Wayne Week — Dec. 28, 2025

Wayne

A look back at the stories that shaped Wayne County

WEEK DECEMBER 28, 2025

2025 YEAR In REVIEW $

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CONTENTS

DECEMBER 28, 2025 Volume 3, Issue 21

NEWOLDNORTH .CO M

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

6 Airmen honored for valor

Dozens of members of the storied 4th Fighter Wing were decorated a year after they saved Israel from an unprecedented assault launched

by Iran.

9 Record-setting development

A pair of historic announcements made 2025 Wayne County's most lucrative economic development year — by a long shot.

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New Old North Media LLC

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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.

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13 WCPS makes a comeback

Wayne County Public Schools was removed from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's "Low-Performing District" list after marked improvements were made on nearly every one of the district's campuses.

15 Crime was down. Then a tragedy.

After a 2024 that was, in part, defined by 13 homicides that unfolded inside the city limits, 2025 had been less violent. But then, a 13-year-old girl was gunned down — a stark reminder that work remains in Goldsboro's most at-risk neighborhoods.

18 Trouble inside the YMCA

The Goldsboro Family YMCA was on the brink of financial ruin before a lastminute land deal looked as though it would save the organization. But then, the land deal fell through — and the Y's leader resigned.

22 Public Notices

COVER DESIGN BY SHAN STUMPF newoldnorth.com

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2025 YEAR $ $ In $ REVIEW part

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f we’re being honest, 2024 was a rough year.

Fear gripped the streets of Goldsboro after a broad-daylight murder inside the Ash Street Food Lion, a late-morning shootout inside Berkeley Mall, and more than a dozen homicides — an anxiety compounded by the reality that the city’s Police Department was hemorrhaging officers.

Wayne County Public Schools was designated a “Low-Performing District.”

Local military advocates were rocked by the news that Seymour Johnson Air Force Base would be losing F-15Es, a fighter squadron, and see the 4th Fighter Wing’s mission shift significantly.

An audit report rocked Goldsboro City Hall, leading to the ouster of the city manager.

Two former high-ranking members of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office pleaded guilty to federal charges — one for bid-rigging and another for drug trafficking.

Thanks to horrific comments made by the town’s mayor, Pikeville was enveloped in scandal.

It felt like every week, chaos graced the Wayne Week cover.

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But something happened that showed us another reason Wayne County is such an incredible place.

Local residents, governments, and the school district fought back.

And while, in our first-ever two-edition Year in Review, you will still read about some of the hard stuff we have had to cover in 2025 — from Mount Olive to the Goldsboro Family YMCA — as we began to curate the “top stories,” we found that the overwhelming majority of them spoke to the bright future ahead.

A historic year for economic development.

An unprecedented turnaround on nearly every WCPS campus.

A reversal of the decision to change the face — and mission — of Seymour Johnson.

The promise of a rebirth for a county landmark that was nearly neglected into the ground.

An election — and historic run by the Charles B. Aycock soccer team — that injected a new sense of hope into Pikeville.

For us, it’s a sign.

Yes, there will always be people to hold accountable and tough conversations to be had.

But judging by what we have seen these last 365 days, Wayne County is, indeed, on the rise.

And it is our great honor to tell those positive stories with as much veracity as we report the not-so-great ones.

Our mission is, after all, helping to guide this place we love toward a brighter star.

From our vantage point, 2025 put it well on its way. n newoldnorth.com

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2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

HEROES HONORED

A year after they saved Israel from an unprecedented attack launched by Iran, dozens of members of the 4th Fighter Wing were decorated during a ceremony on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

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t was a ceremony befitting the group of heroes honored in April for a 2024 mission that saved countless Israeli lives — and likely prevented an unprecedented escalation in tensions in the Middle East.

Hundreds of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base airmen — and Wayne County leaders, a U.S. congressman, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, family members, and friends — converged on a hangar located next to the Goldsboro installation’s flight line.

A military band played patriotic songs.

Officers delivered remarks and the crowd, every so often, erupted into a mixture of cheers and applause.

But then, those in the hangar fell silent for a seven-minute stretch of the hourlong ceremony when they were asked to direct their attention to a large screen set up to the right of the stage.

A video began to play — a documentary of sorts that gave those in attendance a hint of what members of the 335th Fighter Squadron were up against a year earlier in the face of the most brazen attack on Israel in recent history.

And the accounts delivered by those who were there were, as one attendee put it later that day, “undeniably powerful.”

There was the sound of “air raid sirens” and the image of the “purple plasma” that signified an F-15E missile destroying a drone.

There was the picture painted of Strike Eagle pilots having to “dodge multiple pieces of red-hot shrapnel as they were falling from the sky” after a target had been hit.

“You could just see … above you something exploded into a million pieces and gravity is obviously going to take that into your flight path,” one said.

A weapon systems officer described looking over his shoulder to see “it just looked like Iran was glowing red,” and a fighter pilot said he had to stop counting the weapons that were being launched because “they were coming up so quick.”

Later, 31 airmen were honored for their actions.

But the Bronze Star medals, Distinguished Flying Crosses and other decorations pinned onto Air Force blues on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base earlier this year were only part of the victory those airmen had secured 6

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for the 4th Fighter Wing.

Several months earlier, in part because lawmakers used the success of Strike Eagle crews during that mission to lobby for a change in course for the Air Force, the Trump Administration and Air Combat Command officials confirmed to Wayne Week that the decision to retire some of the branch’s F-15E fleet — and deactivate the 333rd Fighter Squadron and shift the 4th’s mission to a training-only one — had been reversed.

And more importantly, that call, which flew in the face of recommendations from former President Joe Biden’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave Wayne County military advocates time.

Deep down, they know the Strike Eagle will not remain the Air Force’s inventory forever.

