ROCKINGHAM — Washington Street Elementary School has named students to its all-A honor roll and A-B honor roll for the third nine-week grading period.

Students listed below are pictured from left to right.

THIRD GRADE

All-A honor roll

Bottom row: Giomara Granados, Rachel Pattan, Lincoln Smith, Kimberly Gibson and Gavin Fowler

Second row: Abigail Chavis, Khamani Robinson, Michael Jurczyk, Maiya Ferguson, Tytiana Moore, Emily Hatcher, Jack Hawkins, Cash Monroe, Michael Jordan, Ahjujuan Ewing, Jamyia Lindsey and Navada Mercado

A-B honor roll

Third row: Aliyah Smith, Kenny Jenks, Winston Land, Shamiah Dudley, Madeline Mills, Savannah Strole, Jackson Payne, Antonio Frank, Kyle Jenks, Drew Parker, Zyiria Bell and A’mionne Gould

Fourth row: Maci Blount, Trace Davis, Jeremiah Ritter, Dillon Veach, Elijah Strole, Bryson Rice, Elijah Thompson, Kayla Ford, Steven Arreguin, Caydence Crump, Aziya Palmer, Emma Blackwell, Kennedy Fields, Karley Simmons, Josie Alexander, Kmauri Morgan and Jeremy Brown

Not pictured: Bryson Green, Ethan Thomas and Braxton Knight

FOURTH GRADE

All-A honor roll

Bottom row: Libbie Parsons, MaKailah Jackson and Rad Kennedy

Second row: Gracie Balckwell, Sophia Frank, Karlee Butler, Loralye Veach, Kiersten Davis, Connor Scholl, Davis Faw and Jason Thomas Grant

Not pictured: Riley Hart

A-B honor roll

Third row: Kevin Wall, Cassie Austin, Brinay Terry, Serenity Robinson Smith, Sidney Conner, Nevaeh Harrington, John David Payne, Connor McLaughlin, Ryan Martin and Thomas Berry

Fourth row: Adam Cole, Jasmine Jennings, Aryonna McQueen, Karim McLaughlin, Talan Stoner, Tyler Alonso, Perry Sharpe, Nate Wright, Jordan Bass, Riley Jacobs, Ryleigh Driggers, Alexia Poplin and Riley Purdham

Not pictured: Naedom Poter

FIFTH GRADE

All-A honor roll

Bottom row: Macy Steen, Allie Miller, Sanajia Tillman, Kyla Sampson, Amber David, Angelina Hammonds, Savannah Shepard and Abigail Williams

Second row: Chloe Smith, Grant Baysek, Ayden Mabe, Tristan Dycus, Cameron Hinson, Naaman Perakis, Ayden Haltom and Sara Darhower

Not pictured: Grace Street

A-B honor roll

Third row: Yamelia Vicente, Riley Grant, Kendrae Williams, Weston Outen, George Stroman, Conor Gordon, BJ Reynolds, Caleb Williams and Evan Locklear

Fourth row: Breanna Cummings, Keandra Cagle, Ashton Alexander, Alley Jo Baldwin, TJ Saunders, Jasmen Williams, Lanaya Watkins, Yajaira Suarez, Brandon Askins, William McCormick Saejin Ratliff and Jada Moore

Fifth-graders named to Washington Street Elementary’s honor rolls for the third nine-week grading period are shown in a class picture.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_fzd-WashingtonSt-fifthgrade.jpgFifth-graders named to Washington Street Elementary’s honor rolls for the third nine-week grading period are shown in a class picture.

These Washington Street fourth-graders were named to the all-A and A-B honor rolls for the third nine-week grading period.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_fzd-WashingtonSt-fourthgrade.jpgThese Washington Street fourth-graders were named to the all-A and A-B honor rolls for the third nine-week grading period.

Contributed photos Washington Street Elementary third-graders named to the school’s honor roll for the third nine-week grading period are shown in a class picture.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_fzd-WashingtonSt-thirdgrade.jpgContributed photos Washington Street Elementary third-graders named to the school’s honor roll for the third nine-week grading period are shown in a class picture.

RALEIGH (AP) — A top lawmaker has told business leaders he respects their right to speak out against a North Carolina law limiting protections for LGBT people — but that he’s not changing his mind about it.

Republican Senate leader Phil Berger sent the letter to executives days before the state’s legislative session started this week. A copy of the letter was posted online Friday by the Human Rights Campaign.

Berger appears to try to assuage the businesses’ fears about the law, but also writes in the letter dated April 19: “Make no mistake: I supported, and continue to support, the legislation.”

He acknowledges the largely negative response from the business community, saying: “You have perhaps received overtures from both sides requesting that you speak publicly for or against the bill. I respect that some of you have already chosen to speak on this issue.”

A letter seeking the law’s repeal has been signed by more than 180 executives from companies ranging from Apple to Xerox. Ben Graumann, a spokesman for Equality NC, said Berger’s letter was sent to at least some of those businesses.

The law, passed during a special session in late March, blocks local and state protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at their jobs and in public accommodations. It directs transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate in many public buildings, and also takes away people’s ability to use state law to sue over workplace discrimination.

Berger’s letter said the law includes commonsense bathroom privacy and safety measures but also allows businesses to set their own policies.

Amy Auth, a spokeswoman for Berger, confirmed the letter had been sent to business leaders.

“Senator Berger’s substantive and serious letter speaks for itself,” she said in an email.

She also described a version released by the advocacy groups with red notations between the lines and in the margins as a “juvenile political stunt.”

The state’s Republican leaders have said the law won’t be repealed during the legislative session. Berger said shortly before the session that he sees no need to change it, either.

“Senator Berger is defending the indefensible,” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a news release Friday. “In the face of so many business voices denouncing the bill and calling for its full repeal, Senator Berger is desperately digging in even further.”

FILE – In this Jan. 9, 2013 file photo, Phil Berger takes an oath as he was re-elected to North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore in Raleigh. While the whole country is talking about the North Carolina law that limits protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, a new survey shows one group that largely refuses to discuss it: the lawmakers who passed it. While Berger didn’t respond to the survey, he discussed the likelihood of any changes with reporters Wednesday, April 20, 2016: "I don’t know that I would at any point be ready to say we are going to make any changes. I just don’t see the need for it." (Takaaki Iwabu/The News & Observer via AP, File)

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Rights-Survey-Lawmaker.jpgFILE – In this Jan. 9, 2013 file photo, Phil Berger takes an oath as he was re-elected to North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore in Raleigh. While the whole country is talking about the North Carolina law that limits protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, a new survey shows one group that largely refuses to discuss it: the lawmakers who passed it. While Berger didn’t respond to the survey, he discussed the likelihood of any changes with reporters Wednesday, April 20, 2016: "I don’t know that I would at any point be ready to say we are going to make any changes. I just don’t see the need for it." (Takaaki Iwabu/The News & Observer via AP, File)

PINEHURST — Scott Crow spent the first 14 years of his career working in the agricultural field after earning his Ph.D. in monogastric nutrition (nutrition in animals with a single-chambered stomach such as dogs, cats, horses and pigs.)

