Wayne Week

02/20/2025

The Feb. 23 edition of Wayne Week has gone to press and we will see our subscribers in the coming days. (Keep an eye out for an email from our team, because we would assume, given the current state of the roads, that home delivery might be pushed back a day or two.)

With that said, here’s a taste of what’s inside:

- Downtown Goldsboro’s “Freedom Tree” will likely need to come down as a result of rot and insect infestation, but former Goldsboro Mayor Tommy Gibson, the man who planted the willow oak in 1973 in honor of then-MIA Air Force fighter pilot Maj. Peter Cleary, has a plan — thanks to his son, Ben — to ensure another tree is planted in its place so the community never forgets Cleary’s sacrifice.

- MASSIVE news on the saving historic Union Station front, but we won’t spoil it here. At least, not yet.

- Members of the Goldsboro City Council met in closed session Tuesday to begin to review the applications of those who want to be the next city manager.

- A high school photojournalist and yearbook staffer, Owen Davis, captured some incredible shots as the Charles B. Aycock cheerleading squad took home the Wayne County championship. Fortunately for us — and you — we have the chance to share this talented photographer’s work.

There’s more, but we can’t spoil everything.

Those who want to begin a subscription can click one of the links in the comments. And if you are a current subscriber and have not renewed your subscription, don’t forget to check your email so your account doesn’t lapse.

Stay safe — and warm — out there, everyone!

02/06/2025

The Feb. 9 edition of Wayne Week has gone to press and we’ll see our subscribers in the coming days.

Here’s a taste of what’s inside:

- The point-in-contact homeless count conducted last week saw a significant increase in Wayne County’s unhoused population from 2024.

- Pikeville officials have spoken with Rep. John Bell to gauge his interest in filing a bill that would allow the town to change its charter to allow for recall elections.

- Dozens of Mount Olive residents converged on Town Hall Monday evening to voice their concerns about a number of issues — including a recently announced SBI investigation into town employees.

There’s more, but we’ll leave it there.

Have a great weekend, Wayne County. If you still haven’t jumped in and want to join the Wayne Week community, home delivery and digital subscription links are in the comments.

01/23/2025

Another loaded edition of Wayne Week is off to the press and here’s a taste of what’s coming this weekend:

- Recently fired Mount Olive Town Manager Jammie Royall spoke with us for nearly two hours to tell his side of the story. The first part of that conversation is in the Jan. 26 edition.

- Goldsboro Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston, Rep. John Bell, and the Wayne County Development Alliance are working on a plan to save Eureka.

- In December, we told you that thanks to Sen. Ted Budd and Congressman Don Davis, the 4th Fighter Wing’s F-15Es were safe, but Air Force officials recently confirmed more good news — very good news — for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the community that houses it.

- A hack involving PowerSchool might have put some Wayne County Public Schools teachers and students’ data at risk.

And yes, there’s more.

We’ll see our subscribers this weekend. (For those who haven’t jumped in yet or need to renew their print or digital subscriptions, links are in the comments.)

Stay warm out there, everyone!

01/16/2025

The Jan. 19 edition of Wayne Week has gone to press and there’s a lot to unpack, including:

- Pikeville officials are pursuing a charter change to allow for a recall election.
- Mount Olive Commissioners voted to fire Town Manager Jammie Royall Monday evening during a rescheduled session the town’s mayor found out about via text message and was unable to attend.
- Goldsboro leaders take a major step in the effort to save Historic Union Station.
- HUD released its 2024 homelessness numbers, as local officials prepare for the annual homeless count that translates into federal funding.

There’s more, but we’ll stop there. We look forward to seeing our subscribers in the coming days. If you still haven’t jumped in — or need to renew your subscription — links are in the comments.

Stay warm during your three-day weekend, Wayne County!

01/09/2025

One consultant told the Goldsboro City Council the city was functioning, “in many ways,” like it was stuck in the 1980s. Another outlined $51 million in necessary road repair projects for the Wayne County seat.

Well, our design director ran with it and showed, again, why he is, in our opinion, the best in the business.

We will see our subscribers in the coming days. If you still haven’t jumped in (see what we did there?) or need to renew your subscription, links are in the comments.

Stay warm out there, Wayne County! 🐸

11/22/2024

Former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Christopher Worth will not serve time in federal prison. Instead, he was given 4 years of probation for his role in a mail and wire fraud conspiracy by Chief Judge Richard Myers II inside a Wilmington courtroom this afternoon.

Wayne Week subscribers — many of whom have already received their copy of the Nov. 24 edition — will have all the details regarding the successful argument Worth’s attorney made to keep him from doing time.

09/19/2024

Almost off to the presses.

It goes without saying that we are excited about the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair!

Need a schedule? We’ve got you covered this week.

09/12/2024

We keep neglecting to post our paper preview to the Wayne Week page because the majority of our promotion is done through the New Old North account, but we’ll try to get better about it.

With that said, last week, NCDPI released its annual school report cards — and the scores brought with them some good news for Wayne County Public Schools.

This week’s cover story is “chalked” full (see what we did there?) of all the data you’ll need to evaluate how the district — and each of its schools — performed during the 2023-24 school year.

We’ll see our subscribers in the coming days. Links to jump in are in the comments.

Hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy this beautiful weather. Have a great weekend, Wayne County!

07/11/2024

The July 14 edition of Wayne Week has gone to press and there is so much more to unwrap in Pikeville.

We’ll see our subscribers in the coming days and hope all of you have a great end of the week and weekend.

