Wayne Week — Aug. 17, 2025

Wayne

WEEK AU G U S T 17, 2 0 2 5

STATE: MOUNT OLIVE VIOLATED MORATORIUM If it happens again, an injunction — or criminal charges — will follow, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

STORY p.14

OUR TAKE p. 12

Commissioners eye adding sales tax referendum to ballot Wayne County Commissioner Chris Gurley said if the measure passes, he will fight to ensure the proceeds are used to put a full-time school resource officer on every Wayne County Public Schools campus. p.10

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CONTENTS AUGUST 17, 2025 Volume 3, Issue 1

NEWOLDNORTH .CO M

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

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Melissa Hamilton

PUBLISHER

New Old North Media LLC

CONTACTS

4 MO tagged with violations

A "Notice of Deficiences" was recently sent to leaders inside Mount Olive Town Hall by the Department of Environmental Quality.

6 State auditor talks investigation North Carolina Auditor Dave Boliek granted Wayne Week an exclusive interview Tuesday to discuss his team's probe into Mount Olive's water department and airport.

9 Goldsboro gets good news

Nearly seven years after the city's inability to complete its financial audits triggered a series of events that soiled Goldsboro's reputation across the state, City Manager Matthew Livingston said the county seat's government is, at last, off the state's Unit Assistance List.

EDITORS

kfine@newoldnorth.com rcarey@newoldnorth.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES advertising@newoldnorth.com llanders@newoldnorth.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES

advertising@newoldnorth.com

© 2025 NEW OLD NORTH MEDIA LLC All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission.

WAYNE WEEK (ISSN 2993-9666) is published weekly — except the week of Christmas, Easter, and July 4 — for $125 per year by New Old North Media, LLC, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC, 27530. Periodicals postage paid at at Goldsboro, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WAYNE WEEK, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530.

10 County eyes sales tax hike

Wayne County Commissioner Chris Gurley told Wayne Week he expects a sales tax referendum to appear on the ballot in March — and that if it passes, he will fight to spend the proceeds to ensure every public school in the district has a full-time school resource officer on campus.

14 MO officials could face charges Mount Olive violated the wastewater moratorium it has been under since 2015. Now, the state has threatened to hand down criminal charges if it happens again.

21 Public Notices COVER DESIGN

BY SHAN STUMPF

newoldnorth.com

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NEWS +VIEWS

Mount Olive tagged with code violations A “Notice of Deficiencies” was sent to town leaders by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

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ccording to a “Notice of Deficiencies” sent to Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland June 23 by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Mount Olive is currently in violation of the North Carolina Administrative Code — and was warned that failure to comply with state rules that govern public water systems “may result in enforcement actions, including civil penalties.”

From a lack of the ability to contain “very hazardous” chemicals at “either water treatment plant” to iron concentrations in treated water “consistently near or above” the “Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level,” state officials recommended immediate action be taken.

And they also noted a failure regarding required record-keeping, a shortcoming also

BY KEN FINE noted in the recently released investigative report published by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor.

The following is a word-for-word transcript of the letter sent to Holland. It has not been edited: Dear Mr. Holland: On June 12, 2025, Kevin Zegeer and Clif Whitfield traveled to the town of Mount Olive to meet with Brad Braswell, Tom Beasley, Chad Denning, and yourself to complete sanitary survey of the Town’s water system. The inspection consisted of a records review, discussions of operational practices, and a visual examination of the water system components. The following deficiencies and recommendations were identified during their visit.

• This system does not maintain records of required testable backflow prevention devices that are protecting the distribution system. This is a violation of 15A NCAC 18C .0406(b)(6), which indicates a community public water system with five or more testable backflow prevention assemblies protecting the distribution system as required must maintain records of the location, type, installation date, size, and the associated degree of hazard of backflow prevention devices whose failure would create a high­ health hazard as well as the final results of all backflow prevention assembly field testing and air gap inspections.

• This system does not have a certified cross connection control operator in responsible charge (ORC) as required by the 15A NCAC 18D .0206 (d) which states “Effective July 1, 2003

there must be an operator in responsible charge for the cross-connection-control facilities of the distribution system for all public water systems required by 15A NCAC 8C to have five or more testable backflow prevention assemblies.”

• The check valve at raw water well W04 does not work as intended and may allow water to flow back into the well. 15A NCAC 18C .1304(a) states “Water systems shall be operated and maintained in accordance with applicable approved engineering plans and specifications, Water System Management Plan and Operation and Maintenance Plan.”

Your immediate attention is required to resolve these deficiencies. A written response must be filed with this office to address this deficiency. The following corrective action must be taken:

OFFICIAL LETTER FROM NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIROMENTAL QUALITY

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• You are required to compile and maintain records of the location, type, installation date, size, and the associated degree of hazard of backflow prevention devices whose failure would create a high-health hazard as well as the final results of all backflow prevention assembly field testing and air gap inspections. A summary list of these records must be compiled within 180 days of the date of this letter.

• The North Carolina Water Treatment Facility Operator Certification Board (WTFOCB) is responsible for issuing violation letters for the lack of certified cross­ connection ORCs. If the WTFOCB issues a violation letter, you must follow the timeframe established in that letter to obtain the appropriate cross-connection ORC. • The check valve at raw water well W04 must be repaired or replaced so that it functions properly as originally designed. Please ensure that these repairs are completed within 90 days of the date of this letter.

In accordance with G.S. 130A-22(b) and the North Carolina Drinking Water Act (G.S. 130A- 311), failure to comply with the NC Rules Governing Public Water Systems may result in enforcement actions, including civil penalties.

Other observations discussed during the sanitary survey: • There is no secondary containment provided for the caustic chemical tanks at either water treatment plant. This chemical is highly corrosive and can be very hazardous if not properly contained. I strongly recommend installing secondary containment for both caustic tanks to reduce the hazard and liability associated with a potential tank failure.

• It was noted during the inspection that new phosphate chemical feed pumps for the water treatment plants were expected to arrive by the following day. Hexametaphosphate is used by this system as a corrosion inhibitor. The addition of phosphate is an approved component of the water treatment process for Mount Olive and must be included in the treatment process as originally designed. Please ensure that the new phosphate chemical feed pumps are installed immediately upon arrival and orthophosphate residuals are recorded on the required monthly operating reports (MORs). Additionally, in order to prevent treatment disruptions, it is prudent to stock backup chemical feed pumps to replace one when it fails.

• Iron concentrations reported on monthly operational reports and measured in the treated water produced by this system are consistently near or

above the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 0.3 milligrams per liter for iron. SMCLs refer to chemical constituents that may cause aesthetic, cosmetic, or technical effects, and which may also be a cause for concern to your customers. Both of Mount Olive’s water treatment plants are designed to remove iron through the use of pressure sand filtration vessels. The consistent presence of iron in your treated water suggests a potential issue with the sand filtration media used in these vessels. I recommend completing a study to evaluate the condition of the filter media at both treatment plants and replacing media that is determined to be fouled or no longer effective at removing iron.

• Both treatment plants are treating water for manganese removal, but manganese readings are not being reported on your monthly operating reports. Please include manganese measurements on future MORs. It’s possible that manganese levels in your raw, untreated water do not occur at concentrations near the SMCL for manganese. I recommend collecting raw water samples from each of your wells to assess manganese levels before treatment. Your treatment and reporting requirements for manganese could potentially be deemed as unnecessary by the Public Water Supply Section, if raw water concentrations of manganese are consistently well below the SMCL. • The Boling Water Treatment Plant (WT3) is climate controlled but it is not insulated. The current HV AC system is not able to condition the air adequately to prevent condensation on the filter vessels and appurtenant piping, which has led to some corrosion issues. I recommend installing insulation to the building to reduce condensation on pressure vessels and associated piping. Additionally, insulation may reduce electrical costs associated with keeping this facility climate controlled.

We greatly appreciate the assistance of Mr. Braswell, Mr. Beasley, Mr. Denning and yourself as you were all very helpful.

If you have any questions regarding this letter or the NC Rules Governing Public Water Systems, please contact Kevin Zegeer at 252-948-3892.

MT. OLIVE . KINSTON . MOREHEAD CITY . WENDELL . MEBANE 701 Patetown Road

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State auditor discusses Mount Olive findings, future

Dave Boliek believes there is likely more to uncover in Mount Olive — and he is encouraging those with information to send it to his office so his team can get back to work.

BY KEN FINE

Editor’s Note: On Aug. 12, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek spent some time with Wayne Week Editor Ken Fine for an exclusive interview about his office’s investigation into Mount Olive, what he believes the next steps are as the town reels from the fallout of the report, and how he plans to use the probe as a springboard to fight for taxpayers across the state.

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bsolutely everything his investigators uncovered during their probe into Mount Olive has been turned over to Wayne County District Attorney Matthew Delbridge.

He suspects that there is more to uncover in the town — and he plans to “follow up” in the coming months.

But North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek felt it was important to note that beyond Mount Olive, everyone who lives in the state can learn something from the results of what was his office’s “first real complete” municipal investigation.

This particular administration — one he has staffed with former prosecutors, experienced investigators, and attorneys — he said, is going to do things differently.

And no city, no matter how big, is off limits.

“We’re actively doing an investigation in Charlotte right now. So, the large municipalities do not intimidate me,” Boliek said. “I’m not going to be intimidated by the size, whether they be small or large. It’s really about holding all levels of government accountable to the taxpayer. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Just like they did in Mount Olive.

“The Town of Mount Olive, it’s smaller in scope, but what is happening there affects everyday folks who live in a rural part of North Carolina,” Boliek said. “And, you know, with municipal governments, things like the water department are key to that particular municipality … being able to fund initiatives on behalf of the citizens. And when there is malfeasance going on in an area like the water department or at the airport, you know, it causes a real effect to the financial viability of the municipality.”

“MALFEASANCE”

Whether or not Delbridge convenes grand juries and pursues indictments, Boliek’s investigators outlined the “malfeasance” they feel they uncovered both inside the Mount Olive 6

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Water Department and at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport — from fraud and negligence to potential embezzlement — in their report.

And they also identified several ways in which taxpayers were being shortchanged.

At the airport, residents might well have been footing the bill for services the airport operator was contractually bound to cover — including fuel, Wi-Fi service, and telephone services — but town records are “so severely mismanaged and in conflict with documentation from service providers,” it remains

sults. I think we’re moving things forward and helping to shine a light on some things that happened, obviously, in Mount Olive,” Boliek said. “And while our current investigation is over with, we do follow up.”

And while he would not yet commit to using his authority to do so in Mount Olive, he wants potential bad actors across the state to know that his office can “recoup dollars on behalf of the taxpayer.”

“One of the new authorities that we do have is in the right instance, and I’m not saying (Mount

There is so much potential in that town and honestly, it's been taken from them.

It's long past time that we find out who took it.

unclear just how much the town lost, and for how long.

The Water Department situation appears, on the surface, to be more straightforward.

It is true that a sitting town commissioner failed to pay his utility bill for several months, yet his water service was not disconnected.

(That story will be published in the August 24 edition of Wayne Week.)

And in 2024, hundreds of water cutoff fees were voided monthly, including those for two employees of the Water Department who failed to pay their utility bills and, according to the NCOSA, “manipulated the system” so their water service was not disconnected.

But the $210,000 in lost revenue Boliek’s team reported — the result of utility rates being improperly entered into the town’s utility system — might only scratch the surface.

That is why the auditor told Wayne Week there might well be more to look into.

“I think that we’ve gotten some positive re-

Olive) is or isn’t, but in the right instance, now the state auditor has the ability to recoup funds,” Boliek said. “Now, it really needs to be in the right setting, because you do have to go through and give the offended party an opportunity to defend themselves at the administrative law level.

And so, it’s long division on getting there, so it’s got to be the right case and enough money where it’s worth our office’s time. I mean, I’m just being transparent. But we do now have that authority.

So, I do want people to know that, you know, if you’re abusing contracts and you’re overbilling, this state auditor now has the authority to come back and begin potentially to claw back some of those dollars.”

THE NEXT STEP

State Rep. John Bell said he would support Mayor Jerome Newton calling for a forensic audit of Mount Olive’s entire town government.

Several town residents, during the public comment period at several board meetings

earlier this year, have asked for the same.

And a previous NCOSA investigation that was announced by his predecessor in 2023 died on the vine — not, Boliek said, because there was nothing to look into, but because when he took office, there was little to no formal “transition” and file-sharing offered by the previous administration, beyond a “two-hour” discussion “at the Starbucks down the street.”

But for the would-be whistleblower who submitted the information that launched that unresolved 2023 investigation — or anyone else in town who has information they believe warrants another deep dive into Mount Olive — Boliek has a message.

“Anyone can call our tipline,” he said. “And look, oftentimes, what happens is you have a situation like in Mount Olive, and then the tipline lights up with other tips about that same community. Then, we’re poised to be able to take another look.”

And as for potential prosecution of those his team has identified as bad actors?

“You know, again, it’s not my decision to make on whether somebody’s prosecuted or not. And I’m not going to weigh in on a prosecutor’s decision,” Boliek said. “They’re independently elected and having been a former assistant D.A., I have tremendous respect for the decision-making that has to go on at the D.A.’s office. So, I leave that to them.”

The same is true with respect to whether a takeover of the town by the state’s Local Government Commission is on the table.

“I don’t want to speak for the treasurer,” Boliek said.

Bell, though, hopes both men — Delbridge and State Treasurer Brad Briner — take a hard look at Mount Olive.

Because for him, it’s personal.

“Mount Olive is my hometown and the people who live there don’t deserve this,” he said. “They deserve accountability. They deserve to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely. And if that means the mayor calls for a forensic audit or the treasurer decides to have the LGC take the town over so those folks can get their future back, I will proudly stand with them. There is so much potential in that town and honestly, it’s been taken from them. It’s long past time that we find out who took it.” n

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Elect

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Goldsboro, at last, removed from state’s Unit Assistance List

It took nearly seven years, but Goldsboro leaders say the city’s future is bright as disarray inside City Hall — and, particularly, the Finance Department — are officially in the rear view.

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BY KEN FINE

early seven years after it was placed on the Local Government Commission’s Unit Assistance List — a measure taken by the state as a result of financial disarray inside City Hall — Goldsboro leaders are celebrating what one City Council member called “the end of that nightmare.”

The designation being lifted was announced, via press release, by city Public Communications Officer LaToya Henry Tuesday.

Goldsboro’s troubles began when state leaders grew concerned because of the city Finance Department’s repeated inability to submit its annual audits on time.

Those failures resulted in: Fall 2020 — One of the nation’s leading bond credit rating agencies, an organization that ranks the creditworthiness of borrowers, including municipalities, withdrew its rating on Goldsboro’s General Obligation Bonds and General Obligation Street Improvement Bonds, due to “insufficient information,” a deficiency characterized by then-State Treasurer Dale Folwell as a “serious matter” that is “a reflection on the quality of both governing board oversight and management practices of the city.”

Fall 2020 — The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency notified then-City Manager Tim Salmon that it was freezing funds that would typically find their way into Goldsboro coffers.

In a letter obtained by Wayne Week, Michael Handley, the manager of housing rehabilitation and compliance, told Salmon that funding was suspended “due to not submitting your audited financial statements for the 2019 fiscal year.”

Fall 2020 — Finance Director Catherine Gwynn said staffing changes and natural disasters — including Hurricane Matthew, which hit Goldsboro in 2016, and Hurricane Florence, which hit the city in 2018 — contributed to the missed 2019 audit deadline. Gwynn also said when she took on her role, she “couldn’t find” records and that when former Finance Department staff, including her predecessor, Kaye Scott, left the city, it crippled the department.

Winter 2020 — Despite assuring the Office of the State Treasurer that its long overdue 2018-19 audit would be submitted by November 30, the city of Goldsboro did not hand over the

financial documents to state officials. Officials at City Hall also failed to submit an audit contract amendment to the Local Government Commission, which, according to the state, “would be the process for the city to notify the LGC of an expected submission date beyond the due date.”

Winter 2020 — Salmon said he wasn’t concerned about the city’s inability to borrow money because “we’re not asking for any new debt right now,” and added he interpreted communications from the state as a warning about ensuring future audits were submitted on time — not the fact that the 2018-19 audit was more than a year late.

Winter 2020 — Salmon told key city staff and members of the City Council that funding from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development would likely be suspended. “Goldsboro will receive a HUD non-compliance finding in the near future because the City missed federal deadlines for submission of the FY19 Audit financial statements due Mar 31, 2020 extended to Sep 30, 2020,” he wrote in an email obtained by Wayne Week. “The likely impact will be a suspension of the funds.” He added that an additional consequence could include “federal monitoring of the financial management of the City’s HUD programs for one to five years.”

January 2022 — City officials were notified by the Local Government Commission that should Goldsboro fail to comply with the terms of a Fiscal Accountability Agreement sent to then-Mayor David Ham, Salmon and Gwynn Jan. 7, the LGC could take control of the city’s finances.

January 2022 — Folwell instructed the state auditor to conduct a “thorough audit” of Goldsboro’s books amid concerns that “its finances might be in disarray and therefore vulnerable to mismanagement or misappropriation.” The decision, which was announced via a press release, came after the city failed to submit a re-

quired annual audit the past two years. “It is troubling that the state’s 30th largest city, the county seat and home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, no less, has been unable to get its act together to conduct a basic but critical oversight function. Audits are necessary to assess financial well-being, to ensure bills are being paid and money is not missing,” Folwell said, adding that Goldsboro has not only failed to submit audits for 2020 and 2021, but its 2019 audit contained multiple bookkeeping adjustments to capital assets and notes receivable — a potential sign of “major weaknesses” in day-to-day operations.

Two years later, City Council members received the preliminary results of that audit.

And after the findings were published in the Jan. 21, 2024, edition of Wayne Week, many resi-dents expressed outrage at what had been going on inside City Hall.

Among the state’s most damning findings were: • Salmon and Gwynn — and their predecessors Scott Stevens and Kaye Scott — allegedly turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of dollars in purchases charged to city procurement cards that were not justified by required supporting documentation or approvals. They included a former member of the Goldsboro City Council taking a trip to Los Angeles, California, and San Antonio, Texas, a current city department head spending nearly $3,000 for a hotel in Park City, Utah, and thousands of dollars spent on everything from a nearly-$1,500 desk set and a trip to a North Carolina beach resort to several barbecue luncheons that cost north of $2,000 apiece.

• In 2020, while Salmon was recommending water rate increases for Goldsboro residents, he knew that a member of the City Council had not paid their water bill in more than four years — and, despite a debt of more than $4,700, had not had their utility services cut off. A former councilmember was also delinquent on two separate occasions without penalty — for a total of 1,392 days that resulted in an accumulated unpaid balance of $798 — and a current city employee did not have her water cut off, “even though the account was delinquent on three separate occasions for a total of 3,111 days” and carried a $1,466 debt.

• Despite the fact that Goldsboro was designated a “distressed utility” under the state’s Viable Utility Program in 2021, the city “wasted approximately 2.2 million gallons of the City’s water and sewer resources over three years by distributing water without collecting payments.” Specifically, from 2019 to 2022,

Goldsboro left at least $52,914 on the table and “risked setting a tone that not paying utility bills was acceptable.”

• More than $21,000 in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds were misappropriated by the city. Among the expenditures scrutinized by state investigators were nearly $4,000 to repair a non-profit director’s personal vehicle, a Lexus RX350, $3,500 for a down payment on that same non-profit director’s new Acura MDX, and more than $9,500 for rent for two LLCs and “additional staffing and worked performed” for a small business that was not accompanied by required documentation.

• A current Goldsboro employee allegedly used their position to credit their mother’s utility account nearly a dozen times between Jan. 30, 2019, and March 30, 2022, to reduce her water bill by more than $400 — an alleged crime state officials blamed on inaction from city leaders.

The fallout from the NCOSA report led to policy changes — both in regards to how procurement card charges were authorized and how the Water Department operates.

And less than a month after the report was published in Wayne Week, Salmon and the city parted ways, in what Mayor Charles Gaylor characterized as a “mutual” agreement.

That summer, for the first time since 2019, Goldsboro officials reported the city was, at last, caught up on its audits.

“We are positioned to remain caught up and we have the staff in place to remain caught up,” Gaylor said after the announcement. “I’m grateful.”

More good news was on the horizon.

In March, City Manager Matthew Livingston, during an exclusive interview with Wayne Week, said finding out Goldsboro had gotten the green light from the Local Government Commission to borrow $6.7 million for capital expenditures was about more than the Goldsboro Police, Public Works, and Fire Department vehicles and equipment it would allow the city to purchase.

It was a sign that after years of negative headlines about the state of the city’s finances, City Hall was back on track.

“If we hadn’t gotten caught up on our audits … we would be in the position where we wouldn’t be able to borrow this money — at all,” he said.

In that same interview, Livingston said he was hopeful that the LGC would remove the city from the Unit Assistance List.

So, now that the day has come, he was among those who celebrated the news.

“We’ve got the Moody’s rating back, we are no longer on the state’s Unit Assistance List, and we are now being regarded as a well-managed organization by our peers,” he said. “This has taken several years and a tremendous amount of teamwork to get us where we are today. I really can’t say enough about the positive impact this will have for the city and for us as an organization.” n newoldnorth.com

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Commissioners to eye adding sales tax referendum to March 2026 ballot Commissioner Chris Gurley said he hopes voters approve the measure — and vowed to fight to ensure the money is spent to keep Wayne County schoolchildren safe.

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ssuming the measure gains approval from a majority of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners this week, residents will have the opportunity to support a quarter-cent sales tax increase that, if Commissioner Chris Gurley has anything to say about it, would ensure that a full-time school resource officer is stationed on every Wayne County Public Schools Campus.

And based on the projected revenue the hike would bring into county coffers annually — north of $3 million — funding the SRO program would not be an issue.

A quarter-cent increase would translate into shoppers paying an extra 25 cents per $100 spent.

Gurley considers that barely noticeable impact on residents’ wallets to be a morethan-fair tradeoff if it means county children are safe at school.

“Who would vote against trying to keep their children and grandchildren safe in school?” he said. “Don’t say, ‘We want our children protected. We want SROs in the school,’ and then vote against it. Here’s an opportunity.”

Historically, county residents have rejected the idea of a sales tax increase. In fact, as recently as 2022, 22,164 voters (65.46 percent) voted against the hike.

But this year could be different, as commissioners, this summer, dramatically increased county funding of WCPS — adding fuel to the argument that if the county board was willing to make sacrifices for the common good, so, too, could taxpayers.

And, Gurley added, a sales tax increase is the only way to ensure everyone who uses WCPS is paying into the system.

“It’s not just property owners who have kids in those schools,” he said. “This right here is the way to do things right.”

• • • The issue of a lack of full-time SROs on nearly half of WCPS campuses when the 2025-2026

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school year begins was reported in the July 27 edition of Wayne Week.

The story addressed the fact that despite the additional funding allocated by commissioners to WCPS — $500,000 to help pay for more SROs — a funding shortfall remained and, according to district officials, 15 of WCPS’ campuses would not have a full-time officer on the grounds come August.

Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard, though, said he remained hopeful about the future — and reinforced that his “vision” was to “one day have a full-time SRO in every school.”

And he told Wayne Week that the commissioners’ $500,000 allocation was “an important first step.”

For now, though, WCPS leaders and local law enforcement agencies are discussing “how best to maximize SROs,” including rotating Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies on campuses that do not have a full-time or part-time SRO. That, Whichard said, would help keep bad actors off school grounds.

“I believe knowing that any school may have a law enforcement presence at any time serves as a deterrent to visitors or anyone from the outside who may be considering inappropriate behavior, harm, or some other ill intent at a school,” he said.

District spokesman Ken Derksen agrees — and added that sharing fulltime SROS and rotating others worked well during the 2024-2025 school year.

“The plan is to have three full-time WCSO SROs to be shared between the following schools: Greenwood Middle and Meadow Lane Elementary; Grantham Middle and Grantham Elementary; and Rosewood Middle and Rosewood Elementary,” he said. “Additionally, contingent on funding, WCSO SROs will be assigned to rotate between the following schools: Brogden Primary, Carver Elementary, Eastern Wayne Elementary, Fremont Elementary, Northwest Elementary, North Drive Elementary, and Tommy’s Road Elementary. This is consistent with how SROs were rotated through schools last year.” n

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{ our TAKE }

CORRUPTION HAS NO PLACE TO HIDE

Q

uack. Quack.

Sometimes, the noise of an explanation cannot overpower the overwhelming feeling that there is a whole lot more that needs to be said.

In other words, the superfluous noise doesn’t obscure the fact that the “quacks” you hear are indeed, well, a duck.

So, as you hear the town of Mount Olive’s explanation for repeated violations of the wastewater flow restrictions set forth by the state because the town remains under a moratorium that was put into place in 2015, beware.

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The squawks don’t cover the quacks that prove that this is what happens when one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing — and no one seems to have any concept of how records are supposed to be kept.

It is an excuse that doesn’t explain away the fact that thousands of not-supposed-to-be-there gallons flowed through a system despite a state moratorium on adding additional burden onto an already illequipped and stressed system.

And it certainly doesn’t explain away the fact that town officials had “no idea.”

You see, the town’s explanation for the violations was simple — permitting and rezoning.

Apparently, the Wayne County Inspections Department did not account for the fact that, let’s say, an apartment building with multiple units moving into a building that formerly held an office would use more water.

We can see a whole bunch of you shaking your heads right now.

Of course, anyone who has half a brain cell knows that.

But a Mount Olive Permitting Department employee, they say, would have known the difference immediately.

Are you laughing, too?

In our school days, that was the kind of clever ma-

nipulation of responsibility a teenager would give to avoid the wrath of his mama after a bone-headed explanation of why he decided that it would be okay to jump off the roof.

Here’s why: Just because a permit is issued or a rezoning happened doesn’t mean you should not have known that there was excess flow — that is, if you were keeping the records and monitoring the system like you were supposed to.

Not if you really took the state’s warning that your sewer system could not handle more input without putting the services of a whole town at risk.

Not if you understood just how dangerous — and expensive — it is to ignore a state order that there was not to be more usage on the system you have been told was already releasing untreated sewage every time a good rain rolls over the town.

Not if you were running the town responsibly.

Not if you knew what you were doing and had people in place who were up to the job.

But therein lies the problem.

It is one that rears its ugly head throughout the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor’s Aug. 7 investigative report — and the recent letter from the Department of Environmental Quality we published this week — about the goings on in Mount Olive.

There wasn’t anyone keeping an eye on anything — from airport records and invoices to the amount of iron in the water and who was or wasn’t paying their water bills without penalty.

Some might have been just overwhelmed, while others simply did not have the skills necessary to do the job. Others could have been deliberately looking the other way.

But the bottom line is this: The records and the accountability are not there.

That’s why no one knows where money went or if contracts were being honored.

That’s why reporting things to the state is being done halfway — or not at all.

Call it the Wild West or a small town with too many people with too many connections and good-old-boy deals coupled with more than a few bad hires.

Either way, no matter how you look at it, Mount Olive — which, by the way, is full of great people who entrusted their futures to a slate of politicians that has changed and shifted for decades — has not been run anywhere close to properly for years, and the people who call the town home are paying the price.

Now, the chickens are starting to come home to roost, and the time has come to sort out what happened, where the millions in grant dollars and other taxpayer funds have been spent, who knew what, and what deals were made behind closed doors.

Thankfully, there is a core of people who

are pushing to make sure that is exactly what happens.

They want a full forensic audit of the town, to get to the bottom of exactly how we got here and who made the decisions and the deals.

That’s what we need.

That is what Mount Olive taxpayers deserve.

And we believe they are going to get it.

There will be no simple explanations or “look here not there” deflections.

They will know what happened and why and who is responsible — past and present.

And when they do, there also needs to be accountability. According to the state auditor, District Attorney Matthew Delbridge already has a whole lot of proof of wrongdoing courtesy of Dave Boliek’s team of investigators.

Well, in our view, Mount Olive residents should hold Delbridge accountable if he does not do his job.

But that’s what is still to come.

For now, let’s deal with what we just learned.

After being told there was a moratorium because there was a real danger of a wastewater system failure if there was more stress placed on it, no one noticed the numbers were increasing.

And no one seemed to pay attention when the state order was defied, either through willful ignorance or blatant misconduct.

Perhaps it is true that it was a miscalculation by inspectors and people making rezoning decisions — and that really, no one knew that, based on the example Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland gave, if you put a hair salon into the same spot as a barbershop, water and wastewater flows would increase.

Maybe no one saw that the number of gallons of water flowing through the wastewater treatment system was increasing significantly and wondered why.

Maybe no one thought hard enough about what would happen if the state found out that the town was defying — or selectively turning a blind eye to — its order not to allow even one more drop of additional flow.

Maybe no one thought anyone could go to jail if they simply looked the other way.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

The bottom line?

Someone made some pretty ill-advised decisions or a whole bunch of people decided to look the other way.

And now, the town could pay the price.

The good news is that, finally, we are closer to getting some answers.

The recent findings in the town are, indeed, as we wondered last week, just the tip of the iceberg.

But there is something else we should all pay close attention to as the Mount Olive situation continues to unfold.

And yes, we have said before, but we feel it’s worth repeating.

This is what happens when no one, and we mean no one, is keeping an eye on local governments.

When officeholders and power brokers are not being watched closely, they can get, well, delusional and full of their own power.

They explain away good-old-boy deals and decisions that they benefit from.

They justify self-serving votes and contracts that get a wink and a nod.

They do it because they can and because no one is asking the questions, looking closely at the numbers, or following the money.

And it is not just happening here.

It is happening in small towns, mid-size towns and in some of the country’s biggest cities.

Misspending. Irresponsible decisions. And

in the worst case, downright criminal activity.

It is why it is so important to question and to pay attention.

Catching mismanagement early prevents lasting damage.

It is why watchdogs are so important.

And we just don’t have enough of those anymore.

You need someone to call a duck a duck, no matter how much it tries to tell you it is a chicken.

No one should be above scrutiny.

And now, more than ever, more and more Wayne County residents are making sure those standards are applied equally and consistently.

And that is why this county is moving forward — and getting better and better every day. n

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STATE: MOUNT OLIVE VIOLATED MORATORIUM If it happens again, an injunction — or criminal charges — could follow.

BY KEN FINE

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T

he town has been under a wastewater moratorium since 2015, but Mount Olive has, according to an official from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, been violating the terms of a Special Order of Consent it signed off on — an agreement that, among other things, prohibited the town from adding wastewater capacity to its system.

And if it happens again, criminal charges could follow.

That was the message delivered to members of the Town Board earlier this month, just a few days before a damning investigative report that excoriated the town was published by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor.

NCDEQ engineer Caroline Bari, a Mount Olive native who was assigned to the distressed wastewater system less than two years ago, said the violations were “serious.”

“In the original consent order, among other things was a list of items that needed to be completed and dates. These milestones, the town got behind and was starting to get fined … so the state and the town renegotiated the consent order and signed the new one in April 2025. The main revisions relate to the dates in which these different items are due,” she said. “But in both of these consent orders, one very important issue is that the town of Mount Olive is not allowed to add wastewater capacity to the wastewater system. That’s the flow moratorium that everybody has heard about. You cannot add additional flow to your system.”

The town, though, did anyway, a fact Bari said she became aware of June 30.

“I advised the town to immediately report this to (the state),” she said. “Just from my professional opinion, I thought it was better for them to hear it from the town than from another source.”

Then, a face-to-face meeting between town and state officials was held in July.

“We had a lengthy discussion about the violations that had taken place and the consent order requirements,” Bari said. “Unfortunately, the bottom line is (the state) made it clear that if there are further violations of the flow moratorium, it could result in additional actions by the state, including an injunction or criminal prosecution. So, this is a pretty serious issue.”

Mayor Jerome Newton agreed.

“ The corrective

action is to stop it.”

“We have to be very concerned, but mostly, we have to enforce these rules because, as was stated earlier, it could become criminal,” he said. “The corrective action is to stop it.”

Bari’s presentation came after the meeting’s public comment period, during which Annette Kirby criticized Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland’s recent interview with a Duplin County news outlet about the moratorium.

She was not, she said, satisfied with the answers Holland gave for the story — specifically, his failure to acknowledge the lack of progress on the town’s wastewater issues despite “millions of dollars” that has been awarded to the town since it was put into place a decade ago.

“Nowhere in the interview did it acknowledge the millions of dollars that have literally been thrown away due to a lack of oversight and planning. Without competent, engaged, and fully accountable leadership, we will never get past this,” Kirby said.

“How many millions of dollars have we thrown away so far?

How many millions of dollars have we gotten allocated?”

And where, she asked, was the outrage?

