Happy Easter to ALL.

It’s not just about the Easter eggs or bunnies. It’s the hope that this season enfolds in everyone’s home. Happy Easter

Easter is the only time it’s OK to put all of your eggs in 1 basket.

It’s not about a bunny….it’s about The Lamb.

Love
is patient,
is kind,
does not envy,
does not boast,
does not dishonor others,
is not self-seeking,
is not easily angered,
keeps no record of wrongs,
does not delight in evil,
rejoices with the truth,
always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I will walk by faith even when I can not see. 2 Corinthians 5:7.

If you only pray when you’re in trouble….you’re in trouble.

Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. Janine di Giovanni

Willard Storms, former White Lake Police Chief, hired by the Elizabethtown Police Department.

Joe Gallehugh resigns from his position on the Elizabethtown Housing Authority.

The Bladenboro FFA Chapter awarded their Chapter Star Farmer’s Award to E.H. Pait.

Spaulding Monroe Junior Beta Club welcomed 27 new members.

DUNN – East Bladen’s Boys and West Bladen’s Girls both finished second Tuesday in a six-team Four County Conference track meet.

East Bladen’s boys racked up 101 points to place second behind Wallace-Rose Hill’s 139 points. Midway finished third with 79 points edging West Bladen’s 76 points.

West Bladen’s girls totaled 92 points to finish second behind Midway’s 145 points in the girls meet. Wallace-Rose Hill was third with 74 points. Clinton was fourth with 57 points, and East Bladen took fifth place with 49 points.

Atlas Goss won both the Boys Discus and Shot Put for East Bladen. Senior Eian Hines took first place in the Long Jump, and teammate Deontell Gregg finished in a 3-way tie for first place in the 100 Meter Dash.

Patience Parker was West Bladen’s only event winner taking first-place in the 200 Meter Dash.

Boys 4×200 Meter Relay
2 West Bladen 1:38.2
3 East Bladen 1:38.4

Boys 100 Meter Dash
1 Deontell Gregg (EB) 11.1 (3-way tie)

Boys Discus
1 Atlas Goss (EB) 133-8
2 Jody Hammond (EB) 113-4
4 Isaac Arellano (WB) 91-6

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
2 Justin Best (WB) 19.3

Boys 800 Meter Run
5 Corey McLaughlin (WB) 2:32

Boys High Jump
2 John Bowen (WB) 5-8
4 Malik Hogan (EB) 5-4

Boys 4×400 Meter Relay
3 East Bladen 4:01
4 West Bladen 4:06

Boys Shot Put
1 Atlas Goss (EB) 42-10
2 Isaac Arellano (WB) 37-9
4 Caleb Strait (EB) 36-1
5 Xavia McDowell (EB) 34-6
6 Christopher Council (WB) 34-5

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
4 Justin Best (WB) 45-8

Boys 4×800 Meter Relay
3 West Bladen 10:02
4 East Bladen 10:08

Boys 1600 Meter Run
2 James Monk (EB)

Boys Triple Jump
4 Kerron Washington (WB) 35-5

Boys 400 Meter Dash
4 Alfred Wynn (EB) 57.6
5 Olando Murchison (EB) 59.6
6 Corey McLaughlin (WB) 1:00

Boys 200 Meter Dash
2 Ty’kee Jeffries (WB) 23.0
4 Travaris Carter (EB) 24.3
5 Ethan Hines (EB) 24.5

Boys 3200 Meter Run
3 Justin Nickle (WB) 13:28
4 P. Bereza (WB) 14:18

Boys Long Jump
1 Eian Hines (EB) 20-10.5
2 Ethan Hines (EB) 20-6
6 Malik Hogan (EB) 19-1

Boys Team Scores
1 Wallace-Rose Hill 139 points
2 East Bladen 101 points
3 Midway 79 points
4 West Bladen 76 points
5 Clinton 60 points
6 Union 33 points

Girls 4×200 Meter Relay
2 West Bladen 2:03
3 East Bladen 2:09

Girls 100 Meter Dash
3 Alexis Corrothers (WB) 14.1
4 Patience Parker (WB) 14.1

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles
2 Amiya Williams (WB) 21.2
3 ShaHyra Hogan (EB) 21.4
5 Janae Wright (EB) 23.4

