Wayne Week — Jan. 4, 2026

Wayne

WEEK JANUARY 4, 2026

A look back at the stories that shaped Wayne County

2025 YEAR In REVIEW part 2

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CONTENTS JANUARY 4, 2026 Volume 3, Issue 22

NEWOLDNORTH .CO M

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

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Melissa Hamilton

PUBLISHER

New Old North Media LLC

CONTACTS EDITORS

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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.

6 Ripe for a takeover?

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, after investigating just two areas of Mount Olive's operations, discovered a shocking amount of scandal — and opened the door for a government takeover of the town by the state's Local Government Commission.

9 A $500 million hill to climb

A pair of presentations delivered to the Goldsboro City Council at the beginning of 2025 left one elected official feeling "hopeless."

13 Union Station is back on track Thanks to the effort of a former Goldsboro department head — and the generosity of a group of private donors, a Wayne County landmark is well on its way to getting its second act.

17 Other stories of note

Sometimes, coverage of a major scandal is not the only thing that gets the community's attention.

19 Spectator — in review

Our photojournalists were able, with the help of their cameras, to tell dozens of stories without writing a word. So, some of our favorite shots are included in this edition.

22 Public Notices

COVER DESIGN BY SHAN STUMPF

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2025 YEAR In REVIEW part 2

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ig changes are coming to Wayne Week in the coming months, so, as we wrap up our two-edition 2025 Year in Review, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to share what you can expect to see.

It is, after all, because of you that the expansion of our company, New Old North Media, is possible.

But the return of our Eastbound & Downtown magazine and an expanded newspaper page count are not the only things headed the community’s way.

We will also complete the NewOldNorth. com redesign we have been busy working on since this fall — allowing us the opportunity to

break news online so our readers no longer have to wait for the day’s most pressing stories.

And new faces are expected to join our ranks — journalists with the same commitment to excellence our current team demands every time we sit behind the keyboard.

Add to that the anticipated publication of several months-long investigative pieces we

have been working on and 2026 is shaping up to be our most promising year yet.

So, again, we offer our sincere gratitude to those of you who have helped us reach this point.

From advertising clients to subscribers — and, yes, our many sources who keep their ears to the ground — all of you are making a difference in Wayne County.

Let’s keep it going. newoldnorth.com

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2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

Ripe for a takeover?

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor uncovered scandal in Mount Olive — and might have opened the door for a government takeover of the town by the state's Local Government Commission.

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rom Mayor Jerome Newton and North Carolina Auditor Dave Boliek to State Rep. John Bell, just about everyone who has weighed in on the bombshell investigative report published in August that exposed years of “malfeasance” in Mount Olive seems to agree that there is likely much more to uncover inside Town Hall.

But while Newton has requested that the state come back to town to complete a “full forensic audit,” it remains unclear if and when that will occur.

Boliek’s investigators identified — both inside the Mount Olive Water Department and at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport — fraud, negligence, and potential embezzlement, and they also uncovered several ways in which taxpayers were being shortchanged.

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

The NCOSA team also alleged that the airport operator had access to a town bank account — and extended credit on the town’s behalf for customers who did not have a credit card on hand.

“According to the Airport Operator, he orders the fuel and the Town’s Airport fuel bank account is debited for the purchase (OSA confirmed that fuel purchases were debited from a Town bank account). As per the Contract, however, it is the responsibility of the Airport Operator — not the Town — to purchase the fuel,” the report states.

“Moreover, it was the Airport Operator — not representatives from the Town — who signed the contract with the fuel provider.

It is unclear why and how a Town bank account is being debited for fuel purchases related to a contract that the Town is not party to.”

Those assertions were verified by Wayne Week via documents sent to the paper by Town Clerk Sherry Davis in response to a Freedom of Information Act records request that affirmed that running lists were kept for both aviation gasoline and jet fuel transactions that were not paid for at the airport.

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Instead, the airport operator would send the list to Town Hall “to be invoiced,” so long as the person seeking to obtain the fuel without immediate payment presented a “white card,” which Davis defined as a “plastic card which resembles a credit card” that “turns on the machine so fuel can be pumped.”

Less than a week after that fact was reported in Wayne Week, Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland said, “white card fuel purchases” had “ended,” despite the fact that several members of the board called the reporting “fake news.”

