ROCKINGHAM — In her 20-year tenure, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said she’s worked to streamline the business incorporation process and make her office a nationwide leader in stemming the flow of counterfeit goods.

Marshall visited the Richmond County Judicial Center on Friday during her U.S. 74 commute between campaign stops in Columbus and Union counties. In a meeting with Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel, she rattled off a record of accomplishments and stressed the need for continuity.

“The secretary of state’s office is in very good shape,” Marshall said. “I certainly hope people are not seeing a reason to make a change.”

A Democrat who has held office since 1996, Marshall faces a Nov. 8 challenge from Republican nominee Michael LaPaglia, an entrepreneur who describes himself as a “limited government free-enterprise advocate.”

Marshall said she’s a champion of both business and consumers, a leader who’s brought high-tech upgrades to state filings and worked to fight fraud, scams and trademark infringement.

“We have the best reputation in the country — we are the only state doing anything to stop counterfeiting,” she said.

Marshall employs state law enforcement officers who investigate the manufacture, import and sale of knock-off designer goods. Counterfeit wares shortchange companies that have invested millions to build their brands, she said, the money funds organized crime and consumers are left with cheap imitators of designer shoes, clothing and accessories.

“It absolutely is not harmless,” she said, “because what’s behind this is traffickers in humans and drugs. You’re supporting bad guys, maybe not necessarily the guy on the streetcorner or at the flea market, but the people profiting.”

Incorporated companies are required to register with the N.C. Office of the Secretary of State and provide articles of incorporation, charters and annual reports. The documents are scanned and digitized, and as state law defines them as public records, they can be viewed for free on a searchable state website.

“We are very transparent,” Marshall said. “My philosophy is as long as there is breath in my body, the public will have access to it for free.”

Marshall said her office has also worked with North Carolina registers of deeds to enable digital transfer of corporate records, preventing snail-mail delays.

The secretary of state serves on the nine-member Council of State, which advises the governor and votes on borrowing funds and selling state property. Its executives are elected individually, and Marshall said she works well with her peers and Republican Gov. Pat McCrory.

Six current Council of State members are Democrats. Marshall said the panel can look past partisan politics.

“There has not been any real tension,” she said. “We sometimes have dissenting votes, but we don’t poke each other in the eye. We’re a collegial group.”

Marshall said she has a track record of getting along with Republican and Democratic governors.

“Every governor has been helpful to the secretary of state’s office,” she said, noting that the state executive is the source of her office’s budget. “None of them have been as helpful as I have wanted them to be.”

While she avoids many partisan feuds, Marshall said her daily discussions with corporate leaders underscore the damage House Bill 2 is doing to North Carolina’s business climate.

The law requires transgender people to use the restroom matching their birth gender and takes away nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender workers. It’s sparked a backlash, with more than 160 companies calling for its repeal and some vowing to divert jobs, conferences and sporting events away from the Tar Heel State.

“Without making a comment on HB2, it’s an economic sucking sound,” she said.

Reach Editor Corey Friedman at 910-817-2670 and follow him on Twitter @corey_friedman.

Corey Friedman | Daily Journal N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, left, chats with Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel during Marshall’s visit to the Richmond County Judicial Center on Friday afternoon.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Elaine-Marshall.jpgCorey Friedman | Daily Journal N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, left, chats with Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel during Marshall’s visit to the Richmond County Judicial Center on Friday afternoon.

HAMLET — Paper money, fake bottles of booze and top hats littered the tables inside Cole Auditorium as Tonya Butts and Raven Currie of Community Home Care and Hospice handed out candy cigarette packs.

No, it’s not a speakeasy in the early 20s, but that was the theme for Friday night’s senior citizens’ prom — an opportunity Butts said for the last three years has given seniors the opportunity to get dressed up and get out.

“We started this because we have a lot of patients that don’t get out to do anything,” said Butts. “This was an opportunity for them to get dressed up and have a good time.”

The event is not just for Community Hospice patients, and this year, Butts teamed up with Nikki Sewell and the Hamlet Senior Center. The festivities were open to seniors from across Richmond County as well as the surrounding area.

“This is for the entire community. It’s our way to give back,” said Butts.

Most of the seniors were from facilities such as Hamlet House, the Hermitage, Richmond Pines, Fox Hollow in Southern Pines and Kingswood in Aberdeen, but Josephine and Horace Harrington are members of the Hamlet Senior Center — where Josephine takes line dancing lessons — and heard about the prom through the center.

Although there wasn’t much line dancing happening, twenties music roared from the loudspeakers and encouraged everyone to get out of their seats and cut a rug. However, the music that got most people dancing was closer to the year 2020 than 1920 with patrons doing “The Electric Slide” and “The Wobble.”

Along with the music, a buffet with snacks and light hors d’oeuvres contributed by different vendors in the community such as Food Lion and IGA sat in the hallway. Inside the banquet hall, those at the prom were dressed to the nines as Rocking Trends loaned dresses and clothes for the seniors so they could look the part.

Rockingham-based Steele Woodworks also made and donated boxes labeled rum, wine, whiskey, vodka and gin to give the room a Prohibition feel.

Silhouettes of music notes, musicians and even Tommy guns could be seen on the wall to complete the theme.

“This is an evening of fun, so we want you all to relax and have a good time,” Butts said to the party goers.

A prom king and queen were named every hour, with a new duo announced at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. The first prom queen of the night was Harrington, and the first king was Johnny Baker.

“It’s a great opportunity for all the seniors in Richmond County to dress up and enjoy each other’s company,” said Sewell. “It’s also fun for them to have an event to get dressed up to go to. A lot of seniors weren’t fortunate enough to attend their first proms, so it gives them a second chance.”

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674, follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson and listen to him at 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on G-104.3 FM.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal Charlice Burnett with Community Home Care and Hospice presented Josephine Harrington with her crown as she was named the senior prom’s first queen of the night.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_DSC_1138.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal Charlice Burnett with Community Home Care and Hospice presented Josephine Harrington with her crown as she was named the senior prom’s first queen of the night.

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ROCKINGHAM — Milee Huffman said she plans to go to camp this summer — no matter what.

The 17-year-old from Laurinburg wasn’t able to make it to the Bethelwoods Camp and Conference Center in York, South Carolina for an annual summer camp sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association last year because of surgery.

This will be her final year of eligibility because of her age.

Huffman was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy — which affects all of the major muscle groups in her body — at 18 months old.

To help get her to camp, the Rockingham Fire Department will again be holding a Fill the Boot campaign May 6-8 outside Walmart.