And be on the lookout. The Best of the Boot digital ballot is dropping on the New Old North page soon.

06/27/2024

Coming this weekend …

He attacked the town manager and nearly every other employee in town — and spoke about everything from their job performance and employment status to their alleged infractions and medical conditions.

He bad-mouthed the town’s police chief — and the law enforcement community in general.

He unwrapped his plan to see to it the town’s form of government would be changed to give himself more power — and said he had been given the green light to do so from state entities and leaders like House Majority Leader John Bell, a claim Bell and several agencies denied this week.

And he said that town residents would be none the wiser — that the majority of them didn’t know “what the hell is goin’ on.”

But what Pikeville Mayor Garrett Johnston did not know was that when he said all those things — and much more — during a four-hour conversation with two town residents at his home back in January, he was being recorded, a maneuver that is legal in North Carolina, a state that requires that only one of the parties being recorded consents.

And the above is just the tip of the iceberg.

The June 30 edition of Wayne Week has gone to press and it also includes our first-ever Best of the Boot paper ballot.

Subscribers will receive their copies in the coming days and, since we know this will be an in-demand edition, it’s worth noting that the only way to guarantee you get your hands on one is to subscribe.

Everyone who signs up by Thursday at midnight will be added to this weekend’s routes. Links to jump in are in the comments.

Have a great rest of your week and weekend, Wayne County.

06/25/2024

The June 30 edition of Wayne Week is going to be a special one, as the paper will not only include one of our most significant investigative pieces to date (more on that later) but will also contain our first-ever Best of the Boot hard-copy ballot.

For those who don’t yet subscribe to the paper or have trouble getting your hands on one of the thousands of free copies we circulate throughout the community every week, digital BOB voting will absolutely still happen — a link will be provided on the New Old North social media accounts in the coming weeks — but if you want to get the first crack at showing your favorites some love, make sure you find a copy of the paper this weekend.

Have a great rest of your week, Wayne County!

06/14/2024

Goldsboro leaders — and residents — are searching for answers as a string of broad-daylight murders has amplified fears of the armed, brazen youth shooting at each other in jarring numbers.

The June 16 edition of Wayne Week tries to make sense of what has become this community’s new normal.

We’ll see our subscribers in the coming days. Have a great weekend and be safe out there.

06/06/2024

It’s crazy to think that it has been a year since our debut edition rolled off the press, but here we are — still standing strong and ready to embrace Wayne Week’s Year Two.

In this week’s special edition, we will provide some significant updates on our most-discussed stories from Year One and look toward the future.

So, if you’re a recent addition to our coalition — or if you haven’t jumped in just yet — the June 9 paper will get you up to speed.

Those who subscribe by midnight are guaranteed to be added to this week’s route.

And here’s a tip: If you’re looking for a discounted rate, hit up one of our current subscribers and ask them to send you the special link emailed to them a few days ago.

Otherwise, links are in the comments for digital and home delivery. We’ll see you in the coming days, Wayne County. Have a great weekend!

05/04/2024

Deliveries to our subscribers are done, so here’s the May 5 cover.

Inside this week’s edition, we unwrap the gun violence crisis facing Goldsboro, and introduce you to a man who, through his drumline, is trying to stem the tide and show inner-city youth a better path.

Grab one outside our office (219 N. John St.) before they’re gone or, if you want a guaranteed paper every week, sign up for a home delivery or digital subscription.

Have a great Saturday night/Sunday everyone. Links to subscribe are in the comments.

04/26/2024

So, we know we’ve been neglecting the Wayne Week page because the majority of our promotion is done on our New Old North account, but we will try to get a little more active over here.

With that said, here’s the April 28, 2024 cover, everyone. And remember, it’s getting hard to find these things around town and the only way to guarantee a copy is to subscribe.

Have a great weekend!

02/09/2024

It’s been a while since we’ve posted here because the majority of our promotion of Wayne Week happens on the New Old North page, but here’s this week’s cover.

Inside the Feb. 11 edition, among other things, is confirmation from the 4th Fighter Wing Commander that Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is losing the 333rd Fighter Squadron in the coming months as part of the USAF’s Congressionally-approved divestment of Strike Eagles.

Stay informed, Wayne County, and have a great weekend! If you still haven’t subscribed — the only way to guarantee you receive the paper — links are in the comments.

11/16/2023

Our guy Shan absolutely crushed the illustration for our Thanksgiving edition …

10/12/2023

Wayne Week has gone to press and our subscribers will begin receiving their copies tomorrow evening (others will have theirs Saturday night).

We realize — given the high call volume from folks this week — that the paper is becoming increasingly difficult to find, so your best bet for a guaranteed copy is still to subscribe for home delivery (a link is in the comments). If you’re still holding out, you can find copies across the community beginning late Sunday morning.

Here’s a taste of what’s in this week’s edition:

- Wayne Christian’s Homecoming saw its football team dominate Faith Christian, but it was the Little Eagles who stole the show. Look for them — and some game shots — in our Spectator section.

- An Air Force veteran started a food truck with his active-duty wife less than a year ago and has developed quite a following.

- Teachers, PTA members, and business leaders sound off on the fact that $115,000 has been spent by WCPS since July on beautification projects when they say there are more pressing needs. And they expressed their ire at the fact that $24,000 of that sum was paid to a current school district employee who happens to be the son of the Board of Education’s longest-tenured member.

Those who subscribe by Friday at 10 p.m. are guaranteed to be added to the route. We’ll see the rest of you next week.

Have an awesome weekend, Wayne County!