Wayne Week — Dec. 7, 2025

Wayne

WEEK DECEMBER 7, 2025

The filing window for 20 26 contests has been open for only a few days, but there are already pri maries set in several critical Wayne Co unty races.

BY K E N F I N E / p.14

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CONTENTS 4 County set to fill Aycock seat DECEMBER 7, 2025 Volume 3, Issue 18

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

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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.

Periodicals postage paid at at Goldsboro, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WAYNE WEEK, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530.

As required by North Carolina law, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners sent a letter to the local Republican Party asking for the organization's preference as it eyes appointing a replacement for the late Wayne Aycock by mid-January.

6 City renames Edgewood building The Goldsboro City Council voted to change the name of the building that was, for decades, known as Edgewood Community Developmental School.

6 BOE OKs $1 million land buy

Roughly six weeks after the Wayne County Board of Commissioners gave Wayne County Public Schools its blessing to purchase some 56 acres the district hopes will one day house a new Brogden Primary School, the Board of Education agreed to buy the property.

9 Our take

Make no mistake. If Wayne County election history tells us anything, 2026 races for sheriff, district attorney, and the at-large seat on the Board of Commissioners could very well be decided during the March Republican primary, not in November.

12 Our take

The city has changed the name of the former home of Edgewood Community Developmental School and now there is talk of Goldsboro moving on from the T.C. Coley Community Center. In our view, both make sense — but only if the legacies of both facilities are honored the right way.

14 Cover Package

The filing period for 2026 contests opened Monday — and we already know there are going to be some hotly contested primaries.

20 Public Notices COVER DESIGN BY SHAN STUMPF newoldnorth.com

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NE WS +VIEWS

Commissioners put GOP on the clock

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners faces a deadline to appoint someone to fill the late Wayne Aycock’s seat, so they put the local Republican Party, which has the right to recommend his replacement, on notice.

W

BY KEN FINE

ith a Jan. 17 deadline to appoint a replacement for the late Wayne Aycock looming, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners has officially put the local Republican Party on notice.

The organization, which, because Aycock was a Republican, has the right, pursuant to North Carolina General Statute § 153A-27, to nominate its pick to fill the seat until voters elect a new at-large commissioner in November, has until Dec. 22 to do so.

But statute does not require the commissioners to accept the local GOP’s nominee.

It states: To be eligible for appointment to fill a vacancy, a person must (i) be a member of the same political party as the member being replaced, if that member was elected as the nominee of a political party, and (ii) be a resident of the same district as the member being replaced, if the county is divided into electoral districts. The board of commissioners or the clerk of superior court, as the case may be, shall consult the county executive committee of the appropriate political party before filling a vacancy, but neither the board nor the clerk of the superior court is bound by the committee’s recommendation.

That means as of Dec. 22, the party’s pick — and all other applicants who have, by that day, submitted a letter of interest, resume, and references to the county clerk — will be in the running for the appointment.

The board plans on interviewing each of them at the end of its January 6 meeting before making a selection before the statutory Jan. 17 deadline.

The letter sent to the GOP by new board Chairman Joe Daughtery is included in this package. n

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Continued on page 6 newoldnorth.com

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City gives former Edgewood building a new name Goldsboro began leasing the facility, which is now called the Peachtree Street Recreation Center, a few months ago after Wayne County Public Schools moved the Edgewood Community Developmental School student body to Eastern Wayne High School.

WAYNE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

School Board OKs $1 million land purchase for new Brogden Primary Some 56 acres will now be available should the school district secure funding for construction of the facility.

A

BY KEN FINE

little more than a month after the Wayne County Board of Commissioners gave Wayne County Public Schools its blessing to pursue a parcel of land that could, in the future, be home to a new Brogden Primary School, the Board of Education voted unanimously to spend just north of $1 million on 56 acres located on the east side of Old Mount Olive Highway.

The exact cost of the land is $1,014,3000, and now that the purchase is in motion, the district can apply for a Needs-Based School Construction Grant that would fund 85 percent of the construction of the school.

