While most athletes, parents, and coaches are concerned with the wins and losses of their teams, or the output of the athletes on the field, the Midway Raiders softball and baseball programs have encountered unprecedented tragedies this year, pushing a focus onto two disasters while keeping morale and spirits high.

Ethan Jackson Martin, known to friends, teammates, and many more people now as “EJ,” is a utility player for the Raiders’ baseball team. A junior, he is an outfielder who also spends some time on the mound as a south paw pitcher. This was his first year on the varsity squad, alongside his older brother, Dale, who is also a pitcher for the blue and white. The afternoon of March 25 changed the lives of EJ, Dale, their parents, and communities that extend beyond Spivey’s Corner and the Raiders.

It was that afternoon — a Wednesday on which Martin and his teammates would be hosting SAC-6 rivals Clinton for the first time this season — that EJ was in a serious car wreck just minutes from Midway High School.

“It was right after school,” said Brandon Lusk, athletic director and assistant baseball coach for Midway. “I think he was maybe going to the store — a bunch of the guys, they were going there. They usually go there before coming back for pregame batting practice.”

It was Midway’s School Resource Officer who heard the call of the accident come through on the radio, being one of the first on the scene since it was so close to the school where he was. EJ was alone in his car at the time of his accident.

“He’s still up at WakeMed,” said Martin’s father, Aaron. “He had to have three surgeries in the first 24 hours, and then he was in the ICU for about 10 days on the ventilator. They were able to take him off the ventilator on day 10, and he’s just steadily gotten better every day since then.”

During his recovery, EJ’s parents said he has been able to keep up with his Raider teammates by following along using the GameChanger app, which logs every pitch of the games. “His older brother (Dale) has been coming here on the weekends and just kind of talking to him about the games throughout the week, even while he was on life support,” said EJ and Dale’s mother, Tabatha.

Midway went on to beat Clinton that night, 8-1, on the Raiders’ home field, just minutes from where Martin’s accident took place. While emotions ran high, Martin’s teammates — including his brother — kept them in check while still awaiting answers on EJ’s condition.

“Honestly, a lot of the guys knew before I did,” said Lusk. “Because they were going to the store, too. As I got the call about the wreck, I was walking to my truck to go to it when a few of our players pulled up and told me, ‘Coach Lusk, EJ’s been in a wreck.’ And I said, ‘I know, I’m on my way to it now,’ and you could kind of see the look of concern on their faces because that’s a teammate, but more importantly, it’s one of their close friends.

“We’ve got a close-knit group of kids that have grown up together, played ball together, but most importantly, care a lot about each other. They did a great job that night of keeping composure at a time that was very difficult and played really hard,” the athletic director continued. “Our kids, they play hard, night in and night out. Rarely do we have to worry about their efforts. But that day, they went through something that I as an athlete never had to go through, and as a coach, that was uncharted territory for myself and Coach Carroll as well.”

With an undeniable shift in his tone, Lusk continued to talk about the situation and his team’s response to the devastation. “Like these kids care about each other, we care about them that way,” he said. “So, it was very difficult. We all just continue to pray for the very best for him and keep the family in our prayers as well. But yeah, that was a rather challenging night.”

An outpouring of support has hit Midway for Martin’s family, with many students and student-athletes piloting and spearheading the campaigns, but the support doesn’t just come from Spivey’s Corner.

“The community outreach has been incredible — the T-shirt sales, the EJ strong bracelets, the bake sale at the school. We’ve been given gift cards for DoorDash so we can DoorDash here at the hospital,” Aaron said. “There’s been a meal train as well. We’ve had a lot of people in the community kind of help feed our kids because we have two other boys, so that’s been great as well,” added Tabatha.

“It’s not just been at Spivey’s Corner or at Midway High School. The efforts there have been done a lot by our kids, our student-athletes, and our families there, with the t-shirts and the bracelets. But, we also played Princeton last week and Princeton had the bracelets on as well that said ‘EJ strong,’ from their players to their coaches. That community rallied around him. Hobbton High School — their kids are wearing EJ strong bracelets,” Lusk added.

One of the catalysts to the overwhelming support, Lusk said, was social media. “I know there are a lot of negative things with social media, and I have those too, but what it does is, it lets people know each other — even if it’s by name, by face, or whatever. So, I think it really hit home with a lot of families, a lot of kids, and I hope it’s something that these young people, when they’re driving, really think about.”

A fundraiser for EJ and his family took place during the home baseball and softball games on April 4, which included a bake sale by donation at the concession stand. It was that night that the softball team saw its own tragedy on the diamond.

Ace pitcher Kyleigh Stonerock boasts a .46 ERA, good for 11th-best in the state. She is a part of a pitching duo, alongside Sarah Autry, who is 17th in the country with a .19 ERA, that is dominating opponents in the batter’s box. She adds eight stolen bases, a 1.000 fielding percentage, 15 runs on 15 hits, 13 RBIs, and a .591 slugging percentage to her resume. A disastrous play at home plate on April 4 against Fairmont almost took all of that away.

In a video shared on social media, Stonerock slid headfirst into home, colliding with the catcher on the way in. While she reached out to touch home plate for the successful steal attempt, she did not immediately get up, prompting the ambulance to be called and her to be taken out on a backboard to the hospital for evaluation. Showing no signs of injury, she was released from the hospital that night, but not before a deafening silence fell across both ball fields.

“As a coach and as an athletic director, you never want to see anything bad happen to one of your student-athletes,” shared Lusk. “But before I’m a coach or an athletic director, I’m a parent. I’m a parent first, of my own daughter, and when I see somebody else’s kid hurt in any form or fashion, it triggers an emotion in me. It’s just being a dad and having my own child, knowing what I would be like if I was in that situation as a parent. So, as an athletic director, I try to be there for these kids and their families and just let them know that they are supported in any way they need it, first and foremost, and pray for recovery for any of them that it may happen to.

“We’re very fortunate that with Kyleigh’s, she did go off in ambulance, on a backboard. She was seen that night and released, and luckily, she was back playing last week,” he added.

“And she had a pretty good week on the softball field,” he continued, with a bit of a comedic-relief chuckle.

Stonerock’s week of softball, taking place after her scary injury, was one of her best all season, in fact. She hit her first home run of the season, just Midway’s second, added 10 strikeouts on the mound, and scored five runs in the Lady Raiders’ dominance in two games against West Bladen, winning 10-0 on Tuesday and 14-2 on Thursday.

“We’ve had two of them (student-athletes) in an ambulance within two weeks of each other,” Lusk said. “It’s tough. It’s tough. It’s a small-knit community.”

While Stonerock was back on the field less than a week removed from her injury, Martin is still in the hospital recovering from his accident. But, his parents said, he’s keeping in touch with everyone. “Over the weekend, we were able to get into his phone a little bit, and the boys have updated him on practice through their Snapchat and through text messages, and obviously wishing he was with them,” shared his father, Aaron. “I know Friday, they all reached out to him about how tough practice was, and how much fun they had and how they wish he had been there with them. So, I’m hoping that maybe they’ll continue to text him and update him on how their games go.”

Tabatha shared that he has received “quite a few” text messages from the coaches and his teammates. “And then a few of the coaches and the AD (Lusk) have come to the hospital to see him quite a bit, so that’s been really good, too.”

The Martins wanted to be sure to thank everyone for the support during this time. “All the churches, and just the outreach that everybody has done for us. It means a lot. And please keep the prayers coming, he does have a long recovery,” Tabatha said.

