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Funnel cloud reported Dark clouds roll across the afternoon sky just north of Salemburg, off of Minnie Hall Road, Tuesday afternoon around 6 p.m., even though the sun was still shining. About a half hour earlier, the National Weather Service reported the sighting of a funnel cloud in the area. No injuries or damage was reported.. (Doug Clark/Sampson Independent)
Funnel cloud reported north of Salemburg Tuesday
Doug Clark/Sampson Independent Dark clouds roll across the afternoon sky just north of Salemburg, off of Minnie Hall Road, Tuesday afternoon around 6 p.m., even though the sun was still shining. About a half hour earlier, the National Weather Service reported the sighting of a funnel cloud in the area. No injuries or damage was reported.
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This 52 foot long, white, 2006 Utility model refrigerated trailer is similar to the one that was stolen from a Newton Grove company over the weekend. Up to $1,000 has been offered leading to the recovery of it. (Courtesy Photo)
Reward offered for recovery of trailer
An area insurance company is offering up to a $1,000 reward for the recovery of a 52-foot trailer that was taken from a Newton Grove trucking company over the weekend. The trailer, valued at $35,000, was taken from J&W Transport, located in Newton Grove, on Saturday, May 12, according to reports from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office. The 52-foot long, white, 2006 Utility model trailer is refrigerated, officials said Tuesday afternoon. ...
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Tractor-trailer driver dies after suffering heart attack
ELIZABETHTOWN — A 49-year-old Sampson County man died after suffering a heart attack early Sunday morning while driving his tractor-trailer through Elizabethtown on his way to Wilmington. The accident took place on Hwy. 87 South near the town limit sign. The man, who was not identified, was a contract mail-delivery carrier. “This is just speculation on my part, but it looked as if he had a heart attack and died before he even left the roa...
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Commissioner Matthew Register looks over some documents during a recent Garland town board meeting, as Mayor Winifred Murphy looks on. The board voted to hire a new deputy clerk at its meeting at the end of last week. (Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent)
Garland at full staff again with hiring of deputy clerk
The Garland Town Hall is fully staffed once again, with the town board following up its hire of a new clerk last month with the hiring of a deputy clerk at a recent special meeting. Teresa Frack was named the new deputy clerk for the town following closed-door interviews and a split-decision vote. Frack will begin in that capacity Friday, May 25. Pam Cashwell was hired as the town clerk April 26. Cashwell had essentially been volunteering...
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Blueberry season is here … Rosa Gomez and Antonio Lopez, Sampson County husband and wife blueberry pickers gather fresh blueberries at a farm outside of Harrells on a warm day last week. The first berries are coming off Sampson County bushes now.(Doug Clark/Sampson Independent)
Blueberry season is here …
Doug Clark/Sampson Independent Sampson County husband and wife blueberry pickers Rosa Gomez and Antonio Lopez gather fresh blueberries at a farm outside of Harrells on a warm day last week. The first berries are ready to come off the bushes, the first sign that the season has arrived.
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The students and staff at Hobbton High School said they are extremely excited over winning the grand prize in Fox 50’s Lip Dub contest. Several students, along with teacher Angela Martin, show some of that enthusiasm after learning about winning the $10,000 prize for the school. (Billy Todd/Sampson Independent)
Hobbton students, staff excited over Lip Dub win
There is an air of excitement on the campus of Hobbton High School this week. Everyone is talking about the recent announcement by Fox 50 that the Wildcats had won the grand prize of $10,000 in the station’s annual Lip Dub Contest. Students, faculty and staff said they were thrilled to have received the honor and the accompanying prize money that will be awarded next week. Hobbton High took the second runner-up spot in last year’s constest,...
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Bridge building Cub Scouts from Pack 27 in Clinton recently constructed a bridge and walkway at Cabin Lake in Beulaville. Over 20 scouts, ages 8 through 11, along with parent volunteers, worked throughout a two-day campout to complete the construction. The project involved the creation of a trail and a wooden bridge over a wetland area within the park at Cabin Lake. The new bridge and adjacent trails were constructed to provide pedestrians a bridge over a flooded area, while effectively connecting camp site areas to the lake, a playground, and a pavilion. The majority of the materials used for the project were “Green” recycled materials donated by Murphy-Brown LLC and Duplin County. (Courtesy photo)
Bridge building
Courtesy photo Cub Scouts from Pack 27 in Clinton recently constructed a bridge and walkway at Cabin Lake in Beulaville. Over 20 scouts, ages 8 through 11, along with parent volunteers, worked throughout a two-day campout to complete the construction. The project involved the creation of a trail and a wooden bridge over a wetland area within the park at Cabin Lake. The new bridge and adjacent trails were constructed to provide pedestrians a...
