ROCKINGHAM — Pee Dee Electric has given the Thomas H. Leath Memorial Library a $5,000 grant to renovate its children’s area and to convert library space into a “makerspace” complete with a 3-D printer.

A makerspace is an area designed to allow for creative tinkering, often with new technologies or the use of analog tools.

The way the library is set up now, the children’s area sits at the back near an exit door — far away from parents who come in to work at computers near the checkout desk. The situation makes the children’s are unsafe, said Deborah Knight, outreach coordinator for Leath Library.

The library will use some of the grant money to buy Nabi tablets — similar to iPads but loaded with educational games — so that children can be entertained and still be near their parents.

The Care to Share grant is part of a larger effort by the library to bring in more families and promote literacy in the community.

“Libraries are more than books now,” said library supervisor Shannon Hearne, referring to the way digital technology has taken focus away from physical books. “We want to be a community hub.”

Knight said the plan was to have the 3-D printer available for reservations before the next school year. By then, staff will be able to use it and offer introductory workshops to the public.

“I hope it’s going to bring people into the library,” she said of the changes. “It’s a great opportunity for children and parents together in a safe and educational environment.”

Pee Dee has partnered with the library numerous times during the years to provide support or put on educational programs, such as an electricity-safety demonstration that included a static orb kids could touch to make their hair stand on end.

The Care to Share grant is “our way of caring for our community,” said Cathy Page, vice president of member services for Pee Dee Electric.

The library’s summer reading events used to fill up the Cole Auditorium at Richmond Community College every year, Knight said, but librarians realized that kids never made their way back to the library afterward.

Now the events are kept smaller so they can be held at the library. Registration is available at www.srls.info.

Pee

Children’s Book Week, when kids can get a free book when they check out one, will start Saturday and run through May 6.

Contributed photo

Deborah Knight reads to children at a recent story night at the Thomas H. Leath Memorial Library. The library plans to refurbish the children’s space to make it safer.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Library-1_1.jpgContributed photo

Deborah Knight reads to children at a recent story night at the Thomas H. Leath Memorial Library. The library plans to refurbish the children’s space to make it safer.

Christine Carroll | Daily Journal

Earlier this year, library outreach director Deborah Knight contacted Alyson Hoffman of the Richmond County Extension, asking her to provide an incubator and eggs children could monitor over several weeks. Knight delighted in playing mam hen, although not all of the eggs hatched.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Library-2_1.jpgChristine Carroll | Daily Journal

Earlier this year, library outreach director Deborah Knight contacted Alyson Hoffman of the Richmond County Extension, asking her to provide an incubator and eggs children could monitor over several weeks. Knight delighted in playing mam hen, although not all of the eggs hatched.

Source

ROCKINGHAM — Police have charged two people with breaking into a car to steal a gun.

The vehicle was parked outside the Save More convenience store next to the 74 Car Wash on East Broad Avenue when Isaiah Jaquan Dixon, 27, of Hamlet and Chelsea Christine Holden, 24, of Bennettsville, South Carolina, broke in, according to a Rockingham Police Department press release.

The incident occurred April 18. Dixon and Holden were arrested Monday.

Dixon is charged with felony counts of breaking or entering a motor vehicle, larceny of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and conspiracy.

Holden is charged with felony counts of breaking or entering a motor vehicle, larceny of a firearm, conspiracy and possession of a stolen firearm.

Dixon was placed under a $50,000 secured bond and Holden, under a $25,000 secured bond.

State records show no prior convictions for either.

Dixon

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_ISAAH-DIXON.jpgDixon

Holden

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_CHELSEA-HOLDEN.jpgHolden

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ROCKINGHAM – FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond and FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst again have earned “A’s” from a the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, which assesses hospital safety nationwide.

The designations announced this week mark the the third consecutive “A” rating for Moore Regional Hospital–Richmond and the fourth consecutive “A” rating for Moore Regional Hospital.

Leapfrog grants 750 “A” rankings.

“It is an honor for FirstHealth to continuously be recognized by the Leapfrog Group for our demonstrated commitment to ensuring patient safety,” said David J. Kilarski, chief executive officer of FirstHealth of the Carolinas. “Our physicians, nurses and staff work tirelessly to provide a safe environment and the best possible care for our patients.”

The Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to hospitals, based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms during patient care.

Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice each year. The assessments are peer reviewed and free to the public.

“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first.”

To see the grades for Moor Regional Regional-Richmond and Moore Regional, and to view tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond earned its third consecutive “A” rating for guaranteeing patients may feel safe in the hospital.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_firsthealth.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond earned its third consecutive “A” rating for guaranteeing patients may feel safe in the hospital.

Kilarski

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_davidkilarski.jpgKilarski

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ROCKINGHAM — Moody. Manic. Secretive.

What words — or colors — would you choose to describe the world in which mentally ill children live?

On May 10, Richmond County residents will be able to decorate plain white masks to express how they see mental illness. The collected masks will be displayed en masse at Leath Memorial Library all month.

“They paint the masks how they see mental illness,” said Suzanne Maness of Connections, a family-support group financed by the Sandhills Center and NC Families United, which provide a variety of family and children’s services.

Mental-health advocates already paint an informative picture of what can be hidden illness. For example, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says that:

– Twenty percent of youth ages 13 to 18 evidence mental-health issues. These can be substance abuse, depression or a number of other difficulties.

– Eleven percent have mood disorders — something more serious than the obstinacy or backtalk a typical teen might display.

– Ten percent experience a behavior or conduct disorder — perhaps inexplicable risk-taking or acting out.

– And 8 percent suffer an anxiety disorder more serious than just being “sad” or “lonely.”

Half of all mental illness develops before sufferers reach the age of 14, and 75 percent, before the age of 24, NAMI says. The average wait until someone intervenes? Eight to 10 years.

But those who attend the mask-making workshop will experience instant awareness: They will receive helpful literature, including tips on recognizing mental illness in children and resources to help treat it.

The session will be open to parents, children and professionals. All materials will be provided free. No painting skill is necessary, and artists may take their masks home if they really want to.

But Maness hopes most won’t.

“If they’ll let us display them, that’ll be great,” she said.

Source

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County bikers are hoping for good weather this weekend — and the forecast Thursday afternoon called for sunny skies.

This Saturday, Ol Skool Tribe Riding Club is hosting its fifth annual Autism Ride, with funds going toward the purchase of playground equipment for Pence Place, a group home for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The home, a program of Monarch, currently serves nine children ages 2-18 with a range of disabilities, including autism, blindness and Down syndrome, according to Senior Director of Philanthropy Laurie Weaver.

Although it was established years ago, Pence Place has been a Monarch site since 2010, and it is one of 11 sites in Richmond County.

Based in Albemarle (Stanly County), Monarch has 144 sites in more than 40 counties across North Carolina, providing services to children and adults with disabilities, mental illness and substance abuse issues.

“We are very grateful for their support,” Weaver said of Ol Skool’s decision to make Pence Place this year’s beneficiary. “They’re dedicated to children’s causes in that area and they’ve been really great to work with.”

Weaver said a mixture of traditional and adaptive playground equipment — based on the needs of the children living at Pence Place — will be purchased with the proceeds.