And Holland also said the next step was to ensure the airport operator no longer had the ability to charge “the town fuel account”

for purchases — that in the future, the town’s only role would be collecting 70 percent of fuel profits, as outlined in a nearly decade-old agreement between the two entities the NCOSA said was never being followed.

The Water Department situation was just as bad, but appeared more straightforward.

A sitting town commissioner, Delreese Simmons, failed to pay his utility bill for several months, yet his water service was not disconnected. (He would tell Wayne Week that he never knew he owned the town money — that as soon as he was told he had an outstanding balance, he immediately paid it.)

And in 2024, hundreds of water cutoff fees were voided monthly, including those for two

employees of the Water Department who failed to pay their utility bills and, according to the NCOSA, “manipulated the system” so their water service was not disconnected.

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

In fact, as recently as a few weeks ago, newly elected Commissioner Gena Messer-Knode said the town had, for an unknown number of years, been “guessing” to determine residential and business water bills, the result of dysfunctional water meters.

And Simmons said he was told some busi-

M

nesses were, as a result, paying only $20 a month for water because they have “connections” to powerful people — and that hundreds of thousands of dollars were being lost every month.

“We lose more revenue from the commercial businesses. I can’t tell you guys who, but we have a lot of businesses, some of them are

party an opportunity to defend themselves at the administrative law level. And so, it’s long division on getting there, so it’s got to be the right case and enough money where it’s worth our office’s time. I mean, I’m just being transparent. But we do now have that authority. So, I do want people to know that, you know, if

“There is so much potential in that town and honestly, it's been taken from them. It's long past time that we find out who took it.” only paying less than $20 a month for their water bill,” he said. “Some of these businesses are friends of friends of friends. We’re losing hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. It’s six figures this town loses every month.”

• • • Despite Newton’s request, Boliek has not yet committed to coming back to Mount Olive.

But he did tell Wayne Week he would consider using his authority to “recoup dollars on behalf of the taxpayer.”

“One of the new authorities that we do have is in the right instance, and I’m not saying (Mount Olive) is or isn’t, but in the right instance, now the state auditor has the ability to recoup funds,” Boliek said. “Now, it really needs to be in the right setting, because you do have to go through and give the offended

you’re abusing contracts and you’re overbilling, this state auditor now has the authority to come back and begin potentially to claw back some of those dollars.”

And Bell, who, while he does not represent Mount Olive, has gotten involved because he is from the town, said residents deserve answers — and change — even if what is uncovered results in a state takeover of Town Hall.

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

{ our TAKE }

ount Olive is facing a challenge, and it will be a steep hill to climb.

There has been something going on there for a long time, and now, the chickens have come home to roost.

Residents found out this year that not only has the state-mandated moratorium situation reached a fever pitch, but that people from across North Carolina have their eyes fully focused on what is — and has been — going on in Town Hall.

We, and many others in the community who have reached out to us, think that the results of the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor’s most recent investigation of just two aspects of the town’s financial picture — the goings on inside the Water Department and at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport — are just the tip of a very significant iceberg.

And we hope that calls for a complete look at the town’s finances will result in not only a forensic audit, but the Local Government Commission coming in to take charge before the point of no return is reached.

As one of the new members of the town board recently pointed out, you can’t know what to fix until you understand what’s broken and how it got that way.

And Gena Messer-Knode is absolutely right.

It is something that town residents, fed up with what they consider less-than-completely forthright answers from past leadership, say they no longer will accept.

And they deserve better.

But in case you have forgotten, let’s look at just a couple of the findings from the aforementioned audit by State Auditor Dave Boliek and his investigators.

Forget the fact that there is an ongoing battle with the state, which has limited development in the community because the wastewater treatment plant cannot support the town’s flow — and officials have been allowing increased flow anyway.

That’s bad enough.

The NCOSA audit also found that not only were the improvements that were necessary to lift the moratorium not completed, but that there were serious questions about the billing process — and who owed money and who was allowed to slide on utility accounts.

Add to that a complete fiasco when it came to fuel billing at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport that left questions as to whether anyone was watching how the fuel costs were handled — or if the contract with the third-party assigned to manage the facility was being adhered to — and you have a trainwreck.

And keep this is in mind, too.

The state, which has organizations designed to help communities in crisis, said that it would not help Mount Olive until it had a qualified finance officer in place.

Gulp.

That’s not good.

Sounds bad, right?

But here’s the truth.