Commissioners, in October, gave WCPS the green light to move on the property after County Manager Chip Crumpler received a letter from Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard — a note that reflected his longstanding belief that Brogden Primary had “reached the end of its life cycle.”

Those words were consistent with concerns Whichard has been raising about the condition of the school since shortly after he signed on to lead the district in 2023, like when, in August of that year at a Wayne County Board of Education retreat, he told members of the school board that from 50-year-old mobile units being used as classrooms to a deteriorating interior of the main facility, the conditions at the school were an “emergency.”

“When (the principal) was showing me around her building, I propped up on a window.

Luckily, I didn’t prop up and lean up. It would have fallen out, it was so rotten. And, when I pulled my hand back, there were insects that came out,” Whichard said then. “Brogden Pri6

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mary, after we get Fremont settled, it’s not just a blinking light. It’s a strobe red light, in terms of emergency issues.”

The land, the superintendent told the county, directly abuts the existing school, a fact he argued would bring with it “numerous advantages.”

“We will be able to connect directly to the sewer line that the current school uses which will save on costs during construction. Existing traffic patterns and roads around the school can potentially be modified to improve school traffic,” he wrote. “Most significantly, the gym, cafeteria, playground, and fourteen classrooms on the fourth-grade wing at the current school were recently renovated and would be reused in the construction of the new Brogden Primary School. According to a recent estimate I received, this would save up to $13,000,000 in construction costs.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund was established by the General Assembly in 2017 to “assist counties with their critical public school building capital needs,” and grants are funded with revenue generated from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Money is only, however, available to eligible counties and those who receive funding for an elementary school like Brogden Primary are capped at $42 million.

Should WCPS receive a grant from NCDPI, the state would require a 15-percent match, but until the plan is complete, it is unclear how much county taxpayers would be expected to contribute. n

I

BY KEN FINE

n what was, perhaps, another indication of the city’s intent to purchase the property from Wayne County Public Schools in the near future, Goldsboro leaders voted Monday to rename the former Edgewood Community Developmental School — a facility the city began renting a few months ago in a move City Manager Matthew Livingston said would allow the City Council to provide a new recreation center to citizens without the $11 million-plus price tag that was floated to leaders a few years ago before the project died on the vine.

But adding another recreation center inside the city limits was not the only reason leaders moved on what was, until Monday, called Edgewood.

In fact, the newly named Peachtree Street Recreation Center provided what Parks and Recreation Director Felicia Brown characterized as much-needed relief for staff that had been attempting to navigate the planning and execution of popular programming from a “little brick building” in the wake of the 2022 closure of the Herman Park Center, which was shuttered due to mold and other health concerns.

“We literally did not have the space, the capacity,” she told the council earlier this year. “We’re on top of each other in that brick house.”

And as programming was moved — split between the T.C. Coley and W.A. Foster centers — it created confusion among those city residents who looked forward to participating in offerings that had become a part of their routine.

Then, opportunity struck.

Just more than a year ago, Edgewood students were relocated to the Eastern Wayne High School campus — a move that marked the culmination of a saga that saw, back in 2019, then-Board of Education members Jen-

nifer Strickland, Dr. Joe Democko, and the late Rick Pridgen, fight to ensure Edgewood would not be closed by the district — after WCPS Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard successfully argued that consolidating campuses would both save the district nearly $750,000 a year and give WCPS a way to take out of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners’ “arsenal” the argument that the school district should not ask for more funding for facilities until it maximizes use of what it already has.

And as the building sat vacant, city leaders began creating a plan.

What if, they asked, the former school could become the new recreation center former council members had been eyeing since 2004, when the former recreation facility on Walnut Street was destroyed by fire?

Livingston told Wayne Week he was excited about what he saw as “the possibilities” that would come as programming that was once being offered at the Herman Park Center transitioned to a building that would come with classroom space, an auditorium, and playgrounds.

And taxpayers, he said, would get a “huge impact” with “not a lot of spending” — for a monthly rent of $1,500.

