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WILSON’S LOCAL PRINT AND DIGITAL COMMUNITY INSTITUTION SINCE 1896

‘Virus is so unpredictable’: Wilson Mayor Carlton Stevens describes his own COVID-19 battle

Releatha Bellamy Marrow was nearing the end of a 14-day quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure when her fever started to spike at night. When she went to the emergency room, she started …

This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

39 people, including 5 Spring Arbor residents, test positive for virus

Wilson County added 39 newly confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, a decrease from the day prior. New patients include five Spring Arbor residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to …

A GCL New Energy solar farm in Wilson is shown. Wilson Energy officials say residents should crunch the numbers before purchasing home solar power systems to ensure consumer expectations are realistic.

Wilson Energy urges research before investing in solar power

While solar panels can be a good investment for the environment, Wilson Energy is urging customers to verify cost saving claims before signing on the dotted line. “We do not sell solar …

Wilson chamber to consider tweaks to policy agenda

For five years, the Wilson Chamber of Commerce’s policy agenda has helped staff convey local business needs to politicians. “Before 2015, we didn’t have a coherent …

Bond reduction denied in arrest connected to Cannon Hinnant's death

A Wilson County judge denied a request to reduce bond for a woman facing an accessory charge in connection with 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant’s murder. Records show 21-year-old Aolani …

Wilson County Board of Elections Chairman Chip Futrell, right, speaks to members Wanda Davis and George Leach during a Tuesday night meeting about a protest by N.C. Supreme Court chief justice candidate Cheri Beasley.

Wilson hearing scheduled for NC chief justice election protest

The Wilson County Board of Elections will reconsider 51 rejected ballots in a Monday hearing spurred by an election protest in the tight race for state chief justice. Incumbent Cheri Beasley filed …

Maj. Miste Strickland and Capt. Brandon Jenkins of the Nash County Sheriff’s Office decorate a patrol SUV in honor of fallen Deputy Jared Allison, who died in an on-duty crash Thanksgiving Day and is set to be buried Friday.

Friday funeral planned for fallen Nash deputy

NASHVILLE — The Nash County Sheriff’s Office has announced funeral arrangements for a deputy who died in a Thanksgiving Day crash. Jared Michael Allison, 26, died Tuesday from injuries …

Manual Physical Therapy owner Kelly Vitale has lit up her home at 7952 Bridgeview Road south of Rocky Mount for the holidays and is inviting folks to enjoy the music-synched show while donating to Veterans Residential Services of Wilson. The light show runs from 5 p.m. to midnight every day with free hot chocolate served on Saturdays.

Merry with a mission: Holiday light show gives back to area veterans

What started as family fun for a Wilson business owner has grown into a fundraiser for area veterans with an elaborate light show. “The biggest thing for us is we have fun, but 100% of what …

Butterfield to succeed John Lewis in House leadership role

WASHINGTON — Rep. G.K. Butterfield will serve as one of two top lieutenants to Majority Whip Jim Clyburn when the 117th Congress is installed next month. Butterfield, D-Wilson, joins …

Thomas Webb stands in a recently harvested field of corn that was irrigated with a pivot, which helped him produce one of Webb Family Farms' best-ever corn crops.

Crop diversity keeps guest workers busy

STANTONSBURG — Wilson County farmer Thomas Webb understands the value of crop diversity, managing labor and sharing equipment across two farming entities. Armed with a field crops technology …

Janet Holland, Wilson land development manager, speaks during a Tuesday planning board meeting about a rezoning request for a half-acre of land along Baybrooke Drive. Engineer Robert Bartlett also spoke during the meeting.

Rezoning request would unite 11-acre parcel

A half-acre portion of the Walkers Trace subdivision received an initial rezoning Tuesday to unite with a larger parcel’s residential mixed-use zone. “At the request of the N.C. …

Gov. Roy Cooper arrives for a June press briefing on the COVID-19 virus at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.

Wilson County reports 2 COVID deaths; North Carolina planning for vaccine

Wilson County reported two new deaths associated with COVID-19 on Tuesday. Officials say the patients were Accordius Health residents. One was a woman in her late 70s, while the other …

Elm City Emergency Services Capt. Michael Lamm stands next to one of the agency's two ambulances. Operated since 1983, the agency closed its doors on Thanksgiving Day.