Mount Olive can be saved — and the residents who have made it their home deserve no less, especially the ones who are counting on making sure it has a strong economic base and others who have been shouldering high water bills for months or years.

But before we can set about making the changes necessary to get the town back on track, we need answers and acccountability.

And that won’t come until there is a deep look at what’s been going on inside Town Hall.

And 2026 is the year to make sure that investigation gets done — and that the mistakes of the past are corrected.

Don’t worry.

We, with the help of our friends in Mount Olive, will be leading the charge.

And once the full extent of the scandal is revealed, a community of salt-of-the-earth residents who understand the value of a town with history and character, can have the answers, consequences, and path forward they deserve. n

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2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

A $500 million hill to climb

In less than two months at the beginning of 2025, the Goldsboro City Council learned it would take $500 million-plus to ensure the Wayne County seat has a viable future.

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t was not the fact that future spending would be required should Goldsboro leaders decide to make decisions with a growth mindset that left one member of the City Council feeling “hopeless” in 2025.

It was the fact that during the 30-day stretch that kicked off the year, consultants identified more than $500 million in infrastructure improvements that would be necessary should economic development and residential expansion remain a priority inside the Wayne County seat.

The first bomb was dropped in January, when WithersRavenel reported to the council that nearly half of city roads fell into the “very poor” condition category — that in order to get every single street in Goldsboro to where they need to be would cost a staggering $51 million.

But that price tag would look like a bargain a few weeks later, when Stantec Consulting Services’ David Hyder said nearly $500 million would be needed over the next 10 years to fund expansion of Goldsboro’s water reclamation facility and to design and build a new water plant.

ROADS

In order to ensure they stop the bleeding — and avoid even larger price tags a few years from now — the council was given five funding choices for a road repair plan.

They could continue spending the $500,000 a year that had become the standard.

They could double the annual allocation.

They could increase spending to $1.7 million or $3.2 million.

Or they could adopt “Scenario Five” — a 20-year plan that would cost $6.5 million a year for the first five, $6 million a year for years six and seven, and $3.25 million a year for the next twelve.

“Here we are. We can all do the math. Scenario Five is looking at triple the tax increase that we just did. There’s nobody that I know of that’s gonna say, ‘Sure. Raise my taxes 30 percent to have my streets looking good,’” Councilman Chris Boyette said after the report was unwrapped by WithersRavenel. “So, what do we do? And so … if we don’t do anything more than what was being done (in the past) and this continues to regress, by the time the streets are completely fell apart, we’re not gonna be sitting up here. So, I feel like we’re faced with a situation as a council, where it’s, ‘What do we do?’ I mean, how do we do this, or do we kick the can down the road and let it be someone else’s problem? That’s a tough pill

City Manager Matthew Livingston

to swallow now that we’ve asked and been provided with the reality we’re looking at here.”

Ultimately, this fall, Assistant City Manager Kelly Arnold would tell the board the city had appropriated $1.2 million for road construction projects in the 2025-26 budget.

But that number was, according to several members of the council, lower than the mark they had told staff to hit.

WATER PLANT

After Hyder’s February presentation, City Manager Matthew Livingston said there was no avoiding expanding the water reclamation facility and building a new water plant.

And the longer officials wait to act, he added, the more expensive the projects would become.

Hyder said something else was unavoidable, too.

“Water and sewer rate increases are necessary

Mayor Charles Gaylor

to make sure you can secure the financing for those capital improvements,” he told the council.

In fact, each of the funding scenarios he provided require multiple double-digit percentage rate increases over the next 10 years.

The first would require annual rate hikes of 15 percent for five consecutive years and another 7 percent per year for the next five.

The second would require three years of 15 percent increases, one year with an 11 percent hike, and the last six with annual water and sewer rate increases of 7 percent.

The third, which would delay construction of the water treatment plant, would only require a 12.5 percent hike for the first five years and 7 percent annual jumps for the remaining five.

The council ultimately approved a 2025-26 budget that included a 7.5-percent water rate hike.

And while the decision drew the ire of

some residents — and was voted against by three members of the council — another increase could very well come to fruition during the 2026 budget cycle.

Boyette, though, said he would not shy away from the “tough but necessary decisions” he was elected to make if it meant securing his neighbors’ future.

“I didn’t run for council to not make the hard decisions when I know in my heart they are the right decisions,” he said. “We knew going in that it was going to be this group that was going to have to make some of the most consequential decisions that have ever had to be made. This city was literally falling down around us when this council showed up.”

