As Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Duffy laid out chunks of the government’s case against former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit chief Michael Cox inside a sixth-floor courtroom at the Terry Sanford Federal Building Sept. 6, he made a series…
Scouts’ honor
Bill Moon couldn’t tell you how many evenings he has spent in these woods — the sprawling stomping grounds for countless members of the Boy Scouts of America Tuscarora Council. But when he looks down at the campfire and smiles…
Hope from the ashes
Teresa Rose is sitting under an umbrella in her front yard when Mark Mason approaches. His job — running electricity from the Roses’ backyard workshop to their swimming pool — was complete. “Ok,” he said. “Now you can go swimming,…
School report cards are in — and they’re not good
The numbers are in, and they speak — loudly — for themselves. Wayne County Public Schools has been designated a Low-Performing District, according to standards set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The district’s report card — released…
City cops, firefighters, told to settle for “Plan B”
They only put together a second plan to appease City Manager Tim Salmon. Both Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West and Fire Chief Ron Stempien admitted as much to members of the Goldsboro City Council several weeks ago. The truth, they…
It’s time we heard from Larry Pierce
Confidence and trust. They are essential in any leadership position, but they are critical in a public official. When they are lost, or considerably shaken, that means something. And we think that is exactly what has happened at the Wayne…
Behind the badge
RALEIGH — A law enforcement officer watches as, upon his request, a drug trafficker threatens the lawman’s 17-year-old daughter’s boyfriend. The same officer sells guns he seized from drug raids — firearms he never logged as evidence — on gunbroker.com, a…
Gators smother Saints
The Southern Wayne High School varsity boys soccer team showed up in Seven Springs as the favorite, but that didn’t stop Spring Creek from putting on a defensive clinic against the Saints to secure a 1-0 victory. The following photographs…
Wanted: Real leaders at critical moments
Sometimes, it takes a leader to point out the elephant in the room. You heard it this week when Wayne County Public Schools’ new superintendent stated the obvious: many WCPS facilities are in extreme disrepair and there might have to…
Ds + Fs = Low-Performing District
It would be easy to hurl a scathing bunch of similes and metaphors to describe the shock and horror of the report card Wayne County Public Schools brought home this week. And it would be just as easy to start…