Ol Skool President Gary Holt spoke highly of the staff at the home, saying, “It’s more than a job — it’s their life.”

Funds from the Autsim Ride used to go to Cordova School, until the Richmond County Board of Education voted to convert it to a middle school to replace Rohanen Middle. Last year, proceeds went to Sandhills Children’s Center.

In the previous four years, Holt estimated the club had raised around $25,000 in the annual ride, adding that sometimes additional money comes in after the event.

“Everything we raise for any ride … every penny goes to the recipient,” he said.

Aside from Ol Skool, Holt said members of several other clubs — Steel Wheels, Carolina’s Finest, Playaz Elite, Ghost Riders and Combat Vets — have indicated they will head out on the highway Saturday.

Kickstands go up at 1 p.m. at the Rockingham VFW post on Caroline Street and the bikers will ride up to Town Creek Indian Mound in Montgomery County and then back to the VFW.

“The VFW has been so gracious to help us,” Holt said.

Ride fees include meal tickets and door prize tickets. There will also be an auction.

Reach William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 or wtoler@yourdailyjournal.com.

Photo courtesy of Terry Clark Photography Riders from Ol Skool and other clubs will hit road Saturday for the annual Autism Ride to raise funds for new playground equipment at Pence Place.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_bikeride_andysfoundation.jpgPhoto courtesy of Terry Clark Photography Riders from Ol Skool and other clubs will hit road Saturday for the annual Autism Ride to raise funds for new playground equipment at Pence Place.

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HAMLET — Jeff Epps has concocted a plan to take over the world, one technologically zealous summer camper at a time.

OK, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but it’s not hyperbole to say that Epps — former technology guru at Richmond County Schools and now master of the summer STEM camps at Richmond Community College — intends to mold children as young as third-graders into the experts our future economy will depend on.

“We’re going to give them a taste of the working world now,” Epps said Thursday of the summer slate of STEM camps being offered by RCC. “It’s great to do a STEM program — and everybody does one — but is it really preparing children for the real world?”

“STEM” stands for “science,” “technology,” “engineering” and “mathematics.”

RCC’s summer camps will explore such fields as architecture, coding, geospatial concepts (3-D printing) and geographic information systems (data mapping).

“Coding, electronics engineering (and) geospatial mechanical engineering … are the three core disciplines for robotics,” Epps said — and robotics is where local manufacturers plan to go, both to keep up with competition and to build a more reliable workforce.

Even robotic workers will need humans to repair them, Epps said.

The summer camps will mix age groups. The geospatial math class, for example, will comprise students in grades three through 12.

“We are not putting any limitations on our children,” Epps said. “Summertime (is) all about acceleration, not remediation.

“It’s great to challenge them and to push them into a new level of thinking.”

If Epps’s takeover plans succeed, he said, every student in Richmond County eventually will learn the soft skills necessary for tomorrow’s workforce before leaving high school. But for now, he’s concentrating on RCC’s Saturday Academy for STEM, and the summer camps that will be in their ninth iteration in 2018.

Following are RCC’s summer STEM camp offerings:

• Geospatial Math, June 25-28; for those in grades three through 12. Students will learn higher-level thinking skills that integrate 3-D scanning, visualization, printing and simulations. They will design and print objects in three dimensions.

• Architectural Design (prerequisite, Geospatial Math), July 9-12. Middle and high school students will explore basic design principles and techniques to create model buildings.

• Cracking the Code, July 9-12; for those in grades five through 12. Campers will learn about coding and video game design to enhance their math, logical-thinking, problem-solving and analysis skills. They will use their newfound skills in games that involve strategic thinking, such as chess, and will be able to express themselves artistically.

• Advanced 3D Modeling (prerequisite, Geospatial Math), July 16-19. The camp continues an examination of 3-D technologies, emphasizing industry-focused design concepts and 3-D printing.

• Robotics (prerequisite, Saturday Academy), July 16-19. Middle and high school students interested in programmable controllers and/or engineering will experience state-of-the-art robotics technology and learn the principles of industrial robots. The camp will emphasize programming skills, problem-solving and troubleshooting.

• Geographic Information Systems, July 23-26; for those in grades six to 12. The camp will introduce participants to GIS, used in industry, government and business to manage and analyze data by creating maps and 3-D scenes.

Each camp will run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Sessions cost $20, which covers lunch and a T-shirt. They will be in the Forte Building, on RCC’s main campus in in Hamlet.

To register, contact Alicia Butler at 910-410-1706 or ambutler979@richmondcc.edu.

For more information, or to view classes offered in Laurinburg, visit www.richmondcc.edu/stem.

Contributed photo
Richmond Community College is once again hosting the RCC G.R.E.A.T. Summer Camps, which focus on science, technology, engineering and math, better known as STEM camps. To learn more, visit www.richmondcc.edu/stem.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_rcc_stemcamp18.jpgContributed photo
Richmond Community College is once again hosting the RCC G.R.E.A.T. Summer Camps, which focus on science, technology, engineering and math, better known as STEM camps. To learn more, visit www.richmondcc.edu/stem.

Source

MOUNT GILEAD — One person is dead and dozens of chickens perished in a pair of rollover wrecks Thursday afternoon in the northwest section of Richmond County.

Joy Rhodes, 57, who was in a red Superior Cranes pickup truck, was heading east on N.C. 73 when the truck drifted off the road and down an embankment, striking a tree and going airborne over small creek before flipping and coming to a rest on its side in the woods just down the road from Little River Winery, according to Trooper Clint Greene with the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Greene said investigators had not determined the cause of the wreck but had ruled out speed as a factor.

First to arrive on the scene were Robert Hornsby and Martin Kimmer, who were heading west after installing an air conditioning unit in Ellerbe. Hornsby said they saw the truck veer off the road and rushed over to help.

They pried the door open with a crowbar and saw Rhodes, 57, on the passenger side — the side the truck landed on — which led Kimmer to believe he may not have been wearing a seat belt. Rhodes was still conscious, Hornsby said, and the two did what they could to keep himconscious until help arrived.

Hornsby said Rhodes was moving his arms but could only mumble, having major head injuries.

When asked what was going through their minds when they saw the wreck, Kimmer said, “We were just hoping he was OK.”

Responding to the scene were the Ellerbe Rescue Squad, Mountain Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Highway Patrol and FirstHealth EMS. Ellerbe Rescue was dispatched at 5:13 p.m.

In a separate incident an hour-and-a-half prior on Cartledge Creek Road, a tractor-trailer full of chickens flipped on its side after going around a curve near Treeces Lake, spilling chickens into the woods and along the shoulder of the road.

Trooper Rodriguez Howze said the driver was taken to a hospital, but no other information on their condition was available at press time.

Howze said the Highway Patrol had not determined the cause of the wreck.

About half the chickens appeared to have been killed, with the survivors sitting among them. At least two were launched down the hill on the east side of the road and into Treeces Branch, a small tributary off the lake.

Chris Yaklin, owner of Mountain Creek Farm, said the chickens were going from his New Ground Farm in Ex-Way to the Mountaire Farms processing plant in Lumber Bridge.

