VOLUME 9 ISSUE 52 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the
BRIEF
A bucking good time! The Duplin Events Center hosted sold‑out crowds over the weekend for its annual Bulls, Barrels and Broncs event. The two‑day event included bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing. Here, Hot Tamale, owned by Revenge Roughstock Association, takes Jarod Torrance for a wild ride.
this week
DEQ responds to animal waste spill in Duplin Wallace On Tuesday, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, reported a spill of approximately 84,000 gallons of animal waste that impacted Doctors Creek over the weekend. The spill originated from Farm 6703 and 6704 on Kenan Loop Road in Wallace, and it was caused by a malfunction in the waste pumping equipment used for the lagoons. DEQ confirmed that the waste was cleaned up and samples were taken at the discharge point, as well as upstream and downstream, to assess water quality impacts. DEQ reported that there are no known public water system surface water intakes along the path affected by the waste.
Suspect charged in overdose investigation Wallace Elijah Eddie Robinson, 23, of Wallace, was arrested Feb. 17 in connection with an overdose death that occurred last March. According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies found Jacey Newkirk’s body on March 7, 2024, after responding to a call at South N.C. 50 Highway in Rose Hill. According to the DCSO, investigators determined that the victim had obtained narcotics from Robinson prior to her death. On Feb. 13, the North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose. Robinson was charged with death by distribution and is currently being held in the Duplin County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Juvenile in custody after high-speed chase Duplin County A Duplin County 15-year‑old is in custody at the Duplin County Juvenile Detention Center after a high speed chase led to his arrest. According to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, the high-speed chase began in Duplin County when a young male jumped into a vehicle belonging to an elderly woman who was dropping off trash at a trash dump on Jan. 6. The LCSO reported that officers observed the vehicle driving at a high rate of speed while traveling north on N.C. 11 and attempted to stop it. The juvenile allegedly led deputies on a high-speed chase from N.C. 11 in Pink Hill onto U.S. 70 West, ending at Kinston’s Barnet Park. He has been charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, felony speeding to elude arrest and several other traffic violations.
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COURTESY WILD HEARTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Magnolia returns Airport boosts grant funds to state state economy Town discusses animal control challenges and next steps By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal MAGNOLIA — Last week, members of the Magnolia town board discussed funding for the Magnolia gymnasium project during their regular monthly meeting. Town Manager Charles Banks provided an update and passed along the grant administrator’s recommendations about returning the funds to the state. Banks explained that the grant was awarded in 2018 for disaster relief as part of a revitalization effort. The original project involved revitalizing houses and the auditorium of the old Magnolia High School campus. The auditorium had suffered severe damage from Hurricane Matthew, compromising its roof and windows and exposing the interior to the elements. According to county documents, insurance claims were insufficient to cover the necessary repairs after the storm, which led to the dete-
rioration of the auditorium. Ultimately, it was deemed a threat to public safety and was demolished to allow the adjacent recreational fields to reopen. When the auditorium was deemed unrepairable, the revitalization project shifted to redirect funds toward the construction of a gymnasium instead. Banks noted that the grant initially provided $750,000 for revitalization, some funding went to administrative costs and $180,000 went to revitalizing homes in the community. As a result, $569,000 remained available for the gym project. However, after consulting with the grant administrator, he determined that the town would not have enough time to meet all the requirements by the September deadline for the grant. “There is a hard deadline of September 2025 by the U.S. Treasury, which I understand cannot be extended,” said Banks, explaining that the work should have started in the fall of 2022 or 2023 in order to meet the required deadlines. He shared that the grant administrator See MAGNOLIA, page A5
by $146.3M More than $1 million was generated in fuel tax revenues last year By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal KENANSVILLE — Since the last biennial economic impact study of airports, Duplin County Airport has expanded its footprint and more than doubled its economic impact, contributing $146.37 million in economic output to North Carolina’s economy. “We are excited about all the growth and development here at the airport. The airport is a real asset to the county, and the more we can improve it, the more impact the airport will have on the community,” said Joshua Raynor, Duplin County Airport director. When asked about the factors contributing to this significant growth, Raynor explained that he worked to analyze which businesses utilize the airport and made a concerted effort to involve them in the report. Notably, there has been an increase in corporate traffic using the airport since the last report. See AIRPORT, page A2
Wallace town manager explains stormwater process “Every property owner is required to maintain their property so that it does not flood upstream or downstream.” Rob Taylor, Wallace town manager
Public hearings for rezoning requests are set for the March 13 meeting By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal WALLACE — Wallace Town Manager Rob Taylor gave a presentation to the town council during the regular monthly meeting Thursday night to explain the town’s stormwater process and fee schedule. Wallace has had a stormwater drainage control ordinance in place since 1997, and the stormwater utility enterprise fund was started in 2002, Taylor said. “The purpose of the stormwater policy is basically to control flooding, erosion and improve water quality,” he explained.
Taylor also showed the council a graphic that explained how the stormwater policy works and how the water flows. “You can say, (rain is) going to fall all over town, it’ll fall on construction sites, parking lots, your personal homes, streets. … All of that drains into the stormwater system, which eventually works its way to waterways,” Taylor said. “A lot of it drains to either Boney Mill Pond or Little Rockfish Creek. That’s the outfall and then that eventually gets out to the Northeast Cape Fear River, and then that of course gets out to the Atlantic Ocean. “Every property owner is required to maintain their property so that it does not flood upstream or downstream,” See WALLACE, page A2
“The airport is a real asset to the county, and the more we can improve it, the more impact the airport will have on the community.” Joshua Raynor, Duplin County Airport director