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Warren receives grant Richard Warren, Hobbton High School technology teacher, was recognized by the Sampson County Board of Education during their February meeting as a recipient of one of the fall Simple Gifts Love of Learning grants. Warren's grant focused on robotics. (Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent)
— Teachers receive Simple Gifts grants
Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent Richard Warren, Hobbton High School technology teacher, was recognized by the Sampson County Board of Education during its February meeting as a recipient of one of the fall Simple Gifts Love of Learning grants. Warren’s grant focused on robotics. Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent Kellie Chaney, Midway High School Spanish teacher, was recognized by the Sampson County Board of Education during the Fe...
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Westerbeek honored by Lions President G. Steve Wilson of North Carolina Lions, Inc. recently announced that Diane Westerbeek has been named as a Founder in the William L. Woolard “Partner-in Service ” Program. In doing so she has taken the initial steps in providing needed services to the blind and visually impaired in North Carolina. Each year the programs and services of the North Carolina Lions, Incorporated touch the lives of thousands of individuals. Diane’s participation in this program demonstrates her desire to help those who are less fortunate and affirms the Lion’s motto, 'We Serve.' (Courtesy photo)
Westerbeek honored by Lions
President G. Steve Wilson of North Carolina Lions, Inc. recently announced that Diane Westerbeek has been named as a Founder in the William L. Woolard “Partner-in Service ” Program. In doing so she has taken the initial steps in providing needed services to the blind and visually impaired in North Carolina. Each year the programs and services of the North Carolina Lions, Incorporated touch the lives of thousands of individuals. Diane’s partic...
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Clinton City Schools' superintendent Stuart Blount gave the state of the district address during the board of education meeting this week. Among the topics covered were the new partnership ventures, the increase of instructional technology, and the improvement in drop out rates, to name a few. (Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent)
City schools chief touts partnerships
During this week’s Board of Education meeting, Clinton City Schools’ superintendent Stuart Blount delivered a State of the District address, providing what he called “a snapshot” of how Clinton City Schools is doing. Blount began by sharing a few of the new and advantageous partnerships Clinton City Schools is working to build, one of which is with Sampson Community College. Blount explained that he and college president Dr. Paul Hutchins a...
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Crimewatch
Arrests 3/5 - Keith Bryant Warrick, 54, 311 Madline Lane, Autryville, failure to appear on driving while impaired charges. Bond $500; court date April 3. Incidents 3/2 - John Lockamy of Suggs Road, Dunn, reported that someone entered his home and removed copper and other metals. Damage to the double-wide trailer was estimated at $30,000. 3/5 - Gloria Draughon of Raleigh reported that someone stripped a residence she owns on Wilmin...
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Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent County manager Ed Causey gives an overview of a proposed amendment to the county's personnel resolution requiring residency of key county staff positions and department heads. It was unanimously approved by the Board of Commissioners.
Local residency a must now for key county staff
Sampson County department heads and managerial staff will have to live within the county, and holding residence outside Sampson may be grounds for dismissal, according to unanimous action by the Board of Commissioners Monday night. The board approved the proposed amendment to the Personnel Resolution, Section 16, “Residency requirement for county manager, assistant county manager, clerk to the board, finance officer, deputy finance officer ...
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Clinton High School's step team at their most recent competition on Feb. 23 in Jacksonville at Northside High School where they placed first and won $800. Front row, left to right: Tyeisha McKoy, Atiya Muhammed, Nakyra Aycock, Kikia Smith, and coach Pamela Marshall standing. Back row, left to right: Devin Smith, Shanaya Graham, Letoya Simmons (sound technician), Nicole Coley, and coach Angela Harding standing. Not pictured is Zaria Pridgen. (Courtesy photo)
New life breathed into CHS Step Team
Although it has come and gone over the years, Clinton High School’s step team has been brought back to life and is now stepping stronger than ever, winning many of the competitions the team enters. “I stepped during high school at Clinton High for two years, from 2002 to 2004,” recalled Angela Harding, now the coach of the CHS step team. “It became really strong in 2002; that’s when we really began to compete. A few years after I left, thou...