“I spent nine weeks raising them, I hate seeing them here like this,” Yaklin said at the scene. He added that the wreck won’t set him back personally, but it’s a big loss for Mountaire.

“It’s a shame to lose the birds … I hate to see them wasted,” he said.

Yaklin said he was unsure how many were on the truck, but the survivors will continue to the processing plant.

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.

Photos by Gavin Stone Trooper Clint Greene inspects a Superior Cranes truck after it was pulled out of the woods on N.C. 73 near Little River Winery.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_fatalwreck_mtgilead-1.jpgPhotos by Gavin Stone Trooper Clint Greene inspects a Superior Cranes truck after it was pulled out of the woods on N.C. 73 near Little River Winery.

More than 100 chickens spilled onto the side of Cartledge Creek Road Thursday afternoon when a tractor-trailer headed to the Mountaire Farms processing plant in Lumber Bridge overturned. Many died in the wreck, but the survivors continued their journey to the facility.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_chicken_wreck-1.jpgMore than 100 chickens spilled onto the side of Cartledge Creek Road Thursday afternoon when a tractor-trailer headed to the Mountaire Farms processing plant in Lumber Bridge overturned. Many died in the wreck, but the survivors continued their journey to the facility.

Source

The deadline for church briefs is noon Thursday for publication the following Friday. To have your event listed, email Christine S. Carroll at christinecarroll@yourdailyjournal.com, call her at 910-817-2673 or drop off your news at 607 E. Broad Ave., Suite B. Please be sure to include the name and address of your church, as well as the time, date and place of each event you wish published. Please be sure to include the full names of speakers.

As the result of a change in policy, the Daily Journal no longer will provide prices in calendar listings, which appear as space is available. To guarantee placement or to include prices, please contact the advertising department.

Saturday

EAST ROCKINGHAM FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH, 189 Airport Road, Rockingham, 7 p.m., camp meeting. Pastor Johnny Johnson will speak.

EAST ROCKINGHAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 490 Mill Road, Rockingham. Soup and salad lunch sale, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Homemade soups; gelatin, chicken and pasta salad; turkey and ham sandwiches. Delivery for orders of five or more. Eat in or take out. Proceeds will go to the church’s annual Thanksgiving meal for the community. Call 910-997-5790.

GREATER DIGGS CHAPEL A.M.E. ZION CHURCH, 1258 Old Cheraw Highway, Rockingham, dinner sale, 10:30 a.m. until. Eat in or take out two meats, two vegetables, bread, dessert and drink. Menu: fried or baked chicken, pork chop, fish or stew beef; cabbage, corn, slaw, baked beans, string beans, potato salad. Sandwiches also available. Delivery for orders of five or more plates. Call 910-895-1739, 910-997-5313.

Saturday and Sunday

FIRST HARVEST FAITH CHRISTIAN CENTER, 178 Batton Road, Hamlet, women’s conference: “Sisters Making a Way Out of No Way by the Grace of God.” Speakers: 7 p.m. April 27, Prophetess Eugenia Burney; 5 p.m. April 28, Sister Delores Green; 3 p.m. April 29, evangelist Betty Crudup.

QUARTERLY UNION/SOLID ROCK HOLINESS CHURCHES, Morning Star House of Refuge Holiness Church, 120 McArthur St., Hamlet. Youth program, 3 p.m. Saturday; Sunday School, morning worship, 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Local churches involved are Morning Star and St. Marys Holiness Church, Hamlet.

Sunday

DISTRICT 5 GROUP MISSIONARY CONFERENCE, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pee Dee Baptist Association Building, 119 Channie McManus Drive, Hamlet. Registration will begin at 9. For information, call 910-582-5050.

EAST ROCKINGHAM FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH, 189 Airport Road, Rockingham, 6 p.m., Fifth Sunday Night Sing.

EMMANUEL TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD, 125 Ellerbe Road, Rockingham, Family & Friends Day, 11 a.m. Host missionary, Vickie Moore.

FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH, 987 U.S., Rockingham, special ladies’ meeting, 6 p.m., fellowship hall. Guest speaker, Rose McNight. Ladies welcome. Men will meet in the church sanctuary.

FREEDOM MINISTRIES NO. 1, Dobbins Heights, 3 p.m., Pastor’s Aide program.

LOVELY HILL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 120 Lincoln St., Rockingham, 3 p.m., installation of pastor the Rev. Vivian L. Kellock. Messenger, the Rev. Benny Kemp, Charlotte.

ST. PETER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 205 Bridges St, Hamlet, has canceled services for this Sunday but will resume with a communion service on May 6.

TIMMONS GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 27501 Marston Road, Marston. Family and Friends Day, 11 a.m. Preaching, Pastor Donald L. Covington.

Sunday through May 4

BIBLE FREEWILL CHURCH OF WORSHIP, 682 N.C. 281, Hamlet. 5 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Speakers, the Rev. Teddy Freeman, the Rev. Gerald McDowell, the Rev. Odell Wilkins.

May 4, 5

FREEDOM MINISTRIES NO. 1, Dobbins Heights, plate sale: fish, chicken, barbecue with sides. Call 910-206-2002 for information.

May 5

LEE THEE A.M.E. ZION CHURCH, 428 Lee Thee Church Road, Rockingham. Car show, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open to any make, model. Includes drawing for 32-inch flat-screen TV; fish or chicken dinners or sandwiches. Free registration. No alcohol, loud music allowed. (Rain date May 19.) For information, call Mike Ingram, 910-894-0433; Shawn Everett, 910-334-9034; Monroe Terry, 910-894-0755.

SPRING HILL WESLEYAN CHURCH, off N.C. 38 on Spring Hill Church Road, Hamlet, 7-10 a.m. Carry-out plates available. Funds raised will finance church missions.

May 6

GREEN LAKE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 507 Green Lake Road, Rockingham, 3 p.m., Women’s Day. Guest speaker, the Rev. Wanda Cassidy, Beautiful Zion Baptist Church, Rockingham.

NEW HOPE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 1596 U.S. 74 E., Hamlet, youth anniversary celebration, 3 p.m.

ST. JOSEPH BIBLE CHURCH OF GOD, 469 N.C. 73, Ellerbe, 3 p.m., Women’s Home Mission program. Guest preacher, Pastor Robert McArthur, Piney Grove Church, Windblow.

ST. LUKE NO. 2 FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH, 119 Morrow St., Hamlet, Women in Red, 3 p.m.

May 12

ST. JOSEPH BIBLE CHURCH OF GOD, 469 N.C. 73, Ellerbe, 6 p.m., St. Joseph Gospel Singers anniversary celebration.

May 13

FREEDOM MINISTRIES NO. 1, Dobbins Heights, “Works of the Flesh” quarterly program, 2:30 p.m.

ST. JOSEPH BIBLE CHURCH OF GOD, 469 N.C. 73, Ellerbe, 11:15 a.m., Mother’s Day program. Spoken word, Elder Doris Pearson.

May 20

ST. JOSEPH BIBLE CHURCH OF GOD, 469 N.C. 73, Ellerbe, 11:15 a.m., Pastoral Sunday.