One longtime member of the local Military Affairs Committee told Wayne Week that just like a classic car, the young would ultimately overthrow the old.

But members of the 335th Fighter Squadron, in addition to becoming the “World’s leading drone killers,” that night in April 2024, had secured, by early 2025, the shortterm future of their wing and its mission.

After all, on a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) that was viewed millions of times, Biden told Strike Eagle crew members they were “the best in the whole damn world.”

And his words gave Sen. Ted Budd and Congressman Don Davis an opening to ramp up their advocacy for the Goldsboro installation they had deployed from — a base the men believed was “unfairly” under attack via legislation that would change the 4th Fighter Wing’s mission and deplete its fleet.

Budd and Davis would publicly challenge those who saw to it that F-15Es, including some stationed at SJAFB, would be divested

as spelled out in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. And more locally, State Rep. John Bell did the same — vowing to bring then-Gov. Roy Cooper and other state leaders into the fight.

Their efforts worked.

But in the months since the divestment decision was reversed, a new NDAA has, again, given the Air Force the ability to send Strike Eagles to the boneyard.

In fact, according to the plan released Dec. 7, the Secretary of the Air Force will soon have the authority to retire as many as 51 of the U.S.’s estimated 218 F-15Es in 2027 and 2028.

But Ken Gerrard, who serves as a liaison between Washington-based lobbyists, Friends of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Wayne County, and the city, said thanks, in part, to the heroics that were recognized at that 2025 ceremony on Seymour Johnson, even if the base loses some of its older aircraft, he does not believe the bigger picture is a doomsday scenario.

“We’re not losing any squadrons. We’re not losing any part of the mission,” he told Wayne Week. “We stopped that.”n

{ our TAKE } We did not know for sure until the operation was over.

Missions like this are not broadcast live.

We saw the exchange of fire and read the accounts of the battles.

We heard about the bravery and accomplishments of those who were in theater in the skies above the Middle East.

We knew they were heroes.

And we wondered if those fighting so bravely had connections to our hometown.

Then we heard the news.

The jets that flew interference thousands of miles away — over Israel — protecting innocents from terrorist drone attacks, the heroes who were called in when the going got tough, they were some of our own.

And when then-President Joe Biden talked about just how accomplished our air crews were and how much of a difference they made and the great risk they took, it did not surprise any of us to find out that the service members who carried out that mission was made up, mostly, of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base F-15E Strike Eagle crews.

It was another honor to add to the long list of accomplishments that have been the calling card of generations of 4th Fighter Wing war fighters.

We have celebrated their accomplishments and mourned their losses as a community for decades — all the while helping take care of their families back home.

We consider it an honor.

So, when SJAFB personnel received some of the Air Force’s most distinguished honors for their courage under fire — for the contributions they made and the lives they saved — we were proud, but we were not surprised.

We have come to expect nothing less.

For generations, this community

has taken care of the men and women who serve at Seymour Johnson.

Being their adopted hometown is something we take very seriously.

And Wayne County residents are never surprised when we hear about another successful mission by SJAFB personnel.

That’s what happens when you are a member of one of the most storied fighter wings in history.

But that did not make us any less proud earlier this year when we were given the honor of covering the decoration ceremony.

It was a reminder that while we might appreciate the pomp and circumstance of the honors bestowed, we also understand that there is more, so much more, to the work these men and women accomplish every single day.

We know the strain it puts on their families.

We know the risks they take, the sacrifices they make, and the dedication and commitment they show.

And we know that the future of the F-15E is still not etched in stone — that a new round of jet retirements has just been announced.

But we also know just how many times those jets and the men and women who fly and maintain them have been called to save the day — and returned home with a “Mission accomplished.”

So, we will continue to fight to ensure their memory lives on — that their service is remembered and that there will always be a jet flying over Wayne County.

We will press elected officials who don’t seem to get why they need to keep supporting Friends of Seymour and others who lobby on this community’s behalf.

And we will call out those who have the audacity to characterize those heroes as anything other than family.

Frankly, it is the least we can do. n newoldnorth.com

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2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

A BANNER YEAR

Hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development are coming to Wayne County — news delivered in a pair of stunning announcements made by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.

PROLEC-GE WAUKESHA

• $140 million capital investment • 330 new jobs • An average annual salary of $70,000+ • A 144,000 square-foot facility • Prolec GE doubles its production by 2030 • A $4.69 million Job Development Investment Grant from the state • A $5.5 million incentives package from the Wayne County government

PELSAN

• $82 million capital investment • 216 jobs • $2.5 million incentives package from the Wayne County government • A $2 million incentives package from the state • Will purchase two shell buildings on a 32-acre site in Goldsboro

GOSHEN ENGINEERING

T

he first announcement was historic enough — a $140 million investment in Wayne County by Prolec-GE Waukesha that would create more than 300 jobs that would carry an average salary of more than $70,000 a year.

But it turned out Gov. Josh Stein’s news drop would not be the last in what would become a banner year in the community’s economic development history.

In fact, just a few weeks later, on the governor’s behalf, State Rep. John Bell unveiled another reason for the county to celebrate.

Pelsan Tekstil, a Turkish company that makes breathable polyethylene films for the medical, hygiene, and insulation sectors, would soon be making an $82 million capital investment in Goldsboro of

their own — one that would see the creation of another 216 jobs.

But that wasn’t all.

Some six months later, Stein made yet another announcement — two state-supported projects that would generate 38 new jobs and more than $1.1 million in private capital investment.

And it was the last one, the one that represented the lowest dollar amount, that excited Bell the most.

To him, it was a sign of “momentum.”

“These announcements are not always gonna be about hundreds of millions of dollars, but the smaller deals add up,” he told Wayne Week. “So, yeah, this is huge. Wayne County has a whole lot to be excited about.”

