This week in history: June 29-July 5

June 29, 2022

Casey’s Grill & Grocery on N.C. Highway 55 in Seven Springs offered Frosty Morn round steak at 89 cents a pound and Frosty Morn chuck roast at 59 cents a pound. Otto’s pork chops were on sale for 69 cents a pound.
Mount Olive officials announced the town’s tax rate would remain at $1.70 per $100 valuation despite a record fiscal budget proposal of nearly $500,000 on the table. The largest item on the budget was $107,000 set aside for the town’s sanitation, cemetery and parks department. Less than $97,000 was slated for the town’s police department.
James Clark Dail was appointed head football coach at Wayne Country Day School. The Chargers were expected to play a nine-game schedule at the Wayne County Boys Club since the school’s new field would not have lights. Dail was an all-conference athlete at Southern Wayne High School.
South Carolina resident Doug Simmons was named the new head varsity boys basketball coach at Southern Wayne High School. The Campbell University grad led Mullins High School to 45 wins, a runner-up finish in the South Carolina Class 2A state tournament.

Edward Demming Smith was nominated by the Wayne County Republican Party as its candidate for the office of clerk of Wayne County Superior Court. The 60-year-old Smith was former plant manager for General Electric in Goldsboro. He was expected to face Democratic candidate David Brantley in the November election.
Third District Congressman Charles Whitley of Mount Olive voted with the majority of his colleagues in Congress to pass a compromise tax package that would halve the tax on cigarettes. Congress doubled the cigarette tax from eight to 16 cents in 1983, but created a “sunset provision” that would drop the extra 8 cents beginning October 1985. The House voted for a 12-cent tax that eliminated the provision, while the Senate favored 8 cents.
The Mount Olive First Baptist Church prevailed in two softball games and clinched first place in the Calypso Softball League. MO defeated Calypso Presbyterian, 9-3, and rolled past Salem Advent, 15-5. John Hodges was the winning pitcher in both games.
The Lions battled back from a four-run deficit to defeat The Tribune, 11-10, and capture the Mount Olive Boys’ Club Dixie Youth Baseball tournament championship. Tribune teammates Jeff Waters and Robert Whitfield were named co-most valuable players following the championship game.

Mount Olive police officers will ride around town on bicycles equipped with lights and sirens. They patrolled apartment complexes and rode in the downtown district to improve relationships with property owners and residents.
Wayne County was one of nine counties to receive summer nutrition grants for youth ages 5-to-12-years old from the North Carolina State 4H office. The program involved middle- and high school-aged youth in teaching younger children nutrition activities.
Belk Tyler held its July 4th Wheel of Fortune sale. Customers could spin a wheel and save between 25 to 50% off merchandise including swimwear, shoes, beach towels, dresses, bed linens, etc. The first 25 customers received a free door prize and free cookies.
Mount Olive Municipal Airport officials announced the inclusion of an aircraft parking apron extension in the state’s 1997 Transportation Improvement Program. The project totaled $114,785 — money from the state and a 10% match of $11,479 locally. Work was scheduled to start in September.