A diagnosis of late-onset Type 1 diabetes eight years ago changed his personal perspective and his career path.

Now a registered dietitian, Crow recently joined FirstHealth Diabetes & Nutrition Education as a dietitian and diabetes educator covering programs in Pinehurst and Rockingham and the FirstHealth Transition Care Clinics.

“I have always had a deep passion for nutrition, and living with diabetes makes that even more personal,” he said.

A native of Connecticut, Crow earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in monogastric nutrition from the University of Missouri and his doctorate, also in monogastric nutrition, from N.C. State University.

He recently completed a dietetic internship with Meredith College in Raleigh. Before joining FirstHealth, he had his own poultry nutrition consulting business, focusing on feed formulation, the evaluation of feed ingredients, livestock and poultry production, mortality disposal and domestic and international environmental issues.

His goal is to become a certified diabetes educator.

“I look forward to providing patients with the most up-to-date, scientifically based information in diabetes education along with my personal experience of living with the disease,” he said.

The FirstHealth Diabetes and Nutrition Education program offers counseling for individuals with specific medical needs as well as those who wish to maintain good health. For more information, call 800-364-0499 or visit www.firsthealth.org/diabetes.

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

Crow

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Scott-Crow-mug.jpgCrow

ROCKINGHAM — Southern-style apparel will soon be a part of the new Richmond Plaza renovations as Cheraw-based Pee Dee Outfitters joins the lineup.

According to Neil Robinette, CEO of Tri City, Inc., the 4,000 square-foot store will be located between the new Rue21 and where GNC currently sits.

“They get business in Rockingham,” said Robinette. “The timing was good now. They always have a good clientele from Rockingham. We thought it would be an interesting opportunity to pursue.”

Pee Dee Outfitters co-owner Jeff Johnson agreed and together with partner Jeff Faulkner will make the Rockingham store their third — behind Cheraw and Newberry, South Carolina — after officially signing their lease last Monday.

Johnson and Robinette both are hoping for a fall opening, sometime near the end of September or the beginning of October at the latest.

After opening their first store in Cheraw in July 2007 and the second in Newberry last May, the Jeffs decided to have their store take on the name of the local river because it was something they were familiar with, and “We thought it was a cool name.”

“It was because we were familiar,” Johnson said about the name. “We both grew up in North Carolina and both went to high school in Anson County and always grown up with the Pee Dee River either near Rockingham or Cheraw.”

Johnson, who grew up in McFarlan, and Faulkner, raised in Wadesboro, both went to Bowman High School and later worked for B.C. Moore. After the department store went out of business in 2006, Pee Dee Outfitters was born.

Although their endeavor began in South Carolina, they said it was a no-brainer to venture back toward their home state. Already having a good amount of clientele from Rockingham also played into the move.

“Because we get so many people from Rockingham, Hamlet, the Richmond County community, we thought it would be an excellent spot to be a member of the community,” said Johnson. “If you’re shopping with us from Rockingham, it takes about an hour out of your time.”

With their store being well-received from residents of Richmond County already, Johnson said the duo had been looking to make the move north for a few years — they just needed the right opportunity. The $3 million Richmond Plaza renovation and Tri City’s involvement played the biggest parts.

Being a part of the community where their stores are located is also a big part of what Johnson and Faulkner are trying to accomplish.

“One thing we do is we wanna be a community store. Most people we hire will be from that area,” Johnson said. “We try to work with civic organizations and have programs that benefit them. That’s one thing we like about Neil and them. The landlord there, they are part of the community. Sometimes you’ll go into a shopping center and sign your lease, and it’ll go to some other state or something, so we try to work with people from the community. If they choose Pee Dee Outfitters, we wanna award them and be a part of the community.”

Another thing that the store prides itself in, he said, is having up-to-date name brands and employees who are always striving for excellence.

“We offer clothing and footwear for men, women and children. We offer gifts, accessories, we even do Yeti coolers,” said Johnson. “We offer a few hard goods but mainly we’re apparel and footwear. Our thing is we’re pretty much name-brand merchandise all the time. Our two things are we give better pricing, and the other thing we hang our hat on is we have people in the store that are knowledgeable and will wait on you. Customer service has diminished, but that’s something we hang our hat on.”

Robinette and his sister, Tri City marketing and leasing manager Gabrielle Goodwin, both think Pee Dee Outfitters will do well in Richmond County as it is a company that suits small towns while offering popular and affordable Southern wearable wares.

“They have popular things that people like these days,” Goodwin said. “He (Johnson) really caters toward the millennial demographic. He’s always looking for the latest and greatest brands.”

“They find a niche in small towns and try to embrace the community they’re in and hopefully will be here, as well,” Robinette added. “They offer something different that customers can’t find here right now. I think it’ll be well-received. We’re excited to bring them into our lineup here.”

Johnson said his company takes pride in serving its customers with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee assurance with every purchase made. Some of the brand names shoppers can look to save on include Browning, Carhartt, Costa Del Mar, Ducks Unlimited, Fossil, Heybo, Rainbow, Reef, Salt Life, Simply Southern, Toms and Yeti, among many other lines.

While offering competitive prices and supporting local schools, churches and civic organizations in each community a store is located, Pee Dee Outfitters hopes to find that niche Robinette spoke of.

Said Johnson, “We are excited about opening a location in Rockingham and look forward to being a part of the local community.”

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674 and follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal Cheraw, South Carolina-based Pee Dee Outfitters will soon call Rockingham home as the company will place its third store in the newly renovated Richmond Plaza shopping center.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_PD-Outfitters.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal Cheraw, South Carolina-based Pee Dee Outfitters will soon call Rockingham home as the company will place its third store in the newly renovated Richmond Plaza shopping center.

ROCKINGHAM — Four young firemen will test their skills Saturday at the annual junior firefighter competition in Warren County.

Kendell Watson, Brenden Watson, Zach Allen and Zac Sharpe — junior firefighters with the East Rockingham Fire Department, trained by Chuck Bowden and Rex Boone — will be competing against other teens from several states, including the Carolinas, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Bowden said the boys help maintain the trucks and equipment at the station and are required to have at least 36 hours of training per year.

And it’s that training they hope will pay off in the multiple events, which include: written and verbal tests, vehicle extrication and hose roll.

Other contests include a tug of war, where they use a straight stream from the fire hose to push a barrel along a cable, and carrying a stretcher through an obstacle course.