BASS TEMPLE UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, 147 Louis Breeden Blvd., Hamlet, 3 p.m., “7 Sins God Hates.” For more information, contact C. Moore at 910-582-2134.

May 22-24

THOMAS CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH, 114 Shady Bend Drive, Mount Gilead, spring revival, 7 nightly. Speaker, the Rev. Bobby McRae, Thomasville Baptist Church, Mount Gilead.

May 24

OLIVER GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, Associate Pastor Pearlie Chappell appreciation service, 3 p.m., 232 Davey Haywood Road, Mount Gilead. Preacher, the Rev. David Dockery, Shiloh Baptist Church, High Point, accompanied by his congregation and choir.

May 27

THOMAS CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH, 114 Shady Bend Drive, Mount Gilead, 11 a.m., homecoming service. Speaker, the Rev. H.K. Williams, pastor. Lunch will follow.

ST. JOSEPH BIBLE CHURCH OF GOD, 469 N.C. 73, Ellerbe, 11:15 a.m., Fourth Sunday service. Preacher, Elder Doris Pearson, Asheboro.

Ongoing

BAND NO. 2 OF THE CHURCH OF GOD offers home-bound prayer meetings for those who can’t get to church as the result of illness. Call for an appointment for prayer or Bible study in your home, 910-997-1213.

CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 406 McDonald Ave., Hamlet, will open its doors 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays to pray for the nation. For information, call 910-582-0289. The church offers Sunday School at 10 a.m., morning worship at 11 and evening worship at 6:30 Sundays. Wednesday night Bible study is at 7.

FAITH ASSEMBLY OUTREACH MINISTRIES, 148 Daniels St., Hamlet, offers a soup kitchen 9-10:15 a.m. every Sunday and 5:45-6:45 p.m. every Tuesday. Food furnished by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and donations. No one turned away. The church also offers Sunday breakfast and delivery at 9 a.m., Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. and morning worship at 11:45. Every second Sunday, it offers its Sister 2 Sister program at 4:30 p.m. The church holds Tuesday Bible study at 7 p.m., Friday morning food box at 10:30, Friday night service at 7:30 and Saturday morning food box at 10:30. The church prayer line is open noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Call 910-716-9106 to have someone pray with you. Or call to leave a prayer request. A minister will return your call.

NEW HOPE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 1596 U.S. 74 E., Hamlet, will have a community prayer service at 6 p.m. each Tuesday.

PRAYER DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES, 108 School St., Rockingham, offers food to the homeless each Wednesday.

ROCKINGHAM CHURCH OF CHRIST, U.S. 74 E., Rockingham, offers a free home Bible study by mail for those who find the Bible hard to understand. Call 910-895-4035, and clearly leave your name and mailing address.

SIDNEY GROVE CHURCH OF DELIVERANCE, 401 McIntyre Road, Ellerbe, will have community Bible study at 7 p.m. each Thursday and community prayer, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays.

TOUCH OF GRACE MINISTRIES, 1109 Hylan Ave., Hamlet, 7 p.m., free guitar lessons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays. Call 910-417-7976, 910-817-9147 for information.

Daily Journal file photo Community Church, East Rockingham

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_church_community_erock-2-.jpgDaily Journal file photo Community Church, East Rockingham

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ROCKINGHAM — It’s Farmers’ Market season again.

Today is opening day for the Rockingham Farmers’ Market, which will be open twice a week with an informal third day each week until October.

With the retirement of David’s Produce in 2016, there are big shoes to fill, said Susan Kelly, director of the Richmond County Cooperative Extension, which provides support for the Farmers’ Market.

“We’re working our way back,” she said. “We have several small farmers to make up for (the loss of David’s) this year.”

Chief among those small farms is The Derby Farm, formerly Triple L Farms, which is now in its third consecutive year of participating in the Rockingham Farmers’ Market. Mary Kate Lambeth, produce stand manager for The Derby Farm, said it can be a struggle getting to both the Rockingham and Hamlet markets from Derby, but they make the trip anyway.

“It’s a lot for us to get there sometimes, but we want to support the market the best we can,” Lambeth said. “I know people love the stuff we bring.”

Lambeth added, “The reason I come is not to make money, it’s the regular people that we see every Saturday and Wednesday.”

The Derby Farm will be selling strawberries, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn and tomatoes this season, she said. Because of their location in the north of the county, The Derby Farm participates in farmers’ markets in Moore and Montgomery counties, but said the Richmond County markets are the best because they have a dedicated manager who helps the vendors set up and promote their products, and uses a token system that allows customers to buy produce with their SNAP cards.

Market Manager Laura Greene said the market struggled last year, but they have reworked the schedule to attract more customers. The Wednesday market, previously held in the morning, will be open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Health Department parking lot at 127 Caroline St.

Director Kelly said Wednesday mornings were slow for the market because people were too focused on their mornings to take a break and check out what the market had to offer.

“We’re hoping this will be a good change,” she said.

Nora Hudson, of Petal Pushers Greenhouse, said the Rockingham Farmers’ Market is “a place for small growers to gather and show what we grow to the public.” Petal Pushers will be offering “a lot of everything” at the market, including mixed flower pots, she said.

“I think every county needs a local farmers’ market,” she said. “We just need the county’s support … It’s very frustrating when you load up and put your stuff out but can’t get people to come out.”

In addition to the Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon markets, there will be a market at the Hamlet Depot Park from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month until October, Laura Greene said.

The third Thursday will be the only one that will have the typical staffing, but growers can set up on their own on other Thursdays, Kelly said.

The Rockingham Farmers’ Market will be open beginning today and every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Harrington Square, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Health Department parking lot at 127 Carolina St., and on the third Thursday of each month from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hamlet Depot Park.

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.

Daily Journal file photo The Rockingham Farmers’ Market is looking to rebound from a poor turnout in 2017 by relying on more small growers this season.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_market1_cmyk.jpgDaily Journal file photo The Rockingham Farmers’ Market is looking to rebound from a poor turnout in 2017 by relying on more small growers this season.

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ROCKINGHAM — An Ellerbe man wanted in Georgia on charges related to transporting methamphetamine between the Peach State and North Carolina is being held at the Richmond County Jail waiting to be extradited.

The Morgan County (Georgia) Superior Court issued a bench warrant this past week for Gerald Allen Smith, 56, after he failed to appear in court on April 16, and his $20,000 surety bond was forfeited on April 18, according to court documents.

Richmond County Sheriff James Clemmons said late in the afternoon on April 20 that his office had not been contacted about the case. But Smith was arrested at 11:05 p.m. on April 20, according to warrants for his arrest.

Clemmons could not be reached for comment Friday.

Smith was indicted in September 2017 on one count each of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of Oxycodone, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, criminal use of an article with an altered identification mark, receiving stolen property, and driving while license suspended. He also was indicted on two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Smith and Patrick Carlton Harrington, 38, of Jackson Springs, were arrested by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in June 2017, according to court documents.

Harrington was indicted on one count each of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of Oxycodone, criminal use of an article with an altered identification mark, theft by receiving stolen property and obstruction of an officer. He also was indicted on two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The Morgan County Citizen reported that the two men were arrested in June 2017 after a single-vehicle wreck on Interstate 20. Morgan County Sheriff Robert Markley told the Citizen that he saw two men matching Smith’s and Harrington’s descriptions speaking to a woman in her driveway and confronted them.

