State leaders were warning of the effects of Ian, with a State of Emergency declared and heavy winds and rain expected to come in overnight Thursday and continue Friday. Resources and personnel were already being mobilized statewide in expectation of the worst.

A new research project installed at the Sampson County Extension Office is aimed at helping homeowners, landscapers, turf industry professionals, and sod growers control damage to lawns and turf by ground pearls. Ground pearls are scale insects that attack the roots of all species of grasses just below the soil line.

The Lakewood Leopards will hold its annual homecoming game on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m., hosting the Union Spartans at James E. Lewis Field. During halftime, the homecoming court will be presented and the new homecoming queen crowned. Pictured are the nominees. From left, are: front row — Hannah Register, Ko’Mauri Evans and Carrie Monk; and back row: Shyann Spell, Kaylyn Iverson, Annagrace Jackson, Haley Parker, Natalie Maynor, Kaylee-Grace Newton and Honestee Williams.

Welcome to another week of football, Sampson County football fans — and what an interesting week it’s going to be. With the expectation of inclement weather at the end of the week due to Hurricane Ian, all of our local teams have rescheduled their games to Thursday night. With Friday night looking like a washout, this was certainly a reasonable expectation. So, with that, let’s take a look at the expected matchups for this week!

The City of Clinton’s new fire chief Jordan Hill was sworn in and began his duties this week, starting a new era for the department.

The Sampson County group of NC A&T alumni recently hosted a panel discussion in observance of National HBCU Week at First Baptist Church, 900 College St., Clinton, highlighting the theme ‘Why HBCUs Still Matter’with an emphasis on getting youth to better appreciate HBCUs. The panel, moderated by Larry Sutton, consisted of Helen Bronson, NCCU; Charlotte Murphy, Livingstone; Marcus Bass, NC A&T; Edward Faison, NCCU; Nicholas Green, NCCU; and Raymond Smith, Jr., NC A&T. On Thursday, Sept. 22, members of the Sampson County HBCU community conducted a balloon launch in recognition of the NC10 HBCUs. This event was in conjunction with a panel discussion held during National HBCU Week at First Baptist Church, 900 College St., Clinton.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Snow Hill Missionary Baptist Church of Roseboro, N.C. Men’s Ministry will be hosting Family and Friend’s Day. Come out and join us for games, food, gospel D.J. and more. Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m.

RALEIGH, N.C.– A new pilot program through the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services aims to give landowners in five North Carolina counties the tools they need to remove invasive pigs from their land. The 5-County Trap Loan Program, which is now available in Anson, Davie, Haywood, Montgomery and Randolph counties, provides high-tech corral traps that can be borrowed for up to one month. The pilot program is funded through the U.S. Farm Bill and is available to qualifying landholders through August 2023.

Clinton’s newest public art project is emblazoned across the side of a building on Ferrell Street, courtesy of artist Seraphim Smith. The mural, across the street from Fastenal, can be seen from the Hwy 55 parking lot. Grand Rental Station of Clinton assisted in offering a lift to hit some of the high spots for the mural, which is just the latest art addition to the downtown and surrounding area. It is the most recent display for Ferrell Street, which has received its fair share of dressing up in recent years, as plastic cap murals designed by artist Denise Hughes and created by Sunset Avenue and Roseboro Elementary students adorned what officials would ultimately call the Downtown Recycle Art Walk (DRAW) along Ferrell Street, a project between the Clinton Main Street Program, the Sampson Arts Council and the Clinton Public Works Department.