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HCA academic honors On Tuesday evening, May 14, the high school students of Harrells Christian Academy were honored during the annual upper school academic banquet. The event was held at the Elizabethtown Baptist Church Activities Center. Pictured left to right are the students who were honored for their outstanding academic accomplishments during the 2011-2012 school year. They are, front row: Regan Murphy, John Wesley Hairr, Phoebe Campbell, Chloe Campbell, Caitlin Pusey, Mary Kate Murray, Jackie Parker, Michaela Oates, Taylor Smith, Meredith Cooke, Stacy Cavanaugh, Logan Tart, Lawren Parks, Cory Levings, Rylie Evans, Ashley Usher; second row: Justin Smith, Mike Smith, Max Prestage, Tanner Guthrie, Matt Crawford, Hayden Parks, Whaley Casteen, Hayden Hales, Claudia Holland, Kerri Graham, Emily Searles, Kathia Chirinos, Sara Moore, Anna DeVane, Lauren Clapp, Anna Huff; third row: Wen Murphy, Hunter Graham, Walton Fisher, Mills Bryant, Christian McLaughlin, Lee Matthis, Emily Jones, Gracie Eakins, Jenny Ricci, Ashley Kersey, Allison Cottle, Kathryn Bridgers, C.J. Smith; fourth row: Christian Campbell, Will Barnes, Andrew Miller, Nick Peterson, Hannah Verrilli, Courtney Houston, Shelby Grady, Elizabeth Hood, Madison Phillips, Gabrielle Johnson, Blake Sandlin; and fifth row: Fredrick Strickland, Matt Maready, Connor Bullard, Robert Kinlaw, Chris Cannady, Ben Roberts, Oakley Ambrose, Lauren Huff, Taylor Johnson, John Thomas, Cullen Hobbs, Austin Wells, Rooks Wells, Cole Nye, Patrick Walker, Trey Bullock and Carries Marshburn. (Courtesy photo)
HCA academic honors
Courtesy photo On Tuesday evening, May 14, the high school students of Harrells Christian Academy were honored during the annual upper school academic banquet. The event was held at the Elizabethtown Baptist Church Activities Center. Pictured left to right are the students who were honored for their outstanding academic accomplishments during the 2011-2012 school year. They are, front row: Regan Murphy, John Wesley Hairr, Phoebe Campbell, C...
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Crimewatch
Arrests • 5/10 — Tonia Rich, 41, of 409 N. Breaze Ave., Mt. Olive, was charged with three counts of writing worthless checks. Rich was given a trial date of June 19. • 5/11 — Charles Robinson, 28, of 295 Cotton Gin Road, Roseboro, was charged with maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance. Robinson was given a $1,500 bond and a trial date of June 5. • 5/11 — Randy Davis, 44, of 3023 Basstown Road, Clinton, was charged with poss...
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Greg Taylor, executive director of the Fort Bragg Regional Alliance, spoke to the Sampson County Board of Commissioners recently about the benefits of the county continuing its membership with the alliance and the effects being seen in the region in the wake of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). (Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent)
Official: Local BRAC impact will be felt, just not yet
The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is already showing effects regionally, but much of the major impact in Sampson and surrounding counties will likely not be felt until the coming years, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners was told during a recent meeting. Greg Taylor, executive director of the Fort Bragg Regional Alliance, spoke to the board about the benefits of the county continuing its membership in the alliance, and talk foc...
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Drugs discovered after traffic stop
A man following another vehicle too closely on N.C. 24 last week was cited for possession drugs after he gave consent for the deputy to search his vehicle when it was pulled over for the traffic violation. Mark Anthony Wiggins, 46, of 31 Bob White Lane, Clinton, was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after the incident that took place on Thursday, May 10. According to reports released Tuesday by the Sam...
