VOLUME 9 ISSUE 11 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the
BRIEF this week
Duplin County has 10th lowest unemployment rate in N.C. Duplin County Duplin County has ranked among the top 10 lowest unemployment rates in the state, according to numbers released May 1 by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Duplin County’s March rate of 3.2% was the same as the seasonally adjusted rate of 3.2% for February, and it also remained unchanged from the same time period last year. However, the 3.2% rate places the county 10th among the state’s 100 counties. The lowest unemployment rate was found in Greene County with 2.8%, while the highest was Hyde with 7.6% unemployment. Those numbers mean that of the county’s workforce of 27,287, a total of 877 people received unemployment benefits during the month.
ABBY CAVENAUGH / DUPLIN JOURNAL
Tens of thousands pack downtown Wallace for Strawberry Festival This year’s Carolina Strawberry Festival was one for the books, with more than 30,000 people converging upon downtown Wallace to enjoy rides, food, live music and strawberries! See more photos on Page 6.
Carolina Strawberry Festival is biggest and best yet
DJS
New I-40 stoplights are now operational Wallace Motorists traveling NC Highway 41 outside Wallace will need to slow down over the next week. Newly installed stoplights at the westbound ramps onto and off Interstate 40 are now fully operational. DJS
New Little Free Library comes to Warsaw Warsaw Join Duplin County Partnership for Children on May 30, at 6 p.m. as they unveil a Little Free Library at Warsaw Park and Recreation, located at 309 Memorial Dr. in Warsaw. DJS
Duplin County Young Farmers & Ranchers meeting on May 14 Duplin County Duplin County Young Farmers & Ranchers will host a meeting on May 14 at 6:30 p.m. at 735 Moltonville Rd. in Clinton. RSVP to 919-369-1645 by May 10. Dinner will be provided. DJS
The Festival drew 30,000 people for fun, games and, of course, strawberries ABBY CAVENAUGH / DUPLIN JOURNAL
New Beulaville Police Chief Karl Mobley shakes hands with retiring Chief Jamie Rogers after taking office at the Beulaville town board meeting on Monday night.
Chinquapin native sworn in as new Beulaville Police Chief An abandoned house dominated conversation at the town board meeting By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal BEULAVILLE — Karl Mobley, who was born and raised in Chinquapin, is officially Beulaville’s new chief of police. Mobley was sworn in during the regular monthly Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday night. He started the job first thing
Tuesday morning, taking over for retired Chief Jamie Rogers. Mobley moved to Wilmington in 2005 to begin his law enforcement career at Cape Fear Community College with a criminal justice degree. He served with the Wilmington Police Department and other New Hanover County law enforcement agencies from 20072014, and then got married, had children and moved back home to Chinquapin. Once back in Duplin County, Mobley joined the Duplin County See POLICE, page 3
By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal WALLACE — The 2024 Carolina Strawberry Festival was a huge success, bringing record numbers to downtown Wallace for food and crafts vendors, live music, amusement rides, carnival games, pageant queens, and, of course, plenty of fresh strawberries. “The best we can tell, we had somewhere around 30,000 people come to the Strawberry Festival this year,” 2024 festival chair Keli Wilson told the Duplin Journal. “It is the most attendees we’ve ever had. To increase attendance by 10,000 over one year is remarkable.” The festival also had more vendors than ever before, with more than 150 artisans, food trucks, nonprofit organizations and more lining the streets of downtown Wallace. This year,
“To increase attendance by 10,000 over one year is remarkable.” Keli Wilson, 2024 Carolina Strawberry Festival board chair organizers also offered a cooling station inside the building across from the Depot, offering air-conditioning and restrooms to those who needed a respite. Wallace Mayor Jason Wells appeared on WECT-TV 6’s news broadcast Friday night as well to tout the festival and talk about the economic boon it brings to the town of Wallace and Duplin County as a whole. He was interviewed by longtime news anchors Frances Weller and Jon Evans for a live segment. “A lot of people have been working very hard to bring this to fruition,” the mayor said. Friday night saw a record See STRAWBERRY, page 6
Wallace man wanted in connection with stabbing Three suspects have been arrested, one remains at large By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal ADAM MILLIKEN is wanted for his involvement in a stabbing that occurred in a parking lot located at 212 E. Main St., Wallace on April 30, leaving a 21-year-old male in critical condition after getting stabbed in the abdomen. The stabbing victim was assaulted by multiple subjects and was airlifted to the hospital. He remains in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery. Thanks to law enforcement’s diligent response, the four suspects were identified within 30 minutes of the call. Wesley A. Milliken, 22, Alexander Bo Milliken, 18, and Summer E. Donaldson, 26, were arrested while a warrant was issued for the
Wesley A. Milliken
A. Bo Milliken
Summer Donaldson
fourth individual who remains at large. W. A. Milliken and A.B. Milliken were both charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony conspiracy and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Both men are under a $100,000 secured bond. Donaldson was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy robbery with
a dangerous weapon and driving while license revoked not impaired. Her bond was set at $75,200. All four subjects reside at 116 Raleigh Rd. in Wallace. According to Wallace Police Chief Jimmy Crayton, there were two victims. “One was stabbed, the other one wasn’t,” Crayton told Duplin Journal, adding that the second victim, who was robbed, is a juvenile.
Crayton said the perpetrators tried to steal bicycles. Drugs were not a factor in this case; See STABBING, page 5
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