How the board will address both issues will likely begin coming into view early this year at the council’s annual retreat. n newoldnorth.com

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{ our TAKE }

any politicians these days excuse away slow progress with the caveat, “We inherited a mess.”

Most often it is a tacit admission that no matter how much you promise that you will be the ones to “turn it around,” getting to that point is often an uphill climb.

But in the case of Goldsboro’s City Council, it is the reality of what happens when eyes are off the ball for years, your city government is a disorganized and unresponsive mess, and you get stuck with the fallout.

You have been here for the show.

Remember the years of bickering and spotlight-seeking arguments over nothing that crippled this board and embarrassed the city?

Remember the lawsuits, the internal complaints about senior management, and the hirings and contract renewals that made so many of us scratch our heads?

Well, this is the consequence.

So, the hard decisions that have been put off, and the professional advice that has been ignored, have left a mountain to climb.

And you, the new leadership, are left holding the bag.

Fortunately, we have a new council, with leaders who are not afraid to make the right calls — to tell the community the truth instead of pandering to racial politics and nonsense.

And now, they must be the ones to swallow hard and set things right.

In the coming years, the city is going to have to make some tough decisions.

Infrastructure, the new council found out, was woefully neglected — to the point that fixing it is going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

And, finally, after years of warnings from public works professionals who said the city’s wastewater system was in desperate need of updating, that “should” has now become a “must.”

And you cannot fix any of those problems without good credit

and money.

Over the years, we have learned to be very wary of any politician who runs his or her re-election campaign on the promise of “no new taxes” or “lower water rates” without a real understanding of what the financial picture really is.

We call that pandering for votes, and you should be leery of anyone who tells you what you want to hear rather than the reality of the challenges your community faces.

It takes guts to tell the truth.

And for too long, city politics has been about something else completely.

We cannot tell you how important it is that the city of Goldsboro keep quality and honorable people on its council, and accountable and qualified people in its offices.

We cannot afford more of the drama that has occupied too much of the time that should have been spent planning for the city’s future – and we cannot afford to elect one more incompetent, self-serving and unqualified city official of any kind, or to put one in the city manager’s office.

The good news?

City Manager Matthew Livingston earned his spot — surviving not only a trial period as an interim but also winning the confidence of the community — and some of his early, skeptical critics — after a real-deal city manager search. (Takes some notes, Mount Olive.)

He is serious about getting the city in order — and has made strides to make that happen.

Mayor Charles Gaylor and several members of the council are serious, too.

They know that there are some challenges ahead, and they are focused on making sure the right decisions are made to position the city to move forward.

And while that could mean higher costs for city residents, Goldsboro can afford nothing less than leaders who understand why that is necessary.

Our future depends on it. n

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Continued on page 12

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

UNION STATION BACK ON TRACK A Wayne County landmark is well on its way to a second act, thanks to local boards, private donors, and a former city department head.

UNION STATION TIMELINE 1906 Construction of Union Station begins.

1909 Union Station is opened to the public.

1914 Goldsboro wins a U.S. Supreme Court decision that enables the city to enforce its rights in the regulation of trains, shifting the rail line from Center Street.

1968 Passenger rail service ends. Union Station is decommissioned.

1972 Arthur Perry buys Union Station and its property.

1977 Union Station is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1999 N.C. Department of Transportation conducts Eastern Rail Passenger Study (ERPS) to explore options for passenger rail service connecting Raleigh to Wilmington.

2005 ERPS is redone, resulting in support for a Goldsboro route.

2007 NCDOT acquires Union Station and utilizes grant money to conduct an environmental study, a conditions assessment, and initial stabilization work.

2009 NCDOT conveys Union Station and its property to Goldsboro.

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he goals were lofty — raising more than $1 million; stabilizing a deteriorating structure; convincing state and federal officials that should passenger rail, indeed, run from Raleigh to Wilmington one day, they should do so via Goldsboro.

In fact, some elected officials, and Wayne County leaders, said they did not believe any of those things could happen.

But in 2025, save a few thousand dollars remaining to be raised from private donors, each was achieved.

And as a result, it appears historic Union Station will, indeed, have a chance at a second act more than two years after Birch-Ogburn & Co. appraised the landmark and valued it at negative $791,100 — and outlined “detrimental conditions found within the property.”