Girls Discus
2 Callie Lewis (WB) 66-3
3 Kiance Morrisey (WB) 65-4
6 Tykia Deloatch (WB) 55-1

Girls 800 Meter Run
5 Kiera Porter (WB) 3:15

Girls 4×400 Meter Relay
2 East Bladen 5:14
3 West Bladen 5:20

Girls Shot Put
5 Autumn Lockamy (EB) 25-1
6 Kiance Morrisey (WB) 22-9

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles
3 ShaHyra Hogan (EB) 59.4

Girls 4×800 Meter Relay
3 East Bladen 14:35

Girls Triple Jump
2 Jamil Bostic (WB) 28-1

Girls 4×100 Meter Relay
2 West Bladen 56.1
3 East Bladen 58.6

Girls 400 Meter Dash
3 Kiera Porter (WB) 1:17.2
4 Kabara Moore (EB) 1:20
5 Ty Graham (EB) 1:21.4

Girls 200 Meter Dash
1 Patience Parker (WB) 29.4
6 Shadecia McMillian (EB) 31.6

Girls Long Jump
3 Chassity Lacy (WB) 11-6.25
4 Nequasia Lennon (WB) 11-0.5

Girls Team Scores
1 Midway 145 points
2 West Bladen 92 points
3 Wallace-Rose Hill 74 points
4 Clinton 57 points
5 East Bladen 49 points
6 Union 19 points

HARTSVILLE, SC – West Bladen grad Clint Allen batted 3-8 with a double in Coker’s weekend sweep of South Atlantic Conference foe Brevard.

In Friday night’s series opener, Allen batted 3-3 with a double and 2 runs scored as the Cobras blanked Brevard 5-0. The Bladenboro native smashed a double to left-centerfield leading off the third inning and later scored to pad the Coker lead to 2-0.

Allen laced a single to centerfield in the fourth inning and eventually scored on the back-end of a double steal as the lead grew to 4-0. The senior leftfielder rapped a single to centerfield in the sixth inning.

Coker took the opener of Saturday’s double-header 10-1. Allen lifted a sacrifice fly to rightfield to drive in a seventh inning run.

The Cobras claimed a 6-0 victory in the second game of Saturday’s double-header. Allen walked and stole a base in the fourth inning but was left stranded.

In the sixth inning Allen was hit by a pitch to force in a run then scored on Robert Lybrand’s double.

With the sweep the Cobras improved to 22-18 overall and evened their South Atlantic record at 12-12.  Coker travels to UNC-Pembroke for a pair of double-headers Saturday and Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. each day.

1629 – 1st successful US newspaper; published in Boston by John Campbell.

1864 – Battle of Plymouth, NC.

1905 – US Supreme court judges maximum work day unconstitutional.

1924 – Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures & Louis B. Mayer Co merged to form Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM).

1937 – Debut of cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J. Fudd & Petunia Pig.

1941 – US Office of Price Administration forms (handled rationing).

1947 – Jackie Robinson bunts for his 1st major league hit.

1951 – NY Yankee Mickey Mantle’s 1st game, he goes 1 for 4.

1961 – 1,400 Cuban exiles land in Bay of Pigs in a doomed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.

1961 – 33rd Academy Awards: “Apartment” wins best film, Burt Lancaster & Elizabeth Taylor win best actor/actress.

1964 – Ford Mustang formally introduced ($2,368).

1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating US Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

1976 – National League greatest comeback, trailing 12-1 Phils win 18-16 in 10 innings.  Mike Schmidt hits 4 consecutive HRs.

1978 – 63,500,000 shares traded on NY stock exchange (record).

1983 – Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter.

1986 – IBM produces 1st megabit-chip.

1993 – Two Los Angeles police officers convicted in federal court of violating Rodney King’s civil rights.

2002 – Four Canadian Forces soldiers are killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from two United States Air Force F-16s, the first death in a combat zone for Canada since the Korean War.

2013 – 15 people are killed and 100 are injured after a fertilizer plant explodes in West, Texas.

2015 – Jazz composer and musician John Coltrane is awarded a posthumous Special Citation by the Pulitzer Prize board.

The Master Gardener Volunteers have been working hard to propagate and plant all sorts of drought hardy, beautiful perennial plants that you will want in your yard. All sorts of butterfly attracting plants, vegetables, shrubs, trees and annuals that will make any garden look spectacular. We will also have a great variety of tomato plants.  The prices are right and the plants will be in abundance.