Out of the four, Brenden Watson, 16, was the only one to compete last year, when the team placed first in the firefighter relay.

“It’s fun but…it can be frustrating at times,” he said. “Seeing other teams up against you makes you want to push harder. It’s more of an adrenaline rush than anything.”

Boone added that there was a group of girls at last year’s event that “put some of them boys to shame.”

“You’ve got to bring your A-game on up there,” he said.

Aside from competing, Watson said he enjoys comparing trucks, calls and other aspects of firefighting with his peers.

“It’s more fun meeting new people, learning what they do at their departments,” he said.

Watson added that the competition will also feature vendors displaying a variety of accessories and equipment, including helmets and flashlights. Last year, there was a traveling confined-space trailer that departments can rent for training.

He said each participant gets a free pair of ESS goggles and other items are raffled off during dinner.

This will be East Rockingham’s fourth junior firefighter competition, the second in Warren County. The other two were at the National Junior Firefighter Academy in Monroe.

The department has seven junior firefighters on its roster.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Brenden Watson, left, Zac Sharpe, Kendell Watson and Zach Allen, with the East Rockingham Fire Department, will be competing against other junior firefighters in Warren County today.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_ERockjrff.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Brenden Watson, left, Zac Sharpe, Kendell Watson and Zach Allen, with the East Rockingham Fire Department, will be competing against other junior firefighters in Warren County today.

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has asked for another three weeks to respond to a request for a new trial for Daniel Green, who was convicted in 1996 of murdering Michael Jordan’s father.

The Attorney General’s Office was expected to respond by Friday to a motion for appropriate relief that Green’s attorneys filed earlier this month. An extension until May 20 has been requested, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson.

Green’s lawyers, who contend that Green did not kill James Jordan in 1993, but rather helped co-defendant Larry Demery dispose of the body, say their client should receive an evidentiary hearing, if not a new trial, based on newly discovered evidence.

Green was sentenced to life in prison after Demery pleaded guilty and testified against him, saying Green fired the shot that killed Jordan on July 23, 1993, while he was napping in his car along U.S. 74.

In documents filed April 4, Green’s attorneys say Demery has confessed to killing Jordan, that the lead juror in the trial conducted her own investigation of the case and that an expert’s testimony about blood at the murder scene was overstated. The April 4 filing is a supplement to a 2015 motion seeking a new trial for Green.

Among the newly discovered evidence cited in the April 4 motion is an affidavit from Connee Brayboy, former editor of the now-defunct Carolina Indian Voice newspaper, who says Demery confessed to her during an interview that he killed Jordan because he had witnessed a drug deal. Furthermore, Brayboy stated Demery told her Jordan was shot outside of his vehicle, not in it, where State Bureau of Investigation serologist Jennifer Elwell testified she had found blood, corroborating Demery’s account of the murder.

The motion also states that the jury forewoman, Paula Locklear, conducted her own investigation of the case, violating a judge’s orders.

According to the motion, Locklear visited the South Carolina swamp where the 56-year-old Jordan’s body was found, and “came to believe that Mr. Jordan had in fact been alive when his body was placed in the creek” — a different theory from what prosecutors presented and the jury ultimately affirmed by finding Green guilty.

Green’s attorneys also cast doubt on Elwell’s original testimony, saying additional tests yielding inconclusive and negative results were not disclosed and that Elwell was ordered to destroy blood evidence relating to the case.

Once the state’s response is filed, Superior Court Judge Frank Floyd will decide whether or not to hold an evidentiary hearing or trial.

Reach Sarah Willets at 910-816-1974 and follow her on Twitter @Sarah_Willets.

Green

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Daniel_Green_a.jpgGreen

ROCKINGHAM — Award-winning journalist William R. Toler has been named interim editor of the Richmond County Daily Journal effective today.

Toler, the newspaper’s government and public safety reporter, will lead the newsroom until a new editor is selected to replace Corey Friedman, who stepped down to become editor of The Wilson Times. His last day was Friday.

“I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” Toler said. “It’s not often someone has a younger mentor, but I’ve been learning from Corey for more than a decade. He’s done a great job in helping to improve the paper and bring news to the residents of Richmond County, and I’m going to do my best to keep the ball rolling.”

Toler joined the Daily Journal staff in June 2014 following a six-year career as a production assistant and video editor with WCTI NewsChannel 12 in New Bern. He previously worked as a reporter at a weekly newspaper and features editor at an alternative biweekly he co-founded with Friedman.

In March, the Daily Journal was honored with 12 awards in the North Carolina Press Association and The Associated Press’ annual journalism contests, including the N.C. Bar Association’s prestigious Media and the Law Award.

Friedman was hired as the Daily Journal’s editor in May 2014. He led the newspaper through a redesign and ramped up its online presence. During his tenure, the daily audience on YourDailyJournal.com increased by more than 80 percent.

“This is a small paper that does big things, and everyone on staff deserves a share of the credit,” Friedman said. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this fine group of journalists. I will remember the Daily Journal and the community of Richmond County with fondness and affection. Everyone I dealt with welcomed me and made me feel at home.”

In his role as interim editor, Toler will handle story submissions, requests for coverage, letters to the editor, corrections and community concerns. Reach him at 910-817-2675 and wtoler@civitasmedia.com.

Toler

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_mymug.jpgToler

ROCKINGHAM — More jobs are coming to Richmond County after a Wisconsin-based company chose to expand its operations, according to company and county officials.

Construction has already begun on a new facility at the Airport Road site for North Carolina Industrial Sand, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Flint Group.

“After an exhaustive search for a location to expand our business, Red Flint Group is pleased to have found a home in Richmond County,” Cyrus W. Ingraham, executive vice president, said in a statement. “Part of the reason for selecting Richmond County was due to the support of the local county officials and the community. We look forward to to becoming a valuable contributor to the success of the area.”

The parent company, headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was founded in 1917 and produces sand and gravel products utilized mainly for water filtration, according to its website. Industrial sand is used for the removal of heavy rust, epoxy paints, concrete, mill scale rust and paint from steel surfaces.

“We welcome North Carolina Industrial Sand to Richmond County and look forward to the construction of their new facility on Airport Road,” Kenneth Robinette, chairman of the board of commissioners, said in a statement. “We thank Red Flint and CSX for creating a partnership that helped bring this new business to our county.”

Commissioner Ben Moss said that in addition to the direct jobs provided, the new plant brings the potential of more opportunities for the sand-mining industry and additional trains for CSX’s Hamlet operation.

“It has the potential to provide a major positive impact on Richmond County and we are glad they decided to locate here,” he said in a statement.

Company officials have not yet said how many workers they plan to hire, what the average wage will be or when they plan to be operational.

Richmond County Economic Development, CSX and Richmond Community College are also credited in the announcement.