Seed swapping is a fundamental part of history. Seeds were once a commodity that people could use in trade and barter. Candice Moore, organizer of the 2025 Coharie Seed Swap, brought this tradition back to life. This is the first seed swap that has been held at the Coharie Tribal Center in many years, but it’s a tradition Moore said she wants to continue.

Many stations were setup inside the gymnasium of the tribal center with members present to inform those interested, displays of information, and of course, a plethora of different seeds for people to take home and grow. There were plants for produce, herbs for medicinal purposes, and many other flowers on display to show the outcome of planting seeds with tender loving care. Pouches were at each station for anyone to take a couple seeds home, and pursue the same. The organization’s mission for the event was to “unite gardeners, farmers, and plant enthusiasts in a shared exchange of seeds, fostering biodiversity, sustainability, and a stronger community connection.” Other goals that were mentioned were: preserving heritage seeds, enhance food security, and encourage experimentation. All things that can contribute to sustainability.

Multiple organizations were represented as well to contribute to the event. Members attended from: UNC American Indian Center, NC Wildlife Federation, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, State Liberty of NC, NC Healthy Blue, Cultural Burn Association, and NC State Cooperative Extension. Agriculture makes up a huge part of Sampson County.

Interim Chairman of the Coharie People Board Magic Gomez spoke on the youth in attendance. “They’re the next ones up. If you can plant a seed in them, and they can plant a seed in the ground, then everyone would eat, always,” he stated.

Moore also gave some insight on the positivity of the youth presence. “We’re going to tap into our youth advocates that are working with our youth, and make contact with our local schools,” she said. Both Clinton and Sampson County schools have Indian education programs. In collaboration with the center, the outreach has been positive. Moore stated, “We’re really trying to pull the young people in to get them involved, learning sustainability type practices. We really look forward to it growing.”

Gomez also went on to say that people should be more aware of all the things and events that are held at the Coharie Tribal Center. “Come and visit the Coharie Tribe and see what we’ve got going on. We’re working on some tourism opportunities right now,” he said. He mentioned their kayak program as an example, and hinted that more programs are on the way.

When Moore gave her opening remarks, she proclaimed her surprise of the actual turnout for the seed swap. “It’s been a great success! I’m really excited about it. The turnout was amazing and we hope to do it again next year,” Moore stated.

Gomez agreed. “This was a great success for just for our people, but the people of Sampson County as well.”

Moore spoke to the engagement of the community and the interactions of all those that were there. She also spoke to how imperative it was to keep up traditions. “It’s really important to us in our heritage to keep these things alive and going amongst our people. I’m just so excited about the future,” she concluded.

Sampson commissioners have taken steps to pay county employees in what has been termed a fairer way. At the Board of Commissioners meeting last Monday, Human Resources Director Nancy Dillman spoke to members about ways to eliminate salary compression.

Commissioner Lethia Lee, Dist. 4, asked Dillman to explain, in simple terms, what salary compression is to the public so they would not think it eliminates salaries.

“Every position has a pay grade assigned to it,” Dillman explained to the board. “That pay grade is based on the process that Sampson County adopted back in 2014 for examining all the responsibilities, all of the educational requirements, all of the requirements to perform that position. And then that position is rated a pay grade. That pay grade has an associated scale. You have a minimum, mid-grade and maximum salary. We encourage employees to work toward that mid-point of their pay grade within the first 10 years. But we have very few employees that stay in their pay grade their whole career. There are some, but most people are moving around, taking other jobs or other positions and looking for advancement within Sampson County government, which is a good thing, when you can promote from within.”

“The compression occurs when people don’t move as often or people are promoted and brought in at a higher level,” she continued. “When we say that those salaries are compressed, that means that someone with a lot of experience and someone with a little experience are making near the same amount.”

The item on the agenda, which had originally been on the consent agenda but was moved to regular discussion, would amend the current personnel resolution to eliminate salary compression. “We are asking that we can amend that personnel resolution to include a third step,” Dillman said. “And what we’re hoping to achieve with this is to ensure that we no longer have subordinates who make more money than the people who are supervising them.”

Salary compression tends to occur when there is a lot of movement among personnel, such as turnover or promotions, she explained.

Commissioner Chip Crumpler asked how many positions this would affect. “Immediately, we are looking at the Sheriff’s Department,” Dillman replied. “This would result in 12 individuals, $21,768 that would be added to those salaries permanently. That would be a recurring cost, just like all other salary line items. That would adjust all the disparities within that particular office.” The $21,768 was the total cost.

Other departments don’t have the tiers and levels that the Sheriff’s Office does, and they also don’t experience the same level of turnover.

“With not having step plans that are tied to evaluations, sometimes, disparities do come about because of compression,” Dillman said. “When you bring on new employees and by virtue of their experience or by virtue of their educational attainments, you bring them on at a higher level. It’s a complicated process. The approach we’ve taken here is to look at the time and grade of our employee.”

“Those hard to fill positions are in pretty good shape right now,” she added, but reiterated that when people move on, or move around within county departments it can cause compression.

Crumpler asked Interim Sampson County Manager Jeffrey Hudson his opinion on the matter, to which he stated, “Compression is not unique to Sampson County. It happens in any large organization such as any county and areas where you have hard to find employees, such as in the medical fields. So, in looking at a way to solve this, I believe this is the most cost effective way we could implement this.”

Crumpler made the motion to approve the correction of the compression of salaries and the motion carried unanimously.

College basketball has ended, the NFL draft is still over a week away, the NHL playoffs haven’t started, and the NBA regular season just ended. What in the world does a sports fan watch right now? Do not suggest baseball at any level, because I do not have the attention span to follow 162 games, nor can I follow the rigorous NCAA baseball schedule. That leaves me with one option, and if you’re going to twist my arm about it, I guess I’ll suck it up and watch.

I really don’t need much persuasion to watch The Masters every year. It’s probably the most accessible sporting event at any level, in my eyes, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue that one. It has its own app where you can watch various angles and parts of the course, or you can watch the regular broadcast or even just the featured groups. You can determine if you want to follow the whole leaderboard, a select few (like those you gambled on), or a combination of the two. If you’re like me, you put Tiger Woods in your selected group, hoping that he has one more in the bag.

Tiger’s 2019 Masters was a thing of beauty. I lived in Texas at the time and had just gotten home from visiting family in Ohio for a few weeks. My daughter was seven months old, almost eight. Because of inclement weather, Tiger’s group teed off super early on that Sunday, and since I was in Texas, which is an hour behind, I was up at 6 a.m. that day, preparing myself for another run by the Big Cat.

That preparation was simple. It was getting my daughter out of her bassinet so she wouldn’t cry and wake up everyone else. I made myself some breakfast, her a bottle, and fed the dogs. I sat there, nearly uninterrupted, watching Tiger play his way to another Masters victory on my little laptop screen, quietly yelling at every good shot he made, making sure to keep everyone asleep.

I remember every detail of that day vividly because it’s probably my most favorite golf moment, and it’s surely up there for my favorite sporting moment. We saw Tiger’s downfall on a national stage. Nobody thought he’d come back to win another Masters. But wearing his signature Sunday red, he did. And shocked the world.

Ever since that one, I have placed a small wager on him to win another. The car accidents and surgeries since haven’t dissuaded me enough until this year, but that’s only because he didn’t play, regardless of what his April Fool’s post on X said. Maybe it’s the kid in me, but I just had an unwavering support for the best golfer of all time to add yet another green jacket to his repertoire.

