VOLUME 10 ISSUE 50 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the
BRIEF this week
Voter registration deadline on Friday Duplin County Voters must register by 5 p.m. Friday to vote in the March 3 primary election. Feb. 6 is also the deadline for registered voters to change their party affiliation. Eligible individuals may still register and vote during the early voting period, Feb. 12-28, at any early voting site.
Application deadline for Pitch It Duplin! on Sunday Duplin County The application deadline to compete in Pitch It Duplin is Sunday. Aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their business ideas for a chance to win: $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third. The local business pitch competition is hosted by the JSCC Small Business Center in partnership with Marine Federal Credit Union and the Kenansville Area Chamber of Commerce. For details, call 910-659-6008.
Volunteers, donations welcomed for Prison Ministry Crusade Beulaville Emerge Ministries of Beulaville is welcoming volunteers and donations of composition notebooks, word search books, stamps and envelopes as it prepares for its first quarterly Prison Ministry Crusade of the year, happening March 6-8. Registration is open for volunteers until Feb. 20. Supplies donations can be dropped off at Emerge Ministries at 990 Old Chinquapin Road in Beulaville.
GriefShare support group offered Kenansville Duplin County Senior Services hosts GriefShare, a grief support group, on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 2-3 p.m. Facilitated by Dr. Ray Kennedy. For more information, call 910-296-2140.
COURTESY KENANSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Whiteout brings snowmen, sleds, smiles to Duplin Last weekend, Duplin County wrapped in white with nine to 12 inches of snow and memories to match after Winter Storm Gianna passed. Children and adults gathered at Dorothy Wightman Library with their sleds to enjoy the snow. Turn to A6 for more photos.
Winter weather snarls Duplin roads Several drivers were stranded due to conditions By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal THE HISTORIC snowfall in Duplin County over the weekend left many drivers learning a hard lesson about attempting to drive in hazardous conditions despite repeated warnings to stay off the roads, according to Brian Matthis, Duplin County Public Safety deputy director. “There have been a lot of ve-
hicles run off into ditches where they can’t see where the road is,” Matthis said Monday afternoon in an interview with Duplin Journal. While slippery roads left many drivers stranded, there have been no reports of serious injuries. “As far as motor vehicle collisions with injuries, I don’t know of any,” Matthis said. Fortunately, the area experienced snow rather than an ice storm. As a result, there were See CURFEW, page A3
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Lake Leamon Road, just east of Wallace, had been plowed, leaving it in better condition than many secondary roads in Duplin County on Sunday afternoon.
Johnson receives lifetime achievement award Bob Johnson (center), CEO and owner of House of Raeford Farms, holds his 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award alongside his wife, Luanne Johnson, and Greg Morgan, NPFDA chairman of the board.
The NPFDA honored the poultry executive’s decades of leadership and impact on the protein industry By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
COURTESY HOUSE OF RAEFORD
ROSE HILL — Robert C. “Bob” Johnson, chief executive officer and owner of House of Raeford Farms, was honored with the National Protein and Food
New hangar expected by June Interest income and grants will support renovations, the fuel farm and apron upgrades By Rebecca Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal
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KENANSVILLE — Construction on Duplin County Airport’s new hangar has come a long way over the holidays. “All the big metal is up on the new hangar, and the walls are starting to go up,” Airport Director Joshua Raynor told the Duplin County Airport Board at last Tuesday’s meeting. The board then discussed the project’s budget and how to best spend the $400,000 set aside to rehabilitate existing structures. Both hangars to be renovated are more than 35 years old. Hangar 1 was built in 1974; Hangar 2 was built in 1990.
Among the discussed options were hydraulic doors, new roof, and deskinning (replacing old metal with new metal). Much of the budget has already been committed to dehumidification systems that will solve long-standing moisture problems in the buildings. The board discussed what different options would have the most lasting benefits for the airport and which could justify increasing rental rates. Board member Dexter Edwards suggested that a nicer hydraulic door on the new hangar would help test the waters of who is willing to pay more for a luxury hangar. Still, the board decided to make no decision on the doors until price quotes could be offered. Instead, it approved $290,000 to Daniels and Daniels, moving $170,000 from See HANGAR, page A2
Joshua Raynor
Distributors Association’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award during the organization’s annual meeting in Atlanta on Jan. 28. “I was honored to receive the same award given to my father 19 years ago,” said Johnson. “It was also incredibly special to have my wife Luanne, children, grandchildren, other family members, and so many co-workers present with me during the ceremony.” For more than five decades, See RAEFORD, page A2