Last year the department set a goal to raise $2,500 and wound up collecting $5,640.35 — $515.07 of which was all change.

“If we get $2,500, we’ll be good,” Chief Harold Isler said Thursday when Huffman stopped by the station with her mother.

Isler said he took part in similar fundraisers during his years in Goldsboro, but this is the second time the Rockingham Fire Department participated.

Maneuvering her motorized wheelchair in front of the “Fill the Boot” banner, Huffman posed with firefighters for a photo and was later given a RFD cap and T-shirt.

“For more than 60 years, firefighters have stood on the front lines with MDA in the fight to free individuals — and the families who love them — from the harm of these life-threatening muscle diseases,” Lisa Cole, MDA Charlotte’s associate executive director, said in a statement. “Each year, area firefighters dedicate countless hours of their time participating in Fill the Boot drives and at MDA Summer Camp. We’re grateful for their steadfast drive and uncommon caring toward the kids and adults we serve and look forward to working together once again to make this Fill the Boot season a huge success.”

This year, camp will run from July 31 to Aug. 5, with firefighter day slated Aug. 1.

Wayne Covington, who led a team from the Rockingham Fire Department last year, said he will be returning.

Cole said there were 45 firemen at the camp in 2015 — up from only four the previous year.

“It was awesome,” she said, adding there was almost enough for each kid to be paired with a firefighter.

It costs $800 to send a child to camp, Cole said last year, which is paid for through year-round fundraising efforts and comes at no cost to the families. The camp is open to children ages 6-17.

“All money collected locally goes to help local families,” she said.

There are about 1,000 families registered with the MDA in Cole’s 20-county area.

Activities at the week-long camp include swimming, fishing, canoeing arts and crafts and a dance, which Huffman said was her favorite.

This year’s theme is “Let the Games Begin” and is centered around the Olympics.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

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William R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham Fire Chief Harold Isler stands beside Milee Huffman, a Scotland County teen who plans to go to a camp sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association this summer. The Rockingham Fire Department will be raising money to send her through a Fill the Boot drive next month.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_rfdmilee2.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham Fire Chief Harold Isler stands beside Milee Huffman, a Scotland County teen who plans to go to a camp sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association this summer. The Rockingham Fire Department will be raising money to send her through a Fill the Boot drive next month.

ROCKINGHAM — Teachers are likely to see a boost in their paychecks after summer vacation, Richmond County’s state lawmakers say, and while the controversial law could be tweaked, don’t expect a wholesale repeal of House Bill 2.

The N.C. General Assembly reconvenes for its 2016 short session Monday evening, and state Sen. Tom McInnis and Reps. Ken Goodman and Garland Pierce agreed educators’ pay will be on the legislature’s front burner.

“It will be one of the No. 1 issues,” said Pierce, D-Scotland. “It’s a political year. I think there’s going to be a real push. The party in power will lead that effort, and they will be able to say, ‘Look, we gave everybody raises.’”

North Carolina ranks 46th in the nation in average teacher pay. Gov. Pat McCrory on Friday released proposed budget adjustments that could give some educators as much as a $5,000 raise. State employees would see one-time bonuses totaling 3 percent of their salary up to a maximum of $3,000.

McCrory says an anticipated surplus in state revenue should be used to reward teachers and public employees.

“This isn’t our money,” he said during a Friday press conference. “It’s the people’s money.”

While the governor and legislative leaders tout teacher pay raises, lawmakers will remain under public pressure over House Bill 2, which limits transgender people’s access to public restrooms, rewrites nondiscrimination policies, eliminates workers’ right to bring discrimination claims in state court and bars cities from setting their own minimum wage.

Supporters and opponents of the bill’s provisions will hold rallies in the state capital on Monday, when the House and Senate are scheduled to convene at 7 p.m.

“I think the bathroom portion of it will remain as-is,” McInnis said. “The jury’s still out if there’s any appetite for massaging anything else.”

McCrory signed an April 12 executive order adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories protected from employment discrimination in state government agencies. He also has urged the General Assembly to reinstate workers’ right to sue over discrimination in state courts.

“I think the House is probably going to do something with House Bill 2 similar to what the governor suggested,” said Goodman, D-Richmond.

Critics say HB2 allows private companies to discriminate against people who are gay or transgender and creates more problems than it solves by requiring transgender people to use the restroom corresponding with the gender on their birth certificate in public buildings.

Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore have defended the law against a wave of business backlash. More than 160 companies have signed a letter calling for its repeal, PayPal pulled a 400-job expansion in protest and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Charlotte could lose the 2017 All-Star Game if the law is not repealed.

Pierce said he discussed HB2 during a recent phone call with the speaker.

“He said they plan to take some of the other parts out,” Pierce said. “He told me point-blank the bathroom provision will stay.”

McInnis, Goodman and Pierce all voted to pass HB2. As Democrats, Pierce and Goodman have been criticized by some in their own party for supporting the bill, which opponents see as a socially conservative incursion on personal choice and a signal to employers that it’s OK to discriminate against gay and transgender people.

“I haven’t heard the outcry from constituents,” Pierce said, noting that many residents in his rural district support HB2. “A few emails, but overall, most people still believe it’s a common-sense bill.”

Pierce said his own understanding of the issue continues to evolve and he’s committed to finding compromise wherever possible.

“They’ve got to do something about House Bill 2,” he said. “Nobody will get everything they want.”

Other issues that could surface include a regulatory reform measure to scale back the number of professions that require state occupational licenses and tweaks to the formula for divvying up sales tax revenue between urban and rural counties.

“I will strive to work for equality, equity and fairness in the distribution of our sales tax in North Carolina,” McInnis said. “We made a little headway in the long session.”

Goodman noted that “there will always be some surprises” in the issues discussed, but said legislative leaders don’t want to extend their stay in Raleigh too late into the summer.

“My folks are telling me we need to be prepared to be at the Fourth of July celebration at the Ellerbe Lions Club to watch the fireworks,” McInnis said, “and not be going back to Raleigh after that.”

Reach Editor Corey Friedman at 910-817-2670 and follow him on Twitter @corey_friedman.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal file photo State senators take their seats on the first day of the 2015 legislative session in Raleigh. The General Assembly will reconvene on Monday for the 2016 short session.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_RAL_senchamber.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal file photo State senators take their seats on the first day of the 2015 legislative session in Raleigh. The General Assembly will reconvene on Monday for the 2016 short session.

ROCKINGHAM — The Humane Society of Richmond County did author F. Scott Fitzgerald proud Saturday night as the group held its annual fundraiser under a Great Gatsby theme.

