VOLUME 9 ISSUE 49 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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Let it snow!
BRIEF this week
With the rare snowfall Duplin County saw last week, Chase Tully of Rose Hill couldn’t wait to get outside and play, making snow angels. This is just one of many photos readers uploaded to the Duplin Journal’s Facebook page in the wake of the storm. See more on Page A5.
Duplin saw significant snow for first time in over a decade Duplin County The NC State Climate Office reported that southern Duplin had 4 inches of snow for the first time since February 2014. According to the report, the Wallace ECONet station recorded the coldest reading in more than seven years, with temperatures dropping to 6 degrees last Thursday morning.
WolfCAC searching for candidates Duplin County The NC State College Advising Corps is searching for candidates to join the team as a part of their 2025-26 cohort. They are looking to fill vacancies in Duplin County. The NC State College Advising Corps recruits recent college graduates to serve as AmeriCorps College Advisers in high-need rural high schools to guide students through pursuing a postsecondary pathway.
Nominations for NCCEAPA scholarships sought Kenansville The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association is accepting nominations for a $750 scholarship through March 20. The annual scholarship is available to those pursuing a college degree or a diploma program that results in a college degree in business or a business-related field of study. Applicants must be enrolled to attend classes during the 2025 26 school year. For more information, contact the Duplin County Cooperative Extension Center at 910‑296-2143 or visit 165C Agriculture Drive in Kenansville.
COURTESY BRANDY TULLY
How will Duplin schools Understanding make up for missed time? how new laws affect Duplin’s undocumented
“The calendar is developed this way to account for short-term disruptions like inclement weather.” Kevin Smith, Duplin County Schools
UMO named state’s safest college campus Mount Olive The University of Mount Olive was recently named the safest college campus in North Carolina according to Niche’s 2025 Safest College Campuses rankings. School officials said it is the fourth consecutive year UMO has held the top spot in the state.
Opportunity to become next N.C. Watermelon Queen Duplin County The North Carolina Watermelon Association is accepting applications for the next North Carolina Watermelon Queen until Feb. 1. The selected queen will represent the state’s agriculture industry and serve as an ambassador for watermelon farmers. Visit tinyurl.com/duplin-queen for more information.
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The snow makeup day will be Feb. 14 pending board approval By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal
WITH THE RECORD snowfall Duplin saw last week, county schools were out for half of the day Tuesday, and all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, adding up to hours of lost instructional time. While the kiddos were likely happy for the break to enjoy the rarely seen snowfall, up to 5-6 inches in some areas of the county, the school system still requires a certain number of hours of instructional time each year. Assistant Superintendent Kevin Smith says students will be required to make up one day and two hours. “The district calendar has additional instructional time already built in for situations like this,” he said. In accordance with state statues, Smith said, school calendars include a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 instructional hours.
“The calendar for Duplin County Schools is developed to satisfy the instructional hours requirement,” Smith said. “Each full student day for Duplin County Schools consists of six hours, 15 minutes of instructional time.” The original 2024-25 Pre K-12 calendar consisted of 165 full instructional days and two scheduled early release days, totaling 1,037.5 instructional hours, exceeding the state’s minimum requirements by 12.5 hours, or two full instructional days. That means that schools would have to be closed more than two days before makeup time was required. “The calendar is developed this way to account for short‑term disruptions like inclement weather,” he explained. “If school is closed early due to inclement weather, the day and the scheduled amount of instructional hours may count toward the required minimum.” As a result, there was no instructional time penalty for releasing early on See MAKEUP, page A5
Duplin homeowners’ insurance rates to increase 13.6% “This also protects homeowners from future base rate increase requests until June 2027.” Mike Causey, N.C. Insurance commissioner
New insurance rates will go into effect on June 1 By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal THE NORTH CAROLINA Department of Insurance recently announced a 13.6% increase in homeowners’ insurance rates for Duplin County. This change is part of a settlement reached between the state and the NC Rate Bureau. Under this agreement, Duplin County homeowners’ insurance rates will rise by 13.6% on June 1, and by an additional 13.5% on June 1, 2026, according to the announcement. In a press release, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said he considered the settlement a big win for both the state and homeown-
ers who will save millions in insurance premiums over the next two years compared to the increases the Rate Bureau initially asked for, which was a 71.3% increase for Duplin and Lenoir counties, and up to 99.4% in beach areas located in Pender, Onslow, New Hanover, Carteret and Brunswick counties. “This also protects homeowners from future base rate increase requests until June 2027,” said Causey. Causey emphasized that the rate increases are necessary for insurance companies to maintain sufficient funds to cover future claims, especially after they have paid out substantial amounts due to natural disasters — including Hurricane Helene in North Carolina — and face increasing reinsurance costs due to national catastrophes.
Efforts are focused on removing people accused of serious crimes By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal LAST WEEK, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders aimed at reforming the immigration system, fulfilling his promise to restore border security by prioritizing the deportation of criminal cartels and foreign gangs. However, this enforcement has created widespread panic among some immigrant communities as national headlines highlight the potential for mass deportations across the country. On Wednesday, President Trump signed the bipartisan Laken Riley Act into law, adding new crimes to the list requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers, including when an illegal immigrant is arrested for theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting. “What it comes down to is expanding the list of crimes that can be considered for a person who is arrested so that ICE has the right to come after them,” said Ilana Dubester, Hispanic liaison See IMPACT, page A3