This is the fourth economic development announcement and the second new business to make a home in Richmond County this year.

Plastek announced in January that it would invest $2.5 million and hire 23 new employees to expand its facility on County Home Road. The following month, Perdue Foods declared its intent to invest $10.9 million and hire 30 new workers over the next three years at its chicken processing plant in Rockingham.

Last month, RSI Home Products held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 300,000 square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in the Richmond County Industrial Park. The cabinet maker, which also has a site in Lincoln County, is set to hire 175 employees and expects to open this fall.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal North Carolina Industrial Sand will open a facility at this location on Airport Road, according to company and county officials. This is the second company to announce a new plant in Richmond County in 2016.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_NCIndustrialsand.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal North Carolina Industrial Sand will open a facility at this location on Airport Road, according to company and county officials. This is the second company to announce a new plant in Richmond County in 2016.

ROCKINGHAM — A man wanted in connection with a shooting last weekend has been apprehended.

James Ronnie Tyler, 23, was picked up by Richmond County sheriff’s deputies Sunday at 146 Stroman Rd. in Marston and served warrants by a Rockingham Police Department detective, officers say. The arrest was made without incident.

Tyler is accused of shooting Harold Brewington Jr. around 7:30 the evening of April 23 during a party at a Marshall Avenue home. Several children were present at the party and released to their parents as officers investigated the scene.

Brewington, 27, was shot three times, sustaining wounds to his chest and hip, with a .32-caliber revolver, according to police. He was initially taken to FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital and later airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, but was later released.

Tyler, who detectives thought might have left the state, is charged with one felony count each of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, as well as a count of discharging a firearm within city limits.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction, Tyler was given probation and a 12-month suspended sentence in January after being convicted on one misdemeanor count each of larceny and attempted breaking and entering of motor vehicles.

In addition to the shooting charges, he is also charged with a parole violation. Tyler is currently in the Richmond County Jail under a $1,025,000 secured bond.

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

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham police Detective George Gillenwater speaks with Maj. Eddie Grant at the scene of an April 23 shooting on Marshall Avenue. The suspect, James Tyler, was arrested Sunday in Marston.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_shootingApril23_gillenwatergrant.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Rockingham police Detective George Gillenwater speaks with Maj. Eddie Grant at the scene of an April 23 shooting on Marshall Avenue. The suspect, James Tyler, was arrested Sunday in Marston.

Tyler

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_JAMES-RONNIE-TYLER.jpgTyler

ROCKINGHAM — Two men are in jail following a March 19 shooting spree in the Little Philadelphia community.

Richmond County sheriff’s deputies arrested 22-year-old Winford Thomas Dawkins Jr. and 18-year-old Marion Devonte Ellerbe last week on multiple property damage charges. The two are also accused of trying to kill another man.

According to arrest warrants, Dawkins and Ellerbe shot Brandon Montez Ratliff with an assault rifle firing 7.62 mm rounds, seriously injuring him.

Deputies say the pair also shot: one hole through the siding of a mobile home on Nika Street; one hole into the right rear taillight of a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu; two holes through the siding of a mobile home on Philadelphia Drive; three holes into a wooden privacy fence and two holes into a home, breaking a dresser mirror, on A Street; a hole through the roof of a 2012 Ford Focus; and two holes through the windshield and one hole in the roof of a 2004 Ford Expedition.

They are also accused of shooting three times through a storage building and into a home on Jess Drive that was occupied by three adults and five children. The homes on Philadelphia Drive and A Street were also occupied when the shooting occurred, warrants show.

Dawkins and Ellerbe were arrested last Thursday and each charged with: a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury; three felony counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied property; four misdemeanor counts of injury to personal property and three felony counts of injury to real property.

They were each booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $1 million secured bond and are scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Online court records show Dawkins has a scheduled court appearance for May 16 in Guilford County on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and a traffic citation for failing to heed a light or siren.

Dawkins was convicted April 5 on two felony counts of delivering or selling a Schedule II controlled substance, according to records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction. He was given a suspended sentence and 12 months of probation.

His first conviction was on a single count of misdemeanor breaking and entering in 2012. The following year he was convicted of use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Records show Ellerbe was given probation and a suspended sentence last July when he was convicted on one misdemeanor count each of breaking and entering and possession of marijuana.

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

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

Dawkins

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_WINFORD-THOMAS-DAWKINS-3.jpgDawkins

Ellerbe

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_MARION-DEVONTE-ELLERBE-3.jpgEllerbe

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_dawkinsellerbedbl-2.jpg

ELLERBE — Damon Talley was working late Saturday evening when he got a phone call from his wife, saying that their yard was flooded.

He rushed home as water was flowing through Bells Creek Lane and across Fire Tower Road north of Ellerbe. Despite firemen trying to stop him, Talley said he ignored them and went to check on his family.

Richmond County Emergency Management Director Donna Wright said the call reporting water flowing across the road came in about 8:05 that night.

According to Wright, the dam on a 9-acre private pond — located between Crawford and Substation roads — used for irrigating farmland failed. Richmond County GIS shows the property is owned by William H. McRae of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

“The hardest part was trying to figure out where the water was coming from,” Wright said Monday. “Unless someone witnesses the actual break, it’s hard to figure out where it’s coming from.”

She added that the familiarity of the area by members of the Ellerbe Fire Department was instrumental in determining the source of the flooding.

“We were checking aerials on our phones to try to figure out where it was,” she said.

Ronnie McLaughlin, deputy chief of the Ellerbe Fire Department, said at the scene that the pond was about a mile away from Fire Tower Road. The water flowed from that pond into Bells Creek and into another pond — located just to the east of Bells Creek Lane — overflowing its banks before crossing the road.

Wright said no one was injured but there was some damage done to several driveways, which were being worked on Monday.

Crews from the N.C. Department of Transportation closed Fire Tower Road around midnight at the intersections with Pressley Rankin Highway on the south end and Haywood Parker Road to the north, but Wright said the road was reopened the following day.

A telephone message to Bradley Cole of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality was not returned in time for this story.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Water from a pond about a mile away flows across Fire Tower Road, north of Ellerbe, more than two hours after a dam failed Saturday night.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_EllerbeRoadflood.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Water from a pond about a mile away flows across Fire Tower Road, north of Ellerbe, more than two hours after a dam failed Saturday night.

HAMLET — A fallen fireman is being honored more than 45 years following his death.

Joe Thomas Sowell will be one of eight firefighters who died in the line of duty inducted by the N.C. Fallen Fallen Firefighters Foundation at its 11th annual memorial service in Raleigh on Saturday.

Sowell was only 38 eight years old when he suffered a major heart attack at the wheel of a pumper after returning from a midday fire on Buttercup Drive on May 14, 1969, according to an old Daily Journal article. He later died at Hamlet Hospital.