This year was different, though. It didn’t have the pizzazz I’m used to. I didn’t care much for the azaleas or the stories of the cheap food. I didn’t throw $10 on Jon Rahm so I could sweat a bet as I drove a U-Haul truck through Kansas (true story, that’s what happened for the 2023 Masters as I moved here). I didn’t place my usual $5 on Rory McIlroy to finally complete his career grand slam. And I’m kicking myself on that last one.

I watched Thursday’s coverage while I worked. Yes, while I wrote about some of your ballplayers, I had the Masters coverage on, hoping that I could get into it. I couldn’t, though.

It just doesn’t feel the same for me anymore. I don’t know that it’s just because Tiger isn’t playing this year. I don’t know if it’s because of the LIV versus PGA drama. I just don’t know. I watched one round, off and on, and didn’t seek any more information on it.

I obviously saw what happened and thought Rory once again blew his opportunity at another major, continuing his drought and keeping that illustrious green jacket out of his hands once more. “Rory can’t win the big one” has gotten really fun to say. I don’t dislike Rory, but the storyline of majors beating him for over a decade was a lot of fun. The same way that I will cheer when the Chiefs go back into obscurity after their dominance, a la the New England Patriots.

I guess I’m happy that McIlroy won, but I’m more upset with myself that I didn’t watch a lot of really fun golf this weekend. I tried, but I just found many other things I’d rather do instead, like binge-watch TV shows with my daughter. I’m sure I’ll find my knack for golf once more, and I’ll tune into the other majors this season, although I have far less interest this year than seasons prior.

Jumping Jehoshaphat!

That was the two-word exclamation spoken aloud by my big brother when he awoke to a blanket of fine blond dog hairs totally covering his navy-blue bedspread on the first Sunday in October.

John’s jaw dropped upon spotting our family pet — George — naked as a jaybird standing near the other end of the bed with his head cocked sideways as if he was staring at an alien from outer space.

It looks like our Pomeranian just auditioned for the role of a bald sphinx!

Why don’t we hit the rewind button on my photographic memory to see how this squirrelly predicament began as these argumentative siblings were getting ready for bed the previous evening.

While sitting at my desk with a bookcase hutch, responding to an event-filled letter written by Chris Honneffer— my former church camp bunkmate who now lived in Farmington, New Mexico — the freckle-faced athlete waltzed into our sleeping quarters wearing nothing more than a bath towel wrapped around his muscular frame following the “usual Saturday night ritual” and promptly gave me a wet willy.

“Get away from me,” I warned with a disgruntled look splashed across my face while quickly rubbing the bacteria-laden saliva from my ear. “Since I just took a bath not too long ago, I don’t need you putting your tongue trolls inside my eardrum; because I might end up getting sick and eventually kick the bucket due to your mouth monsters.”

Can you be any more melodramatic?

Did you even brush your teeth?

What do you think?

Immediately after the cocky eighth grader removed his wet towel, he breathed in my face, thereby sending these baby blues into the back of my head to escape the odorous fumes.

Put some clothes on!

That’s rich coming from you, because you’re the one usually running around the bedroom in your birthday suit.

Following the supposedly “unfounded” accusation, I stuffed the completed letter to my intimate companion into a regular-sized envelope and placed it inside the top desk drawer before heading over to the bed on the opposite side of the room to crawl underneath warm blankets for a restful night’s sleep, stewing about the “totally accurate” description provided by my lifelong roommate.

He thinks he’s so smart.

What are you muttering about?

Absolutely nothing!

As this self-described “goody two-shoes” had himself propped up on one elbow reading over the next day’s lesson in the Teen Sunday school quarterly, the brawny teenager was simultaneously playing a spirited game of fetch with their four-legged friend—a seven-year-old purebred named for America’s first president—prior to getting ready to turn in for the night.

“You really need to start letting him sleep in the basement,” I fumed with nostrils flaring when the tennis ball ‘inadvertently’ landed on my bed. “Even though you put newspaper in the walk-in closet, he has a bad habit of leaving surprises on the bedroom carpet; and I’m sick and tired of stepping in his business every time I have to use the bathroom during the night.”

“That’s why we have to train him,” suggested the 13-year-old quarterback, attempting a diplomatic approach as he rewarded the furry little fellow with a doggy biscuit for bringing back the spherical object. “If we don’t keep after him, he’s going to continue making messes all over the house; and besides, he would be afraid if we left him all by himself down in the cold, dark basement.”

“Don’t drag me into your problems,” I quipped with a furrowed brow upon reading through the entire Bible lesson in record time. “If you want him to continue sleeping in our bedroom, you need to take him out for a nightly constitutional before hitting the hay; because I’m not the only one who is sick and tired of him doing his business all over the house.”

The would-be Evel Knievel playfully tossed his damp bath towel over my head while making a quick escape from the bedroom to take the barking dog outside, just as I suggested.

You’re such a jive turkey!

Stop dipping in my Kool-Aid.

I wouldn’t have to stick my nose into your business if Curious George stopped making unsightly carpet stains all over this house.

Due to the fact that the resident daredevil was already halfway down the enclosed L-shaped staircase with the noisy animal, he probably didn’t hear that last rant of pent-up frustration, but it sure felt good to get it off my chest.

When the adrenaline junkie returned from tending to his outdoor pooper scooping duties, he climbed into his half of the detached captain bunkbeds — which was situated in the corner opposite my matching desk with a bookcase hutch — and persuaded the friendly canine to leap into bed with him prior to settling in for the night.

Aren’t you going to turn out the light?

Since your bed’s a lot closer to the light switch, I figured it might be easier for you to extinguish it.

In your dreams, smart-aleck!

Fine, I’ll do it myself.

Directly after picking up the NERF football that had been sitting on the bottom shelf of the television stand next to his bed, the gridiron baller took a couple practice throws with his passing arm before delivering a precise punch, turning off the light switch with pinpoint accuracy — all from the comfort of his very own bedstead.

If I trip over that oval-shaped piece of foam during the night, it’ll be your fault when Mom and Dad have to take me to the emergency room for another round of stitches.

Upon hearing an exasperated sigh followed by heavy footsteps across the carpeted floor, I was sporting a wide Cheshire Cat grin while facing the knee wall wrapped in my warm cocoon.

During the night, the little blond Pomeranian shed his entire coat of fur—covering every square inch of my big brother’s navy-blue bedspread with fine strands of hair — making one ginormous mess.

It looks like someone skinned him alive during the night.

That was the very last time John let his precious little bed buddy sleep with him.

As the Hobbton baseball team made the trek to Lakewood on Tuesday night, the game was more than just a Carolina 1A matchup: two sets of brothers — all with the same grandparents — took the field. Nathan, Ben, Caleb, and Landon Neal suited up for the battle of the big cats: Nathan and Ben for Hobbton and Caleb and Landon for Lakewood. It was the Wildcat duo that had the upper hand this go round, as Hobbton headed back to Newton Grove with a 6-0 win over Lakewood.

Landon Neal got the start on the mound for Lakewood, striking out Zack Aman to start the game after the two had worked themselves into a full count. The first pitch of the next at-bat for Ayden Lawson saw a grounder ripped to Lakewood’s second baseman, Aden Norton, who mishandled it and allowed the Wildcat batter to land at first. Kasey Lee struck out next, sending Nathan Neal to the batter’s box for the first cousin face off of the night.