Elm City Emergency Services, Stantonsburg EMS close doors; agencies struggled to find volunteers

Emergency medical services agencies in Elm City and Stantonsburg have ceased operation due to membership declines and funding issues. In a Nov. 26 Facebook post, Elm City Emergency Services Inc. …

‘Ultimate sacrifice’: Nash County deputy dies from crash injuries

A Nash County deputy injured in a Thanksgiving Day crash has died. Jared Michael Allison, 26, who’s been hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville with brain damage since Nov. 26, …

Students gather around Frederick Douglass Elementary School fourth grade teacher Courtney Beckstead's computer in the pre-COVID-19 days during the 2019-20 school year's first nine-week grading period.

46% of Wilson County Schools students failed a class in 1st grading period

In the first nine weeks in this school year, 46% of Wilson County Schools students in grades 3-12 failed a class, according to data supplied by the district. Students were in remote learning during …

Samora Naturals store associate Briona Chavis hand-mixes a batch of Coffee Lovers Face & Body Scrub while shop owner Shawna Moses pours in one of the ingredients.

Entrepreneurs wanted for Wilson business accelerator program

When Shawna Moses was accepted into a business accelerator program in February, she never imagined how invaluable the assistance would be. “Before COVID hit, business was definitely very, …

Murder convict could be paroled in husband’s killing

A woman who’s spent three decades in prison for fatally beating and torturing her elderly husband in a Wilson hotel is eligible for parole. A Wilson County jury convicted 78-year-old …

A worker walks under the BB&T towers as an excavator works to smash out the first-story glass facade on one tower Tuesday in preparation for the eight-story buildings' December implosion.

BB&T towers’ demolition scheduled for Dec. 19

Decades after becoming an iconic sight in historic downtown Wilson, the BB&T towers will fall to the ground in a simultaneous implosion at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. “Many city departments …

ELECTION 2020 CENTRAL

Why Democrats did poorly in North Carolina

Thirty days out from North Carolina’s 2020 elections, we now have greater perspective on what happened. Cut it and slice it any way you want, the elections were a disaster for Democrats who …

Voters say no to discrimination

When political shorthand gets it wrong

‘Defund the police’ undid the Democrats

States, voters share uneasy balance of power

Follow our ongoing coverage of Cannon Hinnant

VIDEO

Hanging on to first place: Hunt holds off Fike in Big East battle

Whether the Hunt High varsity volleyball team knew its winning streak against Fike stretches back to 2014, the Lady Warriors found themselves in quite a struggle to win for a 14th straight time …

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LOCAL HEADLINES

COVID-19 relief: What's on the table as Congress seeks deal

House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level

Share your input on Wilson’s legislative needs

Weathercast: Windy start to weekend, rain chances Monday

Holiday light show set for Friday, Saturday

Pet of the week: Jax

Foul mood turns day into a comedy of errors

College transfer and guaranteed acceptance

Nominate youths for $10,000 charity grants

Deed transfers: Who bought, sold property in Wilson County?

Barton nurses post 100% exam pass rate

Goodbye, white lights

Wilson, state see record COVID case counts; free drive-thru testing offered Friday

Wilson County COVID cases soar: 1 death, facility outbreak reported

Autopsy: Man died of stab wound

Police: Missing woman found safe

Officers investigate Sunday shooting

Community Briefs: Free coffee for veterans offered

Drop-in day care center a dream come true

Celebrating successful food drive

She adds a twist to fitness routine

Barton gives back to community

Weathercast: Temps to plunge as high pressure takes hold

Wilson reports virus death, 159 new cases; Jones Elementary halts in-person classes

Wilson City Council approves 4 items in 4 minutes

Nash deputy fighting for his life after Thanksgiving Day crash

Heed the call of Christmas' spirit of giving

Wilson native earns engineering degree

Barbershop, nonprofit feed 300

Registration open for Save-A-Youth computer program

Weathercast: Low pressure to increase shower, storm chances

College honors faculty, staff members of the year

Pet of the week: Friday the cat gets along with big, small dogs

Deed transfers: Who bought, sold property in Wilson County?

More local news

SPOTTED: Whirligig Festival Outdoor Events 2020

THE BLACK EXPERIENCE

Randolph Sessoms, who served as Wilson County Schools' first African American superintendent, is pictured at his home near the Buckhorn community.

Leveling the playing field in education: Sessoms reflects on career in leadership

As the youngest of nine children in a rural Wilson County tenant farming family, Randolph Sessoms grew up to be Wilson County Schools’ first African American superintendent. “We grew …

Dante Pittman listens to Ruth Baines, curator at the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum, which celebrates African American history in Wilson County.

Black history often untold: Wilson native says museum helps fill educational gaps

Since moving back home to Wilson, Dante Pittman has visited the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum several times. “I am always blown away when I walk in and read,” Pittman said. The …

Bettie Applewhite of Wilson spent 25 years working in and around Washington for the federal government and the private sector before returning to Wilson in 2004.

