A petition signed by nearly 200 Sampson County Schools employees was delivered to the Board of Education this week, demanding “a living wage,” cost of living increases and an annual retention bonus. Workers chided “poverty wages” that have served as a hindrance in recruiting and retaining quality staff, and forced current staffers to spread themselves thin to make ends meet.

Many businesses, non-profits, community organizations and their loved ones met for a evening of merriment and rewards at the Sampson Expo Thursday night for the 76th Annual Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

North Carolina State University forestry students visited Sampson on Monday to learn more about Enviva, how pellets are made, and how Enviva sources its fiber. The first portion of the day included an overview of Enviva’s operations followed by a facility tour, led by Sampson Operations Manager Hunter Sizemore. The class is led by NC State Professor Joe Roise and there were nine students on the tour, ranging from sophomores to graduate-level students. After the tour, Enviva’s forestry staff at Sampson led a question-and-answer session with the students. This is the second consecutive year that Enviva has hosted students from NC State at Sampson and the fourth time in last five years.

Do you trust the Lord when life seems unfair and troubles brew everywhere? Trusting Him to help those who are troubled while tackling tough times of 2023, my prayer is this story I wrote a decade ago will reignite faith, hope, and passion for everyone who reads and shared this timely message of love.

Two words that are nearly synonymous are the words “worldliness” and “materialism”. A dictionary definition of “worldly is, “of, relating to, or devoted to this world rather than spiritual things”. The same source defines materialism as, “a preoccupation with or stress upon material things rather than spiritual”. There really can be little argument that in this present society in which we now dwell, there is much more emphasis on the material things of this earthly life than on things spiritual. Most are much more concerned with the here and now than in the then and there. Though we recognize that there are many people in this land that live in poverty, it must also be recognized that this is one of the most affluent times and places of man in the history of mankind. It is really easy to get wrapped up in not just making a living but in making a better living for oneself and accumulating more and more of this world’s blessings. This ease is one of the reasons that it is so deadly.

(The public reports listed below are provided by the Clinton Police Department.)

God’s Word in the Bible is supreme to any of man’s laws, worldly desires, or compromises. We are expected to follow the laws of man or face the consequences of not doing so. Therefore, there are elements of all crimes that must be proven before prosecution. Man’s laws are explicit, with no rights of self-interpretation or application. We have no right to manipulate or twist them to meet our worldly failures.

Have there been periods in your life when you felt like you were wandering in a wilderness, deserted, feeling helpless in some way? Then you are in good company. Such were the beginnings of Joseph, Moses, and, yes, even Jesus.

Four men are facing felony drug charges following a traffic stop on Interstate 40, the second one that same day. Four pounds of marijuana was seized in connection with the incident, authorities said.