After reaching first on another error, this time by shortstop Rylan Godbold, Nathan Neal worked himself into a pickle between first and second — with his cousins Caleb and Landon trying to get him out. The Leopards were successful, but not before Lawson crossed the plate as the rest of the infield was distracted, giving the Wildcats the 1-0 lead as the beginning of the first inning came to a close on the base paths.

Caden Martin went the distance on the rubber for Hobbton, but allowed the Lakewood Neal brothers to threaten the Wildcats early. Landon Neal was the Leopards’ lead-off hitter, taking the second pitch to left field for a double. Reed Ammons sacrificed himself on a bunt to get Neal to second, and Aden Norton grounded out back to Martin for a quick two outs. Caleb Neal’s turn was next, and it ended quickly as he was hit by a pitch on the second pitch of the at-bat to put Neals at the corners. Godbold flew out shortly after, leaving two runners on the bags early.

Eight straight outs unfolded between the two teams, as nobody could make anything happen until Aman was hit by a pitch to put Hobbton within striking distance for another run, but Lawson grounded out to finish the top of the third and the score remained the same at 1-0.

Lakewood once again threatened the lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Cooper Ivey was walked to start the frame, eventually making his way to third, but Martin rung up three straight Leopards to keep them at bay, taking down Johnson Rouse, Tyler Tew, and Dylan Drake along the way.

Drama unfolded in the top of the sixth, as Caleb Neal had come in as relief for the Leopards, walking Aman on four straight pitches. Two flyouts to the outfield later, and Caleb was facing his cousin Noah. Noah singled to left field, which gave Aman the green light to head home. Ivey chucked the ball to Ammons behind the dish, who was there to make Aman re-adjust his path towards home, yet the Wildcat was still declared safe, much to the disdain of the Lakewood crowd, as they argued Aman had left the base path. Lakewood head coach Austin Tanner came out to argue the call with the home plate umpire, to no avail, but was served with his first warning of the game as Hobbton took the 2-0 lead in late innings.

Landon Neal once again found himself on third in the bottom of the sixth, but his fellow Leopards could not get him home, and Lakewood remained scoreless.

Hobbton added four runs in the top of the seventh to seal the victory, scoring Kade and Joe Corbett, Lathan Warren, and Will Blackman to make it a 6-0 ball game. After a three-up, three-down bottom of the seventh, the Wildcats took the victory over their county and conference rivals.

Sampson County Government announced a hiring freeze on Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately. According to a news release, “all currently vacant positions (for which job offers have not yet been issued) and positions that become vacant will be frozen until further notice.”

Law enforcement positions, including the Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center, as well as Emergency Medical Services will not be affected by the freeze.

“This decision is aimed at ensuring the county’s resources are allocated effectively as the county prepares for the FY25-26 budget,” the release explained.

For more information about Sampson County Government, visit www.sampsoncountync.gov.

Agriculture is undoubtedly the biggest driver of Sampson County’s economy, and that was never more apparent than at the Sampson County Cooperative Extension’s Report to the People late Monday afternoon.

The Sampson County Board of Commissioners were invited guests to the presentation.

“Sampson County has proudly regained its status as the No. 1 county in North Carolina for total agriculture, garnering $2.2 billion annually according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture,” the 2024 Year in Review for Sampson Extension states. “Nationally, we rank No. 14 in agriculture and lead the state in the production of total crops and livestock, including vegetables, melons, sweet potatoes, poultry and eggs, turkeys, and hogs and pigs.”

“Since we are one of the pork capitals of the world,” said Extension Director Brad Hardison, “we like to highlight the pork industry we have here in Sampson County.”

Livestock Agent for Pork Max Knowles shared information about his work over the past year. “I work with pork in this county,” he said. “I was born and raised here in Sampson. I went to Union High School, and my family, we have grown with Prestage Farms since the early ’90s. That makes about 31 years I’ve been working in the hog industry.”

When talking about what he does with Cooperative Extension, Knowles said, “To put it simply, I do anything I can to help hog farmers and farmers in Sampson County. That’s to help them stay profitable, sustainable, and probably even more importantly, operational.”

He talked about the permitting process for hog farmers. If you have 250 or more animals on your farm at any given time, you must have a permit. As of the end of 2024, Sampson County has 420 state permits and one federal permit. “It’s my job to help the farmer understand what that permit is, and provide certification courses, continuing education and consultation with them,” he explained.

In Sampson, there are 389 farmers who are required to have OIC credits, or operators in charge, and Knowles helps them achieve those credits as well.

That continuing education helps farmers stay informed on the latest developments in the industry, Knowles said.

“I think probably one of the most important things I do is provide service to Sampson County farmers,” he added, saying that he regularly offers sludge surveys, irrigation calibration, records consultations, all free of charge to farmers. “I think it’s my job to help the farmer.”

Knowles also does sample collection from irrigation fields at no charge. “Each sample collection day, I take between 150-200 samples to Raleigh. That is taking that time away from them so they don’t have to go to Raleigh.”

After Knowles’ presentation, Hardison led a quiz game, asking the audience various questions about the pork industry. He started off the game by asking everyone to list three words that come to mind when you think of hogs and pigs. Answers ranged from barbecue to smell to money.

Question No. 1 was “What county ranks No. 1 in hog and pig sales in North Carolina?” The correct answer was Sampson. “Us and Duplin, every year is back and forth,” Hardison said. “I’ve seen figures that say there’s a few hundred head difference, and I’ve seen some that say thousands head difference.”

The second question asked about the economic impact of the pork industry in Sampson County. The answer was $1.5 billion. “We’re not just talking about the pig products,” Hardison said. “We’re also talking about the jobs, the businesses that support the pig industry here in Sampson County.”

The quiz also revealed that the pork industry accounts for 6,000 jobs in Sampson County, or about 22 percent of the total workforce.

Other questions had to do with the products that are made from pork, including cement, crayons, antifreeze and lipstick.

After a meal, Sampson County hog farmer James Lamb spoke to the group. Lamb has been a pork producer with Prestage Farms for 28 years. Lamb said he’d recently spoken with the University of California-Davis and will be featured in an upcoming article from the university.

He also talked about the work of Phinite, which held a grand opening at its facility in Newton Grove on Friday. Phinite is excavating sludge out of the bottom of hog lagoons and converting it into organic fertilizer.

Also at the Report to the People event, Cooperative Extension agents shared information about the 4-H program and family and consumer sciences.

Master food volunteer Karen Wilson also spoke, sharing that being part of the Sampson County nutrition programs had changed her life. “The Extension Office played a very clear role in helping me be able to control and heal, and live a healthier lifestyle,” she said, later adding, “I firmly believe the Extension Office is the best-kept secret there is and every North Carolinian should know about the services you provide.”

Due to less than expected numbers of residents signing up for water connection for the Ivanhoe water project, Longview Lake Road was added to the list of roads that will now benefit from the water system construction currently underway in Sampson.

At the Sampson County Board of Commissioners’ meeting Monday night, Mark Turlington, director of public works, provided updates on the project, showing a brief video to further highlight the progress now being made on the water project.

Turlington told the board they had anticipated 300 residents would sign up for water connection services in Ivanhoe, but since only about 150 had actually registered for county water in the area, Longview Lake Road was placed back in the project. The road was initially eliminated from the original proposal due to budget constraints.

Construction has already begun in Ivanhoe, but Turlington stressed that completion was a ways off.

“I went down there today (Monday) and they had already laid six-tenths of a mile of pipe. It’s going to be a slow process; they have 18 months in their contract to do it, and they have 40 miles to go; it’s going to be a slow process, but it has begun, and we’re very thankful.”

