things, all city employees get a raise — and a $400 bonus.

BY KEN FINE

A

final budget has not yet been proposed by Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston, but all signs are pointing to Goldsboro residents being forced to absorb one of the biggest property tax increases in the city’s history.

And that’s not all.

A 5-percent water rate hike is likely coming, too.

The majority of the money raised from the tax increase will be used to finance salary increases.

But the raises were not just for members of the Goldsboro Police Department and Fire Department, groups the council agreed to financially back months ago in response to what it saw as staffing crises that were creating a public safety emergency.

The board also decided to give all city employees a 2.5-percent cost-of-living raise and a $400 bonus, despite the fact that Councilwoman Beverly Weeks urged her peers to remember that local residents are hurting, too.

During several sessions, she said all businessowners would love to give their employees raises.

But as making ends meet has become increasingly difficult, prioritizing city employees over the residents being asked to absorb the extra expense of those increases seemed like a tradeoff Weeks was not entirely comfortable making.

“I love the staff. I appreciate them,” Weeks told her fellow council members Wednesday.

“But this is a critical time, and I believe that we can defer that for another year.”

And if the council were to decide to move forward anyway, she suggested asking each city department head to make cuts as painful as the tax increase the city was about the inflict on its residents.

“They can find a way to do it,” she said. “I am confident they can find a way.”

But Councilman Chris Boyette argued departments have cut enough.

“We can’t go but so far,” he said. “I can’t sit here and say that I’m going to be asking this staff to go back to these departments to cut when they’ve already cut and cut.”

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We said, 'Whatever it costs,' but nobody is even willing to look at this list to see what we can do.

Weeks disagreed.

“Cuts are possible if you’re willing to make the cuts,” she said, adding that simply buying cheaper vehicles could potentially reduce the amount of the proposed tax increase.

Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews and Councilman Roderick White said they, too, were willing to go through the budget line by line to find other places to cut.

But ultimately, they were overruled. And while Wednesday’s budget work session ended with an agreement to lower the property tax increase to 9.5 cents, getting to that number will likely come at the expense of the General Fund, as the majority of the council opted to forgo making additional line-item cuts.

The board did, however, agree to slash a few asks, but none that “moved the needle” on the tax increase significantly.

Friends of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will likely see its $16,000 allocation cut in half, as several council members sounded off about the fact that $7,500 of that sum is paid to the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce for

“administrative costs.”

“Why are we paying a $7,000 admin fee?” Weeks said. “And then, I have to pick up a newspaper to find out the F-15Es are threatened?”

Councilmember Hiawatha Jones agreed that the group had some explaining to do.

“I would like for them to come to us and put everything on the table,” she said. “They need to tell us what they’ve done, what they haven’t done, and why things have transpired the way they have.”

But Mayor Charles Gaylor cautioned against cutting Friends of Seymour from the budget altogether — calling the relationship a “good look” for the city, despite the fact that Goldsboro is already committed to splitting the cost, with the Wayne County government, of a “robust consulting group” in Washington that advocates for Seymour Johnson.

“I understand the value. It’s about building relationships,” he said. “I think it’s certainly a good look for the city … to keep a line item with Friends of Seymour.”

Others will likely see a 50-percent cut, too.

The $100,000 that was designated for nonprofits will be, should the council’s will be done, reduced by half in the final budget that will be proposed in the coming weeks.

And there was even some discussion about reducing the amount of money Goldsboro pays the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce — $20,000 — for membership dues and sponsorships.

“That’s a lot of money,” Jones said. “$20,000 is a lot of money.”

It is unclear exactly what the final budget Livingston will soon present to the council will look like.

But while she celebrated the fact that she fought until the proposed tax increase fell into the “single digits,” Weeks still contends that it could be accomplished without taking money out of the General Fund.

“Guys. I’m telling you. I have been through the budget. There is money in the budget — there are enough line items — there is enough money in our budget that we can take this down to 10 cents,” she said. “If you want it to happen, it can happen. We can get this budget below a 10 cent tax increase.”

Matthews agreed.

“We said, ‘Whatever it costs,’” she said, referring to what the council said when it voted to increase pay for the GPD and GFD. “But nobody is even willing to look at this list to see what we can do. I don’t think that’s a fair position to take.”

White said he, too, was willing to spend the time going through the spending plan — that if the council was willing to put in the work, it could soften the blow that will soon be felt by taxpayers.