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James Sprunt students await the calling of their names and the turning of their tassels during Thursday s graduation ceremony. (Courtesy photo)
Over 100 graduate at James Sprunt
KENANSVILLE – James Sprunt Community College held its graduation ceremonies Thursday evening, May 10 at the Duplin County Events Center in Kenansville, North Carolina. Dressed in traditional cap and gown, approximately 114 graduates crossed the stage one by one for the conferring of his or her Associate Degree, diploma or certificate by Dr. Lawrence L. Rouse, JSCC president, June Davis, JSCC vice president of Curriculum Services, and Toney ...
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The Sampson County Fireman s Honor Guard will once again be on hand to lead the Harrells Memorial Day celebration parade and present the colors as the town honors veterans. (Billy Todd/Sampson Independent)
Harrells set to honor veterans Memorial Day
HARRELLS — The Board of Aldermen and the Memorial Day Celebration committee are preparing to pay tribute again this year to veterans, continuting its established tradition of honoring them at the Harrells Community Park on Saturday, May 26, starting at 10 a.m. This will be the town’s 11th consecutive celebration. Town clerk and committee chairwoman Cindy Ezzell recently reflected on the town’s celebration of Memorial Day. “I was recently ...
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Sprunt holds first Advanced Leadership Development Academy graduation
KENANSVILLE – The first James Sprunt Community College Advanced Leadership Development Academy (ALDA) graduation ceremony was held Thursday, May 3 on the JSCC campus. Dr. Lawrence Rouse, JSCC president, and June Davis, vice president of Curriculum Services, presented certificates to ALDA graduates Francis Bennett, Brandy Boone, Geraldine Bryant, Felita Carr, Ashley Graham, Kimberly Holmes, Star Jackson, Nelson Johnson, and Dennis Sutton. ...
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Why young workers should care about Social Security
Summer will be here before we know it. That means millions of high school and college students will be searching for jobs. Whether a new worker is beginning the career of a lifetime or just earning some extra money for the school year to come, one question is likely to be on new workers’s mind when he or she sees their first pay stub: Where is the rest of my money? Generally, employers are required to withhold Social Security and Medicare t...
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Robert Hargrove, III
Hargrove headed overseas this summer
Thirteen year old Robert Hargrove III, is about to have what could be the most exciting summer of his life, spending it across the pond for three weeks. The Sampson Middle School student has been selected to be a Student Ambassador for the People to People organization and will travel to France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. “I got a letter in the mail and my dad (Rob Hargrove) read it, and I couldn’t believe it — I was just really excite...
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Amber Cava, vice president for marketing and community relations for Sampson Regional Medical Center, speaks to the Sampson County Board of Commissioners about a Community Health Assessment that identified chronic disease and obesity as the highest priorities for Sampson. Also pictured is health educator Veronica Murphy, center, and health director Wanda Robinson, seated. (Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent)
Obesity, chronic disease county’s top health issues
A community health assessment has identified chronic disease and obesity as the highest priorities for Sampson County, with teen pregnancy falling closely behind. Drugs and alcohol and tobacco round out the health-related priorities that local officials came to following a comprehensive analysis of the Sampson’s health using surveys and statistical data to identify health trends, needed resources and opportunities related to improving the h...
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Man flees after allegedly stealing bags of mulch
A man reportedly caught stealing mulch from a Clinton discount store early Saturday morning led police on a high-speed chase though the city that, at some points, topped 80 mph. Jimmy Dale Tew, 49, of 1529 Pan Handle Road, Faison, was charged with larceny of mulch; resisting a police officer; and fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle. Tew was also cited for failing to stop for lights and sirens; failing to stop for a stop sign; excee...
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Derrick Ingram
Man jailed after drugs found at his home
A Roseboro man is behind bars under a $25,000 bond after investigators with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office discovered drugs inside his home over the weekend. Derrick Tyrone Ingram, 29, of 111 Myrtle Road, Roseboro, was charged with possession with intent to sell/deliver cocaine; possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana; and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to reports, investigators served a search warrant on Ingram...
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Mike Hill of the North Carolina Rural Water Association, top left, speaks to the Garland Board of Commissioners during a special meeting Thursday. The board approved raising water and sewer rates, establishing flat fees and usage rates for both. The change will take effect July 1. (Chris Berendt/Sampson Independent)
Garland raises water rates
After delaying a decision for months, the Garland Board of Commissioners reluctantly lowered the boom in making a decision to modify its water and sewer rates, raising them significantly in an attempt to strengthen a struggling fund that has seen the town “giving away” water for years, a consultant told them Thursday. Under the approved rates, the average customer in Garland will pay around $14 more for water and sewer each month. During ...
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