“I’ve never forgotten that day,” said Sowell’s widow, Peggy Harrington, who was a nursing instructor at the time. “You don’t forget stuff like that. It sticks with you.”

The article goes on to read that Sowell was “said to have been the spirit of the department, along with his cooking duties for the socials which he always seemed to take pride.”

According to his obituary, Sowell was born in Hamlet in 1930, was an employee of the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, a Korean War veteran and a member and past master of the Hamlet Masonic Lodge.

Then-Fire Chief Charles Utter told the Daily Journal that Sowell would “always be remembered by his colleagues as a fireman that never failed in his call to duty.”

Harrington said her late husband would sometimes leave his job at the railroad to go to the fire station if he felt that’s where he needed to be.

“He was that dedicated to the fire department,” she said.

Current Chief Calvin White said that Sowell’s death was not considered a line-of-duty death at the time, but qualifies by today’s standards.

According to the criteria for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a line-of-duty death may include those “directly resulting from a cardiovascular event that occurs immediately after, or within 24 hours of, returning from an emergency response or being engaged in a department-mandated physical exercise or training activity.”

“It’s changed a lot since those days,” White said, adding that Sowell is the only Hamlet fireman to die in the line of duty.

White said he didn’t know Sowell personally, since he joined the department in 1975.

The Hamlet Fire Department recently memorialized Sowell at the station with a framed photo and a plaque hanging on the wall.

“The new people coming in, they now know who he was,” White said.

“When you look at his young face and you realized he passed away…it can happen to anybody,” he added. “Firefighting is very strenuous work. We want everyone to know, it doesn’t matter how long ago or how recent it was, firefighters at this department will never be forgotten for their contributions to this city.”

On Monday, the chief presented a similar plaque to Harrington at the station.

In addition to Harrington and her children — son Thomas Alan and daughter Kathryn — a delegation from the Hamlet Fire Department will be at the memorial service. Firemen are currently fixing the truck Sowell drove to be part of the parade.

Bryan Carter and Stewart Niemyer have been working on the open-cab truck for about a month, replacing six tires and attaching new decals. They also had the seats re-covered and the radiator re-coiled.

“It’s an honor for us to be a part of it,” White said.

Of the other inductees for 2016, Sowell is one of two whose death wasn’t recent. Robert Young from the Winston-Salem Fire Department died in 1918. The remaining honorees died between March and December of last year.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal
Bryan Carter, right, and Stewart Niemyer work on preparing an old Hamlet fire truck for a parade in Raleigh to honor fallen firefighters on Saturday. Joe Thomas Sowell, a Hamlet fireman who suffered at heart attack and died after responding to a fire in 1969, is one of eight of this year’s honorees.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Hamlet_oldfiretruck-1.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal
Bryan Carter, right, and Stewart Niemyer work on preparing an old Hamlet fire truck for a parade in Raleigh to honor fallen firefighters on Saturday. Joe Thomas Sowell, a Hamlet fireman who suffered at heart attack and died after responding to a fire in 1969, is one of eight of this year’s honorees.

Joe Thomas Sowell was said to have been very dedicated to the Hamlet Fire Department.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Hamlet_firememorial-1.jpgJoe Thomas Sowell was said to have been very dedicated to the Hamlet Fire Department.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal
Hamlet Fire Chief Calvin White presents a memorial plaque, similar to the one hanging under Sowell’s picture at the station to Sowell’s widow, Peggy Harrington on Monday.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Hamlet_firemanplaque-1.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal
Hamlet Fire Chief Calvin White presents a memorial plaque, similar to the one hanging under Sowell’s picture at the station to Sowell’s widow, Peggy Harrington on Monday.

ELLERBE — With spring in full swing, another festival is around the corner.

The Mineral Springs Improvement Council is in the final stages of planning Mayfest, scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. on May 14 in a clearing at 122 Railroad Street.

The springtime festival, now in its fourth year, is an annual fundraiser to support the council’s afterschool and summer enrichment programs, according to Barbara Moton.

She said the council recently purchased new computers for the programs and “the kids love them.”

“Some of them have homework they need a computer for,” she said.

The computers have reading and math games to help reinforce the skills the children learn at school and volunteers also help the students with their handwriting.

Moton said this year’s Mayfest will have several churches selling food, art, craft and jewelry vendors, yard sale items and blood pressure tests, in addition to a trackless train ride.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Ellerbe Fire Department will also be set up. Last year, a deputy handed out coloring books on public safety and had a display that showed the similarities between pills and candy, while firemen let kids explore a firetruck.

Several county commissioners and candidates have committed to being at Mayfest and will help out with some of the games, Moton said.

Music is also a major aspect of the small-town festival, with performances slated by Curtis Brewington, Ray Charles and a gospel rapper.

For more information, visit the Ellerbe Mayfest page on Facebook or call Moton at 910-206-6820.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal file photo Anthony Townsend grills up several racks of barbecued pork ribs for The Church of God of Rockingham at last year’s Mayfest in Ellerbe.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_mayfest_ribs.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal file photo Anthony Townsend grills up several racks of barbecued pork ribs for The Church of God of Rockingham at last year’s Mayfest in Ellerbe.

The Richmond County Chamber of Commerce was honored last week as the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives recognized the 2016 Communication Excellence Awards at their Staff Leadership Development Conference at the Ocean Drive Beach Resort in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Thursday, April 28.

The Communication Excellence Awards recognize outstanding communications efforts by chambers of commerce in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Chamber President Emily Tucker and Chamber Communications/Membership Director Seth Allen were on hand to accept the “Member of the Day” award in the electronic category.

Entries were judged based on originality, design and quality and results achieved. The entries reflected communication efforts taken or completed during the past 18 months.

Contributed photo Richmond County Chamber of Commerce President Emily Tucker and Communications/Membership Director Seth Allen accepted the “Member of the Day” award in the electronic category during the Communication Excellence Awards in North Myrtle Beach last week.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Chamber.jpgContributed photo Richmond County Chamber of Commerce President Emily Tucker and Communications/Membership Director Seth Allen accepted the “Member of the Day” award in the electronic category during the Communication Excellence Awards in North Myrtle Beach last week.

ROCKINGHAM — Too Much Sylvia will take the stage Thursday night in the first installment of the city’s 2016 Plaza Jam series — now in its 13th year — which runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month from May to October.

Plaza Jam coordinator Kim Williams said the band has performed in Rockingham as part of the series since 2010, making this the group’s sixth year performing in downtown Rockingham.

Too Much Sylvia performs 100 nights a year, according to its website, and 2016 marks the 25th year for the band. Members will surpass playing 2,500 shows this year. Developing a loyal following of “Mama’s Kids” as the fans are called, the band draws a solid crowd in the Carolinas.