After Markley sensed nervousness on their part he ordered the men to the ground, prompting Harrington to run. Harrington was later caught. Deputies said they found a backpack with more than 75 grams of suspected meth in clear plastic baggies, two guns, a bottle of suspected Oxycodone and two cellphones.

After questioning, the two had different stories. Smith claimed Harrington picked him up as a hitchhiker. Harrington said he and Smith were friends and that he had been asked to drive from Jackson Springs to Douglasville, Georgia, in exchange for meth.

Smith is being held at the Richmond County Jail under a $25,000 bond.

Neither man has any pending charges in North Carolina.

Smith was convicted in 1992 of driving while impaired, a misdemeanor, in Brunswick County, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction.

Harrington has no previous convictions in the state.

It is not clear in what state, or states, they were convicted for felony crimes, thus prompting the possession of a firearm by a felon charges.

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.

Smith

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_geraldsmith-2-.jpgSmith

Smith

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_geraldsmith-1.jpgSmith

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ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Maurice Easterling, 25, Friday morning for the murder of Sylvester Lee Wilburn, 28, that occurred at 148 Maner Road in Rockingham on April 18, according to a press release.

The night of the shooting, deputies found Easterling in the front yard of the residence suffering from an apparent gun shot wound but conscious. He was airlifted to a hospital where he recovered, according to a press release. Wilburn, of Rockingham, was found inside the home and was also airlifted to a hospital, but later died.

A third victim, 23-year-old Erica Denise Kendall of Rockingham, had been shot in the lower leg. Kendall and Wilburn were in a relationship, according to a Facebook post by Kendall following the shooting in which she described the series of events and expressed grief over Wilburn’s death.

“We constantly chilled literally almost every day, we built each other up even when it was hard for us to do so,” Kendall wrote. “We made promises that (I) will (never) forget and his life (was) taken for what?”

Easterling, of McColl, South Carolina, is charged with felony counts each of murder, attempted murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree burglary. He is additionally charged with misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats, assault on a female and interfering in emergency communication.

He was not given a bond and will remain in the Richmond County Jail until his court date on May 7.

Easterling has no prior convictions in North Carolina, according to state records.

Easterling

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_easterling.jpgEasterling

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ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Maurice Easterling, 25, Friday morning for the murder of Sylvester Lee Wilburn, 28, that occurred at 148 Maner Road in Rockingham on April 18, according to a press release.

The night of the shooting, deputies found Easterling in the front yard of the residence suffering from an apparent gun shot wound but conscious. He was airlifted to a hospital where he recovered, according to a press release. Wilburn, of Rockingham, was found inside the home and was also airlifted to a hospital, but later died.

A third victim, 23-year-old Erica Denise Kendall of Rockingham, had been shot in the lower leg. Kendall and Wilburn were in a relationship, according to a Facebook post by Kendall following the shooting in which she described the series of events and expressed grief over Wilburn’s death.

“We constantly chilled literally almost every day, we built each other up even when it was hard for us to do so,” Kendall wrote. “We made promises that (I) will (never) forget and his life (was) taken for what?”

Easterling, of McColl, South Carolina, is charged with felony counts each of murder, attempted murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree burglary. He is additionally charged with misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats, assault on a female and interfering in emergency communication.

He was not given a bond and will remain in the Richmond County Jail until his court date on May 7.

Easterling has no prior convictions in North Carolina, according to state records.

Source

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Maurice Easterling, 25, Friday morning for the murder of Sylvester Lee Wilburn, 28, that occurred at 148 Maner Road in Rockingham on April 18, according to a press release.

The night of the shooting, deputies found Easterling in the front yard of the residence suffering from an apparent gun shot wound but conscious. He was airlifted to a hospital where he recovered, according to a press release. Wilburn, of Rockingham, was found inside the home and was also airlifted to a hospital, but later died.

A third victim, 23-year-old Erica Denise Kendall of Rockingham, had been shot in the lower leg. Kendall and Wilburn were in a relationship, according to a Facebook post by Kendall following the shooting in which she described the series of events and expressed grief over Wilburn’s death.

“We constantly chilled literally almost every day, we built each other up even when it was hard for us to do so,” Kendall wrote. “We made promises that (I) will (never) forget and his life (was) taken for what?”

Easterling, of McColl, South Carolina, is charged with felony counts each of murder, attempted murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree burglary. He is additionally charged with misdemeanor counts of assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats, assault on a female and interfering in emergency communication.

He was not given a bond and will remain in the Richmond County Jail until his court date on May 7.

Easterling has no prior convictions in North Carolina, according to state records.

Easterling

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_easterling-1.jpgEasterling

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ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Mrs. Cynthia McKenzie Harrell, 67, of 258 Hatcher Road, Rockingham died Sunday, April 29, 2018, at her residence, surrounded by her family. 

She was born in Richmond County on Oct. 23, 1950, the daughter of John and Rachel Skipper McKenzie.

Mrs. Harrell was a member of First Assembly of God, Rockingham.

Visitation will be 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, 2018, at First Assembly of God Church. The memorial service will follow at 2 p.m., with the Rev. Gene Alexander and Rev. Ricky Jacobs officiating.

Survivors include Mrs. McKenzie’s daughter, Rachelle Jenkins (Junior), of the home; brother Malcom McKenzie (Denise) of Rockingham; granddaughter Kayla Jenkins of Ocala, Florida; and her pet, Kisses.

Harrington Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Harrell family. Online condolences may be made at www.harringtonfuneralhome.com.

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NORMAN — “Every time I play this song, I say it’s about a little town nobody’s ever heard of,” singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd said Saturday, leading into her song “Some Devine” at Norman’s first Chick-n Pick-n Bluegrass/Country Jamboree.

The event drew a crowd of more than 300 to the Norman Stage for live music, refurbished classic cars, a lineup of top-of-the-line tractors and 25 vendors selling handmade products. Families set up lawn chairs to take in the mild spring day and enjoy ice cream and other treats.

The talk of the classic-car display was Bobby Kellam’s recently acquired 1963 Ford Galaxy R-Code.

Kellam, 69, of Biscoe, went on Craigslist to find parts for his car’s power-steering system.

When he answered an ad, the seller mentioned a car he hadn’t seriously considered selling yet but said he was open to offers. The man sent Kellam pictures, and Kellam couldn’t believe what he saw: the car he had when he was 16, the one he taught his future wife, who is from Ellerbe, to drive as a teenager.

“If I could have found any car I wanted, it would have been this one, and I found it by accident,” he said.

The seller had bought the car in 1996, finished refurbishing it by 2004 and had kept it “immaculate” ever since, Kellam said. The fact that the asking price was something he could afford made the car essential.

“I can’t believe I found it that easy,” he said.

Everything on the car was made by Ford except for the seat covers, the dome lights in the backseat and the taillight rings.

The car, which sold for $3,200 new, has a history of its own. The original owner drag-raced it in the ‘60s and ‘70s in New Jersey, setting speed records and winning competitions in the area, according to newspaper clippings that followed the car through each owner.