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School board touts Faison's achievement Harold Faison Jr., a seventh-grader at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School, was recognized by the Sampson County Board of Education during its February meeting for receiving the College Foundation of North Carolina Victor E. Bell Jr. Scholarship. Nominated by his school counselor Bessie Locus, Faison will receive $20,000 in increments from now until he goes to college. (Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent)
School board touts Faison’s achievement
Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent Harold Faison Jr., a 7th grader at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School, was recognized by the Sampson County Board of Education during their February meeting for receiving the College Foundation of North Carolina Victor E. Bell Jr. Scholarship. Nominated by his school counselor Bessie Locus, Faison will receive $20,000 in increments from now until he goes to college.
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Thursday begins Mt. Calvary anniversary celebration
On Thursday, March 7, the Greater Mt. Calvary Holiness Church of Clinton will begin celebrating their 20th anniversary. Several ministers will be participating. On Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m., the guest preacher will be pastor Pearl Best of the Jesus Christ Temple Church of Clinton. On Friday, March 8, at 8 p.m., the preacher will be pastor Thira Peterson of the North Carolina Prayer Tower Church, Clinton. On Sunday, March 10, the celebratio...
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Purdue Pharma awards MOC $15,000 for summer program
MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive College has been awarded a $15,000 grant from Purdue Pharma. The money will be paid out in $5,000 increments over the next three years, and will provide financial support for biology, chemistry, and math majors involved in the summer undergraduate research program entitled Mount Olive Research Experience (MORE). Dr. Robert Watson, assistant professor of Mathematics at Mount Olive College, said, “This grant will pro...
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Festival goers see how fast they can pack pickles in the Pickle Packing Production Challenge, a favorite activity at the N.C. Pickle Festival. The festival main day is Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in downtown Mount Olive. (Courtesy photo)
N.C. Pickle Festival named Top 10 Attraction in NC
MOUNT OLIVE — The N.C. Pickle Festival has been named one of the Top 10 Attractions in North Carolina by AmericaTheBeautiful.com. AmericaTheBeautiful.com identified the top 10 attractions in each US state, and the listings will be posted on its website throughout 2013. “Our goal is to encourage travel across these United States by our residents and to encourage visitors from around the world to explore all that our country has to offer,” ...
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Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent County Information Technology director Chris Rayner speaks to commissioners last month during a training session on their new laptops.
Commissioners go high-tech
Sampson County is taking paper out of its agenda. A year in the making, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners on Monday were equipped with laptop computers in the county’s first electronic meeting. The board, first presented with the cost-saving idea in February 2012, were trained on the computers last month, a year later. The move was made official with the paperless regular meeting this week. Information Technology director Chris Ra...
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Coming to Clinton curbs The city of Clinton is distributing 3,000 blue containers leading up to next week's kickoff to the curbside recycling program. The 96-gallon containers, the same size as residential trash cans, will be picked up every other week on residents' normal collection day.(Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent)
Coming to Clinton curbs
Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent The city of Clinton is distributing 3,000 blue containers leading up to next week’s kickoff to the curbside recycling program. The 96-gallon containers, the same size as residential trash cans, will be picked up every other week on residents’ normal collection day. Public Works director Jeff Vreugdenhil said about 2,000 of the 3,000 recycling containers had been distributed by Tuesday evening. The new curbs...
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Lawmakers, educators meet; bills on the move
Last week, the House and Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 4, designed to block a state-sponsored insurance exchange and the expansion of Medicaid coverage to low-income residents. Despite our best efforts, the legislature didn’t provide us with the ability to move forward with the Medicaid expansion. As previously discussed, I voted against this bill due to the fact that it serves as a major disadvantage to the uninsured and restri...
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Science Fair winners - fourth grade Salemburg Elementary's fourth grade science fair winners are, first place, Amber Gibson; second place, Michaelah Hall; and third place, Hunter Powell and Colby Beatty. (Courtesy photo)
Salemburg Elementary announces science fair winners
Courtesy photo Salemburg Elementary’s fourth grade science fair winners are, first place, Amber Gibson; second place, Michaelah Hall; and third place, Hunter Powell and Colby Beatty. Courtesy photo Salemburg Elementary’s fifth-graders who placed in the school’s science fair are: first place, Nate and Zack Brock; second place, Jade Christian; and third place, Lauren Jackson. Courtesy photo Salemburg Elementary third graders who place...