“I still think that we should go through,” he said. “I think if we do our due diligence, we can get the budget down without going into our fund balance.”

But Gaylor said if it were up to him, the council would set its preferred tax increase rate and “allow our staff to do their job.”

And several “head nods” later, he got his wish.

Soon, the board — and the community — will see just what those results look like.n

It's a bold move and I respect the team for being willing to put this out there.

Now, we've got to figure out the right way to balance this thing.

- Mayor Charles Gaylor

★ All Wayne County residents vote for the At-Large Candidate!

FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION AT-L ARGE No candidate or candidate’s committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Paid for by Mark and Lauren Metzler. newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 17

{ our TAKE }

POPULAR AND RIGHT ARE NOT ALWAYS THE SAME THING

W

e have made it very clear: If the city of Goldsboro is going to move forward, there has to be an investment into safety. And if necessary, that money should be funded by a tax increase.

But let’s get one thing straight: We, like you, HATE tax increases.

Nobody likes seeing their hard-earned money sucked up by a never-ending stream of unaccountable bureaucrats who don’t have to pay the bills or have no skin in the game.

But the point remains: We are for reasonable and responsible tax increases when there is a real need in a community.

And we needed to make sure that our police officers — and other emergency personnel — were compensated appropriately.

When you have a mass exodus of law enforcement personnel, and no new recruits in sight because they can make more money 20 minutes down the road — and you have the crime statistics Goldsboro has — you have to do something.

And in this case, that means spending more money.

Goldsboro residents told their council that safety was their top priority, so council members and the mayor made sure that was reflected in the budget.

But there is something about tax increases that makes those in power forget.

The city’s proposed spending plan includes raises and bonuses for city personnel and no obvious significant cuts in the proposed spending plan.

And yes, there is a difference between a cut and not funding a pie-in-the-sky request from a department head.

Sigh.

We can’t believe we have to say this, but an emergency that needs to be addressed quickly and a blanket, across the board belly up to the bar, are not the same thing.

It is up to the city leadership to know the difference, and to be able to say, “No,” when necessary, even if it doesn’t make you the most popular guy in town.

Councilwoman Beverly Weeks certainly understood the assignment.

So, too, did Mayor Pro Tem Brandi

Matthews, Councilman Roderick White, and Councilwoman Jamie Taylor.

Going line-by-line through the budget might have been a painful ask Wednesday, but it would have been prudent.

And maybe city personnel do deserve a raise and a bonus, but not at taxpayers' expense.

So, Weeks and Matthews were right.

To fund it, there is more that could be cut.

It won't be easy. That is why these decisions are painful.

But if you are asking taxpayers to bleed, you have to be willing to as well.

In other words, we have to set priorities — like not adding a $47,000 position for parking enforcement at a time when we have some much bigger fish to fry.

By the way, as we have said before, there isn’t a legitimate parking crisis anyway.

So, here’s the bottom line.

We have nothing against progress.

But a tax increase is not just something you fling out there without showing that you understand the importance of what you are asking from city residents who are facing

ridiculous increases in food, housing, and transportation costs and are worried about making ends meet.

So, maybe this is not the year to fund new positions.

Maybe every department doesn’t need a newspaper subscription.

Maybe the few hundred dollars budgeted so the City Manager’s Office can get embroidered polo shirts can wait until next year.

Maybe city leaders can buy their own tickets to the DGDC and Chamber of Commerce banquets.

And maybe, just maybe, we can use the $47,000 we are paying to a guy handing out parking tickets to fund, let’s see, an actual police officer.

So, we call for caution and a little frugality from the council.

Fund our first responders now and raise taxes to do so if you must.

Everything else is expendable.

Popular and right are not always the same thing.

Just ask any parent. n

SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS Want to sound off on the issues we’re covering?

Send your thoughts to letters@newoldnorth.com and we just might publish them in a future edition of Wayne Week.

Word count is not overly important, but please identify yourself by name and the city or town you reside in.

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newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 19

{ our TAKE }

S

o much has happened since we first started on this crazy ride.

All you have to do is look at this week’s edition to see just how many conversations we have had about everything from crime and drugs to school performance and holding our community’s leadership accountable.

It is astonishing, really, just how much there has been to talk about.

We have learned something over the past 12 months, and we hope you have, too.