Instead of West Egg, Long Island, the fundraiser was held at the Moose Lodge in Rockingham, but the atmosphere was the same as party-goers popped champagne and danced the night away to the sound of the Myrtle Beach-based Tim Clark Band.

Last year’s event was a Masquerade Furball theme, but Humane Society secretary Brandy Alfredson said this time around, they wanted to “change it up and went with a party like Gatsby theme.”

“Everybody is getting festive with it,” she added.

Alfredson said 250 tickets were sold for Saturday’s event, and for those who preferred the VIP treatment, $250 got them their own personalized table, eight tickets and a liquor of their choice placed on the table in an ice bucket.

In addition to ticket sales, a silent auction also took place throughout the night to help raise money for the Humane Society. Baskets being bid on were filled with items such as miniature bottles of liquor, glassware, apparel, gift cards to local businesses, bottles of wine and candles, and a Yeti cooler was also up for auction.

“Tonight’s purpose is to have fun, educate our county on what the Humane Society does and raise money,” said Alfredson. “Tonight’s event is a way to get everyone to have a good time.”

Pictures of dogs and cats that have been put up for adoption were placed on the bar so anyone who walked up to order a drink could see their faces.

Kenisha Crouch and Hanna Marks, who are rescue coordinators with the Humane Society, work to make sure any animals that come into their shelter can find a home and to keep the number of pets there as low as possible.

“It lets people know who we are,” Marks said of Saturday’s fundraiser, “because a lot of people still consider us the (county) animal shelter.”

The two said that in the month of March alone, 47 dogs and 38 cats were rescued and sent to no-kill shelters. They added that that number doesn’t even include adoptions.

“Everything we do is for these precious animals,” Alfredson said to the crowd. “Everything that you gave us tonight has helped that shelter. Everybody loves animals, and that’s why we’re all here tonight — to help these babies.”

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674, follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson and listen to him at 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on G-104.3 FM.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal Trey Miller, Natasha Brown and Clint Talton, left to right, dressed the part Saturday night for the Humane Society of Richmond County’s annual fundraiser. This year’s theme was “The Great Gatsby.”

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_DSC_1150.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal Trey Miller, Natasha Brown and Clint Talton, left to right, dressed the part Saturday night for the Humane Society of Richmond County’s annual fundraiser. This year’s theme was “The Great Gatsby.”

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ROCKINGHAM — State troopers say a Marlboro County woman was killed when her car ran off the road and struck a tree Friday evening.

Jennifer Cassandra Hill, 28, of Bennettsville, South Carolina, was driving a 2011 Honda Accord sedan on Hatcher Road when the wreck happened around 7:12 p.m., according to 1st Sgt. Joheliah Wilson of the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Hill was the wife of Matt Hill, police chief in the Darlington County town of Society Hill, according to television station WMBF. She had three children.

Hill ran off the road to the right, overcorrected and swerved across the roadway, smashing into a tree on the left side. Wilson said troopers believe Hill was exceeding the posted speed limit.

“The speed and the overcorrection were a bad combination,” Wilson said. “She was by herself and she was wearing a seat belt.”

Hill died on impact and attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.

The wreck happened about four-tenths of a mile north of Battley Dairy Road near East Rockingham.

Troopers in the N.C. Highway Patrol’s Troop H, District II office in Hamlet have investigated seven fatalities resulting in eight deaths in Richmond and Scotland counties since Jan. 1, Wilson said. In 2015, the two-county district saw no fatalities before the month of April.

“That’s not quite the business we like to be in, but unfortunately, we have been busy,” Wilson said.

Speeding contributed to nearly a quarter of all North Carolina traffic fatalities in 2015, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. The state saw 322 speed-related deaths and 10,658 injuries due to speed last year.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state participated in a speed crackdown dubbed “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine” from March 24-April 3. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program, which organized the campaign, said miscommunication resulted in the message that drivers would be ticketed for traveling as little as 1 mph over the speed limit.

While officers exercise discretion when deciding whether to issue a citation, the operation was meant to stress that there is no “buffer zone” or acceptable margin above the posted speed limit that motorists are permitted to drive without being stopped.

Reach Editor Corey Friedman at 910-817-2670 and follow him on Twitter @corey_friedman.

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PINEBLUFF — A Moore County man died Sunday after state troopers say his SUV overturned and smashed into several trees Saturday.

Sylvester Locklear, 56, of Aberdeen, died from his injuries at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Locklear was driving a Mitsubishi Montero Sport that skidded off the road and went airborne about 6:30 p.m. Saturday near 1049 Addor Road south of Pinebluff.

Before his death, troopers said Locklear faced charges of driving while impaired, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license in the crash.

His passenger, 38-year-old Terry Locklear of Aberdeen, was reportedly in stable condition at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.

Addor Road was blocked to traffic in both directions for more than an hour while first responders attended to the injured and cleared the road of debris.

Responding to the wreck were units with the Pinebluff Fire Department, Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Southern Pines Fire and Rescue, Moore County EMS, and the N.C. State Highway Patrol.

Saturday’s crash marked the seventh fatality on Moore County roads since March 18.

Billy Marts | AberdeenTimes.com State troopers say the driver of this Mitsubishi Montero Sport lost control of the SUV outside Pinebluff on Saturday.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Wreck.jpgBilly Marts | AberdeenTimes.com State troopers say the driver of this Mitsubishi Montero Sport lost control of the SUV outside Pinebluff on Saturday.

Contributed by Selina Martinez

Richmond Senior High School’s Junior ROTC Raider Battallion held its 5K run Saturday. Pictured are members of the third-place team with Army instructor Aaron Light. Instructor Jon Ring took first place for men 40 and over with a time of 15 minutes. Brandi Miller was the woman to beat with a time of 19 minutes.

Contributed by Selina Martinez Richmond Senior High School’s Junior ROTC Raider Battallion held its 5K run Saturday. Pictured are members of the third-place team with Army instructor Aaron Light. Instructor Jon Ring took first place for men 40 and over with a time of 15 minutes. Brandi Miller was the woman to beat with a time of 19 minutes.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_JROTC.jpgContributed by Selina Martinez Richmond Senior High School’s Junior ROTC Raider Battallion held its 5K run Saturday. Pictured are members of the third-place team with Army instructor Aaron Light. Instructor Jon Ring took first place for men 40 and over with a time of 15 minutes. Brandi Miller was the woman to beat with a time of 19 minutes.

RALEIGH (AP) — While demonstrations circled North Carolina’s statehouse on Monday, for and against a Republican-backed law curtailing protections for LGBT people and limiting public bathroom access for transgender people, House Democrats filed a repeal bill that stands little chance of passing.