Whichard called the partnership a “winwin” for the city and WCPS. Members of the City Council agreed, entering into a contract with the district this summer.

And now that the facility has a new name, the only question that remains is if the board will, in the coming months, pull the trigger on purchasing the property from WCPS. Livingston, based on a conversation he had with Wayne Week earlier this year, is certainly hoping that day eventually comes.

“I would like to see us get ownership of that facility,” he said. n

“I would like

to see us get ownership of that facility.”

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GET IN THE

GAME I

t doesn’t seem important.

Another election.

Mostly local candidates.

And, as if that weren’t enough to put it out of your mind as you get on with the business of your life, the next time you will be asked to cast a ballot will be in a primary.

We can just about guarantee that only a small portion of the electorate will take part in the March vote.

And as usual, as a result, only a tiny percentage of our county’s eligible voters will make decisions that will have an impact on this community, its residents, its schools, and its future.

But we can change all that.

And, honestly, we absolutely have to start paying closer attention if we want to make sure Wayne County stays on track.

We have seen how leaving leadership to chance can have a profoundly negative effect on the progress of our county, our cities and towns, and our schools — how unqualified candidates who have no business being in charge of making any decisions earn spots they do not deserve.

And we have seen people whose priorities are more about self-enrichment than the public good sneak into posts from which it is very, very hard to unseat them.

And the worst is when no one tosses his or her hat into the ring and the same people who have made no impact, who do nothing but occupy space and collect a check, get into a cycle of incumbency that not even the most dedicated of challengers wants to take on.

And that automatic re-election continues as do the bad decisions — or non-decisions — and the arrogance and entitlement create a cocoon that makes a city/county/school leader think he or she is invincible and not at all subject to the rules or accountability that keep politicians honest and effective.

Continued on page 10

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Continued from page 9

Sounds like a nightmare scenario, right?

Makes you think that you should pay much closer attention to those big races and important votes, right?

After all, there is still time to take this seriously before the next big contest, isn’t there?

Well, yes.

But not a lot of it.

The battle to decide the future of Wayne County has already started — in earnest — and what many might not realize is that before there are two choices on a November ballot, there is fight to earn those spots.

And this year, there will be several of those critical primary contests to become the candidates — not the least of which is the

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sheriff ’s race.

That is going to be an important vote, and one that needs your attention now, especially if you have followed the woes of the current sheriff and haven’t been too happy with how things have gone so far.

But the sheriff race, while it has certainly become “the talk of the town,” is not the only primary on the horizon.

There also will be one for district attorney and for the seat that opened after the tragic death of beloved At-Large County Commissioner Wayne Aycock.

They are critical contests, too.

And those are just a few of the key battles to keep an eye on.

Several school board members and the

clerk of court are back on the ballot, as well.

So, if you like the way things are going, if you think there has been significant progress being made to make your community a better place, don’t just sit back and assume your current leaders are safe from any unfortunate challengers with less-than-stellar experience or motives.

That is a dangerous gamble.

Because you see, sometimes those who battle in these early rounds end up unchallenged on that final tally — and then you really have no choice at all.

So, it will be up to all of us to ensure the right people get through Round One. But saying all that is the easy part.

Getting the community interested this early has always been — and will always be — a challenge, especially in today’s digital age.

There is just too much information competing for attention, and sometimes really important decisions end up on the back burner.

These primaries and off-year votes sneak up on you, and it is often easy to forget, or to dismiss the need to vote as superfluous and a waste of already over-allotted time.

Heck, getting people to the polls is often hard even when the vote is of far-reaching significance like a presidential election.

Well, it is even harder when the result affects only their lives locally.

And yet, there is ample proof that these elections — these local contests — can have an even greater impact on your wallet, your county’s direction, and your future.

And the upcoming votes really are that significant.

If you like that your once-broke school district is now not only in the black, but has a nest egg — and a superintendent who is moving mountains to help Wayne County students soar — make sure you vote.

And if you like the fact that accountability is a watchword in Wayne County Public Schools again, make sure you have people in charge who want that, too.