Sampson County Commissioner Lethia Lee, Dist. 4, thanked Turlington for all the hard work.

“We knew that it was coming, and I just had to keep on encouraging the people of Ivanhoe, and now we’re seeing the world and we know how hard everyone is working on this project, and we thank you.”

Dewberry Engineer Emma Ialeggio provided construction updates on the project, explaining they first start by drilling under creeks and other waterways.

“They’re working south to north,” she said. “It’s an 18-month construction time frame, so the end of 2026 is the last we can do anything.”

Ialeggo said she would give another update next month.

A fire tax rate agreement between Sampson County and the fire departments of Taylor’s Bridge and Vann Crossroads was presented to the public Monday night and approved by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners. It is the first two of what is expected to be several such agreements between the county and its area fire departments.

At the Sampson County Commissioners’ regular meeting, Chip Crumpler, county commissioner for Dist. 3, made the motion to have items removed from the consent agenda and placed among the action items — two of those items were the Fire Protection and Rescue Services agreements between the county and the two fire districts.

A contract which has been in place for the past five years is set to expire in July, board members were told by interim county manager Jeffrey Hudson during the meeting. In order to renew this service agreement between the county and the fire districts, a proposed contract has been made between the county government and the fire departments.

The entire purpose of the Fire Protection & Rescue Services Contract is to ensure the correct provision of fire and rescue services to the citizens of Sampson County, Hudson noted.

The interim county manager laid out the proposed plan during the meeting, noting that he felt like it was a plan beneficial to the departments and to the county.

“We proposed to all the fire chiefs, at a recent meeting, a fire amendment which would be between the county and each individual fire department,” Hudson explained. He continued by saying since they are individual agencies it seeks to change the relationship between the county and the fire departments.

The agreement is for the county to set a rate for each fire department, which was decided since the last property tax evaluation. Based on the new agreement, the fire departments would not have to submit a budget every year if they accept an individual tax rate for their respective districts and abide by certain requirements set forth in a contract by the county.

“The expectation of the county should be if we give money to the fire departments, they provide a service,” Hudson said during the meeting. “This new amendment, which would extend their contract for five more years, requires that they do things such as make available their financial data and will respond to a minimum of 95 percent of all emergency, fire and rescue calls, as tracked by the county.”

Hudson further explained that the emergency calls can be tracked since the county is responsible for dispatching emergency calls from the 911 center.

Minimum levels of acceptable response were defined as: A car accident will require a response with a class A rated engine; a structure fire with a class A rated engine; a brush or woods fire will require a class A rated engine or a brush truck; fire alarms will be any response deemed appropriate by a fire department and any other calls deemed appropriate by the fire department.

“There are some things in this agreement that allow some flexibility,” noted Hudson, acknowledging that sometimes fire alarms can be false alarms, but basically it’s a 95 percent response rate.

Any departments that agree to this contract extension will be “treated as a sister agency and do not require an annual budget,” said Hudson. However, he added, if they fail to meet requirements then they have to submit their full budget and all details to the fire commission. The same is true if they want a higher rate — that has to go first to the fire commission and then to the commissioners.

“We believe the majority of fire departments will be fine with this,” stated Hudson.

But the manager also wanted to stress how the new proposal works, saying he didn’t want anyone confused as to who decides the budget and rules of this agreement.

“Let me be perfectly clear for the public and the media,” Hudson stated, “the Board of Commissioners cannot delegate their taxing authority to anyone else. The fire commission does not set the tax rate, the fire department does not set the tax rate. Only the Board of Commissioners sets the tax rate, whether it is the county general property tax, or whether it is the fire tax or another service district tax.

“So, it is entirely possible that in the years to come, some fire departments might say ‘I know I got 10 cents but I want 20 cents.’ This Board of Commissioners can set it (the fire tax) at 15, 10, 5, 2, 7; any number. Only this board has this authority.”

As of the meeting Monday night, only Taylors Bridge and Vann Crossroads had signed contracts with the county, extending their contracts with Sampson starting in July of this year, but Hudson indicated there were other signed contracts on his desk that came in too late to be placed on the Monday night agenda.

Currently Taylor’s bridge fire tax rate sits at 8.5 cents with total funding of $403,600. The amendment to extend five years would increase the tax rate to 9.5 with a total funding of $484,652.

Vann Crossroads is currently at an eight-cent tax rate which would increase to 10 cents, increasing total funding from $118,380 to $136,590.

The contracts with Sampson County, Taylors Bridge and Vann Crossroads fire departments were approved unanimously Monday night.

CLINTON — A group of Clinton’s youth addressed the city council at the regular monthly meeting last Tuesday.

Aaliyah Guinyard, president of the NAACP Youth Council, appeared before the council during the public comment portion of the meeting, with about a dozen teenagers and young people. Guinyard said she is a junior at Clinton High School, and wanted to thank the council for their attention to the youth of the city, but she also felt that more attention should be paid to the needs of area teens.

“As the youth of our city, we would like to address a few important issues that we believe need to be considered for the betterment of our community,” Guinyard said. “Our topic is ‘Our youth, teenagers.’”

She said that when she grows up, she wants to do cosmetology.

“So, one problem we would like to address is concerning teenagers not having nothing to do,” she said. “Examples like the Y. When the YMCA was built in Clinton, people thought, ‘oh, this could be a fun place for people to go.’ But little did we know, parents have to pay so much for their kids to even go for a day. Then also, memberships for the Y also cost $30. Some parents can’t afford that for their kids.”

She also talked about recreational football or basketball, which she said only goes up through age 12.

Mayor Lew Starling suggested that the kids attend the YMCA’s event at the Sampson County Airport on April 10 to see the planes. “It won’t cost you one penny,” he said. “YMCA leadership will be there that night. Tell them what you need.”

He also said the recreation director needed to address the concerns voiced about opportunities for teens.

Apostle Regina Lucious stepped up and told the mayor, “We need your help.” She said she works with the NAACP Youth Council and New Life Outreach Ministries.

“Many of y’all still haven’t come down to see the youth, so I decided I’d bring them to you,” Lucious said. “There’s many more.”

On Sunday mornings, she said their church is packed with probably 125 children. “We feed them. On Wednesday, I have 14 children that come to my house after school.”

She said it was important for the city council to see these children in person, and vice versa. “They never thought that behind the scenes is the city meeting,” she said. “They thought this is where you come in to pay the water bill. I wanted to show them, this is where they make the decisions for your life. It’s for the city. So y’all need to learn and come and see what they’re talking about.”

Lucious reiterated that the youth need the city council’s help, and not necessarily monetarily. “We need chips, we give them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Sundays,” she said. “Everybody wants water and juice. I don’t get paid.”

She said someone from Raleigh had donated 15 computers. “But we need all of y’all,” Lucious stated, adding, “I’m out all the time at night, at the police station, trying to help keep some of them off the streets. We are a voice. I’m going to keep crying out until we get what we need.”

Your makeshift crib is totally out of sight!

Those were the words spoken by my boon companions — Robert “Robbie” Brough and Robert “Mags” Magnifico — when they climbed the painter’s ladder into the newly christened garage attic hideout.

From a fully furnished living space complete with all the usual trappings — a very comfy sofa, two matching chairs, a coffee table and three mismatched end tables with attached lamps — it also had a small corner kitchenette featuring a miniature refrigerator, hotplate, and a set of base cabinets for snacks next to my original writing desk, which was purchased with monetary gifts following an orthopedic leg surgery in third grade.