• • • The good news started rolling in long before former Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation Executive Director Julie Metz learned, in February, she had secured a $612,500 Rural Downtown Economic Development Grant for the

stabilization effort — a victory that all but guaranteed the Goldsboro City Council and Wayne County Board of Commissioners would contribute $375,000 apiece to cover most of the remaining cost of the project.

Sen. Thom Tillis announced that he had helped secure $3.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to identify “potential new rail routes or improvements across the state” — money that would be used to “develop a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing, completing, or documenting its service development plan.”

And when the Southeastern North Carolina Passenger Rail Feasibility Study was published, it identified Goldsboro, not Fayetteville, as the preferred connector between Raleigh and Wilmington.

All the pieces were falling into place.

The council even gave City Manager Matthew Livingston the authority to use its $375,000 to get started on the stabilization.

But there was still just shy of $100,000 left to be raised by Metz and other members of the Saving Union Station group.

And in the fall, after an unspeakable tragedy, a spark came.

2023 • Eastern Carolina Rail announces renewed interest in developing a passenger rail line that would connect Raleigh to Wilmington.

• Federal Rail Division announces $36 billion in funding to study North Carolina’s preferred passenger rail routes.

• NCDOT Passenger Rail employees visit Union Station.

• Appraisal places current value of Union Station at roughly negative $800,000.

• Saving Union Station (SUS), a local advocacy group, forms to support saving the station from being lost.

• The Goldsboro City Council and Wayne County Board of Commissioners agree to

Judge Charles Gaylor, a fierce advocate of historic preservation and Union Station champion, passed away.

His family, including Goldsboro’s mayor and the judge’s namesake, decided to allow the SUS group to fundraise in his memory.

Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised “for Charlie” since.

“Some are contributing because they truly buy into the vision for a rebuilt cornerstone of the city.

Some are doing it purely because they want to pay respects in this way to a public servant who

split $750,000 of the $1.5 million bill for stabilization of Union Station should the SUS group raise the other $750,000.

2024 • The Southeastern North Carolina Passenger Rail Feasibility Study identifies Goldsboro, not Fayetteville, as the preferred connector between Raleigh and Wilmington.

• Dozens of Wayne County residents converge on Union Station for “Saving Union Station Day” — an event geared toward telling the train station’s story and launching a private fundraising campaign that, should enough be raised, would trigger a $375,000 match for the project from the Wayne County Board of Commissioners.

EARLY 2025 • Former Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. Executive Director Julie Metz — one of the people who helped form the Saving Union Station group — confirms that she has written and submitted grant applications in the hopes of netting hundreds of thousands of dollars for the would-be rebirth of the train station.

• Goldsboro publishes a notice calling for bids for stabilization work at Union Station, and leaders inside City Hall confirm that the city will activate the $375,000 City Council members voted to allocate toward the effort to begin that effort.

FEBRUARY 2025 Goldsboro officials are notified that a $612,500 Rural Downtown Economic Development Grant has been awarded to the city for the stabilization of Union Station.

OCTOBER 2025 The Goldsboro City Council agrees to approve a contract with T.A. Loving Company for the stabilization of the station as part of the board’s consent agenda that will be presented at its next meeting.

worked hard for the community — but are on the fence about if something of this magnitude can actually happen,” his son, Charles, told Wayne Week.

“Both are fine, and both are appreciated more than words. I’m here to tell you that this community can absolutely pull this off, and we will be better for doing so. We are going to get this right.”

And the mayor made sure the city played a role in seeing his father’s vision through.

In late October, the board he presides over approved a contract with T.A. Loving CompaContinued on page 14 newoldnorth.com

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Continued from page 13

ny that marked the beginning of stabilization of the deteriorating landmark.

The following is what residents can expect to see in 2026: • Temporary stabilization of key structural elements (West Portico, South Wing, East Elevation columns) • Reconstruction of load-bearing masonry wall at West Elevation of South Wing • Repair and replacement of wood roof brackets and roof structure at North and South wings, East and West Porticos

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• Redirection of building perimeter drainage • Repointing of critically deteriorated exterior masonry columns and wall areas • Replacement of temporary roof structure at the truncated tower • Roof framing repairs at North and South wings • Remove concrete slab and debris, Interior South Wing • Backfill crawl space of South Wing and prep for slab-on-grade • Replacement of sump pumps • Removal of concrete at Exterior West Wall; Backfill to finished grade elevation n

{ our TAKE }

t is not always easy to see possibilities in what, to others, seems like just a pile of rubble.