Raising a child on a maid’s wages: College instructor’s mother was live-in domestic worker

When Bettie Applewhite was about 9, she remembers discovering that it was awfully hard to find a Black kid on television. Her rural Wilson County family had just installed a black and white …

Wilson resident Joan Pender Davis holds racial segregation placards she's collected over the years.

Segregation left lasting impressions

Joan Davis remembers the way things were when she was growing up in Wilson. The 77-year-old said the railroad tracks that slice through downtown Wilson were a line of demarcation with white on the …

Paul Sherrod, 86, stands in the mezzanine of The Boykin Center. Before the civil rights movement, African-Americans had to watch movies and shows from the top floor.

Sherrod sees changes upon return to Wilson

Civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ recent death caused Paul Sherrod to think about how far the nation has come and how far it has to go. Sherrod grew up trucking tobacco and picking …

SLICES OF LIFE

Daydreaming on the merry-go-round

Five-year-old Jaliya May, left, and 6-year-old London Jones, right, let the day roll by as they spin around on the merry-go-round Sunday afternoon in Wilson's Pender Street Park.

Students retire the colors

Lee Woodard Elementary students Giovanni Boseman, left, and Carlos Valdivizio join Gracie Skinner, not pictured, in the daily duty of lowering the United States and North Carolina flags at the end of the school day Tuesday.

Last walk across a century-old bridge

Bridgersville Road residents Emmalane Webb, Susie and Michael Sikes walk across the century-old N.C. Department of Transportation bridge spanning the Town Creek in rural Wilson County on Wednesday afternoon. The three had walked down from their homes to see and walk across bridge No. 105 perhaps one last time before it's torn down and replaced by a new span. The bridge was built in 1920. “It's a dangerous bridge because it is so narrow,” said Michael Sikes.

Great-grandfather time

Three-year-old Calle Batts passes the day on a bench with great-grandfather Henry Brice, 68, of Wilson, at the corner of Tarboro and Nash streets on Sept. 24.

Playing with the puppies

Irma Molina plays with her three puppies, Nico, Z and Zeus, in the Toisnot Reservoir dog park on Saturday. Molina was there with her husband Darwia to run their young German shepherd and Siberian husky mix puppies.

Routing the runners

Barbara Taylor, a Wilson County resident who lives on Hornes Church Road, weaves fresh butterbean runners back through the vines in her garden under the hot sun Thursday. "Last year we didn't have much luck, but this year looks a lot better," Taylor said. "We planted the runner kind because they are easier to pick."

The last angler

Wilson resident Anthony Edwards fishes on Lake Wilson as the amber hues of sunset fade away on July 15.

Changing the marquee

Bella Johnson, an Arts Council of Wilson volunteer and intern, changes the Edna Boykin Cultural Center marquee on Sunday to promote the art show "Healing" by Juan Carlos Duron-Martinez.

Sunset on the pier

Brenly Yencho and Patricia Luy, both of Wilson, sit on a pier together as the sunset fades away over Lake Wilson on July 15.

Catching air at the skate park

Nine-year-old Brooks Johnson of Wilson performs skateboard tricks while his father Brandon Johnson takes pictures of daughter Bria Johnson, 14, at the Toisnot Park skate park Sunday.

'Push me, Mommy'

Rachel Kimbrell of Wilson pushes her 2-year-old daughter Penelope Brock on the swing Sunday at Toisnot Park.

Father and son time

Darnell Jackson and his son Trevien enjoy an afternoon of fishing in Wilson as rainwater spills over the Wiggins Mill dam on June 17.

Playtime at the park

Danny and Heather Stapp of Wilson play ball with their sons, 5-year-old Jackson and 2-year-old Carter, on the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park stage.

Trail riders

Families mount up for a ride together near the city of Wilson's Equestrian Trail at the end of Sullivan Road near the Buckhorn Reservoir banks in late April.

Calling the play

Wilson Rough Riders football player Kuvante Griffin, right, and brothers Jay and Dominique Hinnant practice on the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park grass Sunday.

Fishing the Buckhorn Reservoir

Stephen Chambers and son Kaiden Chambers bring in a fish while angling on the Buckhorn Reservoir at the end of Johnson Farm Road outside Kenly in rural Wilson County.

Feathered friends

Sisters Morgan and Megan Hall feed the Canada geese at the Toisnot Reservoir on Sunday.

A lazy afternoon

Dillon Lee of Stantonsburg and Kristen Henderson of Wilmington relax in the grass at downtown Wilson's Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park.

Paddling on Lake Wilson

Kayakers Jessica Phillips, Martha Jo Stanley, Tammy Hooks and Summer Hooks paddle onto a placid Lake Wilson on Sunday.