Beyond the quaint living area at the back end of the elevated fortress, there was a sizable space with three fully inflated swimming pool rafts on which to lay our sleeping bags and pillows to drift off into dreamland.

To complete the would-be apartment, the solid plywood floor was covered in charcoal black heavy-duty indoor-outdoor carpet with rubber marine backing and royal blue paint splashed on all four walls that featured the Ellwood City Wolverines mascot in semi-gloss white as the backdrop of the sleeping quarters.

The only thing you’re missing is a bathroom.

“I’ve got that covered,” I revealed with a great deal of satisfaction while divulging the details of our improvised bathroom facilities for the epic sleepover. “If anyone has to take a leak during the night, they can go on the other end of the two-car garage next to the woodpile; and there’s a roll of toilet paper and a painter’s bucket with a plastic bag liner for squeezing a loaf next to the work bench downstairs.”

Just make sure to tie up the plastic bag and deposit it in the burn barrel outside when you’re finished.

Gadzooks!

You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you.

That’s what we did when a pair of stepbrothers — Dirk Arkwright and Allan McLaughlin — from my church, who helped build this private clubhouse for me, spent the night once it was finished the weekend before school started.

However, they weren’t too keen on putting a stencil of the Lincoln High School mascot on the wall since they live on the opposite side of the county line — Riverside territory.

So, how’d you get the furniture through the trap door in the floor?

Upon opening a barn door to what was left of our summer vegetable garden, the astonished gridiron ballers both dropped their jaws at the surprise revelation.

After attending my big brother John’s rescheduled junior high school football game earlier that same evening with three generations of the Price family, the two Robs — also part of the same athletic team — came home with me to spend the night in the coveted piece of real estate which I had been incessantly talking about since the beginning of the school year.

Following a decadent bedtime snack — a leftover piece of my paternal grandmother’s 65th birthday cake — at the dining room table, we each grabbed our bedrolls and pillows sitting in the entryway prior to traipsing down the sidewalk between the church parsonage and the cinderblock outbuilding to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Immediately after laying out our temporary beds on top of the comfortable inflatable water rafts in the dimmest section of the secluded retreat, we decided to play Hasbro’s Clue — a murder mystery board game — from a variety of games sitting on a small bookcase next to my writing desk; whereupon we set it up on the coffee table between the small sofa and lounge chairs.

I call dibs on Professor Plum!

“Duly noted, my young apprentice,” responded Robbie, sporting a wide grin as he clearly channeled Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: A New Hope. Since you’re going to be the esteemed college professor, I’m going to be the highly revered Colonel Mustard; and Mags can be the elusive Mr. Green, who attracts all the ladies.”

The football bruisers shouted out three cheers for me after snatching a few bottles of ice-cold Coca-Cola from the mini fridge and breaking out some late-night snacks — peanuts, pretzels and potato chips — from the nearby kitchen cabinet.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Once this trio of would-be detectives were enjoying a little light-hearted conversation mixed with some very satisfying refreshments, they began using their sleuthing skills to piece together the various clues — the who, the what and the where — for the treacherous murder mystery which took place inside the walls of England’s infamous Tudor Mansion.

Outside, a sudden gust of wind tossed a broken tree branch from the backyard maple against the roof of the oversized garage, causing all of us to nearly jump out of our skin.

“Jeepers creepers,” I exclaimed with eyes as big as saucers after quickly picking myself up off the floor next to the coffee table. “When that tree branch slammed against the roof, I thought it was the ‘Clue’ killer trying to climb up through the trap door; so, I was about to jump out the barn door into the remnants of our vegetable garden.”

You wouldn’t have gotten very far with that face-plant into the carpet.

Elementary, my dear Watson!

With all this excitement, I think we’re due for a potty break.

While draining the dragon by the woodpile, I questioned the whereabouts of our fair-skinned redheaded companion.

His coffee must’ve kicked in.

What?

He had to make a deposit in your makeshift porcelain bank.

When the black-haired Italian and I peered into the darkened cinderblock garage through a double-pane glass window, the young man in question was carefully wiping his hindquarters to avoid getting any dookie residue on his delicate fingertips.

We nearly busted a gut when he brought the gently used, tied-off plastic bag out to the burn barrel.

As everyone played follow-the-leader back up the painter’s ladder, a very important reminder was relayed to our constipated confidant bringing up the rear.

“A word to the wise,” teased the youngest son of the police chief with a hint of laughter in his voice when glancing over his shoulder at tail-end Charlie. “As a courtesy, you might want to consider relining the painter’s bucket with a new plastic bag in the event someone else needs to give birth to a brick before the night is through.”

There have been two more agricultural spills in the city, one dumping animal waste sludge near the intersection of College and Beaman streets Monday morning and another, just moments later, at the intersection of Faison Highway and Pugh Road.

Police Chief Anthony Davis confirmed that the spills consisted of the same material, and while the responsible truck was not at either scene, video footage of the suspect vehicle led officers to its location and the citation of its driver.

Davis said police and fire officials were called to the first scene around 8:30 a.m., finding the sludge but not the truck responsible for the spill. He also said the driver failed to remain on scene.

An additional spill was then located at the intersection of Pugh Road and Faison Highway.

Davis said the video footage of the suspected vehicle led them to the Carbon Cycle Energy Biogas facility, 855 Penny Branch Road, Warsaw, where they located the truck and trailer, along with the driver who stopped there to drop the load.

The driver of the truck, Curtis Gurley of Marion, S.C., was operating the truck for Mimms Gandy Farms LLC, Darlington, S.C., a third-party contractor hired to transport chicken sludge for Denali Water Solutions, Arkansas, from Mountaire Farms of N.C. in Lumber Bridge.

Gurley, reports show, was charged with leaving the scene of an animal waste spill, failing to secure the load, littering and operating a tractor trailer in the business district of Clinton.

“We are committed to holding those who litter our roadways accountable for their actions,” Davis attested.

“However, it is equally important that hauling animal waste is carried out in a safe and responsible manner. Both accountability and safety are essential in addressing this issue effectively,” the police chief added.

Clinton Mayor Lew Starling has been adamant that something needs to be done about the continued animal sludge spills that have occurred within the city. He has worked with legislators, like Rep. Jimmy Dixon from Duplin County to put sharper teeth in laws that will strengthen penalties making the accountability Davis referred to more pronounced.

Starling was unavailable for comment by today’s press deadline.

This makes the fifth animal waste spill in the city since the start of 2025.

The Midway teams are no strangers to extra innings when it comes to baseball and softball. Both teams have already had their fair share of extra innings games this year, and the 10-year anniversary of the infamous 14-inning Eastern Regional Baseball Championship heartbreaker from 2015 is quickly approaching. What better time to have a repeat of that than on Wednesday night? Continuing to mix in a grueling non-conference schedule within their conference games, the Lady Raiders faced off against Hoggard in a midweek showdown in Spivey’s Corner. After a long, hard-fought and scoreless 13.5-inning battle, Midway finally scraped together some last-minute heroics and secured a big 1-0 victory over the Lady Vikings.

The Lady Raiders got off to a shaky start in the first inning after starting pitcher Kyleigh Stonerock hit the first batter. “No sweat,” she said, though, as Stonerock cleaned things up with a pair of strikeouts and flyout to right field to quickly end the inning.

The shakiness also hit Hoggard in the bottom of the inning, as an error allowed Kiley Ives to get aboard as the leadoff. ECU-signee Macey Ciamallo also brushed it off and went on to retire the next trio of batters in consecutive fashion as the first inning went scoreless.