And for many, that’s what Union Station has been in downtown Goldsboro for a decade or more — an eyesore and an afterthought.

Even after years of promises and grants designed to preserve the structure.

Even with the successful downtown revitalization that unfolded around it.

Even with the pledge that one day, passenger trains would run through it again.

Despite all of those things, it felt like Union Station was doomed.

But there were still those who had the vision, who saw what could be.

And in 2025, because of them, Goldsboro took a first step to save the landmark.

While the Union Station property has seen some hard times, there are memories there — moments when Goldsboro residents and their parents or grandparents stared in awe at the trains and the bustle.

And they remember.

Judge Charles Gaylor remembered, too.

And the lesson he taught us was that sometimes, it is not the current generation who will save a beloved historical building.

They won’t, he told us, get to see the structure come alive again or be there for the plaque presentation when the restoration is complete.

But that does not mean they shouldn’t fight to ensure that there was the chance.

Today, Union Station is a long way from being back to its former glory.

But because of Gaylor — and the hundreds of people who donated in his honor and other local businessowners and philanthropists who pledged to raise the

funds to save it — as well as the tireless efforts of former Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation Executive Director Julie Metz, Union Station has been given that chance.

Metz, who has since retired and moved on to another state, has never forgotten the promise she and others made to try to save the landmark, and she came back to Goldsboro to demand it was honored.

She pitched her plan to county commissioners and City Council members and talked to potential donors and legislators.

And because of her efforts, Union Station had a voice again.

It sounds simple, but it wasn’t easy.

And because of that message and persistence, there is a future again for a piece of Goldsboro’s history.

The funds to stabilize the structure for future renovation have been raised, mostly, from grant funds and by the generosity of those who loved and respected Gaylor, the former judge whom we lost this year.

And now, what could have been just another story of failure and loss, has been given a new lease on life — one made possible by those who decided that making sure there is that opportunity, even if they themselves might not be able to ride one of those trains or to take pictures with their families, was worth the investment.

It is a lesson about what happens when we work together and when generations entrusted with caring for a community think about those who will come after them.

And it is a reason to be very proud of the people of Goldsboro and its environs — who never, ever seem to forget where they came from. n

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2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

OTHER STORIES OF NOTE

From the death — and rebirth — of the Freedom Tree to good news from Pikeville to Goldsboro, there were plenty of not-so-big news drops in 2025.

GOLDSBORO ELIMINATES BLIGHT

Thanks largely to the efforts of Goldsboro City Councilwoman Jamie Taylor, city staff began demolishing some of the community’s most blighted homes in 2025.

Armed with hundreds of thousands of dollars allocated by the council for demolition — and a motivated housing compliance officer, former Mayor Pro Tem Taj Polack — “burn houses” and other structures that many said had become breeding grounds for drug use and other crimes were bulldozed.

But cleared lots where neglected properties once stood were not the only changes seen in city neighborhoods as a result of the effort.

In fact, Polack said the fact that the council took action showed others whose homes were falling into disrepair that “we’re serious” — and prompted them to make repairs of their own to avoid condemnation.

“Once we started tearing these places down — once people knew I wasn’t messing around — they took action,” Polack said. “It’s been incredible to be a part of. We are getting our city back on track because people are taking pride in their neighborhoods again.”

COMMISSIONERS EYE SALES TAX INCREASE

The absence of a full-time school resource officer on every Wayne County Public Schools campus was among the issues that prompted members of the Board of Commissioners to approve a measure that will allow local residents to support a quarter-cent sales tax increase at the polls in March.

And based on the projected revenue the hike would bring into county coffers annually — north of $3 million — funding the SRO program, which Commissioner Chris Gurley

said would be a priority, would not be an issue.

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

Gurley told Wayne Week that “barely noticeable” impact on residents’ wallets would be a more-than-fair tradeoff if it means county children are safe at school.

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

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

But 2026 could be different, as commissioners recently dramatically increased county funding of WCPS — adding fuel to the argument that if the county board was willing to make sacrifices for the common

good, so, too, could taxpayers.

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

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

FREEDOM TREE FALLS, NEW MEMORIAL RISES

It had been standing for more than 50 years, but as disease continued to ravage downtown Goldsboro’s Freedom Tree, it became clear to city officials that it had to come down.