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Frank Blackmon
Backyard club owner jailed
The owner of a backyard club near Roseboro found himself on the wrong side of the law Saturday night, when officers shut down his operation for the evening and charged him with two felonies. Two other people were also caught in the late-night operation. Frank Blackman, 65, of 170b William Brown Road, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and trafficking in opiates. Blackman is owner of the backyard club better known as Peter...
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Special Olympics returning to Sampson
After a hiatus, the local and newly re-accredited Special Olympics is returning to Sampson County on April 11, 2013 at Union High School. Charlotte Byrd, the local Special Olympics coordinator and an occupational therapist with Sampson County Schools, shared how her job influenced her decision to rejuvenate the Special Olympics locally. “I’ve always worked with the schools, with intellectually disabled students, and they just have a big pla...
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Clement's January Students of the Month Clement Elementary recently named its Student's of the Month for January. They are: Nicholas Jackson, Connor Gaster, Christian Barbour, La'Christian Kellon, Isabelle Roberts, Tommy Andablo-Lopez, Sky Soto, Christopher Naylor, Blair Baggett, Laisha Hernandez, Elvia Ventura-Gonzalez, Daniel Ventura, Gabriel Taylor, Maranda Byrd, Alyssa Williams, Christopher Caudle, Mason Tucker, Dustin Sessoms, Kathleen Martinez, Amelia Clark and James Hinton. Not Pictured are: Maranda Byrd, Elvia Ventura-Gonzalez and Kathleen Martinez. (Courtesy photo)
Clement names its Student of the Month
Clement Elementary recently named its Student’s of the Month for January. They are: Nicholas Jackson, Connor Gaster, Christian Barbour, La’Christian Kellon, Isabelle Roberts, Tommy Andablo-Lopez, Sky Soto, Christopher Naylor, Blair Baggett, Laisha Hernandez, Elvia Ventura-Gonzalez, Daniel Ventura, Gabriel Taylor, Maranda Byrd, Alyssa Williams, Christopher Caudle, Mason Tucker, Dustin Sessoms, Kathleen Martinez, Amelia Clark and James Hinton. ...
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Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent The Board of Commissioners sought to collect delinquent taxes through inclusion in legislation that required the payment of such taxes before permits were issued or deeds recorded. With a law passed last year, local tax administrator Jim Johnson said the deeds piece, as the first phase of the process locally, has proven successful. The county is expected to move on with the permits portion in the near future.
New law boosting local tax collection
Local tax collections are receiving a boost due to legislation enacted last year requiring tax certification prior to deed recordation, the first phase in a process that will see the issuing of permits prohibited until delinquent taxes are paid. Back in 2010, county officials talked about avenues for revenue enhancement during a down economy. County managerial staff was asked to research the possibility of mandating tax certification prior ...
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Williams art exhibit ongoing at Mount Olive College
MOUNT OLIVE – Mount Olive College is hosting an art exhibit featuring the work of guest artist Chris Williams in the Teresa Pelt Grubbs Gallery on March 1st through April 1st. The exhibit is titled “Screening Ghosts: Plastic Flame Press at 9” and will be open to the public. Chris Williams is a self-trained screen-print artist. After getting his start asking questions of local printmakers and spending countless hours on gigposters.com, he ha...
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Grant awarded Midway Elementary School teacher Meagan McKinnon received one of the South River Round-Up grants. She wrote a grant for Midway Elementary's kindergarten. (Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent)
Midway schools get Round-Up grants
Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent Midway Elementary School teacher Meagan McKinnon received one of the South River Round-Up grants. She wrote a grant for Midway Elementary’s kindergarten. Lauren Williams/Sampson Independent Midway Elementary School teacher Charlotte Byrd received one of the South River Round-Up grants for Sampson County’s Special Olympics.
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