An old-fashioned pitcher’s duel, with high-quality defense sprinkled into the mix, was certainly the top story of this game. A walk in the top of the second was all that was going for the Lady Vikings, while Midway went down in 1-2-3 style in the bottom of the inning.

Things got a little dicey in the top of the third when back-to-back walks put runners at first and second for Hoggard with two outs, but another timely strikeout from Stonerock ended that threat as the scoreless tie pushed onward.

The next couple of at bats again saw three up, three down efforts, but things took a dramatic turn in the bottom of fourth. Mollie Bass got a triple on a line drive that hugged the third base line. With just one out against them, the Lady Raiders had the go-ahead run staring at home plate, the closest either team had gotten all game. Midway couldn’t make anything happen, though, as an infield ground-out and a strikeout prevented the runner from advancing.

Not much happened for either team in the fifth and sixth innings as the game continued to roll on, deadlocked in a dead heat at 0-0.

Things got scary for Midway again in the top of the seventh when Sophie Gee reached on a bunt to lead the inning off. A wild pitch moved her over to second, and now the go-ahead run for the Lady Vikings was in scoring position with no outs. Stonerock was able to strikeout Chloe Gallagher for the first out but gave up a walk to the next batter. In the process, Gee took third base, putting runners at first and third with just one out. Stonerock fanned the next two batters to strand the runners and preserved the tie headed to the bottom of the seventh.

Things looked promising for the Lady Raiders in the bottom of the seventh when Jordan Christopher led the inning off by getting aboard, thanks to an error. Macy Raynor stepped in and laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting Christopher at second base with one out. Both Peyton Herring and Ella Clark flirted with getting the game-winning hits as they each fouled off some close balls down the first and third base lines, but both hitters ended their at-bats with strikeouts, forcing extra innings

This seemingly never-ending battle continued well into extra innings as neither team was showing any signs of yielding. Each team stranded a runner in the eighth, and the ninth wasn’t much different.

There were signs as early as the bottom of the tenth that the Lady Raiders were starting to figure some things out at the plate, as they were beginning to get more hits in play. Unfortunately for them, though, the Lady Vikings’ defense stood tall behind their pitcher, most notably second baseman Ava Cook, who single-handedly shut down a trio of Midway scoring chances in the 11th, 12th, and 13th innings to keep the game going.

Both pitchers that started the game continued to sling the ball on into the 14th inning, neither of them showing any signs of slowing down.

An interesting conversation unfolded between the coaching staffs in the top of the 14th inning, which was later revealed to be a mutual agreement that the game would end in a tie if no one scored in the 14th.

The Lady Raiders were having none of that. After Stonerock and her defense again thwarted Hoggard’s scoring chance in the top of the inning, Midway decided enough was enough. Ella Clark led things off with a triple into right-center, burning the outfielders on a ball hit deep that gave her enough time to reach third. Sam Carter followed up, hitting a one-hopping grounder to shortstop. The throw home was not in time, and just like that, without any outs against them, Clark represented the winning run, and Midway had claimed the 1-0 victory.

The pitching stats for this game were a tale of their own. Stonerock hurled 235 pitches, racking up 28 strikeouts against just two hits. The one flaw in her stat line was 10 walks, but most importantly, there were no runs scored.

Ciamillo threw just 186 pitches and had 15 strikeouts against six hits and three walks.

When asked about the physical and emotional toll a game like this has on a pitcher, Stonerock said, “I feel great.”

“Physically I’m tired but emotionally…I just didn’t want to fall short. 14 innings is a heck of a ballgame, but I know that when we step out there, I’m good, and my defense is even better, and we’re going to do a good job every time.”

Stonerock also offered up a little routine she uses that helps keep calm, or “locked in” as she exclaimed in the dugout. “I pray. I draw a cross in the dirt. I lock in.”

Head coach Susan Clark was also ecstatic about her team’s clutch win.

“I’m so proud of them. We’re going to figure it out at the plate eventually, but this was just a pitcher’s duel. Two really great defenses going at it,” Clark said.

With the win, Midway now moves to 9-2 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. They were left with a home game against Fairmont on Friday before preparing for their conference series with West Bladen next week. Also in the mix next week is a trip to 8-1 Scotland County, another team the Lady Raiders had the advantage of taking to extra innings back at the beginning of the season before eventually falling 1-0.

Stonerock acknowledged that she is excited about that game, hoping that her team can spring the upset. Coach Clark, meanwhile, is already laying out her preliminary game plan.

“Our pitching has got to be on, and our defense has got to be on. If they are, then we’re going to put ourselves in a position to win every time.”

Other statistical leaders for Midway were Carter, with two hits and her game-winning RBI. Clark had one hit and the winning run. Elsewhere, Kara Beth Benton, Bass, and Christopher all had one hit apiece.

Midway will travel to West Bladen on Tuesday, Scotland on Wednesday, and will host West Bladen on Friday.

Last Saturday, we had our youngest grandson, Wyatt, over at the house for the day. So, of course, that included a bike ride. I’m finding it is getting harder and harder during those rides on my mountain bike, especially trying to keep up with an 11-year-old.

Our ride went on a trail in the woods around our house and along the roads in our neighborhood. There were times I had to yell to Wyatt to slow down as I was having a hard time keeping up. But, overall he did a good job of obeying and being aware during the ride. (As an old guy, you realize that there is a good reason that young people have kids. Old folks just can’t run with them but for just so long,)

That ride brought back memories of another bike ride several years earlier with another grandson. Aaron, Wyatt’s older brother, was staying with us when he was 7 years old, and was ready for a bike ride. So he put on his bike helmet and off we went.

I had some rules. Don’t get too far ahead of me. Stay on the right side of the road. Watch out for cars. And most of all, listen and obey me while we are on the road. The street we ride on was quiet, with few cars traveling on it, but we still need to be careful.

We headed out and turned left onto West Arrowhead Drive, heading down toward the end where we seldom meet any cars. Aaron loved to ride his little bicycle. He liked that it was a regular, big boy bicycle, and that it could go fast. (Now he likes hunting and a dirt bike.) When we got to the end of the street, we turned around and headed back.

To be honest, I was having a hard time keeping up with then little fellow. Yes, even back then! Remember, he liked to go fast. There was a slight downhill on the road, and Aaron really started to go.

“Slow down! Pay attention to where you are going!” I yelled. But Aaron wasn’t paying attention. He was having fun and going fast. And he wasn’t paying attention, as he strayed from the right side of the road, as he headed into a curve. As I sped up trying to catch him, I looked around the curve. There was a car coming!

“Watch out, Aaron!” I screamed, “There’s a car coming!” The driver of the car, fortunately, had seen him and had already slowed down as Aaron steered his bike back to the right side and away from danger. After a scolding for not paying attention and not listening to his Papa Mac, we headed back home. Hopefully, the 7-year-old had learned a lesson. After dropping Aaron back home to his parents late that afternoon, I thought about the bike incident while driving back home. I remembered a couple of close calls I had while riding my bicycle back on Maxwell Road as a kid. Probably many reading this have your own bicycle close call stories.

Aaron knew the rules of riding his bicycle with his grandfather. The rules were there for a reason — to protect him from harm. But Aaron disregarded them because he was having fun, and was going fast. He strayed out of the lane he was supposed to and rode directly into danger. He paid little attention as I yelled warnings. I suppose there is a moral to that little story. You know, the danger of disregarding rules that are meant for your good because you are going fast and having fun. Straying from the path in which you are supposed to go. Not paying attention to warnings that there is possible danger ahead. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned in this story for us adults, also.