The band’s setlist features a variety of music styles, ranging from a few “unplugged” tunes, some beach music, Motown, funky ’70s, retro ’80s, a few of the top current hits and some country.

Last November at The Alabama Theater in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Carolina Beach Music Association awarded Too Much Sylvia with its third Cammy for “Collaboration of the Year.” In 2014, and from the same “2MS” CD, “Stepped Right Outta My Dream” won two Cammys for “Song and Smoothie of the Year.”

The band consists of Rick Lee on keyboards and vocals, Steve Long on guitar and vocals, Eddy Howie on bass guitar and vocals and Don Leonard on drums.

Williams said the local AMVETS chapter will again provide food for the festivities, and the city is asking concert-goers to bring canned good items to help support Our Daily Bread — a local food ministry. Collection boxes will be located at the AMVETS food trailer and the Plaza Jam T-shirt tent.

The rest of this year’s lineup will be Jim Quick and Coastline on June 2, The Embers featuring Craig Woolard on July 7, Summerdaze Band on Aug. 4, Band of Oz on Sept. 1 and The Tams on Oct. 6.

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674 and follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson.

Matt Harrelson | Daily Journal Too Much Sylvia will take the Plaza Jam stage Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to begin the 2016 series in downtown Rockingham.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Plaza-Jam-2.jpgMatt Harrelson | Daily Journal Too Much Sylvia will take the Plaza Jam stage Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to begin the 2016 series in downtown Rockingham.

ROCKINGHAM — Prepping for a barbecue sale is nothing to oink at.

A team of volunteers fired up the grills around 7:30 Wednesday morning to cook up a batch of barbecue ahead of Friday’s fundraiser for the Rockingham Rescue Squad.

“We had one big grill going and two small ones,” Jimmy Stricklin, of the Sandhill Boys BBQ Cooking Team, said about the first step — cooking 1,000 pounds of Boston butts.

The meat then moved to the second stage in the assembly line — inside the Quanset Hut at the East Rockingham Fire Department — where the bones and skin were removed. In the third stage came the mincing and chopping, then a cool down in stage four.

“While all that’s going on, he’s over here mixing his sauce,” Ed Ramsey, who is on the board of directors for the rescue squad, said of Stricklin.

“The secret is in the sauce,” Stricklin quickly added.

The sauce was then dumped from a small bucket over several pounds of chopped barbecue and the finished product was loaded into 5-gallon buckets.

When they finally finished up around 3:45 p.m., they had 16 buckets of barbecue, that will be stored until their contents are ready to be sold.

Scott Waters, the squad’s volunteer chief, said chickens donated by Perdue will begin cooking late Thursday night.

Waters, who is also the Hamlet Police Chief, joined the rescue squad in June of 1989 and was appointed chief by the board of directors on Sept. 11, 2001.

“We solely depend on fundraisers and donations to operate,” he said. Barbecue sales are held once a year to help supplement the $12,000 allotted by the county.

He added that the all-volunteer squad is also a partnering agency with the United Way.

Although the Boston butts were purchased, Waters said that a lot of the other food and supplies are donated by squad members, board members and others in the community “to help make a good profit” and offset the costs.

Money raised from the sale will go toward new equipment and medical supplies. Last year, the squad was awarded a $13,000 matching grant from the N.C. Department of Insurance for new extrication equipment.

The sale will be held at the Rockingham Rescue No. 2 station on Rockingham Road starting at 11 a.m. on Friday. In addition to chicken and barbecue, plates will include cole slaw, baked beans, a roll and a Little Debbie oatmeal cake.

The cost is $7 per plate for dine-in or take-out. Five or more plates will be delivered. For more information, call 910-895-9516.

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

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Jimmy Stricklin, of the Sandhill Boys BBQ Cooking Team, pours a bucket of sauce onto chopped barbecue to be mixed in for the Rockingham Rescue Squad fundraiser on Friday.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_rescuebbq_sauce-1.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Jimmy Stricklin, of the Sandhill Boys BBQ Cooking Team, pours a bucket of sauce onto chopped barbecue to be mixed in for the Rockingham Rescue Squad fundraiser on Friday.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Robert Singletary places already mixed barbecue into a 5-gallon bucket.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_rescuebbq_bucket-1.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Robert Singletary places already mixed barbecue into a 5-gallon bucket.

HAMLET — Richmond Raider seniors could be finding themselves throwing their graduation caps into a well-lit sky instead of at night.

Ruth Burgin, professional development coordinator for Richmond County Schools, spoke to the Board of Education during its monthly meeting Tuesday night about a plan and process of gathering input from stakeholders regarding the possibility of changing Richmond Senior High School’s graduation from Friday evening to Saturday morning beginning with the class of 2017.

Back in January, Superintendent Dr. Cindy Goodman met with the School Improvement Team at Richmond Senior to get their input on next year’s school calendar, said Burgin, and during that conversation the team asked Goodman to consider moving graduation from Friday nights to Saturday mornings.

“So we began exploring the reasons to consider such a change,” Burgin said. “One advantage for having graduation on Saturday morning is the weather. It would be cooler at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning versus 8 o’clock in the evening.”

She added that thunderstorms and rain showers are more prevalent in the evening, and since storms are less likely in the morning, a move to Saturday would take away some of that inclement weather threat.

“You may remember, in the recent past, the sky had to be monitored during the actual ceremony for possible thunder clouds,” Burgin said. “And one year, the valedictorian and salutatorian were unable to make their speeches due to the threat of severe weather conditions.”

Second on the list for reasons to make a change was safety. Surrounding counties Anson, Montgomery, Moore and Scotland have already gone to a Saturday morning graduation, with at least one district doing so because of poor behavior of the guests on Friday nights.

“While behavior is not an issue for us, safety is still a factor,” she said. “Many students go to the beach after graduation, and traffic on Saturday mornings would be safer for our students.”

The last reason for considering this change, Burgin went on to say, would be convenience for the families of students, as well as their out-of-town guests.

“Many family members travel to Richmond County to attend graduation. They leave after work on Friday afternoon and hurry to come to Richmond County for graduation, and with a change these out-of-town guests can travel on Friday and be here for the Saturday morning graduation,” Burgin said. “Graduation dinners and parties can be held on Friday nights, and family members would be here on Saturday morning for a graduation ceremony.”

However, Burgin was quick to add that there is still an advantage to holding Richmond Senior’s graduation on Friday nights — tradition.

“We have always graduated our seniors at the high school on Friday night, and the fireworks have become a wonderful tradition, and they have added a lot to the ceremonies for many years,” she said. “But graduation is a very important milestone for our students and their families, and we do not want to make this change without their input. We do not want to make the change unless we hear that a great percentage of parents approve moving graduation to Saturday morning.”