If you are tired of reading about crimes against children ending in plea deals — and hearing nothing but crickets from the District Attorney’s Office — make sure you demand that those running to fill that seat are committed to communication and transparency.

If you have a vision for this county that includes responsible spending with an eye to investment to make the lives of Wayne County residents better, perhaps you had better make sure you have a say in who will be picked to replace Wayne Aycock.

And, last but definitely not least, if “justice” to you is about having a law enforcement community that is not busy explaining away corruption and federal indictments —

but is, instead, focused on keeping residents safe and holding lawbreakers accountable — then you had better chime in on who your next sheriff will be.

The call to pay attention early is nothing new.

We have been nagging about it for some time, and we will continue to call on the citizens of Wayne County to not only ask the questions, but to educate themselves on who wants the right to make decisions for them.

Off-year elections and candidate battles that are so local in nature often don’t attract the attention — or the voters — that more “sexy” national contests such as presidential or Senate races do.

Many people think they do not matter as much, that they can skip them — and maybe you do, too.

After all, even if you wait until the main contest, until the die is cast and there are two names to choose from, you can get serious then, right?

Wrong.

Absolutely not.

The time to pay attention is now — right now.

Politics and the quest for power is often a dirty game.

The behind-the-scenes plays are often as important as the actual election.

So, you have to pay attention to the process of picking who will run, and to make sure that you, the voters and the taxpayers, are the ones who make those critical choices.

We know it seems daunting and that many of you think you might not be up to the job.

But we can tell you from experience that some of the most intelligent and important questions come from people just like you.

So, make a vow to be more involved in the process this year, to look at the ads and the interviews and to ask the tough questions.

Get the answers and the information you need and then make your choice.

And for goodness’s sake, please vote.

Your voice matters.

Just look at how often only a very few votes determine who will sit on a school board, in a commission chamber, or in a council room.

And think about what would happen if not enough people stepped forward to make sure the leaders you respect keep their seats.

You can ensure the right choices are made.

So, join us as we start meeting the people who want to be your next leaders or who are asking you for a vote of confidence on the work they have done so far.

Together we can keep them honest, make the best choices, and keep our community moving forward. n

newoldnorth.com

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W

hen you first heard about it, a decision made by the Goldsboro City Council Monday evening — and a comment delivered at the end of the board’s meeting by City Manager Matthew Livingston — might have seemed like no big deal.

But for those of you, like us, who know the history behind the facilities at the heart of that decision and that comment, you likely understand the emotions that surface whenever the T.C. Coley Community Center and the former home of the Edgewood Community Developmental School are on an agenda.

If you were not tuned in Monday, here is what you missed.

First, the council voted to change the name of the facility that was, for decades, known as Edgewood.

Then, Livingston suggested that board members consider that the T.C. Coley building might no longer have a viable purpose as a city facility.

Time marches on and needs change.

Evaluating the use of city resources and when to fish or cut bait, well that is part of the job when you are city manager.

And presenting the available options dispassionately, well, that’s how you are supposed to do it.

But for the rest of us, and we suspect, more than a couple members of the City Council, that evaluation and conclusion is not so simple.

Because the truth is, it isn’t just about a couple of buildings.

It is about history and decades of service for two facilities that have taken care of the lives of some pretty important people in our community.

Yep, it is a little emotional.

And we could react that way.

We could call “foul” and shame city leaders, as some of you have in emails and messages we have received since the meeting.

We could.

But that would not be the responsible way to look at these decisions — or the comments made about Edgewood and T.C. Coley.

Instead, we should consider some alternatives — and a little perspective.

We do not believe that either the decision or the comment was meant to malign Edgewood or T.C Coley.

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MORE THAN BRICK and MORTAR

And frankly, we don’t disagree with the council or Livingston.

Would it make sense for a new recreation center to carry the name of a school that still, by the way, exists in a new location across town?

Is it really fiscally sound for taxpayers to keep paying the bills for a facility used, almost exclusively these days, by a local nonprofit?

The answer to both, of course, is no.

But those who have reached out to us this week did make several valid points — ones we happen to agree with wholeheartedly.