Because the truth is, the first two might not

"This is huge.

Wayne County has a whole lot to be excited about.

• Wayne County received a Building Reuse grant of $200,000 to support a 10,000 square-foot expansion at Goshen Engineering in Mount Olive.

• 25 new jobs • $794,501 in private investment

SCOUT LIMITED

• Wayne County received a Building Reuse grant of $95,000 to support the renovation of a 121,170 square-foot building in Goldsboro.

• 13 jobs

have happened had county officials not had the foresight to construct move-in ready shell buildings and be willing to approve incentive packages that tipped the scales in Eastern North Carolina’s favor.

NC Global Transpark President Mark Pope admitted as much.

“If we didn’t have two shell buildings sitting out at Park East right now, I guarantee you this announcement would have been made in Georgia,” he said.

And it would have been easy for the com-

panies to sign on somewhere else if the Goldsboro government had not signaled it was getting serious about making improvements inside the city limits.

“This is exactly why I have been banging the table since I was elected to make sure we were forward-thinking about the water plant, roads, and public safety,” Councilman Chris Boyette said. “When we create a community that these companies want to do business in, just look at those numbers.”

Bell agreed, adding that improvements made in Wayne County Public Schools, the University of Mount Olive, and Wayne Community College has been a major selling point to businesses looking to locate their workforces in Eastern North Carolina.

“In the past, one of the biggest challenges that we’ve had has been our school system.

Well, that is now changing for the better and not just this year. It’s been a trend since Dr. (Marc) Whichard got the superintendent job,” he said. “Add to that the University of Mount Olive — how much it’s excelling. And then, you’ve got Wayne Community College which is a hidden gem in Wayne County. Those things are putting us on the map.”

So, too, is the community’s ability to offer an affordable, “good quality of life,” Bell added.

As good as 2025 was, Boyette expects 2026 to have an opportunity to raise even more eyebrows — particularly now that commissioners have given the green light for construction of two more 50,000-square-foot shell buildings — projects that are expected to cost $6 million — at the ParkEast Industrial Park.

“If we want to be open for business, we have to think ahead, and that’s exactly what the commissioners are doing. So, I applaud them for it,” he told Wayne Week. “The fact that the phone is ringing off the wall tells you we’re doing something right. And it is absolutely ringing off the wall. All I can say is that now that these folks know we are about to get to work on those new shell buildings, we are putting ourselves in a great position. And I don’t think I’m speaking out of school because I have been saying this all along, but if we, as elected officials, keep our eyes down the field and make the right choices for the future as they come before us, I think people are going to be blown away by what Wayne County has coming down the pike. We’re going to be a powerhouse.” n newoldnorth.com

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{ our TAKE }

o matter what some might say, the basics of economics are still the rule of law.

And the most fundamental of those principles — without which there can be no progress — is that without jobs and investment in Wayne County, there is no future for our community.

The current Board of Commissioners, now led by chairman Joe Daughtery, understands that, and, luckily, so too do some members of the city government.

And that means that while 2025 was a banner year for economic development in Wayne County, 2026 could be even better.

But we did not get here by accident.

The more than $200 million dollars in investment and the projected 400 jobs coming to this community were not decisions made by throwing a dart at a map.

To get the attention of business and residential investors, you have to do the work.

And county leaders did.

To get money invested in your community, you have to ensure you are set up for success — and that has to be more than just talk and promises.

You must have the infrastructure in place.

You must have shell buildings ready for potential investors to see that are “move-in ready.”

You have to have leadership that sends the message that this is a serious community focused on growth — and not a bunch of yahoos too incompetent to get out of their own way.

And you have to signal that this community is open for business.

This year in particular, county and city leaders sent that message.

The work that has been done to keep Wayne County fiscally solid, to 10

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make sure infrastructure improvements have been planned — and paid for — is why we were ready when the future called.

The commissioners have planned, led by seasoned and professional board members, and made the decisions that were not always easy.

And that included holding the county school district accountable.

Well, Wayne County Public Schools — through the leadership of the board and Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard — have responded with a vengeance.

Positive financial and test score news has been rolling in.

And when the county sales tax increase passes — yes, we said WHEN, not IF — there will be money to continue to improve the county’s schools and to attract the best teachers and administrators to our community.

Add to that a City Council, led

by Mayor Charles Gaylor and council members Chris Boyette and Beverly Weeks, that gets the role the city has to play to secure big economic news, and you have the setting for success.

And that means even more possibilities for growing Wayne County into the kind of community our children and grandchildren can come home to.

Oh, it also attracts the attention of officials associated with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base — and that matters, a lot.

That is the message that the Wayne County Development Alliance has been taking to potential investors across the country.

“In Wayne County, we are serious about being open for business.”

Now, we just have to ensure the elected officials who don’ get it get sidelined at the polls. n

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Continued on page 12

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

school district fights back

Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard promised the community he would turn the "Low-Performing District" around in short order. He made good on that pledge.

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t started with a report published in February by Harvard University and Stanford University scholars — a study that showed Wayne County Public Schools was outpacing North Carolina in post-pandemic growth in math and reading.

But that would not end up being the biggest victory celebrated by the school district in 2025.

Not by a long shot.

In fact, seven months later, the real victory would come from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

WCPS Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard had told the community — and members of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners — that he would ensure, in short order, that the district would be removed from the state’s “Low-Performing District” list.

He even used the term “one and done” to project his confidence that he could remove the eyesore designation in one academic year.

And to do so, he said he would get teachers and administrators to return to “old school teaching and learning.”

After that, Whichard got to work.

He moved around administrators and accepted the resignations of those who did not seem interested in living up to his expectations.

He started showing up, frequently, on campuses.

