VOLUME 11 ISSUE 3 | THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2026
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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BRIEF this week
Local leader joins workforce board Kenansville James Sprunt Community College President Shannon Hair has been appointed to fill Jay Carraway’s unexpired term on the Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board to help shape regional workforce priorities. The term runs through June 30, 2027.
Great Colon Tour, wellness screenings Duplin County The final stops of the Great Colon Tour are at the Duplin County Health Department on March 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. and WAGES Senior Nutrition Center on March 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free adult wellness screenings will be available.
MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL
Student artists, musicians shine at Friends of the Arts event Kaelyn Castillo, an eighth grade student at Duplin Music Academy, performs in the foyer at the River Landing Clubhouse, greeting guests arriving for the Friends of the Arts Supporter Appreciation Night. Turn to A6 for more.
Library Saturdays adjusted Kenansville The Kenansville Library Branch will now close on Saturdays whenever a holiday falls on the Friday before or Monday after, giving staff and visitors a predictable schedule around holidays.
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 Kenedy. For more information, call 910-296-2140.
Americans unite in aggravation over sticker shock at the gas pump A country divided on many fronts is finding common ground at the gas pumps. The cost of the Iran war is hitting Americans squarely in the wallet and aggravating people across the political spectrum. That was the message from Associated Press interviews Monday with people at gas stations and beyond in five states. The national average gas price was $3.48 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 a month ago, before the war, according to tracking by AAA.
Anthropic sues Trump administration seeking to undo “supply chain risk” designation Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon’s decision designating the artificial intelligence company a “supply chain risk” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. The Pentagon designated the San Francisco tech company a supply chain risk after an unusually public dispute over how its AI chatbot Claude could be used in warfare.
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Wallace fire chief retires suddenly, volunteers resign The town turned to the Teachey Fire Department while rebuilding the volunteer ranks By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal WALLACE — Members of the Wallace Town Council gathered in the Wallace Woman’s Club for
an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon after Wallace Fire Chief Sammy Marshburn and several volunteers of the Wallace Fire Department abruptly resigned. In an opening statement, Mayor Jason Wells said, “On Thursday, March 5, 2026, the fire chief of the Wallace Fire Department tendered his retirement effective immediately. Following that an-
nouncement, several members of the volunteer fire department resigned that same evening.” While Marshburn’s departure was referred to as a retirement, it appeared to have been tendered without advance notice to the town. There was no reason stated for either the chief’s abrupt departure or the volunteers’ resignations. Under personnel laws, the town could not discuss any
Public records dispute leads to court complaint in Warsaw Jessica Thomas said a months-long wait for wastewater documents prompted legal action By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal WARSAW — After months of unanswered public records requests, Jessica Thomas, environ-
mental justice chair for the Duplin County NAACP, has filed a complaint in Duplin County Superior Court seeking the release of public records from the Town of Warsaw.
According to the complaint, Thomas submitted a public records request to Town Manager Crystal Lea Turner on Oct. 20, 2025 seeking communications between town officials, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Villari Foods, C2NC, and state and federal representatives regarding the town’s wastewa-
County backs Villari wastewater upgrade with $200K loan Officials say the $3.27 million upgrade will reduce treatment strain on Warsaw system and allow room for growth By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal KENANSVILLE — During the March meeting of the Duplin County Board of Commissioners, one of the key items focused on a proposed $200,000 loan from the county’s revolving loan fund to support a project by Villari Food Group LLC in Warsaw. The loan request was presented by Economic Development Director Scotty Summerlin during a public hearing. The funding would help finance a
$3.27 million project aimed at improving the company’s wastewater pretreatment system before its discharge enters the Town of Warsaw’s wastewater treatment plant. The project includes two phases: installing upgraded pretreatment equipment and developing a land application system to manage processed wastewater more effectively. The improvements are intended to reduce the burden on the town’s treatment facility and address past challenges with wastewater discharge. “The project demonstrates the company’s strong desire to address their treatment deficiencies and challenges,” said Summerlin. He noted that the revolvSee VILLARI, page A5
“Villari cannot grow without the project.” Scotty Summerlin
specifics. However, a social media post by the town after the meeting referenced “low morale” in the department. As Wells stated in his continued opening remarks, this development left the town at risk. “These developments have created significant and immediate concerns regarding the department’s staffing levels, leadership structure and its ability to effectively respond to emergencies and provide reliable fire protection services,” Wells continued. “Because the fire department is a critical public safety function of the town, any disruptions to its operational capacity present See RETIRE, page A2
ter treatment system, environmental compliance and related issues. Thomas told Duplin Journal she hoped the information would clarify efforts to secure funding and address the town’s aging infrastructure. “I wanted to understand what was going on with the wastewater treatment plant and whether the town had been communicating with state and federal officials about funding or solutions,” Thomas said. Thomas alleges the town See WARSAW, page A5