The light we shine in the darkest corners of our community helps us discover the work there is still to do and to reveal the truth that doesn’t always make it out of executive sessions and board rooms.

And we learned something else — and we know you have, too.

When there is no one watching people in power, no matter how seemingly insignificant their roles seem to be, accountability becomes just a word that they throw around at election time.

We have caught so many politicians who don’t seem to understand that elected office is not their personal piggy bank and who seem to think that somehow, their position on a board or a commission or a council makes them allseeing and all-knowing.

And we were able to sniff them out, mostly because you let us know where to look.

And because of that partnership, together we have set a new course for our city and our county.

Look back 12 months and you will see quite a few names of people who are not in power anymore — or who seem to understand that winning an election doesn’t make you a superior being or an all-powerful despot.

You let them know that you are watching, and it has made a big difference.

In fact, we think that one of the biggest takeaways we have had in the last year of working on Wayne Week is just how much power the people really have.

That’s right. Some of the biggest changes in this community have come about because you decided not to stay silent.

We understand why you have been quiet for so long.

We all got the message that, as a byproduct of the events that have unfolded over the last couple of years, you don’t ruffle any feathers or you might get canceled.

But many of you have now found your voices, and are having your say — loud and clear.

You aren’t willing to just shrug away incompetence or misdeeds. Not anymore.

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

Shining a light on our community You know now how critical local politics is and how many of the decisions made in Goldsboro and beyond affect your lives and economic security.

So, you are demanding information and explanations.

And your leaders heard you. Well, some of them anyway.

There are still a few who are under the impression that they can do whatever they want, hire whomever they want, and spend money however they, from their all-powerful perches, see fit.

But we aren’t letting them get away with it.

This is a special community.

And for years, there were two political sides and many different opinions. Wayne County wasn’t perfect, but there seemed to be a common thread — building a better community, one we would be proud to hand off to our children and grandchildren, was Priority One. There were watchdogs, and there were those who would never just regurgitate a press release when there were questions that need to be asked.

But those 1,000 eyes are closed these days — or just barely squinting.

And that is one reason why this community has struggled as of late.

It’s not that there are not good people here.

It is simply that they were too busy with their own struggles and their own concerns to pay close enough attention to those who were in power.

We weren’t looking, and that is when the crud started to creep in.

No more.

We have worked over the last year on many projects, many calls to effect change in this community.

And you can see some of the results.

There are no longer budget free-for-alls or leaders who do not feel they should have to explain their decisions.

Those who aren’t doing their jobs — or who are taking advantage of the taxpayers’ generosity — are in the sights of those of us who think it is time for a change.

And we will continue to call them out.

No, we are not finished. Not even close.

As you can see by the list of “also-following” stories, there are still many, many questions to be answered as we try to navigate through the challenges this county faces.

We could sit back and count our victories.

We could rest and leave the future in the hands of fate.

Or, we can continue to expect more, to ask more questions and to weed out the pompous know-it-alls and reward those who are really doing the work.

We can be like the people who built this community, who struggled through changes and strife, who picked tobacco in scorching heat, and who built the small businesses (some of which are not so small anymore) that lined our streets.

We can be the community we have the potential to be — and we can choose leaders who can make that happen.

And we can answer a siren’s call of our own.

There is no more time to wait for someone else to take up the plow. If we want a community that is strong and growing, one that can make futures for the next generation, we have to stand up and demand better.

Wayne Week was founded on the principle that a community needs a watchdog, someone to hold those in power to account.

We are the voice of the community — your voice.

So, as we enter Year Two, keep this in mind.

You will have the community you demand.

And you will keep the watchdogs you support.

So, join us.

It is going to be a bumpy, but very satisfying, ride.

And we are humbled — and proud — to be on that journey with you. n

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. Wayne WEEK . 21

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Stories we’re keeping an eye on

T

he aforementioned issues might be, in our view, the most critical this community is facing, but there is so much more to keep an eye on as we begin Year Two of the Wayne Week journey.

The state government is watching nearly every municipality in Wayne County, there are some bad actors up for re-election this fall, and the pending resolution of several jawdropping lawsuits will remain in our sights.

And the future of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base — despite what some rewritten press releases published elsewhere might lead you to believe — is very much up in the air.