Thousands of Christian conservatives and other supporters of the law known as House Bill 2 gathered on a grassy mall behind the Legislative Building on the opening day of the legislature to praise the mostly Republican legislators and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory for passing the restrictions during a special session last month.

“It took great courage for them to establish this bill,” said Doug Woods, 82, of Raleigh, a rally attendee. “They need to stand firm.”

The law blocks local and state protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and directs which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings.

Key lawmakers who pushed through the legislation also urged the rally attendees to contact colleagues and urge them to fight off efforts to overturn the law.

“The battle is about to be engaged,” said Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake, a veteran of North Carolina’s cultural wars, told the crowd.

Earlier Monday, about 200 people gathered on the grounds of the old Capitol building to hear speakers denounce the law. They carried cardboard boxes holding what they said were 180,000 pro-repeal signatures on a petition for delivery to McCrory, whose office sits within the 1840 Capitol building.

“HB2 compounds the discrimination and marginalization of the transgender community, who already have to fight every day for their survival,” said Joaquin Carcano, a transgender man who’s suing over the law. “Our privacy and safety matter too. Our right to feel safe and protected in this world does not infringe on anyone else’s right to the same.”

The head of the state NAACP, the Rev. William Barber, called the law “Hate Bill 2.” He said it affects the poor and minorities as well as the LGBT community, despite conservative efforts to depict it as a law focused on bathroom safety.

“We make a mistake when we call it the ‘bathroom bill,’” he said.

Protesters also planned a mass sit-in inside the Legislative Building later in the afternoon. North Carolina legislators are returning Monday night for their annual work session.

Republican legislative leaders have expressed no interest in overturning the new law. GOP lawmakers have focused their discussion of the law on provisions requiring transgender people to use multi-stall restrooms that align with their gender at birth.

Democratic Rep. Grier Martin of Raleigh, a sponsor of the repeal bill, said the new law has stained North Carolina’s reputation and harmed it economically. Some companies have halted planned expansions because of the law, while many groups have canceled their scheduled conventions in the state.

If the repeal were approved immediately, Martin told reporters, “it would not undo with the swipe of a pen the incredible damage that House Bill 2 has done to our economy. But it would stop the bleeding and put North Carolina back on the path of progress and moving forward.”

While pro-HB 2 forces held their rally, about 20 people opposing the law held a sit-in outside McCrory’s office in the old Capitol to protest, joining arms and singing songs including “We Shall Not Be Moved.”

After two of them delivered a written statement to McCrory’s chief of staff, they were told they wouldn’t be asked to leave. After about an hour, they decided to file out of the building so they could rejoin the larger planned sit-in in the afternoon.

Chuck Liddy | The News & Observer via AP Trevor Chandler of the Human Rights Campaign stacks boxes of petitions against House Bill 2 at the state Capitol building in Raleigh on Monday. Tempers are flaring as supporters and opponents of a new North Carolina transgender law hold competing rallies to sway legislators starting their annual session.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_fzd-LGBT-Rights-North-Carolina.jpgChuck Liddy | The News & Observer via AP Trevor Chandler of the Human Rights Campaign stacks boxes of petitions against House Bill 2 at the state Capitol building in Raleigh on Monday. Tempers are flaring as supporters and opponents of a new North Carolina transgender law hold competing rallies to sway legislators starting their annual session.

ROCKINGHAM — One man is in a hospital and another is on the run following a weekend shooting.

Harold Brewington Jr., 27, was shot three times around 7:30 p.m. Saturday while attending a party at 327 Marshall Ave., according to Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly.

Kelly said investigators are not sure if the suspect, who has not yet been named, was an invited guest.

The victim was inside the house with what appeared to be three gunshot wounds — in the hip and chest — when officers arrived, he said.

Kelly added that the weapon used was a small-caliber handgun, but the exact caliber is currently unknown because the bullets have not been recovered.

“Detectives have been out all day working on it and hope to make an arrest soon,” the chief said Monday afternoon.

Brewington was initially taken to FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital and later airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where his last known condition was stable, according to Kelly.

Neighbors stood across the road as officers on the scene spoke with witnesses and searched around the yard for evidence.

One man could be overheard telling police he tried to grab the alleged shooter, but slipped and fell. Another man led investigators along the side of the road where he said the suspect fled the scene.

With nighttime setting in, the Rockingham Fire Department drove up to assist in the search by illuminating the yard.

Several children were kept inside the house and later released to their parents.

Kelly said officers were on the scene until about 10 p.m.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham police officers, aided by lighting from the fire department, search the back yard of a Marshall Avenue home Saturday night following a shooting.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Shooting_apr23.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham police officers, aided by lighting from the fire department, search the back yard of a Marshall Avenue home Saturday night following a shooting.

RALEIGH (AP) — More than 50 opponents of North Carolina’s new law curtailing protections for LGBT people and limiting public bathroom access for transgender people were arrested at the statehouse Monday night. It wrapped up a feverish day that brought several thousand of impassioned demonstrators for and against the law to the capital city for the opening of the legislature’s annual work session.

Several hundred vocal critics of the legislation, approved in a special session last month, rallied outside the Legislative Building in the afternoon, then in waves of several dozen people each went inside and parked outside the offices of top legislative leaders for symbolic sit-ins.

A final wave entered House Speaker Tim Moore’s outer office but refused to leave, leading to 18 arrests. Most were led off quietly, but one woman chanted: “Forward together, not one step back!”

Another 36 sitting on the floor or in chairs outside Moore’s closed office were arrested after they failed to leave the Legislative Building after it closed for the night. All 54 would be charged with second-degree trespassing and for either violating building rules or the fire code, Acting General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock said. One also faces a resisting arrest charge, he said.

North Carolina legislators held brief floor sessions Monday night. As the short House meeting ended, demonstrators in the gallery yelled their displeasure. Several dozen protesters continued a vocal protest inside the front doors of the Legislative Building for at least a half hour before leaving.

“We won’t do HB 2,” the protesters chanted, referring to the law by its initials. “North Carolina sticks together.”

The arrests came hours after thousands of Christian conservatives and other supporters of the law gathered on a grassy mall behind the Legislative Building to praise the mostly Republican legislators and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory for passing the restrictions last month in a special session.

“It took great courage for them to establish this bill,” said Doug Woods, 82, of Raleigh, a rally participant. “They need to stand firm.”

The law blocks local and state protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and directs which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings. Key lawmakers who pushed through the legislation also urged the rally attendees to contact colleagues and fight off efforts to overturn the law.

“The battle is about to be engaged,” said Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake, a veteran of North Carolina’s cultural wars, addressing the crowd.

Earlier Monday, about 200 people gathered on the grounds of the old Capitol building to hear speakers denounce the law. They carried cardboard boxes holding what they said were 180,000 pro-repeal signatures on a petition for delivery to McCrory, whose office sits within the 1840 Capitol building.

“HB2 compounds the discrimination and marginalization of the transgender community, who already have to fight every day for their survival,” said Joaquin Carcano, a transgender man who’s suing over the law. “Our privacy and safety matter too. Our right to feel safe and protected in this world does not infringe on anyone else’s right to the same.”

The head of the state NAACP, the Rev. William Barber, called the law “Hate Bill 2.” He said it affects the poor and minorities as well as the LGBT community, despite conservative efforts to depict it as a law focused on bathroom safety.

“We make a mistake when we call it the ‘bathroom bill,’” he said.

Republican legislative leaders have expressed no interest in overturning the new law. GOP lawmakers have focused their discussion of the law on provisions requiring transgender people to use multi-stall restrooms that align with their gender at birth.

House Democrats filed legislation Monday to repeal the law, though a lack of Republican sponsors made its chances appear slim.

Democratic Rep. Grier Martin of Raleigh, a sponsor of the repeal bill, said the new law has stained North Carolina’s reputation and harmed it economically. Some companies have halted planned expansions because of the law. Many groups have canceled scheduled conventions in the state.

If the repeal were approved immediately, Martin told reporters, “it would not undo with the swipe of a pen the incredible damage that House Bill 2 has done to our economy. But it would stop the bleeding and put North Carolina back on the path of progress.”

Moore and McCrory said separately Monday that the law won’t be repealed this session. A repeal is “not going to happen,” McCrory told reporters in Wrightsville Beach, although he wants a portion removed that appears to prevent workers from suing in state court under an employment non-discrimination law.

Moore blamed critics of the law for needlessly putting the state in such a negative light. “The rhetoric just needs to be dialed down because it’s just not good for North Carolina,” he said in Raleigh.

Berger has said he sees no need for a repeal. He said Monday night he hadn’t heard from any colleagues whose support for the law had been swayed based on the protests and economic fallout.

Chuck Liddy | The News & Observer via AP State Rep. Chris Sgro, D-Guilford, who is also executive director of Equality NC, center, is stopped at the Capitol steps by security with petitions against House Bill 2 on Monday. Tempers are flaring as supporters and opponents of the new North Carolina transgender law hold competing rallies to sway legislators starting their annual session.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_ADDITION-LGBT-Rights.jpgChuck Liddy | The News & Observer via AP State Rep. Chris Sgro, D-Guilford, who is also executive director of Equality NC, center, is stopped at the Capitol steps by security with petitions against House Bill 2 on Monday. Tempers are flaring as supporters and opponents of the new North Carolina transgender law hold competing rallies to sway legislators starting their annual session.

POLKTON — Police are investigating the apparent suicide of an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution.

Tony Davis, 26, was unresponsive when he was discovered in his cell at about 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Officials say paramedics and prison staff could not revive him and he was declared dead.

Davis was serving a 40-year sentence for second-degree murder in the Raleigh shooting death of Christian Tobias McLean, 25, in May 2013. He began his sentence in June 2014, and had a projected release date of Oct. 16, 2051.

The Polkton Police Department is investigating his death.

Chief Matthew Norris said on Monday that the death was an “apparent suicide,” but that he is still investigating and awaiting the results of an autopsy report.

Davis apparently died by hanging from what Norris said appeared to be a torn bedsheet, but he added that it has not yet been verified at this stage in the investigation.

Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a high-security prison in Polkton that can house up to 1,400 inmates. It is located next to Brown Creek Correctional Institution.

Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Lanesboro-1-fz.jpg

ROCKINGHAM — A new barber is on the block, and although Daniel Sweatt has been cutting hair for almost two years, his new residency finds his chair inside Merle Norman in the Richmond Plaza shopping center.

Sweatt, 22, attended the Alamance Barber Institute in Burlington and has been cutting professionally for two years, but his barber career actually began at home.

“I went to school, but I’ve cut people’s hair at my house, stuff like that, growing up. Professionally I’ve been cutting for about two years out of school,” said Sweatt. “When I was younger my dad used to cut my hair, and he’d buy clippers. Old, cheap clippers. He’d cut my hair, and I tried to cut his hair one day, and it didn’t look bad. Then I cut my brother’s hair, and my brother wanted a fade one day so I tried it, and it looked good, and I started cutting all my friends’ hair. By the time I got some age, around 10th, 11th grade, I knew I wanted to go to barber school. That’s how I got started.”

Sweatt actually started at Merle Norman right out of barber school, but left soon after to Hamlet where he cut hair at Fred’s City Barbershop. Four months later, he made the move back to Richmond Plaza and has been there ever since.

He listed the reasons for making the move back as the environment, the scenery, location and his co-workers. The shopping center’s ongoing $3 million renovations, however, didn’t play a part in his changing locations.

“No, I didn’t even know they were gonna do that when I first started here,” he said of the remodel.

He did, however, agree that the renovations will improve foot traffic for Merle Norman and the other shops located in Richmond Plaza.

Some of the services Sweatt provides include hot towel shaves, shampooing and conditioning, women’s cuts and layered cuts, men’s hair styling and hair cuts, facials and skin-tight fades.

“I mean, just about any type of haircut for a man or a woman,” he added.

Different types of cuts and styles come with varying prices, but Sweatt said it basically depends on what the client wants.

“It just depends on what they’re getting,” he said. “Like a hot towel shave is $20. If they’re wanting a haircut, like a man’s haircut, it’s $20. A woman’s haircut, like just wanting the ends trimmed, is $20. If they’re wanting a layered cut, depending on how steep they wanna go with the layers, $25 and up for layered cuts for women. If they get a hot towel shave and haircut that’s $40, but if they want their beard trimmed up, like get the beard lined up and a haircut, I charge $25 for that.”

It took Sweatt a year and half at Alamance Barber Institute to perfect his craft and put in 1,528 hours — the number needed to graduate — to prove it. Cosmetologists, for comparison, need 1,200 hours, Sweatt said, and the extra hours are spent with a straight razor.

“They can use a straight razor on the hair, something like that, but when it comes to the face, they cannot put it on the skin,” Sweatt said about the difference between a cosmetologist and a barber. “Where barbers can put straight razors on the skin, cosmetologists can’t. They can’t shave. We can. But we can do everything a cosmetologist can do, but we do more. I know how to do hair coloring, I can do all that, but I don’t promote my hair coloring because I don’t usually do it ‘cause I have so many cuts coming in. I send them to my co-workers.”

Sweatt mentioned scenery as one of his reasons for picking Merle Norman, and whether it’s fair or not, the shop is usually looked upon as primarily a beauty shop for women. Sweatt, however, doesn’t see it that way.

“Maybe the older clients, they may not like it sometimes, but the majority, I’d say over 95 percent of the people that come here, they love it because they get to see them girls come in,” he said of the misconception.

With two years of professional experience in the books — and more years under his barber belt from home — Sweatt will soon be looking to branch out.

“I’d like to have my own salon one day,” he said. “Like soon. As soon as possible. Whenever the opportunity comes.”

Sweatt cuts and styles hair by appointment only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at Merle Norman, Suite 29 in the Richmond Plaza shopping center. To schedule an appointment, call Sweatt at 910-995-4496 or Merle Norman at 910-997-4005.

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674, follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson and listen to him at 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on G-104.3 FM.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal Daniel Sweatt cuts Craig Stewart’s hair Monday at his station inside Merle Norman in the Richmond Plaza shopping center. Stewart called Sweatt, “The best barber stylist in town.”

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Sweatt.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal Daniel Sweatt cuts Craig Stewart’s hair Monday at his station inside Merle Norman in the Richmond Plaza shopping center. Stewart called Sweatt, “The best barber stylist in town.”

RALEIGH (AP) — Rhetorical skirmishes continued Tuesday in North Carolina over a law limiting protections for LGBT people, as Democrats criticized a Republican’s plea to “keep our state straight” a day after dozens were arrested and dueling demonstrations were held for and against the law.

Police arrested 54 protesters who came to voice opposition to the law late Monday as legislators returned to start their session.

Earlier Monday, at a demonstration by thousands who support the law, the state’s Republican nominee for attorney general exhorted the crowd to “keep our state straight.”

State Sen. Buck Newton urged the crowd to “tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight.”

The North Carolina Democratic Party issued a statement Tuesday calling the comments hateful and discriminatory toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They called for Newton, who shepherded the legislation through his chamber, to apologize and for Republican Gov. Pat McCrory to denounce Newton’s remarks.

North Carolina’s top elected Republican leaders said they don’t plan to repeal the law, a stance likely to stoke further protests.

Dozens intent on disrupting lawmakers created a raucous atmosphere at the state legislative building following a Monday afternoon rally that drew hundreds of the law’s opponents.

Ken Jones of Swannanoa was among three-dozen demonstrators who stayed to make noise long after the chambers gaveled out. He said he was encouraged by the fact that dozens were willing to risk arrest.

“It’s a reason for hope. There’s so many of us here,” said Jones, who was later arrested when officers sought to close the building for the night. “I’m pretty passionate about it.”

Three waves of people, several dozen at a time, held sit-ins outside the offices of legislative leaders.

Shortly before the evening legislative session began, more than a dozen demonstrators walked into House Speaker Tim Moore’s office and began chanting.

A few minutes later, law enforcement officers started leading out the protesters who had entered Moore’s office, one by one, in plastic handcuffs. One man had to be carried out.

Most were led out quietly, but one woman chanted: “Forward together, not one step back!”

Each time one was led out, fellow protesters chanted standing nearby shouted: “Thank you! We love you!”

Eighteen of those arrested were led from Moore’s office, while the rest were arrested a couple of hours later by officers who were closing the building for the night.

Acting General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock said all were charged with second-degree trespassing, and cited for violating building rules or the fire code. One was also charged with resisting arrest.

Detention records show the protesters were released later that night or early Tuesday morning, and they have June court dates.

Other pockets of protest broke out Monday night elsewhere in the Legislative Building. As the short House meeting ended, demonstrators in the gallery yelled their displeasure. Several dozen protesters shouted, danced and waved their hands inside the front doors of the Legislative Building for at least a half hour before leaving.

“We won’t do HB 2,” the protesters chanted, referring to House Bill 2 by its initials. “North Carolina sticks together.”

Earlier in the day, thousands of Christian conservatives and other supporters of the law gathered on a grassy mall behind the Legislative Building on the legislature’s opening day to praise the mostly Republican legislators and the governor for passing the restrictions last month in a special session.

The law blocks local and state protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and directs which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings.

North Carolina House Democrats filed legislation Monday to repeal the law, though a lack of Republican sponsors made its chances appear slim.

Senate leader Phil Berger said Monday night that he wasn’t swayed by the protesters.

“I don’t know that it’ll change anybody’s mind. I certainly would prefer that we not have this sort of protest,” he said. “But you know, people have a right to express their opinion if they’re upset about something we’ve done or disagree with something we’ve done.”

Newton

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BuckNewton.jpgNewton

ROCKINGHAM — Despite a family history of diabetes, Anthony Townsend was surprised to learn that he was on the verge of developing the disease himself.

“I was shocked that I was borderline,” he says.

Fortunately, Townsend’s doctor knew about a free diabetes prevention program being piloted in Richmond County by FirstHealth’s Diabetes & Nutrition Education program and helped him enroll in classes that let him get a handle on his sugar, his weight and his lifestyle.

He has lost 27 pounds and four pants’ sizes, and his once-threatening blood sugar levels have returned to the normal range.

“I feel much better,” said Townsend, a 51-year-old employee of Perdue Farms. “I feel like a teenager again.”

Registered dietitian Michelle Cole, the certified diabetes educator who has coached Townsend through the pre-diabetes program, describes him as a “star patient” because of his commitment to his goal.

“He’s been very diligent,” Cole said. “He’s lost a lot of weight, has been going to the gym, eating healthy foods, exercising every day and has attended every class. I wish everybody was half as diligent as Anthony has been.”

Commitment can be difficult, Cole admits, since the program, which uses a curriculum approved by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lasts a full year. Townsend’s session started in May 2015 and began with 16 one-hour weekly classes accompanied by 150 minutes of physical activity each week. He met the exercise component with a five-day-a-week workout routine.

To meet a CDC-set goal, the entire class had to achieve an average weight loss of 5 percent by the end of six months.

“Our class lost an average of 5.8 percent, which is excellent,” Cole said. “Research suggests that is enough to prevent Type 2 diabetes.”

The CDC program includes lessons, handouts and other resources geared toward helping participants make healthy lifestyle changes. A specially trained lifestyle coach leads the classes, helping participants learn new skills, encouraging them to set and meet goals, and keeping them motivated.

The support of people with similar goals and challenges who share ideas, celebrate successes and work to overcome obstacles helps keep the program interesting.

According to Cole, the CDC launched the program in an attempt to prove that preventive measures, which are not currently covered by insurance, can actually keep at-risk patients from developing diabetes.

“Insurance only pays for patients to be seen once they’ve developed the disease,” she said. “By then, the medical costs are considerable.”

Richmond County health care providers have been extremely supportive of the program in a community where 6.8 percent of the population was diagnosed as borderline or pre-diabetic in 2015 – up from 5.4 percent in 2011. The diabetes prevalence rate also increased during that time – from 17.2 percent in 2011 to 22.9 percent in 2015. So did the diabetes mortality rate – from 50.5 percent in 2011 to 54.8 percent in 2015.

The state’s mortality average is 22.2 percent.

“The providers jumped on this program,” Cole said. “If patients are diagnosed as pre-diabetic and they can change their lifestyle habits within an 18- to 24-month window, it is possible to delay and even prevent the onset of diabetes, which would have a positive effect on our population health numbers.”

A new yearlong class — led by diabetes educator and registered dietitian Kelly Godwin and health coach Kristen Cook, ACE-certified personal trainer — started in March, and Cole will submit more information from the first class to the CDC in May.

Despite the obvious success of people like Townsend, keeping patients engaged for an entire year has been difficult. Finding a meeting time that worked for everyone was “tough,” Cole acknowledges, given differing work schedules and family responsibilities.

The first class started out with 11 participants, but has dropped to an average of three or four over these past six months. To prove its diabetes prevention theory, the CDC needs accurate information and the commitment of people like Townsend.

“He totally bought into it,” Cole said. “He also liked the way he felt.”

Townsend, who says he was “eating everything under the sun” and getting no exercise before starting the program, now understands the importance of incorporating exercise into a lifestyle centered on a healthy diet.

That has been hard, but not impossible, he points out, and returning to his old way of life is not an option.

“I had to get a whole new wardrobe,” he said. “I really can’t afford to go back.”

There is no charge to participate in the CDC Pre-Diabetes Program being offered in Richmond County by FirstHealth Diabetes & Nutrition Education. For more information, contact Michelle Cole at mhcole@firsthealth.org.

Brenda Bouser works in corporate communications for FirstHealth of the Carolinas.

Cole

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Michelle_Cole-mug.jpgCole

ROCKINGHAM — A registered sex offender and convicted felon is back behind bars after deputies say he had “inappropriate contact with a juvenile.”

Harry Ray Taylor Jr., 35, of Safie First Street in East Rockingham, was arrested Monday and charged with a single count of first-degree forcible sex offense following an investigation into allegations by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Taylor was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $25,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in court May 5.

According to records with the N.C. Sex Offender Registry, Taylor was 16 years old when he engaged in incest with near relatives.

He was convicted on two counts of felony incest in 1998, serving two and a half months on a split sentence, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction. Six months later, his probation was revoked and he was incarcerated again for nearly 10 months.

Taylor spent most of 2003 behind bars after he was convicted on one felony count each of second-degree burglary and larceny after breaking and entering, as well as one misdemeanor count each of breaking and entering, larceny, possession of stolen goods, wanton injury to personal property and willful or wanton injury to real property — offenses committed the previous year.

He was served a two-month split sentence in early 2005 on the larceny, breaking and entering and stolen goods charges, state records show.

Later that year, his probation was revoked on the felony larceny and misdemeanor breaking and entering charges when he was convicted on two felony cheating charges, for which he served nearly nine months.

In 2007, he was received probation for a misdemeanor obstructing justice conviction and was incarcerated for a month the following year after being convicted on one misdemeanor count each of breaking and entering and larceny.

All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

Taylor

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_thumbnail_taylor.jpgTaylor

ROCKINGHAM — Their families beaming with pride, six Rockingham police officers received promotions Thursday afternoon at City Hall.

“They couldn’t do the job they do without your support,” City Manager Monty Crump told the crowd, before handing over the podium to Chief Billy Kelly.

One by one, the chief called up each officer — Edward Grant, Richard Greene, Marcus Ricks, Lee Bailey, Dusty Johnson and Lonnie Fetzer McCaskill IV — as he read through a list of their accomplishments.

Grant, who serves as the assistant chief, was promoted from captain to major. He has been with the department all 23 years of his law enforcement career and is married with four children.

Greene, the department’s patrol commander, has spent 12 of his 14½ years with RPD and was promoted to captain. He is married with two children.

Ricks, who was promoted to sergeant, has been in law enforcement for 9½ years and serves as the traffic supervisor and as a member of the SWAT Team. He is married with one child and one stepchild.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a while,” he said.

Bailey is an 18-year veteran of the force with four children. The sergeant will serve as the department’s supervisor of communications training and evidence preservation.

Johnson, a patrol supervisor and SWAT Team and field training supervisor, was promoted to sergeant. He’s been with RPD for 9½ years and is married with three children.

McCaskill, promoted to corporal, has spent nearly 11 of his 12½ years in Rockingham and is a patrol supervisor. He is married with one child and one on the way.

“I’m just excited to finally get promoted,” he said.

Kelly also commended each officer for continuing his education.

Grant, Greene, Bailey and Johnson have all received their Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate, and McCaskill has obtained the intermediate certificate from the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. Ricks has applied for his advanced certificate and will receive it next month. Bailey has also obtained a criminal investigator certificate and Ricks has completed the traffic enforcement and investigation certificate from the N.C. Justice Academy.

McCaskill, Johnson, Grant and Greene have each completed the Law Enforcement Executive Management Program at N.C. State University. Grant and Greene have also completed part one of a program with the same name at Richmond Community College, while Bailey has completed both parts.

Greene and McCaskill have both earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from RCC and Ricks is currently pursuing one at Stanly Community College. Johnson currently holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UNC-Pembroke and is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.

Ricks, McCaskill and Johnson all serve on the department’s honor guard.

“There’s a lot of things wrong with the United States of America,” Mayor Steve Morris said after the presentation. Looking over at the officers, he continued, “There are six things right.”

Ricks’ family had a feeling he was going into law enforcement.

“I knew he was going to either be a meteorologist or a police officer,” said his stepmother, Amy Ricks. “He used to play cops and robbers, and I had to be the bad guy.”

She added that he seemed to have made up his mind around age 16 and had started doing ride-alongs.

His father, Mark, said he just found Ricks’ old police three-wheeler a few days ago.