The Edgewood building is a piece of Wayne County history that should never be forgotten.

It was a home for decades for dozens and

dozens of children who were so severely disabled that attending a “regular” public school was an impossibility.

But more importantly, it was their safe space.

And over the last few years, the T.C. Coley center has been a haven, too — a place where a group of mentors have taught countless atrisk youths about boxing and how to live a meaningful life.

Steve Ashford has, indeed, saved lives inside that building — and by doing so, probably protected hundreds more because his mentees turned their backs on gang life, drug-dealing, and gun violence.

So, yes, both of those buildings are far more than brick and mortar.

Yes, they deserve this community’s respect.

And the best part?

The city can ensure both get the reverence they deserve.

Goldsboro leaders can change the name of Edgewood, but work with school district officials to ensure the building’s history is honored.

It could be something as simple as a plaque next to the front door — a marker that, in a few dozen words, reminds those who will work and play there for years to come that for many Wayne County families, that Edgewood facility was a Godsend.

Across town at T.C. Coley, the city could offload the financial responsibility and give the Ashford Boxing Gym the respect it deserves at the same time.

A few years ago, that was actually “the plan,” as council members nearly sold the building to the nonprofit for $1.

Why not honor that now?

Because here is the truth.

Sure, Ashford could pack up his equipment and find a new location for his gym.

But in the time it would take him to do so, he might lose a handful —or more — of at-risk youths to the streets.

And if not honoring the legacy of Edgewood would add hurt to even a few of the families who have told us they are still reeling from the district’s decision to move the school to the Eastern Wayne High School campus, isn’t it worth a few hundred dollars to ensure the history of that place is remembered?

The good news is we believe we have the right people in place on the City Council to ensure both of the above happen.

They seem to understand what it means to do right by the people they serve — to leave the city a little better than it was before they took their respective oaths.

So, yes, the decision and the comment might have seemed innocuous.

You might have tuned in Monday and not even considered the potential downsides of shuttering T.C. Coley or renaming Edgewood.

But for the many who reacted, the opportunity to both preserve one legacy and to allow a valuable nonprofit to continue creating theirs is a few simple steps away.

And we think those are steps worth taking. n

n s o e C r v a R t i U v e O V Y o i l ce ! l i t S Grounded in faith, service, Conservative ideals and family values, I will NEVER stop fighting for Wayne County!

Please vote

JENNIFER STRICKLAND in the March Primary so we can

win the County Commissioner At-Large battle, together, come November.

PAID FOR BY THE JENNIFER STRICKLAND COMMITTEE

newoldnorth.com

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The filing window for 20 26 contests has only been open for a few days, but there are already pri maries set in several critical Wayne Co unty races.

BY KEN FINE

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B

ack in 2022, only one intraparty political battle resulted in a Wayne County primary ahead of the November general election.

Things have changed.

In fact, two posts that saw incumbents go unchallenged altogether — district attorney and sheriff — will now see a March vote to determine just who will advance to Election Day. Add to that the fact that multiple Republican candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for a seat that opened up because of the sudden death of a sitting county commissioner.

The filing period for 2026 contests kicked off Monday and, in the days since, some local officials have told Wayne Week the March primary could prove to be one of the most contested in the county’s history.

As of press time, two Republicans had filed for the sheriff’s race — incumbent Larry Pierce and Ricky Hooks — and a third is expected to do so before the filing deadline, as signs promoting his candidacy are already popping up around the county.

And while District Attorney Matthew Delbridge has not publicly confirmed that he will not be seeking re-election, two of the men who work under him, Jeff Cannon and Mike Muskus — both Republicans — have officially entered the race.

There will be a primary for the late Wayne Aycock’s seat on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, too, as former GOP chairwoman and school board member Jennifer Strickland will face off against at least one other member of her party, Kevin Johnson.

And after announcing his retirement — and then putting it off to run again — Rep. Jimmy Dixon will have to get through fellow Republican Marcella Barbour to earn a chance to head back to Raleigh.