This year is Kellam and his wife’s 50th anniversary, and when asked what she thought of it, Kellam said, “she’s fine with it.”

“She likes old cars too,” Kellam said reassuringly. “We just cruise within 25 miles because it probably gets seven miles to the gallon.”

As for the rest of the festival …

“For our first one, I think it turned out great,” said Mayor Kenneth Broadway, who promised “more of everything next year.”

Peggy and Dave Andersen, 80 and 85 years old, respectively, of Rockingham said their daughter texted them to say they had to get out to Norman on Saturday afternoon.

Dave Andersen said it was his first outing in a while —“If I have to walk, I’m not interested,” he said — but he made an exception for the live music.

His favorite show was the Rusted Rails, he said, because they were the loudest act — which Peggy Andersen said was only because he’s hard of hearing. The Norman Stage was a great setting for the event, she said:

“It’s a bit low-key, but it’s very nice.”

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Matt Hatley of Woodpecker Products carves a hummingbird with a chainsaw at the first Chick-n Pick-n Bluegrass/Country Jamboree in Norman on Saturday.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_norman-1.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Matt Hatley of Woodpecker Products carves a hummingbird with a chainsaw at the first Chick-n Pick-n Bluegrass/Country Jamboree in Norman on Saturday.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Newelle Gallimore, 75, a lifelong Norman resident, dances to the music at the first Chick-n Pick-n Bluegrass/Country Jamboree in Norman on Saturday. Gallimore said, “Anywhere there’s good music, I’ll be there.”

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_norman3-1.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Newelle Gallimore, 75, a lifelong Norman resident, dances to the music at the first Chick-n Pick-n Bluegrass/Country Jamboree in Norman on Saturday. Gallimore said, “Anywhere there’s good music, I’ll be there.”

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Bobby Kellam’s 1963 Ford Galaxy R-Code, the same model in which he drove his wife of 50 years when they were teenagers, was on display, hood popped, at the Norman jamboree on Saturday.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_norman4-1.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Bobby Kellam’s 1963 Ford Galaxy R-Code, the same model in which he drove his wife of 50 years when they were teenagers, was on display, hood popped, at the Norman jamboree on Saturday.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Local singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd performs on the Norman Stage.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_norman2-1.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Local singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd performs on the Norman Stage.

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LILESVILLE — The gentle burn of Spring came out to celebrate the eve of Earth Day, making Blewett Falls Lake the perfect scene for kayaking, or taking the pontoon boat out for an easy drift. Or going fishing.

It was best, though, to pick an activity away from the shores, dotted with mounds of trash that will add unnaturally vibrant color to the shoreline for the next few centuries.

For the year-old Richmond County chapter of the Land Trust of Central North Carolina, along with members of the Creek Runners Club and students from the American Tae Kwon Do martial arts school, the occasion was one to storm those beaches in the hope of beginning a sustained cleanup effort that would carry over into the next generation.

The volunteers made a valiant effort (to start an impossible task is a victory in itself), meeting their goal of filling an industrial-sized container with thrash in three hours. But by the end, the largest group of volunteers had bagged only a fifth (and that’s being generous) of the trash in just one section of beach.

“It’s a shame,” said Janet Weyant, who lives on the lake and is one of the founding members of the chapter. “It’s such a beautiful lake, but nobody shows it any love.”

The worst trash buildups at the lake are in the little inlets that function like pool gutters, catching whatever flows down the Pee Dee River. The crew last Saturday figured they could stand in one spot on the shore and fill two trash bags full of bottles and other trash.

Among the items they found were balls for every American sport, a folding chair, a television from the ‘90s, a patch of carpet, chunks of Styrofoam that could have passed for bleached coral, a pool noodle, a 7-foot section of a railing from a house, batteries, and buckets and bottles of every shape, size and material.

One bottle even bore a message that read: “If you’re reading this, you have found my Cheerwine bottle. Help!!!! I’ve been out here in the woods for 2 years. Please send Help!!!” A small note at the bottom corner reassured anyone who might worry that the message was a prank from 2017, only adding another broken glass bottle to the mess.

Of all the tires found on the shore, one had the distinct “whitewall” dating back decades.

“People don’t do this to their living room,” said Gary Payne, state chairman for Ducks Unlimited and a volunteer with the cleanup crew. “If I did this to my living room, I wouldn’t be with my wife very long.”

Duke Energy owns the surrounding land, and the Wildlife Resources Commission manages it, but Sam Parrott, member outreach coordinator for the Land Trust for Central North Carolina, said it was the job of the public to treat the lake with respect if any real change were to be made.

“(Blewett Falls Lake) is a popular recreation spot — that’s a good thing — but people use the resources and maybe don’t treat it as well as they should,” Parrott said. “In no one day can you pick up all the trash, but when people come out, maybe they’ll think, ‘Let’s leave this place better than we found it.’”

Weyant and her husband, Gary, understand the cyclical nature of the trash flow. They have a joke with anyone who comes to their house that if they see a piece of broken glass, they’d better pick it up or it will be swept to another part of the lake before anyone sees it again.

“I don’t see it being spotless ever,” said Janet Weyant, who fills a grocery bag with new trash on her property every week. “We get grills, balls, stuff people didn’t mean to throw away (washing onto the property), but, hopefully, people will stop tossing stuff (directly into the lake).”

This is the first of what Janet Weyant hopes will be at least an annual cleanup for the chapter and whoever else wants to join, if not biennial, with another event to clean up after camping season. Several cleanup efforts have occurred in recent years, and the problem has the attention of county leaders, but the trash remains.

The Land Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit, with all of its revenue going toward protecting undeveloped land, waterways, wildlife habitats, family farms and public recreation. The Richmond County chapter will hold a kayak paddle on Sept. 8, as well as more events to lure families out to the lake.

There were 34 people from ages 6 to 72 working at the lake last Saturday. They all use the lake in different ways in daily life, as neighbors, hunters, paddlers, photographers.

“People express their love and respect for the outdoors in different ways,” Parrott said in an email. “However, despite our differences, we are all united by a desire to protect the local natural resources that we cherish.”

James Jeter, aka “Master J,” the owner and head instructor of American Tae Kwon Do, encourages his students to become involved in the local community and had seven come out for the cleanup. Jeter said he invited his students because helping keep “the Earth we live on” clean was consistent with the core teachings at his school.

“If someone cares for once, it might carry on to the next generation,” he said.