“It’s time everyone in this town stands up and says, ‘This is enough,’” she said. “Do we really even know what is needed to get ourselves out of this moratorium? We’re looking for some solutions to our problems. We’re not looking for, ‘We don’t know what we’re doing.’ We need more than hope. We need an immediate change.”

Kirby’s comments were not the first commissioners have heard this year regarding the state measure that has spurned development in the town.

In fact, residents have been packing meetings for months now.

In February, David Kornegay told the board that the moratorium was thwarting his ability to sell commercial real estate — that he has been contacted by nearly a dozen “national franchise

companies” but has not been able to sell his land because the town has not made any progress toward getting the state’s ban on additional wastewater hookups lifted.

“Every single time when they find out we have no sewer and they have to put in a septic tank, they turn around and go away,” he said. “They go on to another town and forget about us.”

That, State Rep. John Bell has told Wayne Week on numerous occasions, is hurting economic development initiatives across Wayne County.

And in his view, it’s “unacceptable,” particularly given all the money he and other state leaders have directed to Mount Olive to resolve its wastewater issues — funds Bell believes have been more than enough to put the town’s woes in the rearview.

“With all that money, they could have fixed that town two times over,” he said Wednesday.

That is why earlier this year, after the town was notified by the NCDEQ’s Division of Water Infrastructure that it would receive $7,363,920 from the State Water Infrastructure Authority for a sewer line rehabilitation project and a “find and fix” effort that could put a dent in inflow and infiltration issues, Bell told Wayne Week that his frustration with Mount Olive leaders was beginning to boil over.

“My biggest concern is, here it is, once again we’re helping Mount Olive. They have received millions upon millions of dollars to fix their issue, but it’s up to the Town Board to get it done,” Bell said. “We have helped Mount Olive numerous times.

It’s time for Mount Olive to fix its issues. And it’s time for everyone in the town to hold that board accountable. No more excuses. Their issues are a direct result of mismanagement.

They have mismanaged millions of dollars. It’s been going on for years. Well, now they have additional funds that they can use to fix their issues. It’s time. It’s time to get off the moratorium.” n

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the SPECTATOR New conferences.

New foes.

Renewed rivalries.

Plenty of storylines are abound as the 2025 high school football season nears kickoff, but every team in Wayne County is chasing the same dream — a shot at a state title.

The following schedules are official, but weather and other factors could shift dates and start times as the season unfolds.

Wayne Week plans on attending at least one game at each school this season, starting Friday in Pikeville when the “Little River Rivalry” takes center stage, so we look forward to seeing all of you, at some point, under the lights.

And to those who are gearing up to take to the field, good luck, have fun, and be safe.

CHARLES B. AYCOCK Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Oct. 24 Oct. 31

Rosewood, 7 p.m. @ Eastern Wayne, 7 p.m.

Goldsboro, 7 p.m. @ Hunt, 7 p.m.

Southern Nash, 7 p.m. @ Northern Nash, 7 p.m.

Rocky Mount, 7 p.m. @ James Kenan, 7 p.m. @ Fike, 7 p.m.

Southern Wayne, 7 p.m.

EASTERN WAYNE Aug. 22

Goldsboro, 7 p.m.

Aug. 29

Charles B. Aycock, 7 p.m.

Sept. 12 @ Middle Creek, 7 p.m.

Sept. 19 @ North Johnston, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 North Lenoir, 7 p.m.

Oct. 3

@ Southwest Edgecombe, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17

North Pitt, 7 p.m.

Oct. 24

@ Washington, 7 p.m.

Oct. 31

West Craven, 7 p.m.

Continued on page 18

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. Wayne WEEK . 17

GOLDSBORO Aug. 22

@ Eastern Wayne, 7 p.m.

Aug. 29

Greene Central, 7 p.m.

Sept. 5

Southern Wayne, 7 p.m.

Sept. 12 @ Charles B. Aycock, 7 p.m.

Sept. 19 @ Rosewood, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 @ Wallace-Rose Hill, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1

James Kenan, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17

Princeton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2

@ Spring Creek, 7 p.m.

Oct. 31

Midway, 7 p.m.

ROSEWOOD Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 5 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 17 Oct. 24 Oct. 3

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@ Charles B. Aycock, 7 p.m.

North Duplin, 7 p.m.

North Johnston, 7 p.m. @ Hobbton, 7 p.m.

Goldsboro, 7 p.m.

James Kenan, 7 p.m. @ Spring Creek, 7 p.m.

Midway, 7 p.m. @ Wallace-Rose Hill, 7 p.m. @ Princeton, 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN WAYNE Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 5 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Oct. 3

James Kenan, 7 p.m. @ Spring Creek, 7 p.m. @ Goldsboro, 7 p.m.

Smithfield-Selma, 7 p.m. @ Southern Nash, 7 p.m.

Hunt, 7 p.m. @ Rocky Mount, 7 p.m.

Northern Nash, 7 p.m.

Fike, 7 p.m. @ Charles B. Aycock, 7 p.m.

SPRING CREEK Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 5 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Oct. 2

@ Union, 7 p.m.

Southern Wayne, 7 p.m. @ North Duplin, 7 p.m.

South Lenoir, 7 p.m. @ James Kenan, 7 p.m. @ Midway, 7 p.m.

Rosewood, 7 p.m.

Princeton, 7 p.m. @ Wallace-Rose Hill, 7 p.m.

Goldsboro

WAYNE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Aug. 15 Aug. 22 Aug. 29 Sept. 12 Sept. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Oct. 24

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GRACE Christian, 7 p.m. @ Bear Grass Charter @ Harrells Christian Academy North Raleigh Christian Academy, 7 p.m. @ Jones, 7 p.m.

South Wake, 7 p.m.

Trinity Christian, 7 p.m.

Washington County, 7 p.m. @ Ravenscroft, 7 p.m.

North Wake Saints, 7 p.m.

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. Wayne WEEK . 19

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NO T ICE S NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF EDITH SUE AYCOCK

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Edith Sue Aycock, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before October 27, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 18th day of July, 2025.

Rebecca Aycock Davies, Executor of the Estate of Edith Sue Aycock c/o L.E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P.O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 (919) 734-1841 Published July 27, 2025, August 3, 2025, August 10, 2025, and August 17, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF LEONIDAS GRANTHAM ROLLINS

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Leonidas Grantham Rollins, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before October 27, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 17th day of July, 2025.