But within a few weeks of a crew clearing the lot, a new memorial was planned.

A sapling would be planted on what former Mayor Tommy Gibson referred to as “hallowed ground.”

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Continued from page 17

A ceremony was held to remind the community about Maj. Peter Cleary, the fallen aviator the tree was planted to honor.

And thanks to members of the Evergreen Garden Club, Blue Star and Gold Star memorials were erected at the site during “Freedom Week.”

Mark Metzler, the owner of Landscape Design of Goldsboro and an active volunteer for the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, said his hope was that the new tree would inspire future generations to never forget just how many Wayne County — and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base — servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

“Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the original Freedom Tree declined and had to be removed, but although that was a sad day, we saw it as an opportunity to do something that everybody in Goldsboro could celebrate for future generations to come,” he said. “We are just happy to be a part of something like this since we all grew up in Goldsboro and know how special our military and veterans are to this community.

Hopefully, the act of replanting the tree 52 years later will instill the same meaning in the younger generations that it instilled in all of us as we were growing up.”

FREMONT VS. EUREKA

Money owed to Fremont by a neighboring town created headlines in 2025 when Eureka was threatened with having its wastewater services cut off — forcing Goldsboro leaders to step in.

Here is what happened: Because Fremont is Goldsboro’s customer, the town is legally responsible for footing the bill for services provided for both the town and Eureka, which is served by Fremont.

But inflow and infiltration problems inside Eureka have led to a town that boasts less than 300 residents putting far more stress on the system than it should, resulting in shockingly high bills.

And with a limited tax base, the town simply could not afford to pay them.

In 2019, that led to Eureka being notified by the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer that the state intended to take over the town’s finances.

Soon thereafter, the state followed through, impounding the town’s records and taking over its accounts.

With the Local Government Commission in charge of the town, Fremont Mayor Eddie Yelverton said Eureka was able to cover its bills.

But once the LGC pulled out of town, he said the town’s debt began piling up.

So, Fremont threatened to cut off services until the bill was paid.

Goldsboro leaders came up with a solution — attempting to get Fremont on board with a new interlocal agreement they believed would 18

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help both Fremont and Eureka.

But Fremont leaders rejected it because they did not want to have to cover Eureka’s debt.

In the long run, State Rep. John Bell believes a resolution is coming — and that Eureka will soon be able to fix its faulty system thanks to $20 million given to the Wayne County Development Alliance to manage as a find-and-fix project is planned and completed in the town.

But whether that will be accomplished in 2026 remains to be seen.

MASS BAPTISM AT EWHS CELEBRATED AND CONDEMNED

It started with a post on social media — when a parent recorded her son being baptized on the Eastern Wayne High School football field alongside his teammates.

She likely had no idea it would go viral, drawing comments and shares from across the nation.

And she had no way of knowing it would prompt a national organization that professes to “promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism” to weigh in — threatening Wayne County Public Schools with legal consequences if the district did not “investigate” and “take immediate action to protect its students.”

In March, WCPS leaders called coaches to Central Office for a “professional development” that included guidance about “religion in schools.”

“They basically told us that if the kids are praying or whatever, we have to walk away.

We can’t be anywhere near it,” one coach told Wayne Week. “Honestly, I was blown away. This is Wayne County, North Carolina. If my players are going to pray with or without me, why don’t I have the right to stand there with them? At that point, I figured someone had sued the district because of the Eastern Wayne thing.”

It remains unclear whether the Freedom From Religion Foundation will file a lawsuit

against the district as a result of the baptism, but Mandy Ziegler, a staff attorney for the organization, said if WCPS did, in fact, tell coaches to avoid participation in religious activities on school grounds, FFRF might be satisfied.

“We haven’t heard back from the district yet, but if we do get that response, that yeah, they pulled their staff in for training and are attempting to stop this, we would consider that a satisfactory response,” she said. “But obviously, people in the community would be monitoring to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s really detrimental to a student to be coerced into religious activity. That is what we’re trying to prevent.”

Another coach who spoke to Wayne Week called the FFRF’s take “a shame.”

“What these out-of-town people don’t understand is that we need all the love we can get in this city. If that love comes from Jesus Christ or from a basketball in a kid’s hands or from a great teacher, what does it matter?” they said. “We should be focusing on touching hearts and changing lives, not on threatening people who are coming together for pure good. There’s no way that complaint came from this city. Maybe these lawyers should come educate themselves on who we really are. I think they’ll find that we’re a group of people doing the best we can and looking for all the help with these young people we can get.”