Burgin said Goodman surveyed the Teacher Advisory Council, and the teachers at Richmond Senior will be polled this week on what their preference would be. Also, a telephone survey will be conducted through the system’s School Connect Portal with the parents of current 9th-, 10th- and 11th-grade students before the school year is over.

“And if 51 percent respond that they would agree with changing, we would not make a change,” said Burgin. “We would need much more approval from our stakeholders to make a change in graduation.”

Board member Ronald Tillman agreed about the importance of getting the opinions of all those involved who will be affected by such a change.

Fellow board member Dr. Irene Aiken — although unaware a change was being contemplated — said she was glad it was being considered. As a parent of a student who will graduate in four years, Aiken added that Burgin had made excellent points for a possible change.

“We realize that the graduation is for the parents and the students,” Burgin said, “so we need to hear from them.”

Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674 and follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson.

William R. Toler | Daily Journal Richmond Raider seniors could be graduating on Saturday mornings starting next year after a survey is conducted with teachers, administrators and parents before this year’s school year is over.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_grad_cropp.jpgWilliam R. Toler | Daily Journal Richmond Raider seniors could be graduating on Saturday mornings starting next year after a survey is conducted with teachers, administrators and parents before this year’s school year is over.

WADESBORO — The iconic work shed from the classic horror movie “Evil Dead II” has been saved, thanks to a West Virginia fan.

Mike Pasquale made the trip to Wadesboro last month from his home in Weirton, West Virginia — just outside of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania — to save the shed.

Pasquale documented the adventure he called “Operation: Evil Dead Uproot” on his website, EvilDeadWorkshed.com.

The cabin from the movie had completely collapsed, and the shed was also in bad condition, Pasquale said.

THE PROCESS

Pasquale first contacted the property owner, who prefers not to be named, in 2011, hoping for a few pieces of the work shed for his movie collection. He saw a documentary on the cabin and called the Hampton B. Allen Library looking for information on the property owner. A librarian couldn’t help him, but said that she and another librarian had been extras in the 1987 movie.

He then called Wadesboro Mayor Bill Thacker, who said that his son had been involved in working on the set for a high school project. Thacker’s son gave him general information on the property owner and, after further hunting, Pasquale contacted him and was granted an invitation to visit the site. Pasquale wasn’t able to make the trip until this year, when he learned that the property owner had plans to bring in a logging company to cut down trees near the site of the shed.

Pasquale was given permission to take what he could from the property, and set his sights on work shed.

Pasquale and his friend, Scott Himmel, made it to the property on April 1 and 2. Both the shed and cabin were built specifically for the movie, which was filmed in the mid-1980s, and both had suffered heavily from storm damage. The cabin was completely collapsed, while the shed was upright but delicate.

The two rented a 24-foot truck to haul the work shed. Each piece of the building was carefully labeled before it was disassembled. Pasquale detailed the entire list of items he recovered from the site on his website, including everything from window glass and coal rocks to door frames and 55-gallon drums.

Everything from the work shed now rests in the basement of Pasquale’s home, where he began the reconstruction process this week. The shed is 11 feet long, nine feet wide and 13 feet tall at its peak.

“It’s all here, all saved, all set up to be displayed,” Pasquale said. “There is nothing left at the “Evil Dead” cabin site that’s worth looking at.”

While some wood was rotted and unusable, Pasquale said he took the bulk of the building with him.

“Everything that was recognizable on camera is in my basement,” he said.

While in Wadesboro, Pasquale also stopped by the old J.R. Faison gym. In the movie, the exterior shots were filmed at the site where the shed and cabin stood. The interior scenes were filmed in the gym with set pieces. Pasquale hoped to rescue items from the gym, but said it was filled with trash and that there was nothing he could find from the movie.

“I couldn’t find anything,” he said. “It was a disaster.”

Pasquale made a second trip to North Carolina at the end of April when he was contacted by a man in Norwood who had visited the site earlier and had the front door of the cabin, which Pasquale described as “the most sought-after piece.” Pasquale was also able to purchase the other pieces of the shed from him.

FAN REACTION

Pasquale wants to take the work shed from his basement to the movie’s fans. He plans to put the rebuilt cabin on a trailer so it can be taken to conventions. He already has four lined up for this year, and has an interview scheduled with Bruce Campbell, the movie’s star, in August.

“A filmmaker, a big fan, came from Tennessee and set up a studio in my basement and filmed everything,” Pasquale said. “He’s filming a documentary called ‘Evil Dead Uproot.’ He got ahold of agents who are related to actors in the movie.”

The interview with Campbell will be sometime during a festival in Chicago on Aug. 19-21, though the exact date has not yet been set. It will be at either the Wizard World or Bruce Campbell Horror Fest event.

There will be no charge for fans to see the work shed. He plans to make his revenue through selling replicas of chainsaws from the movie, as well as raffle tickets for lucky fans to try for a chainsaw replica.

“I’m not making a profit off of the exhibit, just taking the chainsaws with it,” Pasquale said. “The whole thing about it is that this project is going to bring money. You’ve got to spend money to make money.”

Fans of the movie from as far as Brazil and Denmark have contacted Pasquale since he announced the project on his website.

“Oh my god, it hasn’t stopped,” he said. “It’s all positive. Nothing negative.”

Several have even thanked him.

“People are thrilled that it’s actually saved and that they can see it for the first time ever,” he said.

Some left comments on his website.

“This is so important that Mike has gone to the huge task of preserving what’s left of the decaying site to keep it for future viewing so that new and old fans of ‘Evil Dead’ know it’s destined to last for many more decades,” one wrote. “It was sure to perish without a trace unless Mike intervened with a rescue plan; thanks so much, Mike.”

“Absolutely amazing stuff,” Liam Daniel Robinson wrote. “Thank you so much, Mike, for rescuing the cabin and work shed from destruction. I’m surprised to see how well some of the structure has stayed up after all these years, so groovy.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Pasquale funded the project out of his own money and a donation from a customer from his website. He spent about $100 staying at the Executive Inn in Wadesboro, $50-60 on food, $200 for tools, $120 for a rental car, $472 for the 24-foot moving truck, more than $100 in fuel for the truck and more than $150 in gas for the car for the two trips to North Carolina. He has also put more than $800 into restoring the work shed, purchasing brackets and other pieces to rebuild it.

When he first announced his plan to recover the shed and cart it to conventions around the country, Pasquale said friends and family didn’t criticize him.

“They were not surprised, because they know how big of a fan I am,” he said. “People just laugh and shake their head and say, ‘Geez, you’re obsessed.’”

While Pasquale’s stepdaughter likes the movie, he said she is not allowed to watch it due to her young age. Pasquale’s wife, on the other hand, is not a fan.