Family enjoys fishing trip

His hands full, Emerson Watford helps his wife Kiara and their children, Tiffany, Xavier, Emily and Kinsley, rig their fishing poles at Wilson's Toisnot Reservoir on Sunday.

A stroll in the park

A couple walks hand-in-hand around Lake Wilson Park on Sunday afternoon.

Waiting for a bite

As the Town Creek's tannin-colored backwaters creep by, Alvin Williams and his 6-year-old fishing buddy Kevin Johnson of Elm City angle for freshwater fish off the new 75-foot-long bridge finished in April along Rock Quarry Road near Elm City.

Fishing for that pot of gold

Abraham Alonzo of Wilson, an avid fisherman around the local fishing holes, walks his tricycle up South Street as a rainbow arcs toward the ground ahead last Friday.

Wedding on the run

Alexander Hayman of Boston, left, and Suzanne Michalak of Durham walk down the steps of the Wilson County Register of Deeds after getting their marriage license Monday afternoon just in time for their wedding Monday night at the home of her parents, Daniel and Paul Michalak of Wilson. The couple had planned to hold and Asheville wedding, but that had to be canceled due to COVID-19. "We didn't want to wait another year to get married," the bride said. His parents are Bill and Radhia Hayman of Houston.

WEATHERCAST

Weathercast: Windy start to weekend, rain chances Monday

Northwest winds are expected to be blustery in the Wilson Times area Saturday, running around 15 mph with gusts into the mid-20 mph range. That will make the afternoon high in the upper 50s …

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UPPER MATH TEACHER

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Southern Nash's Taylor Bailey (2) tries to hit around the defense of Hunt's Alex Williams, left, and Rachel Westbrook (10) during Monday's 3-A Big East Conference game at Hunt. Williams and Westbrook paced the Hunt attack on offense as the Lady Warriors coasted to a three-set win.

From all angles, Hunt sweeps aside Southern Nash

Rare will be the night during the 2020 season where the Hunt High varsity volleyball team has a setter that flirts with the 25-30 … Read More

North Johnston’s Lanie Croft, left, wins this battle at the net against Beddingfield’s Mackenzie Howard during Monday’s 2-A Eastern Plains Conference match at Beddingfield. Looking on are Myah Stevens, left, of the Lady Panthers and Emilee Moss of the Lady Bruins, who lost in three sets.

Lady Panthers 3-0 after sweeping Beddingfield in its opener

The difference in experience, both overall and immediate, was apparent between varsity volleyball teams from Beddingfield and North … Read More

Gracie Farmer (1) of Wilson Christian tries to get a step on Greenfield's Serenity McNair during the second half of Thursday's game at Wilson Christian. Farmer knocked down four 3-point shots, one in each quarter, to help propel the Lady Chargers to a runaway 53-28 victory.

Lady Chargers shackle Greenfield for third straight win

Brian Trull would much rather talk about his team’s defense. But if the Wilson Christian varsity girls basketball team can … Read More

Firefighter Jordan Childress from the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department sprays water into the Silver Lake Growers Cotton Gin trash building on Tuesday.

High winds spread fire at cotton gin

ELM CITY — Some 50 firefighters from five departments fought a stubborn cotton waste fire adjacent to the Silver Lake Growers … Read More

High winds cause fire to leap from burn pile at Silver Lake Growers Gin on NC 58

High winds cause fire to leap from burn pile at Silver Lake Growers Gin on NC 58 Read More

RESTORATION NEWSMEDIA

THE ENTERPRISE

Volunteers wanted: Spring Hope charity distributes a million pounds of food

SPRING HOPE — A food bank that serves 80,000 people annually is asking for a little help. “We need help sorting boxes coming in and making boxes to go out,” said April Baker, …

Nash sees more female COVID-19 patients

Police: Lock vehicles while shopping

Nash installing virus-fighting equipment

'My roots kept me grounded': Heather Finch returns home to restart wreath business

JOHNSTONIAN NEWS

Habitat for Humanity dedicates Kenly home

KENLY — Habitat for Humanity has dedicated its newest Johnston County build, a three-bedroom, two bath home at 309 S. Maple St.