Benjamin E, Rollins, Jr., Executorof the Estate of Leonidas Grantham Rollins c/o L. E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 Published July 27, 2025, August 3, 2025, August 10, 2025, and August 17, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF DOLORES KAYE RADFORD

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

All persons, firms, and corpoAND DEBTORS All persons, firms and corpora- rations having claims against OF JOHN ANDREW DREW tions having claims against Do- Linda Sutton, A.K.A. Lynda Lou Having qualified as Co-Adminlores Kaye Radford, deceased, Sutton, deceased of Wayne istrators of the Estate of John of Wayne County, are notified County, are notified to exhibit Andrew Drew, late of Wayne to exhibit them to the under- them to the undersigned on or County, North Carolina, the signed on or before the 27th before the 27th day of Octo- undersigned do hereby notify day of October, 2025, or this ber, 2025, or this notice will be all persons, firms and corporanotice will be pleaded in bar of pleaded in bar of their recovery. tions having claims against the their recovery. All persons in- All persons indebted to the es- estate of said decedent to exdebted to the estate will please tate will please make immediate hibit them to the undersigned make immediate payment to payment to the undersigned. at the address below on or beThis 27th day of July, 2025. the undersigned. fore November 3, 2025, or this

This 27th day of July, 2025. notice will be pleaded in bar Shanetta Sutton of their recovery. All persons, and Lashonda Sutton, firms and corporations indebtBrooke Hales and Co-Administrators of the ed to the said estate are asked Karla Thompson, Estate of Linda Sutton to make immediate payment to Executors of the Estate 222 Dollard Town Road the undersigned. of Dolores Kaye Radford Goldsboro, NC This the 30th day of July, 2025.

144 Oxford Drive 27534 Goldsboro, NC 27534 Jennifer Davis and Published July 27, 2025, Published July 27, 2025, Richard Tyler Drew, August 3, 2025, August 3, 2025, August 10, 2025, Co-Administrators August 10, 2025, and August 17, 2025 of the Estate of and August 17, 2025 John Andrew Drew c/o L. E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO CREDITORS Warren, Kerr, Walston, OF ROBERT L. CORE Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. OF PETER S. KASCSAK All persons, firms, and corpoP. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC rations having claims against All persons, firms, and corpo27533-1616 Robert L. Core, deceased of rations having claims against Wayne County, are notified Peter S. Kascsak, deceased, Published August 3, 2025, to exhibit them to the under- of Wayne County, are notified August 10, 2025, signed on or before the 27th to exhibit them to the underAugust 17, 2025, day of October, 2025, or this signed on or before the 3rd and August 24, 2025 notice will be pleaded in bar of day of November, 2025, or this their recovery. All persons in- notice will be pleaded in bar of debted to the estate will please their recovery. All persons inNOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION make immediate payment to debted to the estate will please make immediate payment to ESTATE OF BRYAN the undersigned. the undersigned.

This 27th day of July, 2025.

CADETTE PAGE —

FILE NO. 25E001719-950 This 3rd day of August, 2025. All persons, firms, and corpoMark J. Hale, Jr., Peter S. Kascsak, Jr., rations having claims against Administrator CTA of the Executor of the Estate of Bryan Cadette Page, deceased Estate of Robert L. Core Peter S. Kascsak of Wayne County, are notified Baddour, Parker, c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. to exhibit them to the underHine & Hale, P.C. Baddour, Parker, signed on or before the 3rd Attorneys for Estate Hine & Hale, P.C. day of November, 2025, or this P.O. Box 916 Attorneys for Estate notice will be pleaded in bar of Goldsboro, P.O. Box 916 their recovery. All persons inNC 27533-0916 Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 debted to the estate will please (919) 735-7275 (919) 735-7275 make immediate payment to Published July 27, 2025, Published August 3, 2025, the undersigned.

August 3, 2025, and August 10, August 10, 2025, This 3rd day of August, 2025.

2025, and August 17, 2025 August 17, 2025, and August 24, 2025 Christina Page, Administrator c/o Whitaker & Hamer, PLLC 121 E. Main Street Clayton, NC 27520 Published August 3, 2025, August 10, 2025, August 17, 2025, and August 24, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA WAYNE COUNTY THE UNDERSIGNED, Edward Luis Hester, having duly qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Peggy Waters Hester, deceased, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to Edward Luis Hester, Administrator at 107 South Breazeale Avenue, Mount Olive, NC 28365 on or before the 10th day of November, 2025, said date being three (3) months from the date of first publication hereof, or this notice will be pleaded in bar to their recovery.

All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

DATED: August 10, 2025.

EDWARD LUIS HESTER ADMINISTRATOR ESTATE OF PEGGY WATERS HESTER W. CARROLL TURNER ATTORNEY FOR THE ESTATE POST OFFICE BOX 547 MOUNT OLIVE, NC 28365 Published August 10, 2025, August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, and August 31, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF JANET HOLLOWELL WHITFIELD

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Janet Hollowell Whitfield, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before November 10, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 4th day of August, 2025.

Thomas Hollowell Hooks, Executor of the Estate of Janet Hollowell Whitfield c/o L. E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 Published August 10, 2025, August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, and August 31, 2025 Continued on page 22

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Rosetta High Coley, deceased of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of November, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 10th day of August, 2025.

Kenneth Coley and Lori Brantley, Co-Administrators of the Estate of Rosetta High Coley 216 Marlin Lane Pikeville, NC

27863 Published August 10, 2025, August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, and August 31, 2025

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. Wayne WEEK . 21

NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 24CVD001959-950

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 25CV002015-950

WAYNE COUNTY, Plaintiffs vs.

BRAD DEAL, ASHLY COTTLE DEAL, Defendants.

WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs.

CASEY’S TRAILER LODGE, INC.; LONNIE CASEY, JR.; LONNIE CASEY, JR. IN HIS CAPACITY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE LONNIE CASEY, JR. REVOCABLE FAMILY TRUST, Defendants.

TO: ASHLY COTTLE DEAL TAKE NOTICE THAT: A pleading seeking relief has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication will begin on August 17, 2025.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on real property located in Wayne County, North Carolina and described as 302 Grace’s Farm Road, La Grange, NC (PIN:3546118609), which is more completely described in the complaint; to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes. Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you or others may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice, August 17, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.

This the 5th day of August, 2025.

Andrew J. Neal Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, and August 31, 2025

TO: LONNIE CASEY, JR. TAKE NOTICE THAT: A pleading seeking relief has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication will begin on August 17, 2025.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on real property located in Wayne County, North Carolina and described as 1700 S. Slocumb Street, Goldsboro, NC (PIN:3508175377) and Harris Street, Goldsboro, NC (PIN: 3508270215,) which is more completely described in the complaint; to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes. Plaintiffs seek to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you or others may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice, August 17, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.

This the 5th day of August, 2025.

Andrew J. Neal Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, and August 31, 2025

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF SAM A. JERNIGAN, III

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Sam A. Jernigan, III, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before November 17, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 7th day of August, 2025.