And all the while, he stressed that by adhering to his list of simple “non-negotiables” — no cellphones in classrooms, bell-to-bell instruction, and a no-tolerance policy for students who disrupt learning — big things could happen.

In September, it became clear that his efforts had paid off.

WCPS showed signs of marked improvement — perhaps historic improvement — on nearly every campus.

Reading scores for grades 3 through 8 reflected a staggering 19 of the district’s 23 qualifying schools seeing an increase in grade-level proficiency.

In math, 17 of those same 23 schools saw the same result.

WCPS’ Math 1 scores reflected a 10% increase in grade-level proficiency — a massive show of growth that was dwarfed by Math 3 students who grew by 23%.

Eastern Wayne Middle and Spring Creek

High were among the top four academic gainers in North Carolina during the 2024-25 school year.

And 66% of Wayne County high schools received report card grades of A or B when during the 2023-24 school year, 66% earned Cs or worse.

A week after the report cards were released, Whichard sat down with Wayne Week.

He said the thing that “privately just thrills me to death,” was how WCPS’ growth since he took on the job of superintendent compared to districts across the state.

“When you look around your own walls, within your own house, it’s, ‘Gosh. This is absolutely beautiful.’ Things look great. But then, you walk over to somebody else’s house and it’s like, ‘Well, wow. My place doesn’t

look so great after all.’ So, I always index us — benchmark us — against what other districts are doing,” he said.

That, Whichard added, was why one of the metrics that means the most to him was the jump WCPS had made in the state rankings — from 91/115 when he arrived to 62/115.

“So, in two years, the data shows we’ve moved past not quite 30 districts,” he said.

“We’ve leapfrogged ahead of that number of districts in the state. That says a lot.”

He also acknowledged that being an outsider had its advantages — particularly as it related to holding administrators, teachers, and students accountable. But he said that he never believed in “playing favorites” or doing favors for people because of relationships or political pressure.

“I’m a no gray area kind of person. I want to be able to know when my days come to an end and someone judges me, that I have done what’s right, and I have done what is good and what is decent and what is moral.

And I just call balls and strikes,” he said. “I’m up front with posting the speed limit sign in terms of what we will do — my non-negotiables — and if we do that, and more, life’s good. I’m your guy. I’ve said it before. I’m the guy that’s going to wrap my arm around you and laugh with you in the good times and cry with you in the bad times. But if you don’t do your job, I’ll take my foot and I’ll put you out of those doors.”

He did just that and said those personnel changes played a key role in changing the fortunes on several campuses.

And he likened the moves — even when some of his decisions were lampooned by the public — to his childhood cancer battle.

“We have replaced some principals … and we have attracted talent that I would put up against any school district in the state,” he said. “You know, I’m a cancer survivor. I went through chemotherapy my entire senior year of high school. Well, you’ve got to apply the chemotherapy. You’ve got to take the different medications that go in coordination with that to get rid of the cancer, the problem, the issues, so that you can have a high quality of life. Well, I think we’ve done that here and there’s a few more to take care of, but what we’re seeing now in Wayne County is a very, very bright future that’s coming about for this district.”

Members of the Board of Commissioners seemed to agree — approving a historic windfall for WCPS in their 2025-26 budget.

More than $1.1 million in funding “beyond the formula” used to come up with the county’s annual contribution.

More than $1.3 million to fully fund Whichard’s stipend plan.

An additional $500,000 beyond the $2 million already budgeted for capital outlay.

Commissioner Joe Daughtery said it wasn’t a difficult decision.

“One word is the reason. Results,” he told Wayne Week. “If (Whichard) continues to produce results — getting these schools off the low-performing list — we need to continue to reward them. That’s the bottom line in my book.”n newoldnorth.com

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{ our TAKE }

hen Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard promised the Wayne County Board of Education and the community that he would straighten out the mess that had become Wayne County Public Schools, there were many who weren’t so sure.

After all, we had all heard promises like this before — every single time Board of Education members had to run for re-election, or when school personnel were on the hotseat after bad news from the state.

We knew we had big problems, and we had no confidence that we had the right people in place to address them.

All we got were excuses and blame-throwing.

It was how we got there in the first place.

You remember — low test scores and a multi-million-dollar deficit.

It was shocking and no one, and we mean no one, seemed to have any idea how it got so bad.

So, the task was monumental.

The financial problems aside — and they were significant — there was concern about the performance of WCPS teachers and students.

And the specter of several schools that simply did not meet the state benchmarks and a “failing” label for the district did not inspire confidence that anyone could turn it around.

From bad personnel hires to a lack of accountability, the bones weren’t there.

Add legitimate concerns about discipline in the schools, and the community was worried — and so, too, were the officials in charge of determining Seymour Johnson Air Force Base’s future.

That’s the bad news.

Now, for the good.

Whichard, his Central Office team, and, most importantly, WCPS teach-

ers and support staff, got to work.

Whichard set a standard — for teaching and accountability — and he walked the walk.

He showed up on campuses.

Poorly performing administrators were shown the door.

Teachers saw that they could count on the superintendent to support them.

And they stepped up.

Their hard work was contagious.

Soon, students stepped up, too.

And just a few months ago, we got the news.

Not only have WCPS’ scores improved, but some of the schools that were struggling are off the failing list.

Discipline is expected — and school is about learning and achieving — again.

But we aren’t all the way there yet.

There are still too many Wayne County students whose reading and math skills are just too low.

Well, Whichard and his teachers and administrators have promised that they are going to continue working until those numbers improve.

And we believe them.

By the way, we think the Wayne County Board of Commissioners does, too.

That’s why in 2025, for the first time in a long time, county leadership and the school board were working together to find the funding increases needed to attract the best teachers and to make the capital improvements a school district with plans for growth and continued improvement needs.