The following issues deserve — and will have — our full attention as we mark the beginning of another year as this community’s newspaper:

F-15E FIASCO

It has been several months since Wayne Week broke the news to local leaders, legislators, and military advocates that Seymour Johnson Air Force Base would be losing part of its Strike Eagle fleet, as the Air Force looks toward newer aircraft to accomplish its mission. And while some, including U.S. Rep. Don Davis, have maintained confidence that they can rectify the issue, the future of the 4th Fighter Wing — and its mission — are still very much up in the air.

FREMONT AUDIT FALLOUT

Will Wayne County Commissioner Barbara Aycock politically survive the damning allegations laid out by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor a few weeks ago about her time as the Fremont Town Administrator? Will she, as she has pledged to 22

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

do, work to regain the trust of the people who put her in office? Will she face charges related to the alleged violations of state and federal law she has been accused of? It’s too early to know for sure. Aycock is running unopposed to retain her seat on the county board this November, but there are people living in the northern end of Wayne calling for her to step down. We will wait to see what happens.

MOUNT OLIVE INVESTIGATION

State auditors have already gone after Goldsboro and Fremont and as of a few weeks ago, they were inside Mount Olive Town Hall — conducting interviews and pulling documents as part of an investigation that began after an unnamed whistleblower levied several allegations against government officials. And while the NCOSA is typically mum on ongoing investigations, confidential sources have vowed to keep us abreast of any new developments. So, stay tuned.

PIKEVILLE GOVERNMENT SWITCH

Despite the fact that it flies in the face of recommendations from the Local Government Commission, Pikeville leaders are considering changing the way the town’s government is structured. To make matters worse, an announcement about the public’s opportunity to weigh in on the potential move was seemingly hidden from residents, drawing the ire of State Treasurer Dale Folwell. Coming off having its operations taken over by the state, we believe it will be worth watching how this plays out.

CONSTANCE CORAM

The election of Constance Coram as the county’s Register of Deeds has cost this

community hundreds of thousands of dollars, as local residents have traveled to neighboring communities to do business because of problems with Coram and her staff they have repeatedly reported to the Wayne County Board of Commissioners. Coram also sued the county — twice — and lost both times, but has made it clear that she feels like she is being discriminated against because she is a black woman. Her name will be on the ballot this November and it will be up to county residents to decide whether she deserves four more years in the County Courthouse.

ANTONIO WILLIAMS

He is currently engaged in a lawsuit he filed against the City of Goldsboro — claiming, among other things, that he was treated unfairly during his tenure as a member of the City Council — and he, too, will be up for re-election in November, as he seeks four more years on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners. And coming off a preliminary audit report that covered his time on the council and levied a few notable allegations against him, it will be interesting to see whether or not his district allows his political career to continue.

WAYNE COUNTRY DAY LAWSUIT

One of the most read and talked about stories that published during Wayne Week’s first year unwrapped a lawsuit filed by a veteran who claimed homerun balls hit by members of the Wayne Country Day baseball team — the team that just won a state championship — triggered his combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. The school responded by saying the man, not the school, was at fault because he knowingly bought a home behind the diamond

and cleared part of the tree line that would have protected his house from longballs. Now, after WCDS’ attorney asked for the lawsuit to be thrown out, it’s a waiting game.

UNION STATION

After the city — and its former manager, Tim Salmon — dropped the ball on preserving historic Union Station, it looked as though the Goldsboro landmark might crumble to the ground, taking with it any chance of the return of passenger rail through the Wayne County seat. But thanks to Saving Union Station, a group of private citizens that believes the trains will, one day, return to Goldsboro, a restored station — and passenger rail service — might actually be in the community’s future. The city and county governments have committed funding to stabilize the structure, the state has named a preferred route from Raleigh to Wilmington that would pass through Goldsboro, dozens of people showed up for Saving Union Station Day Tuesday to celebrate the possibilities, and a fundraiser spearheaded by the SUS group is gaining steam.

WCPS FACILITY CHANGES

Edgewood Community Developmental School is moving to the Eastern Wayne High School campus. So is Wayne Academy. Goldsboro High School is moving into the building formerly occupied by Wayne School of Engineering and that school is moving across the street. Parents, teachers, and alumni have expressed concern. Some are outraged.

But members of the Wayne County Board of Education — and their superintendent — say the moves will ultimately benefit everyone involved. Come this fall, we will find out.n

Kids Zone • Food Trucks Live Entertainment Street Fair Vendors Car & Bike Show • Static Displays Beer Garden • And More!

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 newoldnorth.com

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