VOLUME 9 ISSUE 25 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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BRIEF this week
Wallace’s Main Street to be closed for two weeks Wallace Main Street in downtown Wallace will be closed Aug. 19 through Sept. 2 while the North Carolina Department of Transportation makes repairs to the railroad crossing. During this time, thru traffic will be rerouted from Highway 117 to N.C. 11 in Willard near the I-40 exchange and then redirected back onto Wallace Airport Road. Local traffic will still be able to access downtown via Boney Street, Raleigh Road and other side streets.
New Sheetz to open Aug. 20 Warsaw Warsaw Town Manager Lea Turner announced during the August town hall meeting the new Sheetz in Warsaw will host a grand opening ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 9-11 a.m. The store will offer 24-hour food options, a truck stop and general merchandise.
Charity School Alumni Association celebrates 35 years Rose Hill On Sept. 13-15, Charity School Alumni Association will celebrate their 35th anniversary. The public is invited to participate in the weekend celebration, which kicks off with game night at the Charity Missions Center on Sept. 13, followed by dinner and dancing at the Mad Boar Restaurant on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. and concluding with a day of worship at the New Christian Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2283 N.C.-11 in Rose Hill, at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15. Call 910-284-0365 for more information.
COURTESY CHERYL BASS
Sinkhole near Kenansville closes DS Williams Road A photo taken by a local resident shows a sinkhole on DS Williams Road near N.C. 11/903. The road, which is located near Kenansville, is one of several roads impacted by flooding from Tropical Storm Debby. DS Williams Road was closed as of press time.
School board honors scholarship recipient
The Northeast Cape Fear River is shown last Thursday afternoon before it reached its crest on Saturday at 16.54 feet.
The consent agenda includes contracts, memorandums of understanding
ABBY CAVENAUGH / DUPLIN JOURNAL
County commissioners take action to prevent flooding Northeast Cape Fear River debris removal will start after bidding process By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal KENANSVILLE — The Duplin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to appropriate funds to remove debris from the Northeast Cape Fear River in order to help alleviate flooding from Tropical Storm Debby and future potential flooding
events. The decision was made during an emergency meeting held on Friday morning. Commission Chair Dexter Edwards said he called the meeting, knowing that time was of the essence. “My information says that we’re going to crest Sunday about 18-plus feet, but that’s probably about the fifth highest on record, somewhere in that ballpark,” Edwards said. “What I wanted to do is get this group together and talk about what we may or See RIVER, page A5
By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal KENANSVILLE — The Duplin County Board of Education honored a scholarship recipient at its regular monthly meeting on Aug. 6 and approved a lengthy consent agenda that included a number of contracts and memorandums of understanding with various entities. Special recognition of Ashley Garay-Yanez was one of the first items on the agenda. Garay-Yanez is the recipient of the 2024 Duplin County Schools (DCS) Grow Your Own minority scholarship. She is a recent graduate of Wallace-Rose Hill High School and will attend college to become an elementary school teacher in Duplin County Schools. She is the daughter of Edwin Garay and Daisy Yanez. “This scholarship loan is for
$5,000 per year up to four years to become a teacher for Duplin County Schools,” explained Daren Tyndall, assistant superintendent for human resources. The board congratulated Garay-Yanez on her accomplishment. The consent agenda included several policy updates, as well as the approval of the DCS 2024‑25 Employee Handbook and the Beginning Teacher Support Program plan. A $5 admission fee per spectator was approved for all middle school ball games in the coming year as part of the consent agenda as well. In addition, the following memorandums were approved via the consent agenda: • Memorandum of agreement between DCS and Diversity Nurtures Achievement (DNA) for an alternative to shortterm suspension; • Memorandum of understanding between DCS and Head Start; See SCHOOL, page A3
New Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department now open “We have moved all our trucks to the new location and we’re responding from there.” Gary Boney, Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department fire chief
The 14,000-square-foot fire house features five double bays By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal ROSE HILL — The new Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department is now fully operational. “We have moved all our trucks to the new location and we’re responding from there,” Rose Hill Fire Chief Gary Boney told Duplin Journal. Located on East Main Street, the new 14,000-squarefoot fire house features five drive-through double bays, ample room for equipment, office space, a residential kitchen and a training room that is also used for meetings — a vast upgrade from the old fire station. The facility was funded with a USDA-Rural Development loan of approximately $3.1 million. The nonprofit volunteer or-
COURTESY ROSE HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT
Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department fire engines are lined up at the fire house apparatus bay on East Main Street. ganization has a tax district outside the city limits and is contracted by the town of Rose Hill to provide fire services. According to Fire Chief Boney the Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department is finalizing a few details for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will be announced later.
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