So, yes, the future is indeed bright because of a renewed commitment to excellence.

And while he would never admit it, Whichard deserves much of the credit.

We are among those looking forward to seeing what he has in store for WCPS in 2026.n

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

CRIME WAS DOWN, UNTIL ...

A year after Goldsboro recorded 13 homicides, the violent crime rate was trending in the right direction in 2025. But then, a 13-year-old girl was gunned down — a stark reminder that there is still much work to do in the city's most at-risk neighborhoods.

A

3 2-year-old was shot to death along Berkeley Boulevard on Feb. 28.

Less than four months later, a 58-year-old suffered the same fate on Norwood Avenue.

A few weeks after that, a 39-year-old was gunned down outside a business on Ash Street.

In total, the Goldsboro Police Department has documented eight homicides in 2025.

And that does not include “near misses,” like when an 18-year-old brought a handgun onto the Eastern Wayne High School campus this fall.

But given that there were more than a dozen gun-related murders in Goldsboro in 2024 — several of them, including one inside the Ash Street Food Lion, unfolding in broad daylight — and that a shootout happened inside Berkeley Mall that same year, Goldsboro police had been relatively positive about how gun-related violence numbers had been trending in 2025.

Police Chief Mike West attributed the turnaround to a 2024 decision made by members of the City Council to increase GPD pay — a move that enabled him to “staff back up” and reactivate several specialized units focused on suppressing gang-related crime that had to be sidelined because of thinning ranks.

And as recently as a few weeks ago, he pointed to community policing initiatives like “Shop with a Cop” — an event that allowed law enforcement officers to form relationships with dozens of at-risk youth from tough neighborhoods — as a significant tool in the battle against youth violence.

But West has also been vocal this year about the fact that staffing gains realized as a result of pay increases were, again, trending in the wrong direction.

In fact, in September, he told Wayne Week that if he lost any more of the men and women under his command, he “could be forced to temporarily reassign officers” from the specialty units that had been responsible for suppressing gun and gang activity in recent months.

To make matters worse, other departments were “getting more aggressive” as they attempted to poach officers from the GPD — with one, the Winston Salem Police Department, even buying billboard advertising space on U.S. 70 East and Wayne Memorial Drive.

And for West, recruiting and retaining officers is no longer just a numbers game.

It also comes down to “perks.”

“Some are offering a take-home car, and others are offering a signing bonus. Well, I can’t always do that, and those things matter,” West told Wayne Week in September.

“But a part of me knew that when we got the increase, other departments would keep raising the bar. Unfortunately, that’s the game.”

Then, the following month, the council heard a presentation about the GPD’s home — one the department shares with city firefighters.

Consultant Andy Speck said mold and mildew issues — there was “a lot … throughout the building” — were not the only reasons a team had recommended a new Public Safety Complex be constructed.

The HVAC system has “reached the end of its service life.”

There are “cracks and crevices around windows” that are creating a “very, very unhealthy” interior space.

The building, itself, is “deteriorating.”

And the space, he said, was “just not adequate.”

But City Manager Matthew Livingston added that repairing the facility, which was built in 1975, is not a viable solution.

“We would essentially have to tear it down in order to repair it,” Livingston said. “That is essentially the repair that they’re advocating for.”

And while the safety of his officers — and the city’s firefighters — is, on its own, a reason for the council to begin to figure out how to finance what could be a $50- to $65-million project, West said there was something else to consider as he works to ensure the GPD is properly staffed.

“We can put a competitive salary together and I think we’ve got a competitive salary with other agencies, but what else do we have to offer to our employees?” he said. “We have a building that’s collapsing around us. We’ve got unhealthy working conditions.”

According to Speck, Goldsboro could do one of two things.

The city could fund two separate buildings — an effort that would require more money and more land — or it could build a “shared” public safety campus that would house both the GFD and GPD. But for a council that has already been told tens of millions of dollars would be necessary to complete much-needed repairs of city roads and construction of a new water plant, the cost-savings associated with a shared complex is likely appealing.

According to Speck, a 37,500 square-foot standalone fire station would require a 5.5- to 8-acre site — and between $25 million and $31 million.

The standalone 54,000 square-foot police station would require another six to eight acres of land — and an additional $29 million to $35 million for construction.

For West, a holistic approach feels like the only way to ensure he has enough officers on the street to take the fight to those who are terrorizing certain neighborhoods in the city.

“These newcomers that come in … and see the conditions they’re working in, it’s hard to stay motivated to want to stay,” he said. “So, I think there’s a big concern there.”

A big concern that is, to some extent, contributing to the crime rate.

“It doesn’t matter how many officers we have. We are never going to be able to stop every single crime. That’s not a realistic expectation,” West told Wayne Week Monday.

“But the more we have to offer, the more people we can put on the streets, the better off we’re all going to be.” n newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 15

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16

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

T

he news came during Christmas Break, a time when most young people are preparing to enjoy the holidays with their families.

Goldsboro police received a call at 4:35 p.m. on Dec. 21 — yet another report of shots fired — this time in the 300 block of Alpha Court.

When officers arrived, they found a 13-year-old girl suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, the report said.

That’s right, we said 13.

The GPD would later report that three juveniles had been arrested — three males — two age 16 and one age 15.

Evidence suggests that the girl who was hit was not the intended victim.

The three suspects were allegedly shooting at someone else.

Of course, it is hard to get over a few facts of this case.

First, this did not happen in the dead of night.

This occurred at 4:30 p.m. — before the sun had set — at a time when children are out and about, and so, too, are most city residents.

In other words, it could have been anyone’s child, and the alleged perpetrators were unphased by the time of day — not worried at all about committing a crime like this in broad daylight.

And then there are the ages of the suspects — 15 and 16.

Many of us consider that age just barely a teenager.