“I’m proud of him,” he said. “He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.”

Chief Kelly was also proud of Ricks, and the rest of the officers.

“I wouldn’t trade any of them for any other officer in the state,” he said.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Marcus Ricks gets promoted from corporal to sergeant by Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly at a ceremony Thursday afternoon.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_RPDpromotion_Ricks.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Marcus Ricks gets promoted from corporal to sergeant by Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly at a ceremony Thursday afternoon.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal From left to right: Sgt. Dusty Johnson, Sgt. Marcus Ricks, Sgt. Lee Bailey, Cpl. Lonnie McCaskill, Capt. Richard Greene, Maj. Edward Grant, Chief Billy Kelly.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_RPDpromotions.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal From left to right: Sgt. Dusty Johnson, Sgt. Marcus Ricks, Sgt. Lee Bailey, Cpl. Lonnie McCaskill, Capt. Richard Greene, Maj. Edward Grant, Chief Billy Kelly.

HAMLET — If you question attendees of past Relay For Life events about their favorite part of the night, you will likely hear about one of the quietest times.

Not that the thousands of attendees don’t appreciate the local groups that are performing or enjoy the sizzle of the fried goodies from the local teams’ campsites, but one of the most special moments of the evening is the Luminaria Lap.

After dark has fallen over the Cole Auditorium parking lot on May 6 but long before the midnight ending time, the generators will quiet, campsite sales will pause, conversations will silence and many heads will bow in silence as members of the teams circle the track in near darkness.

Small white bags and purple bags that surround the track will become the focal point and nearly the only source of light.

A closer look at these simple bags reveal something special. Messages like “in memory of my father” or “in honor of a special friend” adorn these bags, each one a small symbol of at least two people affected by cancer.

The typical white “in memory” on “in honor” bags will be joined this year with a colored bag for the first time in Relay history.

“This year we are excited to add purple bags to the track for a special reason,” regional American Cancer Society staff member Cameron Whitley said. “The purple bags can be purchased in recognition and appreciation of caregivers of cancer patients.”

Local committee Chairwoman Jamie Brooks continued, “Many cancer patients or families impacted by cancer will oftentimes have a special caregiver that stood by their side. These bags give the family or cancer patient/survivor a way to say thanks. After years of not having a tangible way to celebrate the caregivers, we are happy to have a way to include them in the Relay event.”

There are several ways that luminaries can be purchased to be included in the Relay ceremony. Many local teams have forms available but the forms can also be found on the Richmond County Relay for Life Facebook page and the Relay for Life website at www.relayforlife.com.

Luminaries are $10 each or 3 for $25 and can be purchased as late as Tuesday, May 3.

More information about the May 6 event, local fundraisers and ways to get involved to provide funds to aid the American Cancer Society can be obtained from Cameron Whitley at 910-334-0207.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal file photo Cancer survivor and Relay for Life coordinator Pam Davis holds the microphone as other survivors called out their names and the length of time they’ve been cancer-free during the 2015 Relay for Life of Richmond County.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_4722.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal file photo Cancer survivor and Relay for Life coordinator Pam Davis holds the microphone as other survivors called out their names and the length of time they’ve been cancer-free during the 2015 Relay for Life of Richmond County.

HAMLET — Students can often develop their spending habits before learning practical money-saving techniques. To better equip young students with that kind of knowledge, Bryan Leggett from First Bank recently stopped by Fairview Heights Elementary School to chat with its third-graders.

Leggett shared fun money facts while reinforcing language arts and math concepts as part of the American Bankers Association Foundation’s Teach Children to Save program.

Following his discussion, Leggett presented Fairview Heights with a check for $500. The elementary school was one of 43 schools in the area that First Bank visited.

Contributed photo Bryan Leggett, of First Bank, stopped by Fairview Heights Elementary School last week to teach the students about the importance of saving their money. He also dropped off a check for $500.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_FH-check.jpgContributed photo Bryan Leggett, of First Bank, stopped by Fairview Heights Elementary School last week to teach the students about the importance of saving their money. He also dropped off a check for $500.

ROCKINGHAM — A woman is receiving preventive treatment after a rabid fox ran into her house and attacked her on Thursday, according to county health officials.

Police were called to the woman’s Hunter Circle home after she discovered the fox and tried to lure it outside. The animal attacked her and she killed it with a metal pole, Richmond County Health Director Tommy Jarrell said Friday.

“Before she was able to kill it, it attacked her in several places,” Jarrell said.

Health officials sent the fox’s carcass to the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health on Thursday and lab technicians confirmed the animal tested positive for rabies.

Jarrell said the victim of the attack received a rabies immunoglobulin shot and will receive five additional treatments over a 28-day cycle in an effort to prevent her from contracting the rabies virus.

“It’s supposed to protect you” if the shots are administered before symptoms are present, Jarrell explained. “If you don’t have the treatment, that’s when you’re in danger of contracting rabies.”

Gray foxes are the only fox species native to North Carolina, but both they and the red fox are found throughout the state, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Jarrell wasn’t sure which species the rabid fox belonged to.

Trapping and hunting of foxes is legal in some North Carolina counties during local hunting seasons.

Thursday’s incident was the second confirmed rabies case this week and the sixth since September 2015. On Tuesday, officials euthanized a raccoon that had been in contact with two dogs at a Morningside Drive home. The raccoon’s carcass tested positive for rabies.

“Rabies kind of comes and goes,” Jarrell said. “Sometimes we’ll go several years without any rabies cases.”

Raccoons are the most-common rabies vector in Richmond County. Jarrell said he’s only heard of one or two other cases involving foxes during his 25-year career in local public health.

“It’s a rarity, it being a fox,” he said, “but it goes to show it’s not impossible.”

In light of the recent string of rabies cases, Jarrell is urging all owners of dogs and cats at least four months old to have their pets vaccinated against the virus.

County officials are holding rabies vaccination clinics next week with licensed veterinarians at four sites. The clinics will be held from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Ellerbe Lions Club Park, from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Cordova Fire and Rescue, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. Friday at the Hamlet Fire Department and from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Richmond County Health Department.

Residents are advised to watch for animals whose behavior is abnormal, remind children to refrain from coming into direct contact with wild animals and contact Richmond County Animal Control if they observe an animal acting abnormally that comes into contact with a person, dog or cat.

Florida State University photo The gray fox, shown here, is the only species of fox native to North Carolina, but both the gray and red fox live throughout the state.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Grey-Fox-Website_49.jpgFlorida State University photo The gray fox, shown here, is the only species of fox native to North Carolina, but both the gray and red fox live throughout the state.