GOLDSBORO REMOVED FROM UNIT ASSISTANCE LIST

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

The nightmare began in 2020 after state leaders grew concerned because of the city Finance Department’s repeated inability to sub-

mit its annual audits on time.

As a result, Goldsboro lost its bond rating, had state and federal funding frozen, lost its ability to borrow money, and was threatened with an LGC takeover.

Then, in 2024, a damning report sent to City Hall by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor was published by Wayne Week.

Less than a month later, then City Manager Tim Salmon and the city parted ways, and that summer, for the first time since 2019, Goldsboro officials reported the city was, at last, caught up on its audits.

More good news was on the horizon.

In March 2025, City Manager Matthew Livingston said the city had gotten the green light from the LGC to borrow $6.7 million for capital expenditures.

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

And in August, Livingston declared the city was “back.”

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

PIKEVILLE, MOUNT OLIVE ELECT NEW LEADERS BEFORE FILING FOR 2026 TAKES OVER

Pikeville elected a new mayor after a scandal led the man who had held the seat to not throw his name into the hat.

Mount Olive replaced several members of its Town Board after three incumbents avoided re-election campaigns in the wake of turmoil in the town being uncovered by state officials.

But within a few days of those new leaders taking their respective oaths, a new campaign season — one that promises to be a contentious one — kicked off.

Several Republicans filed for the upcoming Wayne County Sheriff race.

Two will battle in a District Attorney primary that will determine who advances to November after incumbent Matthew Delbridge decided against seeking another term.

And after the passing of Wayne County Commissioner At-Large Wayne Aycock, a pair of Republicans entered what is expected to be a hotly contested race to fill his seat until the term expires.

Add a Democratic primary for the newly drawn, controversial Third Congressional District and the coming months are shaping up to be among the most politically active in recent memory. n

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

The Year in pictures Our photojournalists told dozens of stories in 2025 without writing a word.

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NO T ICE S 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, Taylor & 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 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

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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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) — REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL SERVICES

The County of Wayne is soliciting proposals from qualified professional commercial real estate appraisers to appraise approximately 27 properties, which includes all buildings, Iand and property owned or Ieased by the County of Wayne.

Copies of the Request for Proposal (RFP) may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Wayne County Procurement Specialist, phone (919) 705-1714 during regular business hours.

They can also be obtained on our website at https://www.wayneqov.com/Bids.aspx.

The County of Wayne reserves

the right to reject any and/or all proposals. The County of Wayne encourages all businesses, including minority, women owned businesses to respond to all Request for Proposals.

Proposals shall be submitted to Wayne County Attn: Mandy Trujillo, Procurement Specialist 224-226 E. Walnut Street, or P.O. Box 227, 4th Floor Attn: Finance Goldsboro, NC 27533, no later than 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 29, 2026.

No request for bids will be accepted after the official time and date.

Published January 4, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF MARY MAXINE SUGGS

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Mary Maxine Suggs, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 4th day of April, 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 4th day of January, 2026.

Gwendolyn Pate, Executor of the Estate of Mary Maxine Suggs 974 Hinnant Road Pikeville, North Carolina 27863 Published January 4, 2026, January 11, 2026, January 18, 2026, and January 25, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF NINA STROUD ROUSE

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Nina Stroud Rouse, late of Wayne County, NC, the undersigned hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned c/o Atty. John E. Ryan III, PO Box 569, Mount Olive, NC 28365, on or before the 4th day of April 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms, and corporations indebted to the said estate shall make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 4th day of January 2026.

Robert Rouse Executor of the Estate of Nina Stroud Rouse c/o Atty. John E. Ryan III PO Box 569 Mount Olive, NC 28365 Published January 4, 2026, January 11, 2026, January 18, 2026, and January 25, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF MARJORIE L. BLIZZARD

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Majorie L. Blizzard, 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 April 4, 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 4th day of January, 2026.

Jeff C. Blizzard Executor of the Estate of Marjorie L. Blizzard 4914 Richardson Drive Wilmington, NC 28405 Published January 4, 2026, January 11, 2026, January 18, 2026, and January 25, 2026

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JERICHO FA R M S

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