Features
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Monument unveiled: honors native son/astronaut — and town’s former school, where he got his start
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]FAISON — This day was seven and a half years coming, but it was well worth the wait for those in attendance.
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Iconic barbecue restaurant honored again…and again…and again in 2024
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]DUDLEY — On any given Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the parking lot at Grady’s Barbecue is packed full at lunchtime, as folks in the restaurant queue up for some serious ‘cue. But on the first Friday and Saturday of this month, the gravel lot sat eerily empty; the restaurant…
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Young boxer aims for pro career with father firmly in his corner
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]Eighteen-year-old Vinny Varas watches a lot of boxing.
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Duplin County musician pens original song, ‘Helene’; helps hurricane relief efforts
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]On Oct. 26, over 80,000 people crowded into Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium for the Concert for Carolina, which raised over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The star-studded event featured performances by, among others, Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, the Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Sheryl Crow, and…
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Firefighter displays ‘exceptional valor,’ receives surprise award
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]Firefighters put their lives on the line to save others. For most, it’s a calling. It’s what they feel led to do. It’s what they train hard to do. And when they answer a call, they’re outfitted, head-to-toe, in protective gear. The job’s still dangerous, but the gear helps.
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Small town goes big on public spaces
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]SEVEN SPRINGS — On the corner of Spring and New streets, a rainbow of colors has seemingly sprouted from the ground, with fire-engine red, royal blue, lime green, and bright-as-the-sun yellow intertwined in a vivid display designed to appeal to both children and adults. This the town’s fully refurbished Community…
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Faison Improvement Group recognizes Fire Department — with plaque from Alaska
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]FAISON — At some point in time (no one knows when), someone (no one knows who) placed a gold-plated firefighter’s axe, beautifully mounted on a wooden plaque, on a shelf in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska — and then, apparently, forgot all about it. But in a story fraught with uncertainty, one…
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Mobile library visits Dudley every other Wednesday
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]When Natasha Robinson steps inside the Sprinter van that houses the Wayne County Public Library’s mobile unit, she heads straight for the children’s section, plops down on the floor, and sits cross-legged, browsing the book titles in front of her. She’s looking for books to read to the two- and…
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Long road of friendship leads to pottery venture
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]Cathy Crumpler and Mary Sholar have one of those joined-at-the-hip friendships, some weeks spending more time together than they do apart. They have shared interests and a shared Christian faith. They celebrate together during the good times and console each other through the bad — and lots of that celebrating…
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Foster grandparents mentor children in classrooms
By Kathy Grant Westbrook [email protected]On a recent Thursday morning, at Carver Head Start on Breazeale Avenue, young Pablo Deleon looked up from a Potato Head toy he was assembling to give a smile and a wave to a reporter visiting the preschool that day. With a grin even wider than Pablo’s, his Foster Grandma,…