How did it become the perfect age to learn how to handle a firearm?

And what prompted that kind of hate?

We have our suspicions.

And the GPD does, too.

In 2024, we talked about the cost of a lack of personnel in the police department — and the consequences for public safety.

One of those was the loss of the gang unit, which had to be frozen because of a lack of available officers.

And if you know anything about crimes like this, they often have ties to gangs.

So, it matters that city police were not, for the better part of a year, able to devote the resources to making sure that gang activity was tracked and monitored.

Getting more personnel into the department was key.

The fact that city officials realized that and made sure that funding was available to attract new officers — and to provide competitive salaries to keep the ones we have — was not a luxury but a necessity, is why we saw lower crime rates citywide in 2025.

But this week’s tragic case proves that there is still quite a bit of work left to do.

Chief Mike West wants to improve relations with community, building trust that will help him solve cases like this weekend’s shooting — and perhaps prevent crime in the future by identifying potential criminal and gang activity.

It matters. A lot.

There have been significant strides in making Goldsboro safer, and the GPD and West, as well as the council and mayor who have worked so hard to support them, deserve credit for that.

But the loss of a 13-year-old girl, the victim of an alleged gang shooting in the middle of the afternoon in broad daylight, proves that we cannot rest until all the puzzle pieces are in place.

And that includes looking more closely at safety in the community’s housing projects.

Parents should not have to worry about their children’s safety — or their own — because thugs rule the streets.

The good news?

West and the GPD are ready to get the job done, and the council and mayor are standing strong alongside them.

But we have continue to be supportive of their mission, no matter the cost.

And we should do it in the memory of that young girl — and the seven others slain in 2025 — who were not home for Christmas this year. n

newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 17

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

saved, until it wasn't

The Goldsboro Family YMCA was on the brink of financial ruin until a last-minute land deal gave the organization hope.

Then, the deal fell through and the Y's leader resigned, leaving the future of a Wayne County institution in limbo.

T

hey had been contacting Wayne Week for nearly a year — current and former YMCA staff, current and former YMCA members, and current and former YMCA board members — attempting to blow the whistle on what they feared would be the end of a facility that had been a Wayne County institution for decades.

But it was not until this summer, after the Goldsboro City Council approved a conditional zoning request that would allow for the construction of Heritage Downs — a sprawling, nearly 50-acre residential development that would see roughly 150 homes constructed on land located off South Harding Drive — that YMCA Mark Pritchett confirmed much of the information that had been shared with Wayne Week.

In fact, he only agreed to sit down with the paper because the land deal was supposed to be the Hail Mary that would allow the Y to avoid both financial ruin and having to shutter the decades-old institution for good.

It was true, Pritchett said, that the Y had been operating at a loss for several years.

It was true that the organization had not had a formal budget during much of that time.

It was true that members of the organiza18

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

tion’s executive board had floated the Y more than $300,000 for payroll and other expenses.

And, perhaps most importantly, it was true that had the City Council not approved the zoning request, the outlook for the near future of what has been a Wayne County institution for more than 40 years would have been dire.

“On paper, yes,” Pritchett told Wayne Week when asked if without the land deal, the organization would have folded. “I don’t think it’s overdramatizing to say that.”

But not everyone was celebrating.

For Dr. Jim Atkins, a Wayne County icon who founded the Southeastern Medical Oncology Center, it was a “slap in the face” — because when, back in 1995, he and his ex-wife gave the Y a promissory note for the land that would soon house Heritage Downs, it was understood that it would be used as a sports complex.

“My wife and I had bought that property with the intent being that it would go to the Y so that they could build a sports complex to allow soccer and baseball. And when we sat down and talked with them, that was the plan,” Atkins told Wayne Week. “The whole goal was to allow the children of Wayne County to have more opportunities for sports, as my son had played soccer. And also, the goal was to allow more children in Wayne County

and Goldsboro to have access to something that could keep them off the streets and live a healthy lifestyle.”

It would also, he added, benefit the community as a whole.

“If they had the tournaments, if they had a nice complex, then that would help the hotel industry in Wayne County. It would help the restaurants in Wayne County,” Atkins said. “It would be a financial benefit for Wayne County, not only obviously for the kids, but for the county and for the city in general.”

And even though on its website, the Y wrote that when Sandra Glasgow passed away — she lost a battle with breast cancer in 2003 — the land “became the Y’s property and our Sports Complex began to be developed,” Atkins said it never lived up to what he and Glasgow had agreed to with Y leaders.

“Well, when we initially presented the information to them, they had drawn up plans of two different baseball fields and several soccer fields and a concession stand, and they had all sorts of things drawn up that I saw back 30 years ago when we initially presented it to them and talked about it,” he said.

“So, they knew very well what the intention was and what the plan was. Well, what they

did, obviously, is they made, what, two soccer fields? Big deal.”

And had he or his ex-wife known that the land would ultimately be sold to save the Y from financial ruin, they never, Atkins said, would have agreed to donate it.

“A donation would never have been made if we knew that their plan was to simply sell it and bail themselves out,” he said. “And when my ex-wife died, my son said, ‘All they’re going to do is they’re going to sell it. Why are we doing this?’ And so, we sat down with (our children) and talked to them about the importance of philanthropy and we talked about the value for the community and for the kids and talked them out of trying to sell the property because we wanted to do something for Wayne County — not build 150 houses or however many they’re going to build.”

As fate would have it, the land deal would fall through later this summer.

And a week later, Pritchett resigned his post.

And while the Y did not provide details on why he chose to leave, a release published on the organization’s Facebook page said board members were “undertaking the process of determining the leadership plan” — and that they were “excited about this next chapter in our history.”