For more information on events held by the Land Trust you can visit www.landtrustnc.org or if you want to get involved in the Richmond County chapter, which is open to volunteers from surrounding counties, you can contact Janet Weyant at 412-606-6882.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Sarah Ferguson, a volunteer with the Richmond County chapter of the Land Trust of Central North Carolina, helps the rest of the cleanup crew by carrying a bag of trash in her kayak.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_womankayak.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Sarah Ferguson, a volunteer with the Richmond County chapter of the Land Trust of Central North Carolina, helps the rest of the cleanup crew by carrying a bag of trash in her kayak.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Will Ferguson carries a tire he found off the shore. Another one found amid the coating of trash was several decades old.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_tire.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Will Ferguson carries a tire he found off the shore. Another one found amid the coating of trash was several decades old.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Gary Payne, a volunteer with the Richmond County chapter of the Land Trust of Central North Carolina and state chairman for Ducks Unlimited, transports a load of trash found on the Anson County side of Blewett Falls Lake on Saturday.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_boat.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Gary Payne, a volunteer with the Richmond County chapter of the Land Trust of Central North Carolina and state chairman for Ducks Unlimited, transports a load of trash found on the Anson County side of Blewett Falls Lake on Saturday.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Trash covering the shoreline of Blewett Falls Lake included an assortment of drink bottles and this stack of buckets.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_trash.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Trash covering the shoreline of Blewett Falls Lake included an assortment of drink bottles and this stack of buckets.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
The ground was covered in bottles like these as far back as 50 yards from the shore at Blewett Falls Lake.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_trash2.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
The ground was covered in bottles like these as far back as 50 yards from the shore at Blewett Falls Lake.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Will Ferguson carries two bottles that washed up on the shore of Blewett Falls Lake while his son, Ryan, helps.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_clean.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Will Ferguson carries two bottles that washed up on the shore of Blewett Falls Lake while his son, Ryan, helps.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
An old television tossed into the lake will be disposed of alongside other odd findings people have tossed away.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_tvbeach.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
An old television tossed into the lake will be disposed of alongside other odd findings people have tossed away.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Maiya Ferguson, 11, and Michael Holder, 11, walk along the shore of Blewett Falls Lake, looking for trash. Volunteers found bags and bags of it but barely made a dent in the yearslong accumulation.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_walk.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal
Maiya Ferguson, 11, and Michael Holder, 11, walk along the shore of Blewett Falls Lake, looking for trash. Volunteers found bags and bags of it but barely made a dent in the yearslong accumulation.

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SCOTLAND COUNTY — As honeybees dive-bombed the white-clad aliens surrounding their homes last weekend, state bee inspector Nancy Rupert deftly pulled apart a handful of hives to show two counties’ worth of field-tripping beekeepers how apiaries should look this time of year.

In some cases, she told the Richmond and Scotland County beekeepers Saturday, she didn’t like what she found. Some hives evidenced “excellent laying patterns” by the queen while others revealed spotty laying patterns, showing the queen was aging or, possibly, diseased.

“Bees are like teenagers,” she told the swarm of beekeepers in white suits of varying shades of cleanliness. “If you don’t keep ‘em busy, they start up trouble.”

“Busy” generally means “fed,” which keeps the queen fat and happy and the workers working. But disease still can destroy that, as can an infestation of beetles or an ineffective queen.

Right now, it’s pollen season, time for bees to cover themselves in the stuff that makes you wish you’d bought stock in Kleenex. Carrying it in their “pollen baskets,” the insects drop a little here and there to cross-pollinate, making it possible for you to eat, and then carry the rest back to their hives to feed new larvae and to produce honey.

By now, their queens should have mated with a few scores of drones and drawn wax into comb-like chambers for the incubation of larvae.

But that isn’t always what Rupert found in her inspection of domestic hives at the country home of Phil and Linda Edwards — although one hive had been found in the woods and rebuilt and stocked with bees — and at one domestic and one wild-bee hive belonging to Jim Norfleet, in a field on the edge of Laurinburg.

Rupert, one of six state hive inspectors, wore a protective bonnet to inspect the first hives because she wasn’t sure what to expect, and because she wanted to demonstrate good beekeeping habits. But she dropped the bonnet by the second inspection, smoking her face to keep bees from considering her either a nuisance or tasty.

Stung once during a portion of her lesson in hive-keeping, she even used the incident to show how to remove a stinger: Pull the dead bee away without squeezing it. Get a fingernail or knife blade under the stinger sac and flick it away, or the muscles inside will keep pumping venom.

“If you’re gentle, the bees will be gentle,” she said at the hives of Phil and Linda Edwards — hives decorated with rocket ships, flowers and hand prints by the couple’s daughters.

“My thumb is itching so hard to taste it,” she said of the honey already dripping from the hive frames, “but I shall refrain.”

Linda Edwards was having a little trouble modeling similar self-control. Told by Rupert that one of her hives likely would yield a good amount of honey, she whooped:

“Hot dang! When do I get to eat it?”

But the verdict wasn’t good for the second hive, whose queen seemed to be failing.

Rupert’s recommendation: plenty of sugar water — the carbohydrates bees need to remain strong — and a peek back at the hive in a couple of weeks.

Norfleet was less lucky with his hives, rough boxes built from cypress.

When the crowd of gawkers arrived Saturday, they found one hive nearly empty, its bees swarming a nearby volunteer oak in a sex-crazed clump.

“I’m going to lose half of my production,” Norfleet complained. He and another beekeeper smoked the swam, bent the oak before tapping it hard once, sending the dopey bees into another waiting hive frame.

“When you think you know generally what hives are going to do,” Rupert cautioned vets and newbies alike, “they’re gonna fool you.”

But Norfleet’s bees seemed to know what they were doing in leaving the hive and, apparently, taking their queen with them.

The hive they had left stank of European foulbrood, a bacterial disease that can kill a hive unless the beekeeper administers antibiotics, which Rupert said were more difficult to obtain than they used to be.

The bees observed Saturday were “curious,” not aggressive, Rupert said. Come July and August, when the pollen count is down, they’ll be “grumpy.”

Or maybe, they’ll be grumpy because someone has taken all the honey they made.

Come May, beekeepers will extract honey from their hive frames during their annual “honey slings,” which use a machine that applies centrifugal force to dislodge and recover fresh-made honey.

As Linda Edwards exclaimed: “Hot dang.”

Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert shows a group of beekeepers how an industrious queen has been busy creating wax cells in preparation for the laying of larvae. A good queen will construct cells out to the edge of a frame.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_bee-1.jpg Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert shows a group of beekeepers how an industrious queen has been busy creating wax cells in preparation for the laying of larvae. A good queen will construct cells out to the edge of a frame.

Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert shows a group of beekeepers how an industrious queen has been busy creating wax cells in preparation for the laying of larvae. A good queen will construct cells out to the edge of a frame. Christine Carroll | Daily Journal Twelve-year-old Irwin Eggebroten of Scotland County, resplendent in a blinding-white bee suit, points out the queen in one of the hives inspected Saturday.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_bee2-1.jpg Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert shows a group of beekeepers how an industrious queen has been busy creating wax cells in preparation for the laying of larvae. A good queen will construct cells out to the edge of a frame. Christine Carroll | Daily Journal Twelve-year-old Irwin Eggebroten of Scotland County, resplendent in a blinding-white bee suit, points out the queen in one of the hives inspected Saturday.

Christine Carroll | Daily Journal Twelve-year-old Irwin Eggebroten of Scotland County, resplendent in a blinding-white bee suit, points out the queen in one of the hives inspected Saturday. Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert inspects a hand-painted hive at the home of Phil and Linda Edwards of Scotland County. Two couple have two hives out back, which they must protect from a family of bears in nearby woods.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_bee4-1.jpg Christine Carroll | Daily Journal Twelve-year-old Irwin Eggebroten of Scotland County, resplendent in a blinding-white bee suit, points out the queen in one of the hives inspected Saturday. Christine Carroll | Daily Journal State inspector Nancy Rupert inspects a hand-painted hive at the home of Phil and Linda Edwards of Scotland County. Two couple have two hives out back, which they must protect from a family of bears in nearby woods.