The potential problem for all those candi-

dates, including incumbents who have, until this year, run unopposed, is history.

In fact, in 2022, the last time many of these seats were on the ballot, the voter turnout for that year’s primary election was only roughly 18 percent.

Incumbent State Sen. Buck Newton — who has filed to run for re-election — knows all too well what that means, as he barely made it to November, by a margin of only 160 votes.

But there is, perhaps, a chance that more local residents will head to the polls in March, as the Board of Commissioners approved putting a quarter-cent sales tax on the primary ballot, an issue that more than 33,800 weighed in on in 2022 in the general election. (Only 13,442 eligible voters cast a ballot in the primary that year.)

The filing window officially closes Dec. 19 at noon, but we have included a complete list, as of press time, of those who have already thrown their names into the hat.

Those who still intend on filing are asked to go to the Wayne County Board of Elections headquarters, located at 309 East Chestnut Street in Goldsboro, during its office hours.

They should bring a valid photo ID and a money order in the amount of the filing fee and, before they arrive, ensure they meet the qualifications for running for office.

Note: A full listing of those qualifications can be found at www.ncsbe.gov/candidates The offices in play include:

District Attorney ($1,673.37 filing fee) N.C. Senate District 4 ($139.51 filing fee) N.C. House District 4 ($139.51 filing fee) N.C. House District 10 ($139.51 filing fee) Wayne County Clerk of Superior Court ($1,352.48 filing fee) Wayne County Sheriff ($1,034.80 filing fee) Wayne County Board of Education: District 1 ($117 filing fee) Wayne County Board of Education: District 4 ($117 filing fee) Wayne County Board of Education: District 5 ($117 filing fee) Wayne County Board of Education: District 6 ($117 filing fee) Continued on page 16

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Continued from page 15

THE CANDIDATES

The following candidate list is current as of press time, and we will update it in future editions of Wayne Week.

For real-time updates, visit the Wayne County Board of Elections website.

N.C. SENATE (DISTRICT 4) Jessica Rivera Buck Newton

N.C. HOUSE (DISTRICT 4) Jimmy Dixon Marcella Barbour

N.C. HOUSE (DISTRICT 10) John Bell

DISTRICT ATTORNEY Jeff Cannon Mike Muskus

N.C. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE (DISTRICT 09, SEAT 01) Roy Dawson

WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (AT-LARGE) Kevin Johnson Jennifer Smith Strickland

WAYNE COUNTY CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT Julie Whitfield

WAYNE COUNTY SHERIFF Larry Pierce Ricky Hooks

WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION (DISTRICT 1) Chris West

WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION (DISTRICT 4) Bill Joyner

WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION (DISTRICT 6) Wade Leatham

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DAVIS WON’T RUN TO CONTINUE REPRESENTING WAYNE COUNTY

Despite his successful defense of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Congressman Don Davis will, instead, attempt to win the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.

BY KEN FINE Without his efforts, some of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base’s F-15Es would have been divested, the 333rd Fighter Squadron would have been deactivated, and the 4th Fighter Wing’s mission would have changed to a training-only unit.

But despite the victory he delivered for Wayne County in 2024, when he and Sen. Ted Budd fought to ensure the National Defense Authorization Act would prohibit the planned divestment of many Air Force F-15Es through the end of 2027 — and his long track record of fighting for SJAFB — Congressman Don Davis, who has an office in Goldsboro, announced he will not attempt to continue representing his current constituents in 2026.

Instead, he has filed to run in the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District — a move that was expected after the North Carolina General Assembly approved a new map state Republicans said publicly they believed would give the party its best chance to knock Davis out of Congress.

His decision came less than a week after a federal three-judge panel gave the state the green light to use the new map for the 2026 election, arguing that those who had filed lawsuits to stop what they characterized as “racially motivated gerrymandering” had failed to prove the General Assembly drew the map “with the discriminatory purpose of minimizing or canceling out the voting potential of Black North Carolinians.” n

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the SPECTATOR Golden sweep

The Charles B. Aycock boys and girls basketball teams swept rival Eastern Wayne Tuesday evening in Pikeville.