Whether that next chapter will save the Y remains to be seen. n

{ our TAKE }

B

eing a community’s watchdog does not always begin and end with keeping an eye on government and politicians.

Sometimes, there are organizations and institutions that serve the community — and that have been fixtures of Wayne County life — that come under scrutiny.

In many of these cases, the objective is to straighten out the mess before we lose a beloved part of the community.

In 2025, there was no better example than the Goldsboro Family YMCA. This organization has been a gathering place for generations of Wayne County residents, encouraging many of them to try to lead a healthier lifestyle.

From exercise programs to swim teams, the Y attracted people from all walks of life.

Community groups also used the facility, and every holiday, there were efforts for families in need.

Seniors have been especially fond of the Y, with many using it as a place to interact and to make new friends.

So, when we got word earlier this year from dozens of community members who had knowledge of what was going on that the Y was in serious trouble, we started to investigate.

And what we found was shocking.

From maintenance that had not been accomplished that resulted in the degradation of the facility to policies that were discouraging membership, the numbers were dropping like a stone.

The pandemic didn’t help either.

And because of those things, money had become an issue — a serious one.

The situation was dire.

Hiding what was going on was not working.

Sure, some dedicated board members were bankrolling the facility to keep it operational — a noble gesture from some really caring and community-minded

individuals — but that was not a sustainable solution.

So, we got people to talk about what to do.

And the first step, like when we address problems in the public sector, was to look to leadership.

The YMCA needed new blood — someone with the expertise to help it dig out of the mess it was in.

And we suggested another solution, a public-private partnership.

The idea was to get a steady revenue stream that could accomplish the maintenance that needed to be completed and set the YMCA back on track.

It was a win-win really.

The facility would be able to be used by the public and the partners’ employees, and it would stay open for the community.

Well, since then, the CEO has resigned.

And a land deal that was supposed to save the organization from financial ruin went belly up.

That, at this point, is all we really know for sure.

But our hope is that we will hear more discussion about how we can ensure the Y remains in Wayne County in the coming year, because it really is an important place.

And we would like to believe our coverage of this issue has proven that it does no good to keep a problem from the community.

Getting people to share ideas and to become part of the solution is how you get things done.

Hiding a problem until it has overwhelmed you is not.

So, yes, we hope that there will be a new and improved YMCA in the community’s future.

It is an asset worth saving and could be another very attractive jewel in the county’s economic development crown.

The bones are there.

All we need now is the vision and leadership to get it done.

We think that’s a more-than-worthy resolution for 2026. n

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. Wayne WEEK . 19

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

immeasurable losses

Several Wayne County giants passed away in 2025 — from a man who saved Seymour Johnson Air Force Base from BRAC and elected leaders to one of the most famous BBQ personalities in the nation and a judge who taught us to honor, and fight for, our history.

S

ervant leaders.

They make a difference, often quietly and without fanfare.

The attention is not why they serve their communities.

They do it because it is a calling of sorts — a nod to lessons learned at their parents’ knees or to a deep-seeded belief that one person really can make a difference and inspire others to do the same.

When we lose them, we look back with wonder — not just at what they have accomplished, but at how much we will miss them and how much we learned from them.

Grady.

Sager.

Pate.

Gaylor.

Edmundson.

We could go on.

Because the truth is, we lost more than our fair share of local heroes this year.

Judge Charles Gaylor taught us the value of history — and keeping a community’s story alive.

His impact was enormous, not just because of the Wayne County stories and historic buildings he helped to preserve, but also because of his unmatched ability to inspire pas20

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

sion among the next generation.

And there is no man who has had a greater impact on his community — and the men and women who defend it — than Troy Pate Jr. Without him, there would be no Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro anymore.

He helped save the installation when the Base Realignment and Closure Commission came calling two decades ago and ensured Wayne County dodged mission change bullets multiple times after — all because he and his wife knew the value of relationships.

Jimmie Edmundson was a man who knew how to attract economic development and helped build the foundational blocks on which Wayne County’s future has been forged.

A smart businessman who knew what this community needed to grow and thrive, he was a big part of the team that made it happen — work that included championing downtown Goldsboro and the Air Force base.

Wayne Aycock was not a flashy, attention-seeker.

His service on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners was focused on one simple principle — doing what was best for his community, no matter what anyone else thought or said.

He was moved by faith, by his heart, and by his deep feeling of responsibility to the men and women he represented.

So, it came as no surprise to those of us who knew him that his first thought was what was best for the citizens of Wayne County — and that he always voted accordingly.

Former County Commissioner and legislator Efton Sager felt the same way.

A reserved and kind man, he used his deep faith to think long and hard about how the votes he cast would affect the people in his county and his district.

He considered it an honor to serve, and he did so with compassion and dedication.

But not every person who makes an impact on a community has a flashy title.

Lyman Galloway served his country — and then, the citizens of Pikeville — for decades.

But when his service was complete, he did not go away.

He held those who took over the job accountable — even when it would have been much easier to have stayed home.

You see, Galloway cared deeply about his community, enough to fight for it.

And who could forget the godfather of local barbecue, Steve Grady, who put Wayne County on the map without ever boasting about be-

ing a Hall-of Famer.

Instead, he chose to serve his community humbly — grateful that his neighbors, and foodie tourists from across the nation, kept coming back for more.

Those are just a few of the people we lost in 2025.

But there are others, many others, who served this community — some alongside their congregation or inside a classroom, others by volunteering their time to help those less fortunate.

And all of them have something in common.

None asked for a story in the newspaper, a plaque, or their name on a building.

They did not serve to be the “talk of the town” or to be met with thunderous applause when they entered a room.

And that is yet another reason why Wayne County is so special.

Most of our neighbors are more than happy to do the right thing when nobody is looking.

They simply follow their hearts — guided by the North Star pointed out to them by their parents and grandparents.