Eleanore Jernigan, Executorof the Estate of Sam A. Jernigan, III c/o L.E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P.O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 (919) 734-1841 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS-ESTATE OF RONALD MICHAEL YOUNGFILE NO. 25E001637-950

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Ronald Michael Young, deceased, of Wayne County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 17, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 17th day of August, 2025.

Brian Young, Administrator c/o Whitaker & Hamer, PLLC 121 E. Main Street Clayton, NC 27520 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Frances Preston, deceased of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of November, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 17th day of August, 2025.

Derald G. Preston, Administrator of the Estate of Frances Preston 404 Miller Ave. Goldsboro, NC 27530 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF TERRI SASSER

Having qualified as Fiduciary of the Estate of Terri Sasser, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before November 17, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 17th day of August, 2025.

Shanna Gurley, Fiduciary of the Estate of Terri Sasser 4893 Wyse Fork Road Dover, NC 28526 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 23: CVD000745-950 WAYNE COUNTY, Plaintiff vs.

EDWARD KORNEGAY, Defendant & CREDITONE, L.L.C., Defendant Lienholder Under and by virtue of an Order of the Clerk of Superior Court of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY vs. EDWARD KORNEGAY, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 27th day of August, 2025, offer for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction, at the courthouse door in Wayne County, North Carolina, in Goldsboro at 10:00 a.m. the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid and more particularly described as follows: 720 Stanley Chapel Church Road, Mt. Olive (PIN: 2593475328) BEING all of Lot No. 8 of High Cotton Acres Subdivision, Section One, as shown on a plat thereof recorded in Plat Cabinet L, Slide 49A of the Wayne County Registry.

The sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvements assessments against the above-described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A deposit of 5 percent (5%) of the successful bid will be required or $750.00, whichever is greater, in the form of cash, certified check or money order.

This the 23rd day of July, 2025.

Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713 Published August 17, 2025, and August 24, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF JEFFREY LANE WELLS

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Jeffrey Lane Wells, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of November, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recover. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 17th day of August, 2025.

Ashlee Schallert, Administrator of the Estate of Jeffrey Lane Wells c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C. Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916 Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919) 735-7275 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF LINWOOD E. HINES

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Linwood E. Hines, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before November 17, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 13th day of August, 2025.

Vicky J. Benton Lancaster, Executorof the Estate of Linwood E. Hinesc/o L. E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 Published August 17, 2025, August 24, 2025, August 31, 2025, and September 7, 2025

ADVERTISEMENT TO BIDDERS

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

CITY OF GOLDSBORO INVITATION FOR BIDS

CITY OF GOLDSBORO

IFB 2025-001 2026-2030 FARM LEASES Informal Bids will be received by the City of Goldsboro, North Carolina until 2:00pm on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at City Hall, 200 North Center Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530 or PO Drawer A, Goldsboro, NC 27533. Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside of the envelope, “IFB 2025-001 2026-2030 FARM LEASES.” Bids may be delivered by parcel service, U.S. Mail delivery or presented in person to the above address.

It is fully the Vendors responsibility to ensure their proposal arrives before the deadline.

Scope of offering will be on file in the office of the Finance Department, Goldsboro, North Carolina and on the City of Goldsboro website http:// w w w. g o l d s b o r o n c . g o v/ f i nance/bid-listings/.

All Contractors must be licensed under prevailing State Laws governing their trade.

The right is reserved to reject any or all bids, to add or delete work, to waive informalities, and to award a contract which, in the opinion of the City and County, appears to be in its best interest. The right is reserved to hold any or all bids for a period of sixty (60) days from the opening thereof.

The City of Goldsboro has an affirmative policy of fostering, promoting and conducting business with women and minority owned enterprises. Women and minority contractors are encouraged to participate in the pre-qualification process.

This the 16th day of August 2025.

Catherine Gwynn Finance Director Published August 17, 2025

GOLDSBORO WATER TREATMENT PLANT INTAKE MAINTENANCE DREDGING PROJECT PROJECT: FB 2025-002R 30136-017 GOLDSBORO WATER TREATMENT PLANT INTAKE MAINTENANCE DREDGING PROJECT SEALED BIDS WILL BE RECEIVED AT: GOLDSBORO CITY HALL 200 N CENTER ST, GOLDSBORO, NC 27530 UNTIL: 2:00 PM ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2025 for the construction of the indicated project at which time the Bids received will be publicly opened and read. All Bids submitted shall include one original set of the Bid Documents. The Work is located in Goldsboro, North Carolina at the Water Treatment Plant Raw Water Intake Site near the intersection of Stevens Mill Road and Farm Road in Goldsboro, NC. The Work consists of the following: · Installation of turbidity curtain surrounding recently constructed intake screen and downstream shoreline as indicated in Contract Drawings. · Hydraulic dredging of the Neuse River in the vicinity surrounding the intake screen to remove the quantity of material listed on the Bid Form. The dredge area shall be as shown on the Contract Drawings and is limited to 140 feet upstream and 80 feet downstream of the intake screen. · Hauling and disposal of the materials removed from the work area to an acceptable offsite disposal location.

Bids will be received for a SINGLE prime Contract. Bids shall be on a LUMP SUM AND UNIT PRICE BASIS, as indicated on the Bid Form. The Contract Times for the Work are set forth in the Agreement.

Bidding Documents may be viewed and downloaded online by registering with the City of Goldsboro at: · City of Goldsboro Vendor Registration / Bid Opportunities Page (www.goldsboronc. gov/finance/bid-listings) Following registration, complete sets of Bidding Documents may be downloaded

from the Issuing Office’s website as “zipped” portable document format (PDF) files. The date the Bidding documents are transmitted by the Issuing Office will be considered as the Bidder’s date of receipt of the Bidding Documents.

The Bidding Documents will include one full-size set of Drawings with a printed copy of the Project Manual. Partial sets of the Bidding Documents will not be available from the Issuing Office. Each Bidder must be a Bidding Document Holder. Bids submitted by Bidders not on the list of Bidding Documents (Plan) Holders with the Issuing Office will not be opened.

A non-mandatory virtual prebid meeting was held at 11:00 am, on Tuesday July 15, 2025 on Microsoft Teams to discuss the Project and answer pertinent questions. Answers to the questions were posted in Addendum #2 and a PDF copy of the presentation is available upon request. Attendance at the pre-bid meeting was encouraged. Contractors may coordinate with the City to schedule a site-visit if desired.

Bid security shall be furnished in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders.

Bidders shall submit proof of qualifications to perform the Work as described in the Instructions to Bidders.

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City of Goldsboro, North Carolina Catherine Gwynn, Finance Director

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JERICHO FA R M S

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. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

EASTERN NC’S PREMIERE WHOLESALE GROWER OFFERING A WIDE VARIETY OF TREES AND SHRUBS 3 GALLON - 25 GALLON