“My wife was like, ‘Oh, geez, more stuff around the house,’ but as long as I spend time with her, she was okay with it,” he laughed.

Pasquale works two jobs and operates EvilDeadWorkshed.com, where he sells his replica chainsaws, as a side business. He began a Kickstarter campaign to try to raise funds to purchase a 16-foot enclosed trailer for the work shed so that it can travel to conventions. As of Monday evening, he had raised $315 of his $6,000 goal. Some of the money came from pledges of $20 or more, for which Pasquale promises a piece of coal from the site, or $100 or more, which promises a piece of coal, a piece of cabin flooring, glass shards from the cabin windows and more. A movie chainsaw and clock replica, plus the other rewards, are promised to the person who donates at least $1,000.

“If I don’t get the money, I’ll buy the trailer myself,” he said. “I’m not worried, just trying to get a little bit of help. It will still go forward, no matter what. I’ve got that interview with Bruce Campbell, and I’m not missing that.”

Pasquale said he isn’t sure whether Campbell will look at the work shed, which he plans to bring with him to the convention and interview, but said that the prize is a key item from a movie that helped launch Campbell’s career and get him to where he is today.

A sign left at the site of the cabin and work shed explains that the cabin was removed and gives the name of Pasquale’s website.

A small postscript left for Campbell and director Sam Raimi reads, “P.S. To Bruce and Sam — Don’t be mad.”

To learn more about the work shed restoration or Pasquale’s chainsaw replicas, visit www.EvilDeadWorkshed.com or contact Pasquale at mikepasquale1@gmail.com.

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

Photo courtesy of Mike Pasquale Before taking the work shed down, Mike Pasquale and Scott Himmel labeled each piece so that Pasquale can keep them in order for reassembly.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Evil-Dead-workshed-2-fz.jpgPhoto courtesy of Mike Pasquale Before taking the work shed down, Mike Pasquale and Scott Himmel labeled each piece so that Pasquale can keep them in order for reassembly.

Photo courtesy of Mike Pasquale The work shed was still standing but delicate when Pasquale began taking it apart.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Evil-Dead-workshed-3-fz.jpgPhoto courtesy of Mike Pasquale The work shed was still standing but delicate when Pasquale began taking it apart.

Photo courtesy of Mike Pasquale Mike Pasquale, pictured, sits on the roof of the collapsed cabin from a filming site of “Evil Dead 2.” In the background stood the work shed from the movie. The shed was taken apart and is now in Pasquale’s basement waiting to be reassembled.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Evil-Dead-workshed-fz.jpgPhoto courtesy of Mike Pasquale Mike Pasquale, pictured, sits on the roof of the collapsed cabin from a filming site of “Evil Dead 2.” In the background stood the work shed from the movie. The shed was taken apart and is now in Pasquale’s basement waiting to be reassembled.

Hamlet — Richmond Community College student Jacob Newton of Hamlet received the Academic Excellence Award for 2016.

The Academic Excellence Award is designed to recognize the outstanding academic achievements of students in the community college system.

Newton, a shy homeschooled student, enrolled at RichmondCC in fall 2014.

“When I first came to Richmond Community College, my future felt uncertain. I was reluctant to return to a classroom setting after being homeschooled and self-taught for more than five years,” Newton, 20, said. “I wasn’t sure how well I’d do, and I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my abilities. I didn’t know what classes to take or what to work toward.”

Counselors and college advisors helped this directionless young man define his educational path, and he has since completed an Associate in Arts degree and is working toward completing the Therapeutic and Diagnostic Services program.

Newton has been enrolled at RichmondCC for five semesters, and he has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average each semester.

“I’m taking 21 credit hours and tutoring 20 hours per week in the Academic Success Center,” Newton said. “I didn’t expect to do so well in any aspect of my life, but now I realize that the only thing standing in my way was my own expectation that I would fail. Once my drive to succeed overtook my fear of failure, nothing could stand in my way.”

Newton’s plans to pursue a career in healthcare. His goal is to become a pediatrician because he really enjoys working with children.

“I love helping people and I can’t imagine anything more enjoyable and fulfilling than doing so for a living,” he said.

“I understand that not everyone has the same chances that I’ve had. But that’s why it’s even more important to use what you’ve been given as best as you can,” Newton added. “I’ve worked hard to make sure that my opportunity to better myself doesn’t go to waste, and I hope someday I can inspire others to do the same.”

Courtesy photo Jacob Newton of Hamlet received the Academic Excellence Award for 2016 at Richmond Community College.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_rccaward.jpgCourtesy photo Jacob Newton of Hamlet received the Academic Excellence Award for 2016 at Richmond Community College.

Hamlet — Dr. Dale McInnis informed the Richmond Community College Board of Trustees that 361 students would be graduating on Saturday, May 14, during commencement exercises at the Cole Auditorium.

To accommodate this record number of graduates and their families, the College will hold two graduation ceremonies. A morning ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., and an afternoon ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

“While our student enrollment has grown, completion is what we are really striving for,” McInnis, president of RichmondCC, said. “We have put a lot of emphasis on student retention, and the growing number of students graduating is a clear indication that we are making progress keeping students on track to complete their degree, diploma or certificate.”

The number of graduates for this spring increased by 15 percent from last year and has nearly doubled from seven years ago when the College had 184 graduates.

“We know this is an important day for our students and their families, so we had no choice but to split graduation into two ceremonies to accommodate graduates and their guests,” McInnis said.

At its monthly meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Trustees also received a report on the increase in summer enrollment.

“We have more students registered for summer classes than last year, and we still have three more weeks before classes start on May 23,” McInnis said. “We encourage university students coming home for the summer to take advantage of the many transferable classes they can complete at RichmondCC this summer and earn college credits at an affordable cost.”

In Other News

• The $7.22 million that RichmondCC will receive from the Connect NC Bond will not become available from the state until August. In the meantime, the College is exploring architect firms to

lead the facility improvement projects that will be funded by the bond money. McInnis said construction would most likely begin late summer or early fall 2017.

• The RichmondCC Guarantee Celebration and Open House attracted a large crowd to the College last Thursday, and College staff helped nearly 100 RichmondCC Guarantee qualifiers begin the financial aid process that is required to receive the two years of free college.

• The Board received a report on the five-year technology plan that will ensure the technical needs of the college are up-to-date and satisfactory.

Courtesy photo Arrion McNair, winner of a 55-inch television raffled off during the RichmondCC Guarantee Celebration and Open House is one of the graduating high school seniors who is on track to receive the RichmondCC Guarantee.

http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_rcctvwinner.jpgCourtesy photo Arrion McNair, winner of a 55-inch television raffled off during the RichmondCC Guarantee Celebration and Open House is one of the graduating high school seniors who is on track to receive the RichmondCC Guarantee.