Those we lost certainly did.

And all of them made a difference, and inspired others to do the same. n

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newoldnorth.com

. Wayne WEEK . 21

NO T ICE S NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF PATRICIA EILEEN O’CONNELL

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Patricia Eileen O’Connell, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 9th day of March, 2026, 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 7th day of December, 2025.

Scott Thomas Fisher, Executor of the Estate of Patricia Eileen O’Connell 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 December 7, 2025, December 14, 2025, December 21, 2025 and December 28, 2025

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the Estate of Terry Jeanne Kriger, deceased of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 9th day of March, 2026, 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 7th day of December, 2025.

Tori Lynn Gautier Administrator of the Estate of Terry Jeanne Kriger 165 North N.C. 50 Hwy Faison, NC 28341 Published December 7, 2025, December 14, 2025, December 21, 2025, and December 28, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF DANNY MASSEY

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Danny Massey, Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before March 14, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 14th day of December, 2025.

James Massey, Administrator c/o Henry C. Smith, Attorney Warren, Kerr, Walston, T aylor & Smith, LLP P.O. Box 1616 Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 (919) 734-1841 Published December 14, 2025, December 21, 2025, December 28, 2025, and January 4, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Goldsboro will conduct public hearings during the course of their open meeting which starts at 5:30 P.M. on Monday, January 5, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 214 North Center Street to consider the following requests.

CZ-04-25 Tucker Trace: The applicant is requesting to rezone one tract of land totaling approximately 53.76 acres from a Highway Business (HB) and Residential-16 (R-16) to Residential-6 (R-6) and General Business Conditional Zoning (GB-CZ) for the construction of a 120-lot single-family detached residential subdivision and 3 commercial lots. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the south side of Tommy’s Road, approximately 369 feet east of the intersection with US Hwy. 117 North. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin# 3601-50-3388.

RZ-05-25 Glenda Blanding: The applicant is requesting to rezone one tract of land totaling approximately 15,000 square feet from a Residential 16 (R-16)

22

. Wayne WEEK . newoldnorth.com

zoning district to a Residential Manufactured Home (RM-9) zoning district for the placement of a manufactured home. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the north side of Lexington Avenue, approximately 330 feet southeast of its intersection with Forsyth Street. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin# 3529-73-2987.

SU-07-25 Paul Tracy Williams: The applicant is requesting a special use permit to allow for a place of entertainment with ABC permits on properties located within a General Business (GB) zoning district. The properties considered for approval are located on north side of the intersection of Carolina Commerce Drive and North William Street and further identified as Wayne County Pin# 3600-394348 and 3600-48-3976.

SU-09-25 Maeen Abdo Alashwal: The applicant is requesting a special use permit to allow for a convenience store on property located within a Neighborhood Business (NB) zoning district. The property considered for approval is located on the northwest side of the intersection of East Ash Street and North Jefferson Street and further identified as Wayne Co. Pin# 3509-64-1683.

All interested persons are encouraged to attend. To accommodate disabilities and to comply with ADA regulations, please contact City Hall if further assistance is needed. All inquiries regarding this matter may be directed to the City of Goldsboro Planning Department at (919) 580-4313 or online at www.goldsboronc.gov.

Mark E. Helmer Planning Services Manager Published December 21, 2025, and December 28, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF EZRAIL SIMPSON JR.

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Ezrail Simpson Jr., Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before March 21, 2026, or

this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 21st day of December, 2025.

Kimberly Simpson, Executor of the Estate of Ezrail Simpson Jr. 1543 Pineview Cemetery Road Seven Springs, NC 28578 Published December 21, 2025, December 28, 2025, January 4, 2026, and January 11, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF JAMES WALTER CREEL

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of James Walter Creel, Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before March 21, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 21st day of December, 2025.

Galen Curtis Creel, Executor of the Estate of James Walter Creel 4733 N.C. Highway 111 South Seven Springs, NC 28578 Published December 21, 2025, December 28, 2025, January 4, 2026, and January 11, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF GEORGE WAYNE AYCOCK, JR.

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against George Wayne Aycock, Jr., deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 23rd day of March, 2026, 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 21st day of December, 2025.

Meredith Jan Peters, Executor of the Estate of George Wayne Aycock, Jr. 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 December 21, 2025, December 28, 2025, January 4, 2026, and January 11, 2026

GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 25 CV001889-950 WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs.

THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SADIE REID and all assignees, heirs at law and devisees, together with all of their creditors and lienholders, regardless of how or through whom they claim, and any and all persons claiming any interest in, by, under or through the Estate of Sadie Reid; Defendants.

Under and by virtue of an Order of the District Court of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SADIE REID, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 7th day of January, 2026, 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 E. CHESTNUT STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3509241354) Beginning at a stake six feet from Hobson’s corner in the Slocumb lane S 3° 55’ W 209 feet to a stake then westerly and parallel

with said Slocumb lane 52 ½ feet to a stake then northerly parallel with the first line 209 feet to the said lane then easterly with the lane 52 ½ feet to the first stake.

The object of this deed being to convey ¼ acre (formerly ¼ acre over Slocumb lane) of the land

by J.W. Hinsdale and J.W. Bryan to said Peacock by deed recorded in Book 54 Page 284 Registrar Office Wayne County NC. 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 5th day of December, 2025.

Andrew J. Neal Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713 Published December 28, 2025, and January 4, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF JOHN F. WILLIAMSON, JR.

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against John F. Williamson, Jr., deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 28th day of March, 2026, 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 28th day of December, 2025.

Natalie K. Williamson, Executor of the Estate of John F. Williamson, Jr. 1705 East Elm Street Goldsboro, NC 27530 Published December 28, 2025, January 4, 2026, January 11, 2026, and January 18, 2025

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