Features

GOLDSBORO — It’s a courtroom scene unlike any other you’ve probably seen in movies or on TV. In this enactment, three souls are on trial, with Satan as the prosecutor, Jesus as the defense attorney, and God as the judge.

GOLDSBORO — Thank you! and Welcome home! Those are the messages that will be conveyed to veterans of the Vietnam War during a celebration to be held Saturday, March 29, beginning at 11 a.m., on the second floor of the Wayne County Museum. The public is invited to attend this free event.

FAISON — “Lent is a season of challenge; we’ve left the celebrations of Christmas and we aren’t quite to Easter,” Pastor David Helbig told a crowd of 60 to 70 gathered for a Lenten lunch in the fellowship hall of Faison Presbyterian Church on Wednesday.

DUDLEY — Greeley, Colorado, is about 50 miles north of Denver. It’s a half-hour drive from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and its population is well over 100,000. In other words, it is a world away from Dudley, not just in terms of distance, but also in terms of culture, and one local pastor is navigating those cultural differences since relocating here from Greeley, with his young family, almost four months ago.

Ask Mount Olive Friends of the Parks President Tony Martin about his 40 years of volunteer work, particularly where Mount Olive’s parks are concerned, and he quickly deflects the limelight away from himself and shine it onto others.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, the stage in the multi-purpose room at Carver Elementary School was filled with a long line of brand-new bicycles and helmets. What’s more, bikes and helmets lined portions of the walls to the right and left of the stage, as well. But, by 2 p.m, the bicycles were disappearing fast, as students wheeled them out into the parking lot and, with the help of their parents, loaded them up to take home.

FAISON — Don’t let the name fool you. It’s billed as the Faison Farmers’ Parade, but the celebration will be much bigger than a parade. It’ll be an all-day affair, with music, food, vendors, a 50/50 raffle, and a Kids Zone filled with numerous free activities for the younger set. The event’s sponsor, Faison Improvement Group (FIG), is pulling out all the stops to make Saturday, March 15, a great day for the town, its citizens, and the many visitors they hope will show up to share in the fun.

KENANSVILLE — Since 2022, Duplin County has received almost $1.4 million to help fight opioid abuse. Another $3.2 million is on the way, spread out in annual payments (of differing amounts) through 2038.

DUDLEY — Here’s an unlikely statement about a rock: “It does its own thing now.”

Leora “Sam” Jones was just having fun playing backyard basketball with her childhood friends growing up in Mount Olive.