PHOTOS BY KEN FINE

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NO T ICE S NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of David Randolph Brown, Sr., 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 February 23, 2026, 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 23rd day of November, 2025.

David Randolph Brown, Jr., Administrator of the Estate of David Randolph Brown, Sr. 823 Possum Walk Lane Mebane, NC 27302 Published November 23, 2025, November 30, 2025, December 7, 2025, and December 14, 2025

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Linda Mae Corbett Beasley, 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 February 16, 2026, 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 16th day of November, 2025.

Tammy B. Wingard Administrator of the Estate of Linda Mae Corbett Beasley 2502 D Pikeville-Princeton Road Pikeville, NC 27863 November 16, 2025, November 23, 2025, November 30, 2025, and December 7, 2025

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORSOF TIMOTHY NEIL HARRINGTON

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Timothy Neil Harrington, 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 February 23, 2026, 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 23rd day of November, 2025.

Kimberly Atkinson, Executor of the Estate of Timothy Neil Harrington c/o Caroline Taylor Phillips, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 Published November 23, 2025, November 30, 2025, December 7, 2025, and December 14, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF LARRY EARL VAUGHN

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Larry Earl Vaughn, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd 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 30th day of November, 2025.

Sandra Denise Vaughn Stokes, Executor of the Estate of Larry Earl Vaughn 107 Valleyview Drive Goldsboro, NC 27534 Published November 30, 2025, December 7, 2025, December 14, 2025, and December 21, 2025

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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 December 7, 2025, December 14, 2025, December 21, 2025 and December 28, 2025

CITY OF GOLDSBORO — NOTICE OF OFFER AND SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

Notice is hereby given that the City of Goldsboro is the owner of a certain parcel of land referred to below: Tax ID# 12-3509-03-6293 Location: 508 Denmark St The City of Goldsboro has received an offer for the sum of $2,000.00 for the above-referenced parcel. The City of Goldsboro has received said offer and proposes to accept it subject to the right of any person to raise said bid by not less than ten percent (10%) of the first $1,000 and five percent (5%) of the remainder should the ultimate bid exceed $1,000.

Any person may raise said bid within ten (10) days from the date of this Notice or no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday December 17, 2025, by depositing with the City Finance Department five percent (5%) of the increased bid. For more information, interested parties may reference bid instructions on the city website under Properties For Sale https://www.

g o l dsb o ro n c . g o v/f i na n c e/ property-listings/ and listed as Resolution 2025-48. The written offer proposal must include the name of the person or business making the offer, address of said property, and Wayne County parcel identification number with the signature of the person placing the offer.

All offers must be delivered to the Finance Officer in a sealed envelope printed on the outside the name or business making the offer, address of said property and Wayne County parcel identification number with the words “Upset Bid.” The City of Goldsboro reserves the right to reject any or all offers at any time.

This is the 1st day of December 2025.

THE CITY OF GOLDSBORO, NC Catherine F. Gwynn Finance Director Published December 7, 2025

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 25CV003650-950 WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs.

WILLIAM HENDERSON, LINDA HENDERSON, Defendants & THE PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP, INC., 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 and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. WILLIAM HENDERSON, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 17th day of December, 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:

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.

109 Brogden Street, Goldsboro Tori Lynn Gautier (PIN: 3600111523) Administrator of the Estate of Terry Jeanne Kriger BEGINNING at a stake, E.W. 165 North N.C. 50 Hwy Cox’s corner, 190 feet from the Faison, NC corner of Brogden Street and 28341 Railroad Street and runs northward with E.W. Cox’s line 177 December 7, 2025, feet to a ditch, Governor BrogDecember 14, 2025, den’s line; thence Eastward with December 21, 2025, the said ditch 40 feet to a stake; and December 28, 2025 thence southward 127 feet to Brogden Street, thence westward 40 feet to the beginning.

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 21st day of November, 2025.

Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713 Published December 7, 2025, and December 14, 2025

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JERICHO FA R M S

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