Christine Carroll | Daily Journal Beekeepers from Richmond and Scotland counties gather around inspector Nancy Rupert to examine the health of a hive that is doing less well than it should be during prime pollen-gathering season.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_bee5-1.jpgChristine Carroll | Daily Journal Beekeepers from Richmond and Scotland counties gather around inspector Nancy Rupert to examine the health of a hive that is doing less well than it should be during prime pollen-gathering season.

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MARSTON — The wonky intersection of U.S. 1 with N.C. 177 will straighten out a bit as the N.C. Department of Transportation continues to widen the highway north of the Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Last week, N.C. DOT awarded a nearly $11.4 million contract to R.E. Goodson Construction Co. of Darlington, South Carolina, whose workers will widen U.S. 1 between just north of the speedway to north of Fox Road — approximately 3½ miles.

Work is scheduled to begin in July and be completed in spring 2021.

“As part of this new construction project, … we will slightly reconfigure the U.S. 1-N.C. 177 intersection,” ” DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale said Tuesday.

“The bottom line for U.S. 1 and N.C. 177 is that we will redesign it a bit to make it safer and easier for motorists on N.C. 177 to get onto U.S. 1.”

When construction is complete, the section of U.S. 1 near the speedway and neighboring Rockingham Dragway will have five lanes, including a center/turn lane.

“This design does two things,” Barksdale said. “It reduces the impact on the property at the speedway, and it also allows for reversible lanes for big events at the race tracks to improve the mass traffic coming or leaving.”

The long-term plan is to widen U.S. 1 throughout Richmond County, Barksdale said. At one point, the plan included rerouting U.S. 1 around Rockingham.

“But traffic projections on U.S. 1 have gone down,” Barksdale said, “so we are now considering how to widen the rest of U.S. 1 on its existing route. We hope to secure funding (for continued widening), but it may take several years.”

DOT also wants to begin widening East Greene Street in 2022. The $6.5 million project would widen the street to three lanes so tractor-trailers could go between U.S. 1 and U.S. 220 without driving through downtown Rockingham.

That project is part of the State Transportation Improvement Program, N.C. DOT’s 10-year plan to finance transportation projects.

Last November, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved a bid to clear a water line to make room for widening U.S. 1 near the speedway, starting at the intersection with Marston Road.

Since then, workers have crowded the sides of the highway, laying pipes and rewiring telephone lines.

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ROCKINGHAM — Brilliant carmine cardinals perched on a branch of longleaf pine as, nearby, sunflowers in the manner of van Gogh towered over the hors d’ouevres.

Works by fourth-grade artists Parker Medlin and Justin Flowers, respectively, the creations welcomed a buzzing, punch-sipping crowd to the Richmond County Schools’ first Art Gala, at Leath Memorial Library on Tuesday evening.

“These are so beautiful,” breathed fourth-grader Kinsie Lyerly as she coursed slowly through the gallery of paintings and colored-pencil drawings.

Which was her favorite?

“Mine,” she said, explaining that she was enamored of art and really wanted to pursue it as a career. Well, “either that or a cake decorator.”

The evening was a first for the school district. Individual schools have offered art shows in the past, but this was the first year for a districtwide gala. Too, it was the first at which students sold their works at silent auction and were allowed to keep the proceeds.

“We did that to offer their creativity legitimacy,” said Sarabeth Dew, the art teacher at Hamlet Middle School and, on Tuesday night, keeper of a table of reproductions and note cards made from the students’ work. (She had collected $200 midway through the two-hour show.)

“Many of my students became emotionally invested in their work and decided not to show,” she said.

But some of those who did earned a bit.

Midway through the show, Annika Carpenter of Richmond Senior High School had earned $90 in silent bids for a pen-and-ink rendering of a violin called “Music Takes Me Away.”

Two pianists graced the evening, 2½-year-old Jackson Niedzwiecki, who trotted toward the bass keys in his light-up sneakers, then plunked a few disordered notes. And then, Caleb Dickens, a high school senior recently accepted to the N.C. School of the Arts, who played the second movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

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ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday honored two people for their service to the community and approved new vehicles for the sheriff’s office.

Dennis Holloway with the North Carolina Baptist Men and Robin Roberts, president of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary to Post 4203, both received the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service, the highest honor given by the state for volunteer service.

Holloway and the Baptist Men built 54 wheelchair ramps and participated in 38 military funerals in 2017. They are also active in disaster relief efforts both locally and around the country, sending representatives to help with repairs after Hurricanes Matthew and Harvey, as well as as the recent tornado in Greensboro.

Roberts is deeply involved in veterans activities at the local and state level and organized the first Veterans Day parade in Rockingham in more than 20 years in 2016, keeping it going in the year since. She also works to educate young people and the public about military service.

Holloway and Roberts both deferred credit for the awards to the members of their respective organizations.

Roberts said she does what she does because of her brother, Ronnie Charles Gainey, who has served in the military for more than 28 years, calling him her “hero.” She said she never expected to get this kind of an award.

“That’s my motivation — to be able to give back to the veteran community as a whole is very rewarding,” she said. “It it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here today … I’m proud to be a veterans advocate for the county and the country.”

Holloway said he’d rather work for free than get paid. He said of the Baptist Men that though they may be aging — the average age is 65, according to Holloway — they continue to do important work for communities devastated by natural disasters and individuals who can’t help themselves.

“These guys, they relinquish their time all the time. I mean every Saturday,” Holloway said. “We work for God … we don’t deserve the credit. We give all the credit to God.”

The board approved a request for $417,770 to finance the purchase of voting machines and six new vehicles for the sheriff’s office. The subject of the sheriff’s office’s yearly requests for new vehicles was a hot-button issue at the board’s budget meeting in February, with Commissioner Ben Moss lamenting the financial strain the county put itself in to comply with their requests saying “it seems like it’s never enough lately.”

County Manager Bryan Land said funds for the sheriff’s office’s vehicles — which has received as many as 10 in previous years — were set aside the previous year under County Manager Rick Sago and were not the result of a direct effort by the current administration to reduce spending.

Land also announced that there is a new tenant in the building that formerly housed the McLaurin Center in Hamlet. The tenant, which he wasn’t able to name Tuesday night, is an out-of-state furniture manufacturer that plans to hire “about a dozen” new employees in the area.

The lease was signed Monday, according to Land.

“We’re thrilled to get someone willing to lease the space and also bring some jobs and investment to Richmond County and especially an area like Hamlet,” he said. “Hamlet needs it more than anybody.”

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.

Gavin Stone | Daily Journal Dennis Holloway, center, and Robin Roberts accept the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service for their work in Richmond County at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. The award is the highest honor given by the state to recognize volunteer service.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_county-1.jpgGavin Stone | Daily Journal Dennis Holloway, center, and Robin Roberts accept the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service for their work in Richmond County at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. The award is the highest honor given by the state to recognize volunteer service.

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