At airport, an appeal not to overlook the little guy

Long-shot candidate has no regrets

Fire that destroys former Gurley Feed Mill in Princeton under investigation

An interview with Johnston County’s Shelby Stephenson

FUN STUFF

COLUMN

Rewards for masks might be a lifesaver

When it comes to making pandemic precautions stick, some people seem to prefer a violent shove to a gentle nudge. The day North Carolina added teeth to its mask mandate, infectious disease …

LIFE

Coastal gallery features clay artist Mark Gordon

CALABASH — Mark Gordon, former Barton College associate professor of art and design, is the Sunset River Marketplace’s featured artist through Jan. 9, gallery owner Ginny Lassiter …

E-EDITION

Friday, December 4, 2020

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BEST OF

Let them run: NCHSAA cross-country season opens Monday

As the North Carolina High School Athletic Association lifts …

In this photo from the Thursday, Nov. 5, 1940, edition of The Wilson Daily Times, North Carolina State center and co-captain Monte Crawford would lead the Red Terrors as they provided the opening-game opposition for the Atlantic Christian College men’s basketball team in Wilson.

Three Dukes only unanimous choices in all-star poll

With just two days left to vote in The Daily Times all-star all-state football poll, only three unanimous selections remained after Duke University student John Graves of Wilson …

Guess Who?

"Guess Who?” is a weekly photo feature from The Wilson Times sports photo archives that will run each week in the Times sports section. If you know or would like to guess who is in …

UMass Lowell's Salif Boudie, left, North Carolina State's Manny Bates, center, and UMass Lowell's Obadiah Noel, right, fight for a rebound in the first half of a game, Thursday in Uncasville, Conn.

NC State-UConn hoops canceled amid positive test

North Carolina State says Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Connecticut has been canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test for a member of the team’s traveling …

Head coaches Scott Davenport, left, of Bellarmine and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke talk prior to Friday’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham. The No. 6 Blue Devils won 76-54.

Hurt’s six 3-pointers help No. 6 Duke rout Bellarmine 76-54

DURHAM — Matthew Hurt scored 24 points and accounted for six of Duke’s 13 3-pointers, and the No. 6 Blue Devils used a 19-2 run in the second half to cruise past Bellarmine …

NCHSAA facing eligibility crisis in January

While most of the attention was focused on changes to football — reducing number of championships from eight to four and cutting the maximum number of regular-season games to 10 — …

Players from Fike and Hunt compete during a 3-A Big East Conference varsity volleyball match at Hunt on Wednesday. The teams will remain in the 3-A classification for the next four years, per the realignment plan released by the NCHSAA on Friday.

No changes for area schools in new NCHSAA classifications

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the classifications for all 426 member schools Friday for the next four years. The breakdown, split evenly among the …

Community Christian’s Andrew Gattis (15) shoots over a Pungo Christian defender during a game Feb. 11 at Sallie B. Howard School gym. Gattis, now a senior, is the Cyclones’ top returning scorer but will be sidelined until January as he recovers from offseason knee surgery.

CCS teams face different challenges

Different challenges await head coaches Roland Loftin and Kenneth Atkinson in year 2 of leading their respective varsity boys and girls basketball teams at Community Christian …

Sports home

College Sports

No. 8 Wolfpack beats No. 1 South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — North Carolina State coach Wes Moore channeled two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells after the Wolfpack’s landmark victory over No. 1 South Carolina. Raina …

NC State beats UMass Lowell for 3rd straight win

In the ACC, even without fans, there’s no place like home

Coleman, No. 17 Texas beat No. 14 UNC 69-67 for Maui title

The waiting game: Barton players return home before whirlwind season begins

School Sports

Lake Wilson 12U seizes Downeast Fall League title

Sweeping each match in its final two outings, the Lake Wilson Tennis Club 12U Beavers concluded its Downeast Fall League Junior Team Tennis season with a championship by throttling their final two …

‘Bow therapy’ can be needed stress reliever at times

McGuire, Sutton cop WSCC women’s titles

No harm, no foul

Lake Wilson 12U, 18U Green both improve to 5-1

EDITORIALS

Our Opinion: Free, independent press is a uniquely American concept

Religion, speech, press, assembly, petition. If you can recite that list from memory, you’re ahead of 96% of American adults, according to the Freedom Forum Institute’s 2019 State of …

Our Opinion: Stealing signs squelches voters' political speech

Our Opinion: Cooper-Suggs, Rankin share their Raleigh road maps

Our Opinion: King's dream should convict, challenge and unite us

Our Opinion: Wilson benefits from frank talk on race relations

Our Opinion: Crime coverage doesn't require mug shot gallery

Our Opinion: Political clothing offers no excuse to mistreat guests

Our Opinion: Wilson can relax mural, sign rules to boost business

Our Opinion: Farmer-Butterfield gave Wilsonians a voice in government

Our Opinion: Founding principles still inspire America

Our Opinion: Mask mandate drafts cashiers, clerks as Cooper's cops

Our Opinion: Lunch shaming finally off the menu for Wilson County Schools

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR