Wayne Week — Sept. 22, 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

SE P T E M BE R 2 2 , 2 024

For the 75th time, the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair will give local residents an opportunity to celebrate where they come from and an industry that has allowed the local economy to thrive for generations. / page 14

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 22, 2024 Volume 2, Issue 6

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

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4 Caitlin Hodges' sister speaks out Mandy Hodges knows that her sister's story is not the "perfect" tale of a missing person that would compel a community to do everything it could to ensure she is found. But the Navy veteran still believes that Caitlin is worth saving — and that by sharing the details of her family's painful journey, Wayne County residents might decide to help her bring the 29-year-old home.

8 Forever chemical plan is coming

According to new standards put into place by the Biden Administration, Goldsboro has too high a level of "forever chemicals" in its drinking water.

But thanks to a lawsuit, and potential government grants, the city believes it can soon ensure its drinking water is as safe as possible.

10 GPD staffing level is increasing Earlier this year, members of the Goldsboro City Council voted to increase police pay to ensure GPD Chief Mike West could make his depleted ranks whole again – and take the fight to those contributing to a dramatic uptick in gun violence in the community. Their plan, it seems, is working.

12 Our take

When Mandy Hodges opened up about what it is like to watch a family fall apart at the hands of opioid addiction, it served as a poignant reminder that anyone — from any background — can lose the battle against drugs and devastate those around them.

14 Cover story

For the 75th time, the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair will give local residents an opportunity to celebrate where they come from and an industry that has allowed the local economy to thrive for generations.

WAYNE WEEK (ISSN 2993-9666) is published weekly for $125 per year by New Old North Media, LLC, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC, 27530.

Periodicals postage pending at Goldsboro, NC, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WAYNE WEEK, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530.

COVER DESIGN

BY SHAN STUMPF

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NEWS +VIEWS

‘I think Caitlin could still be somebody’ Goldsboro police thought 29-year-old Caitlin Hodges had been found.

The truth, according to the young woman’s oldest sister, is just another chapter in a “devastating” story.

BY KEN FINE

S

he is no longer the little girl showing off her purple dance outfit.

She is not the preteen standing confidently in the middle of the dojo after a sparring match.

She is not the smiling young adult with a surfboard under one arm and a dog in the other.

And it has likely been years since she sat on the sand at sunset and strummed a guitar.

Today, by all accounts, she is “dangerously” skinny.

Her long, vibrant, dirty-blonde hair has been dyed dark brown.

She has visible sores on her arms and legs from persistent heroin use.

She is, according to her older sister, Mandy, a “tragic” figure.

But the story of Caitlin Hodges — one set, in recent months, in Goldsboro — is, Mandy says, a “horrific” reminder that opioid addic4

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tion does not discriminate.

The needle, she said, doesn’t care that you came from a good family and were raised by a “loving” couple.

“We all have our own paths that we can take and it’s not just your parenting or your neighborhood that determines that path,” Mandy said. “It’s not your yearly income that’s going to determine if your child becomes an addict.

It’s just not.”

But the Navy veteran did not talk about her little sister for nearly an hour Tuesday afternoon to warn the residents of a community she has never set foot in about the devastating impact addiction can have on an otherwise “typical” American family.

Deep down, she just wants to find Caitlin — the 29-year-old who went missing after last being seen in Wayne County in July, prompting an investigation by the Goldsboro Police

Department and captivating thousands of people on social media.

“I think Caitlin could still be somebody. I really do. I have hope for her,” Mandy said. “If she is found and we can get her some kind of help, she still has a lot of potential.”

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Goldsboro became a part of Caitlin’s story when she travelled, with her boyfriend, to Wayne County from Illinois.

And while the exact timeline still remains unclear, local police officers and former residents of the Tent City homeless encampment located beyond the tree line off Royall Avenue say at one point, she was living on the streets.

City Councilwoman and Cry Freedom Missions CEO Beverly Weeks last saw her in May, when she purchased the young woman — who

looked “like she was starving” — a meal from Lantern Inn. And family members say they have not had contact with Caitlin since early July, when they filed a missing persons report with the GPD. As reported in the Sept. 15 edition of Wayne Week, according to GPD Chief Mike West, within 24 hours, investigators began looking for the young woman.

They interviewed people who knew her and the man she was, at one time, living with — concluding that she was in no immediate danger, and posed no imminent threat to the community or herself.

And because she did not meet those and other criteria — including, for example, being a minor or an elderly person with cognitive issues — they determined there was no need to ask the public for assistance in Continued on page 6

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Continued from page 4

finding her.

But then, “misinformation” started spreading on social media — and family members, local residents, and Internet sleuths started launching their own “investigations” into her disappearance.

And just when the GPD thought the case was closed — when officers were notified Friday that Caitlin had been found in Illinois — the story took another turn.

According to Mandy, her other sister, Jessica, was picked up by Illinois police and gave them Caitlin’s name.

“What happened was, I guess she’s been homeless living in Chicago and the police picked her up … and she gave Caitlin’s name because she had warrants out for her arrest,” Mandy said. “And so now, it’s getting out there that Caitlin is found and, well, she wasn’t. (My mom) calls me and she says, ‘It’s not Caitlin.

It’s Jessica and she’s overdosing, and I don’t know what to do.’”

And after listening, over the phone, to her mother talk to the EMS crew called in to assist, she feared her family’s “dysfunction” would lead to people losing interest in finding Caitlin.

“Listening to that in real time is insane-

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ly disturbing. My mom is talking to EMS and she’s like, ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t have any Narcan.’ This is a 64-year-old woman. She shouldn’t even have to know what that is,” Mandy said. “She shouldn’t have to feel guilty that she doesn’t have it. But here we are. And after that, I get it. Addicts are a burden to people. This is why society doesn’t really pay attention. So, I’m lost. How do we make people care about Caitlin when this story is so dysfunctional?”

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Mandy gets emotional when she wonders, aloud, how her two younger sisters could have both ended up homeless and addicted to drugs.

“All of us three girls, we grew up in the same household — same parents, no divorce, nothing like that,” she said. “It’s horrific. It’s hard for me to even understand because I didn’t go down that path.”

And her voice breaks when she asks if leaving her family behind to join the Navy when Caitlin was just 11 years old altered her youngest sister’s path.

“There’s a lot of guilt that comes with that,” she said, taking a moment to collect

herself. “You know, it’s, ‘What if I had stayed?

What if I had given more attention to this?’”

But her feelings of guilt stretch beyond her inability to physically be there for Caitlin when she fell deeper into her addiction.

She also finds it hard to reconcile her anger at her sister’s choices.

“I’m still kind of struggling with that. You know, how do you recover and then relapse?

How do you do that over and over again after seeing what it does to our family?” Mandy said. “It’s hard for me to process that. How does this happen?”

But none of those feelings will change the fact that in the eyes of her big sister, Caitlin’s life still has meaning — is still worth saving.

“I get it. She’s not a perfect missing person,” Mandy said. “But why does anyone’s life matter? The value that we put on a human life shouldn’t vary from person to person — especially when you’re talking about something like addiction.”

So, she is asking for a community she has never known to become, until Caitlin is found, a part of her family — to help those devastated by a crisis that has touched so many find some peace.

“At the end of the day, they didn’t stick a needle in my sister’s arm. They didn’t cause

this. But, you know, trying to figure out how we can find her, it would mean everything,” Mandy said. “And sometimes, it just feels like an impossible task. It feels very hopeless. But I have to believe we can still save Caitlin.”

And her hope is that through her family’s pain, Wayne County residents will see another side of the homelessness and addiction crises that have reared their head locally inside Tent City and beyond.

“If you have any idea about what addicts are, fine. Again, I get it. It seems like a burden and it feels unfair,” she said. “But also know that these people, a lot of them have families that are not addicts. They’re good people.

They’re strong people. So, the impact this has is about more than Caitlin. It’s about more than any one person.”

It’s about watching as one after another, Americans are losing a battle Mandy says will define future generations.

“Believe me. We have seen what this can do to a good family. It’s completely changed our lives forever,” Mandy said. “This is generational. This is just pain. It’s horrific. And somehow, we have to come together to fix it.”

Anyone with information about Caitlin’s whereabouts is asked to contact GPD Investigator Sturgill at 919-580-4211.

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‘Forever chemicals’ plan is coming

According to new standards put into place by the Biden Administration, Goldsboro has too high a level of "forever chemicals" in its drinking water, but thanks to proceeds from a class-action lawsuit and government grants, city officials believe the city's water supply will soon be as safe as possible.

BY KEN FINE AND RENEE CAREY

C

hances are, they are already in your bloodstream — man-made “forever chemicals” that decrease fertility and increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, and liver, kidney, and thyroid problems.

In fact, numerous studies conducted across the world over the last two decades conclude that nearly 99 percent of the global population — including fetuses — have been contaminated by the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have been used in water- and oil-resistant consumer products since the 1940s.

And as scientists learn more about their impact in the wake of now-settled class-action lawsuits against the companies — Dupont, Chemours, and 3M — that created and used them, the U.S. government is preparing to enforce new limits on the amount of PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.

As reported in the April 28 edition of Wayne Week, Goldsboro’s water is among the 6 to 10 percent of supplies in the nation that is in violation of the new set of national, legally-enforceable drinking water standards announced April 10 by the Biden-Harris Administration to “protect communities” from exposure to the chemicals.

But Monday, members of the City Council got two pieces of good news.

First, the city, they were told, has been awarded $500,000 to study its water and to come up with a plan to make its supply as safe as possible.

Second, City Attorney Ron Lawrence confirmed that a large portion of the roughly $10 million it will take to implement that course of action is expected to find its way into local coffers once a settlement from a lawsuit Goldsboro was a party to is fulfilled.

“Those settlements have been approved by the courts and the city will be receiving millions of dollars,” he said.

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So-called “forever chemicals” are a group of manufactured compounds that have been used since the 1940s, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, can be found in the following locations: • Drinking water — in public drinking water systems and private drinking water wells.

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• Soil and water at or near waste sites — at landfills, disposal sites, and hazardous waste sites such as those that fall under the federal Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act programs.

• Manufacturing or chemical production facilities that produce or use PFAS — for example, at chrome plating, electronics, and certain textile and paper manufacturers.

• Food — for example in fish caught from water contaminated by PFAS and dairy products from livestock exposed to PFAS. • Food packaging — for example in grease-resistant paper, fast-food containers/ wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers.

• Household products and dust — for example in stain- and water-repellent used on carpets, upholstery, clothing, and other fabrics; cleaning products; non-stick cookware; paints, varnishes, and sealants.

• Personal care products — for example in certain shampoo, dental floss, and cosmetics.

• Biosolids — for example fertilizer from wastewater treatment plants that is used on agricultural lands can affect ground and surface water and animals that graze on the land.

• Fire extinguishing foam — in aqueous

This is something that's fundamental to life. It's your drinking water supply ... and the water that we produce is served on Seymour Johnson. film-forming foams (or AFFFs) used to extinguish flammable liquid-based fires. Such foams are used in training and emergency response events at airports, shipyards, military bases, firefighting training facilities, chemical plants, and refineries.

And when Goldsboro officials got wind of the latter, the city joined a lawsuit against 3M and other companies that manufactured and sold the foam.

“As soon as it came out that we were asked to join the lawsuit and ultimately did, to his credit, (Public Utilities Director) Bert Sherman initiated the testing,” Mayor Charles Gaylor told Wayne Week earlier this year. “And that’s when he initiated trying to figure out, you know, what materials are we going to need, what filtration methods are we going to need to be able to provide safe water and obviously be compliant. So yeah, I’m proud of him.”

But the lawsuit the city joined was not the first time Goldsboro and 3M were at odds in a courtroom.

Back in 2021, the state of North Carolina brought a civil action against the company and more than a dozen others, claiming they were responsible for “injuries to North Carolina’s natural resources, including groundwater, surface water, sediments, soils, and biota” — one that sought compensation for “property damages, economic damages, remediation and restoration costs, and all other relief available as a result of releases of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (“PFOS”) and perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA “) into the environment due to the use, release, spill, transport, storage, disposal, and/or handling of aqueous filmforming foam (“AFFF”) at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.”

Today, Goldsboro’s PFOS level (7.56) and PFOA level (5.68) are both over the EPA’s new limit of 4 parts per trillion.

But after the presentation made to the council Monday, Gaylor said he feels good about the city’s ability to get itself into compliance by the time it is federally enforceable in 2029 — and to ensure all citizens feel confident when they fill up their glasses.

“This is something that we’ve been very transparent about from the very beginning and we’re going to continue to be. This is something that’s fundamental to life. It’s your drinking water supply … and the water that we produce is the water that’s served on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base,” he said. “So, there’s a lot of layers to how it is that we’re going to go about trying to acquire the funds necessary to resolve this as quickly as possible. The five-year time window for us is not going to be an issue. This is something that’s gonna be handled a lot quicker. It’s a full commitment and a very transparent commitment.”

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GPD staffing level sees dramatic increase Earlier this year, members of the Goldsboro City Council increased police pay to ensure that Police Chief Mike West could fill his depleted ranks. Their strategy worked.

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BY KEN FINE

uring their respective 2023 campaigns, the vast majority of those who ended up winning seats on the Goldsboro City Council identified the safety of local residents as Priority No. 1.

But in order to restore order in a community that was experiencing a dramatic uptick in gun violence — and homelessness, addiction, and prostitution crises — they understood they would have to find a way to lure prospective lawmen to their depleted Police Department.

And since the previous council and former City Manager Tim Salmon balked last summer when given a chance to create a more competitive salary package for those inside the GPD ranks, voting to realize the pay plan recommended by Chief Mike West seemed like a logical solution.

It worked.

As of press time, the GPD is only 24 officers short of a full staff — a number that includes 15 frozen positions.

That means there are only nine positions West is authorized to fill, and once six pending “background investigations” are completed, that number will be down to three.

But as word about the hiring boom spreads across the community, the chief felt the need to offer a warning to residents he believes will, because of the “headline,” expect to see a more significant police presence in the city immediately.

“I would caution folks because many of these new hires are either finishing up BLET or going into BLET in the coming weeks,” West said, adding that until that Basic Law Enforcement Training course load is complete, nothing is guaranteed.

And should every one of them graduate, many of them will still not be working the beat until early 2025.

“So, am I encouraged? Absolutely,” West said. “But I do want to make sure citizens have accurate expectations.”

The community started taking notice late last spring, after a 15-year-old girl was shot to death at a Spring Break pool party and data released by the GPD showed that thousands of bullets had flown in Goldsboro since the beginning of 2023.

At the time, West was honest about what he characterized as a “mentality shift” among

would-be criminals — telling Wayne Week that because they could see less of a police presence inside the city limits, they were growing more brazen.

And he explained, to the current council, that unless the GPD could compete with neighboring departments, applications from strong candidates would simply not come in.

So, in February, the board officially adopted what had been known, since last summer, as “Plan A” — the raise recommended by West to alleviate the problem of having fewer than 80 officers and no fully-staffed gang prevention unit, selective housing unit, or vice squad.

But even as applications began flooding in, more gun violence — and murders — kept the conversation about waning police presence at the fore.

Mayor Charles Gaylor hopes that this latest string of hires will, at last, result in the change he wants to see for the community that raised him.

“We are committed to supporting a first-class department, with the people, training, tools, and technology it needs to make our city safe,” he said. “By combining those resources with amazing, committed community partners, we know Goldsboro will see stronger families and schools, and a higher quality of life for all.”

And District 2 Councilman Chris Boyette, perhaps the most outspoken member of the board on the issue, said he is “thrilled” that the days of criminals feeling comfortable in Goldsboro will soon be “coming to an end.”

“I’m delighted to see the progress that’s being made as an elected official that stood behind the need for our police department being fully staffed and able to do their jobs. The commitment that I made from the very beginning was to see to it that I could do everything in my power so our citizens could feel safe on the streets and in their homes,” he said. “Now that we’re getting staffed back up, crime will not go unchecked. And as a former law enforcement officer, one of the most important things to the uniformed officers on the street is to feel that their department and their chief and their elected leaders have their back. Now they know it, and I’m excited to see them get to do their jobs with adequate staff in the coming months.”

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{ our TAKE }

NO LONGER IN THE SHADOWS

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ddiction doesn’t discriminate.

You can’t avoid it by being rich, being born into the “right” family, or by having an address on the “right” side of the tracks.

And it is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.

The numbers are staggering — both from the perspective of young lives lost much too soon and those who are in the grips of active addiction and battling to get out.

And all too often, the issue gets swept under the rug.

We get it.

It isn’t fun to talk about.

It can be painful to confront a reality as dark as what is happening in places like the now-shuttered Tent City.

But sometimes, someone has the courage to tell the real story.

And when they do, every single one of us should listen.

This week, you read a story about a pretty girl from a seemingly typical Midwestern family — a young woman whose parents and sister have no idea where she is.

And they are a bit ashamed of the reason why.

You see, Caitlin is an addict.

They know that when most people read that descriptor, there is a tendency to write off the name.

An addict is not a victim.

An addict cannot be saved.

Of course she is missing.

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She only has herself to blame.

She made a “choice.”

The Hodges family understands because before addiction swallowed up their family, they might have thought that, too.

But eight weeks after their loved one went missing in Goldsboro, they cannot seem to forget the little girl whose smile lit up a room or the memories made in a family home that could easily be just like any in Wayne County — just like yours.

The truth, though, is that millions have fallen victim to the tantalizing rattle of pills pinging against a plastic bottle.

And millions more have watched a brother, a sister, a daughter, a son — or even a mother or father — succumb to the much cheaper drug that gives them a similar high when the Percocet or oxycontin becomes impossible to obtain.

Yes. We’re talking about heroin.

But as a community, we don’t talk about it.

Not enough anyway.

The opioid epidemic started in the shadows of mishandled pain management and corporate greed and flourished in the dark black clouds of shame.

Sure, there are success stories — those who have fought back and evicted drugs from their lives.

But there are not enough of those comeback stories.

The ones told far more often include an addict who has been clean for years whose

one slip sent them spiraling — sometimes to a fatal overdose.

But all of them are stories that need to be heard.

And we need more than just ways to treat addiction.

We need the means to stop it in the first place.

The opioid crisis was born in doctors' offices and in the shadows of young people who did not understand the danger of the pills they took from their parents’ medicine cabinet on a whim.

It started many, many good people on the path toward much deeper and much more dangerous drug addiction.

If you’ve been there, you know is not a pleasant story to listen to or to tell.

But we have to face the facts if we are ever going to really make a dent in the flow of drugs that is killing more and more Americans each year.

We can start making a difference by closing off the corridors that are bringing fentanyl and heroin across our borders.

Too many drug cartels think they can do anything they want across an open U.S. border — and it has hurt our nation.

And no, political affiliation shouldn’t matter here. Every single one of us has to admit that we have a problem.

But stopping the flow of drugs into the country — and dealing aggressively with those who sell and distribute them — is only one of the solutions.

We also need to keep a much closer eye on

the pharmaceutical industry.

Wayne County and communities across the nation are going to get a settlement from those who manufactured and marketed opioids under the moniker of “safe and non-addictive.”

Those behemoth companies will pay the bill.

But here’s the dirty little secret.

A few billion dollars isn’t enough to put them out of business.

So, once the last check has been written, they will move on to the next drug — and the next marketing campaign to get you hooked.

And communities like Wayne County that have paid the price will continue to deal with the myriad of generational societal consequences long after those settlement funds are spent.

And so will families like Caitlin’s.

So, as we move forward in the fight to stop and to prevent addiction, we have to think about the shame — the families who battle every day the horror of wondering whether a beloved relative is ever going to come home.

We have to keep telling the ugly truth.

We have to remember that Caitlin’s family has dealt with concerns that no one should ever have to manage — how to use Narcan; how to reach a young adult who has chosen a life on the streets; the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you hear about sightings of your emaciated and strugglingto-survive little girl.

And while it’s true that some addicts

are products of bad situations, rundown neighborhoods, and abusive and neglectful families, others come from the suburbs, from the hospital hallways, and from your local high schools.

They, like Caitlin, were kids — little ones who raised their hands and told their teachers they were going to be something great one day.

They had promise and dreams.

They had potential.

But then, in the prick of a needle or swallowing of a couple pills at a party, they were set them on a path that took it all away.

For those who have not battled addiction or who have never experienced a loved one in the throes of one, it is easy to think that nothing like that could ever happen to someone you love.

But it does.

Need proof?

When we spent significant time in Tent City for an August 2023 cover story, what struck us was the young men we met who graduated from prominent local private schools.

What struck us was the son of retired military officers who was strung out and bragging about blacking out in a laundry mat after breaking into the machines for quarters.

So, yes.

If we don’t get a handle on this problem, this could, quite literally, be your child’s future.

But we don’t like to think about the root causes of addiction or the way to really reach those who are part of crowds like those who shot up in Goldsboro’s Tent City.

So, we throw money at the issue — hoping that the programs we fund and the organizations we charge with trying to reach those in need, those who are in the trenches, will make the addicts and the problem go away.

Because, again, that could never happen in OUR families.

Addiction will never destroy our little girls, little boys, grandsons, and granddaughters.

Look at the pictures of Caitlin as a child and tell that to her family.

So, it’s time to bring addiction out of the shadows, to talk candidly, with our children and students, about drug use and the potential catastrophe that can be caused to a life with a simple mistake or succumbing to the lure of peer pressure.

We have to make sure there are places for addicts to go — not just so they can get support while they get off drugs, but where they can be held accountable and responsible for their own steps to recovery.

And rather than just writing checks and turning away, we have to gather as a community to find more ways to reach out and to support those who are struggling with their own addiction battles or who are trying to help family members who are.

There are hundreds like them across the state and many more across the country.

And they have stories that include challenges that most of us have never even dreamed of.

And they are regular people — neighbors you might have gone to church with and never knew.

But listening to their stories is important.

Stories like Caitlin’s.

And we have to listen with open hearts and open minds.

But there is another call to arms, too.

We have to get serious about stopping the drug trade in this county — our hometown — because it’s thriving right now around our families.

We need to send the message that those who bring drugs into Wayne County will meet swift, relentless, and harsh judgment.

We need to make it hard to run a drug operation in this community — so hard that the dealers make the choice to go elsewhere.

And we have to teach our children that criminal activity — like gangs and drugs — is not glamourous, that choices like that put you on the road to a life behind bars.

Holding our children accountable — and making the penalties swift, just, and harsh for unacceptable behavior — will cut the crime in this county and give lawmen the time and manpower they need to address the real threats to safety.

It is about changing a mindset, setting a much higher standard, and then holding teens and young adults to them.

And while all of that won’t stop someone from putting a pill in their mouth or shooting up in a dark corner, by shining a light on the problem, we will be one step closer to a real, and lasting solution.

That way, we might not ever have to hear a sister’s pain as she tells the story of the little girl she used to know.

Make no mistake. Mandy Hodges showed real courage by giving this community a raw, real picture of what addiction looks like — and what is has done to her family.

And we don’t know about you, but our way of repaying her for the lesson that story will teach this community is to do everything in our power to help her family find Caitlin before it’s too late.

So, if you know anything — or see anything — call the Goldsboro Police Department.

And in the meantime, as you say your evening prayers, be sure to lift up that missing 29-year-old from Illinois.

Caitlin deserves another chance.

Every addict deserves another chance.

Whether we, as a community, decide we actually believe that — and act on that belief — might well define which direction the opioid addiction crisis in Wayne County goes from here.

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ILLO in progress

For the 75 th time,

the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair will give local residents an opportunity to celebrate where they come from and an industry that has allowed the local economy to thrive for generations.

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ayne County’s history, its heritage, and its heart are in the soil.

This community was founded by generations of families who tilled the land, planted the seeds, tended to the animals, and harvested the crops.

And, to this day, agriculture is a very big part of who we are — and why our local economy thrives.

Companies specializing in everything from feed and animal production to all sorts of harvests have helped Wayne County grow and prosper.

Some of the research and techniques that have advanced food processes across the U.S. were developed right here.

Our colleges even make it possible for future farmers and agriculture professionals to learn the latest techniques and to be part of the next phase of the career that puts food on America’s tables.

And at the center of all of it are generations of local families who gather around the dinner table — sharing stories, sharing history, and making sure that the traditions of farming and farm life pass on.

So, once a year, we gather to celebrate everything about the profession that built — and helps preserve — this community.

Because in these parts, we know that the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair is more than just a chance to enjoy a few carnival rides.

It is an opportunity to gather as a family to learn a little bit more about where we came from.

It’s a chance to enjoy one another’s company in the fresh air over a fried bologna sandwich.

And in an age when children socialize on the Internet — and learn about the world from a phone screen — this is a chance to share not only where their food comes from, but also where they came from.

They can meet a cow, pet a horse, or even count the chickens.

They can learn about crops and see some of the products that are grown on farms across their home county.

And for the grown-ups, the fair is a chance to honor schoolchildren, teachers, and those who are part of — and lead — the community’s 4-H program.

But that doesn’t mean that every moment spent on the fairgrounds has to be a teachable one.

There is plenty of room for the food, the fun, and the atmosphere.

What can beat the memories made over a funnel cake, a candy apple, and a sunset ride on a Ferris wheel?

What is more beautiful than staring at the Midway lights?

That is why nearly every Wayne County family likely has a special memory made during “the 10 best days of the fall.”

So, we hope you will join us as we attend the 75th edition of what we consider one of this community’s very best traditions.

And while you’re there, don’t forget to thank one of the hundreds who help make it an unforgettable experience.

Their work is proof of what we have always believed about Wayne County.

It’s the people — and their traditions — that make this place one worth planting roots in. - Renee Carey

Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair schedule THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M. 9:00 P.M.

Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Open Junior Market Hog Show Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Queen of the Fair – Entertainment Arena Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27

Special Populations Day (Gates Open at 10:30 A.M. for Special Populations.)

4:00 P.M. Gates Open 5:00 P.M. Powers Great American Midways Opens 5:30 P.M. Math Contest – Entertainment Arena 5:30 P.M. Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 6:00 P.M. Open Junior Market Goat Show 6:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 6:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 7:00 P.M. Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 8:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 8:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 9:00 P.M. Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 11 A.M. Noon Noon 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M.

Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Open Junior Market Lamb Show Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett, Comedy Hypnotist – Pavilion Continued on page 16

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Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair schedule Continued from page 15

SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 1:00 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 2:30 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 4:30 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 7:30 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M.

Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Open Junior Beef Heifer Show Open Junior Beef Steer Show Agricadabra Magic Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Carolina the Band – Pavilion Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog – Center Stage Carolina the Band – Pavilion Abricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts Grayson Matchett, Comedy Hypnotist – Pavilion

MONDAY, SEPT. 30 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M. 9:00 P.M.

Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Carpentry Contest – Education Showplace HOSA Spelling Contest – Entertainment Arena Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion On the Spot Lego Contest – Youth Barn Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion

TUESDAY, OCT. 1

Wayne UNC Health Care Senior Day – (Free admission for ages 60 and above. Gates Open at Noon for Special Senior Programs.)

Noon Pie Baking Contest – Pavilion 3:00 P.M. Salute to Senior Citizens 4:00 P.M. Gates Open 4:30 P.M. Livestock Skillathon – Livestock Shelter 5:00 P.M. Powers Great American Midways Opens 5:30 P.M. Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 5:30 P.M. Junior Chicken Show – Livestock Barn 6:00 P.M. Spelling Contest – Grades 3-8 Entertainment Arena 6:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 6:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 7:00 P.M. Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 8:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 8:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 9:00 P.M. Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) PavilionContinued on page 19

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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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Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair schedule Continued from page 16

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2 4:00 P.M. 4:30 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M 9:00 P.M.

Gates Open Grades K-2 Talent Show – Entertainment Arena Powers Great American Midways Opens Cheerleading Contest – Grandstand Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grades 3-5 Talent Show – Entertainment Arena Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion

THURSDAY, OCT. 3

4:00 P.M. Gates Open 4:00 P.M. Tractor Operator’s Contest – Grandstand 4:30 P.M. Talent Show (Grades 6-8) Entertainment Arena 5:00 P.M. Powers Great American Midways Opens 5:30 P.M. Horse Shows – Livestock Shelter 5:30 P.M. Drafting Contest – White Building 5:30 P.M Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 6:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 6:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 7:00 P.M. Grades Grades 9-12 Talent Show Entertainment Arena 7:00 P.M. Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion 8:00 P.M. Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage 8:30 P.M. Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion 9:00 P.M. Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion Continued on page 20

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Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair schedule Continued from page 19

FRIDAY, OCT. 4 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M. 9:00 P.M.

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Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Science Contest – Entertainment Arena Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett (Comedy Hypnotist) Pavilion

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SATURDAY, OCT. 5 11:00 A.M. Noon Noon 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. 8:30 P.M.

Gates Open Powers Great American Midways Opens Demolition Derby – Grandstand Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Agricadabra Magic Show – Pavilion Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Hog Diggity Dog Show – Center Stage Ember Fire Arts – Pavilion Grayson Matchett, Comedy Hypnotist – Pavilion

DON’T LET YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

L APSE!

N E W OL D NORT H M E DI A PR ESE N TS A W E E K LY N E WS M AGA Z I N E

M AY 26, 2024

Wayne

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M A RCH 3, 2024

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Wayne

If the Goldsboro City Council adopts the 2024-25 budget recommended by Interim City Manager Matthew Livington, local residents will be forced to absorb a 15-cent property tax increase and a 7-percent water and sewer rate hike, as leaders look for a way to finance police and fire raises.

WEEK

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 AGA Z I N E

WEEK

MIND GA M ES

?

A unanimous decision to move Goldsboro High School to a new building has drawn the ire of community leaders, former students, and teachers who fear the school will soon close for good.

SPECIES? ENDANGERED

Dozens have graduated from the University of Mount Olive’s Master's in Counseling Psychology program, but because it is still not accredited, most are unable to find employment as therapists in North Carolina.

BY KEN FINE p. 1 4

Budget Buffet

BY KEN FINE

/ p. 14

BY K E N F I N E / p. 12

NEWS: Court documents filed last week seem to indicate former WCSO deputy has reached a plea deal . p.6

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F E BU R A RY 18, 2024

Wayne

Coram’s lawsuit thrown out / p. 4

WEEK

NEWS Salmon out as City Manager / p. 8

CLIPPED WING? Local leaders say it’s time to fight back after community was “blindsided” by news of cuts coming to 4th Fighter Wing. / by KEN FINE p. 16

DIGITAL

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ALSO INSIDE

PRINT

If you have been with Wayne Week since the beginning — or signed up within our first few weeks — you are nearing the end of your 1-year subscription period.

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CONTENT WARNING

Some of the information in our cover story could be perceived as graphic in nature and could be upsetting to some readers, including those who might have experienced abuse or sexual assault.

WEEK

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M AY 12, 2024

THE PROBLEM WITHIN

Two Wayne County public school teachers have been charged with taking indecent liberties with students since Gov. Roy Cooper signed a harsher set of penalties for the crime into law in late 2023.

But those two individuals are only part of a problem the local education community has been dealing with for the last several years.

BY KEN FINE p.12

New Old North Media 219 North John Street Goldsboro, NC 27530

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JERICHO FA R M S

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