Slow down, pay attention, and stay in the right lane. That’s good advice now for the grandkids as they are getting older. And that’s good advice for the rest of us who are already there.

CLINTON — A husband-and-wife team of local business owners were recognized as 2024 Clinton Main Street Champions at the city council meeting Tuesday night.

Jess and Wally Bashlor — and their brood of children — accepted the honor from Mayor Lew Starling and the council.

Mary Rose, planning and development director, spoke about the couple at the start of Tuesday night’s meeting, saying that after “much discussion,” the Clinton Development Corporation Board of Directors made the designation.

“They have been important members of the downtown Clinton community for the past six years,” Rose explained.

In 2018, Jess Bashlor launched a company downtown to educate the public about natural skin care products. “Today, Remedies by Jess operates out of her shop at 109 Wall St., serving both in-person and online customers,” Rose said.

Two years ago, the Bashlors purchased and rebranded the downtown Clinton coffee shop as Simply Brewed Coffee Company, “which has become a vibrant hub of community activity, drawing visitors from multiple counties to enjoy its coffee, bagels, salads, wraps and even ice cream,” Rose said.

The coffee shop has become a place for community members to meet and socialize. “When you visit, you are sure to find many other members of our community and visitors, alike, in the comfortable space to meet, or just enjoy a cup of coffee,” Rose said.

“For us, with all the business we’ve ever run, specifically the two that we currently run, building relationships and community is the main thing,” Wally Bashlor told The Sampson Independent. “We do have products that we sell, but our focus is building relationships and community.”

The events that the Bashlors host, at the coffee shop in particular, help bring the community together, he said. “The coffee shop was a huge bonus for us when we opened it almost two years ago. We wanted a place where folks could work, or have room to meet. There’s not many places in Clinton to do that, and it brings the community together. That for us is what it’s all about.”

The Bashlors have both served on the Clinton Main Street promotion program, and have helped other small business owners succeed through coaching, counseling and internships.

The couple brought their children, Zadie, Zeke, Zanna, Zane and Zella, with them for the recognition and their daughter Zella attended the North Carolina Main Street conference with them.

The mayor presented the Bashlors with their certificate, and posed for a photo with the entire family and city council.

“We don’t do it for the recognition,” Bashlor said, adding that winning the award was a big surprise. “We had no idea we were even being considered. We felt very honored.”

During Tuesday’s town board meeting in Garland, Mayor Austin Brown read aloud a letter from the president of Garland VFD board, Anthony Norris, informing the town that Garland’s fire department was cancelling its services due to “budgetary constraints.” Norris is voted by their board to be the only one authorized to negotiate an agreement. Within that letter, an ultimatum was given to the town of Garland: either pay $40,000 per year or implement an 8-cent fire tax on town citizens.

This ultimatum was proposed on Monday during a meeting between Norris, Mayor Pro Tem Ralph Smith Jr. and Mayor Brown. Since there was no resolution at that meeting, Norris drafted the letter. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Register and Deputy Chief Brandon Norris were present Tuesday to speak on behalf of GVFD. “I will start by extending my apology to all of you for the worrying chaos followed by the letter recently received by the town from our department’s board of directors,” said Register.

“We are proposing a new one- to two-year contract between the town of Garland and the Garland Fire Department to include $20,000 a year, with the added promise from the town board to begin this year the process of implementing an 8-cent fire tax municipality of Garland,” Register continued.

He went on to explain the reprecussions if a resolution was not met. It could result in major delays in fire protection due to the assistance coming from neighboring departments and homeowner’s insurance premiums could skyrocket comparative to what they are paying today. “We volunteer our time to serve and protect our district in our town because we care to take great pride in what we do for all of you,” Register concluded.

Board Attorney Greg Griffin was prepared with a rebuttal. “First of all, on behalf of the city that I represent, I appreciate the apology, because the approach that was given was basically an ultimatum. Do this or else,” Griffin began. He reminded them that the corporation is a nonprofit corporation that is there for public safety. “You have a duty on behalf of the town to provide the safety and look out for the people you are trying to serve.”

He also noted that the contract that is in place calls for zero payment. The city for the past two years has provided them with $20,000. Griffin noted that within the contract in place, GFD has an obligation to provide an audit to the commissioner board annually. This task has not been done in seven or eight years.

“It’s a two-way street when you come in and say here’s where we at, because it calls for you to provide ‘What is your budget? What is the revenues? Where is your needs? How can we help?’” Griffin said.

Commissioner Jo Allison Strickland added, “I want to know what’s the financial situation. I want to know where the money is going because I personally know what the county gave you, and what we gave you. Where is it? What have you done with it? We deserve to know.”

Things got slightly contentious during this part of the discourse with one of the firefighters insisting she joins the department to see what it’s like. “None of this information has been provided and the town cannot contract with you without an absolute,” Griffin informed. GVFD stated that they will get that information to the Board of Commissioners.

Looking upon public records, in March of 2017, this same exact situation took place. Mayor Winifred Murphy was the mayor at that point in time, and the fire department was represented by Attorney H.W. “Sandy” Sanderson Jr. The verbiage of the letter received then is very similar to the letter Mayor Brown read. At that time, GVFD was requesting $25,000 per year. In 2016 they requested a 10-cent tax per $100 valuation on personal and real estate property. One other similarity between then and now, is the percentage of calls that take place within town limits. In 2016, 19 percent of the department’s calls were in Garland. Attorney Griffin stated at Tuesday’s meeting that “it appears there are more calls that go outside of the city limits than inside the city limits. The $20,000, in percentage, [compared to] what the county provides is actually more per call than what the county does per call in regards to calls that go outside city limits.”

One rebuttal given by a fireman was, “We pay a fire tax, where[as] y’all just take it out the budget.” He then asked, “Why not let citizens do just like us county people do? Pay our part. Everybody doing their part equally. There’s no argument over there.” Mayor Brown stated that a public hearing would have to be held before any decision of that nature could be made. Attorney Griffin assured, “Whether the money is coming out of the town or whether it’s coming out of a tax, you as a homeowner is going to feel it’s coming out the same pocket, your pocket.” He acknowledged that there are demands from multiple departments from water works, garbage, public works, and others but there is simply “a limit to the town of Garland of what they can or cannot do.”

“To have the contract be terminated will create a hardship on this town, it will create a legal situation, and it will create a bad situation for the fire department. It is a non-win situation, so holding off is not necessarily good thing,” Griffin warned. He did state optimistically “this is a solvable issue.” The idea of the board for now is to continue the contract as is. It may be amended with some extra verbiage, but the fire department will have to show the reports and figures requested by the Board of Commisioners. GVFD was asked by Griffin, “Are you withdrawing your termination if they (the board of commissioners) say that they are gonna move forward?” Assistant Chief Register replied, “I can’t speak on that because it involves the board.”

Motion was made and accepted to table the matter for now with hopes of coming back together with a resolution.

On a brighter note, Samantha Hobbs was sworn in as town clerk and finance officer for the town of Garland. Mayor Pro Tem Ralph Smith Jr. made this nomination back in January at their second special meeting that month. “I am excited for the opportunity,” Hobbs said.

The NC League of Municipalities gave a presentation by Chief ARP officer, Carla Obiol. She proposed to the board a program named AIM (Accounting Instruction Mentorship) which offers help, training, and insight in accounting of small towns. Hobbs said she would participate in the program. The board is awaiting the contract offer from NCLM.