These sales will be held:

Friday, April 28th, from 9:00am until…at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market located at 106 MLK Drive, Elizabethtown, NC

Saturday, April 29th, from 9:00 am until…at the Bladenboro Farmer’s Market located at 204 N Main St., Bladenboro, NC

For many, this day is another work day. For others, Easter Monday is a holiday, a day off.

Weatherwise, today should be perfect for any outdoor activities. Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s.

Keep watching nearby fields looking for plants to ‘spring forth’.

Next dates worthy of note, Mother’s Day (May 14) followed by Memorial Day (May 29).

A reminder, tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18, is deadline for filing tax returns for 2016.

Interesting story circulating today related to Prince Harry of Great Britain and his struggle with emotional problems after the death of his mother, nearly 20 years ago. Guess we forget that despite their status in life, they are human.

Enjoyed seeing our immediate family yesterday, both sons, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, grandson and his lady friend. All in all, a busy day after Sunday morning worship services.

I am among men most richly blessed.

Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes. Napoleon Hill

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea. Jim Rohn

Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right. Walt Disney

Kayla Thompson, Clarkton native, finished 33rd in the CAA Woman’s Golf Tournament held this past weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Kayla shot 83-83-80=246 as she completed her junior year at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Lady Seahawks placed third in the 8 team tournament.

Mac Campbell announced today that, at the present time, there are 52 teams signed up to participate in the Byron Gooden 28th Annual Bladen We Care Memorial Golf Tournament scheduled for April 27 at Vineyard Golf at White Lake. The morning tournament, starting at 8:30 a.m., is filled up and the afternoon tournament, starting at 1 p.m. has 8 openings. 60 teams played in the 2016 tournament.

Anyone interested in playing should call Mac Campbell at 910-867-0779, Wesley Campbell at 910-874-2008, or Renee Horton at 910-874-4004.

Murray

World Champion Wakeboarder Shaun Murray is preparing to attempt a record on Saturday at White Lake. The record attempt will take place in conjunction with the Correct Craft Owners Reunion. Correct Craft owners will be arriving from as far north as Maine, as far south as Florida and as far west as Ohio.

Townsend Link said Murray became interested in setting the record when he visited White Lake several years ago to teach a class on wakeboarding. Murray noticed all of the Nautique boats on the lake during his time teaching lessons.

“White Lake per capita is the most populated with Nautiques,” said Link.

Murray contacted Link recently and suggested it was time to attempt the record for riding a wakeboard behind the largest number of Nautique boats in one day. Link said if you want to take part, you must own a Nautique boat. To find out more about how you can help make Murray’s attempt at a record, contact Townsend at townsend@whitelake.com or call 910-862-3688.

By: Erin Smith

The town of Elizabethtown recently learned it has been ranked No. 210 out of 500 in Millennial Personal Finance’s “Best Cities for Outdoor Lovers” report.  The report uses data such as the number of available campsites, the number of parks, and outdoor reservations along with the population to determine the rankings, said Millennial Personal Finance’s David Chen.

“The rankings for this report were compiled by using licensed data and MPF’s unique scoring system. Over 5,000 U.S. cities and towns were evaluated on their outdoor friendliness. For each town and city, the exact number of campsites, outdoor reservations, and parks was summed together. That sum was divided by the respective city’s population to develop the MPF Outdoor Lover Index. A higher score meant a better ranking, and vice versa,” said Chen.

The town of Elizabethtown offers residents and visitors alike many options for recreation. The parks include: Leinwand Park, Tory Hole Park, Rufus Lloyd Park, Johnson Park, Brown’s Creek Bike Park and Nature Trail, and the Brown’s Landing at Lock and Dam No. 2. Park facilities can be rented at some locations by calling 910-862-2066. There are also bike paths throughout town that connect residents to various areas in town, sidewalks for walking and shopping and two proposed parks — Sally Slater Park and Greene’s Lake and Conservation Park. 

Some other North Carolina towns also joined Elizabethtown in the rankings. They are:

*town of Spruce Pine was ranked at no. 115;

*Franklin was ranked at no. 131;

*Wilkesboro was ranked No. 138;

*Canton was ranked no. 276;

*Williamston was ranked no. 277;

*town of Beaufort was ranked No. 283;

*Edenton was ranked no. 314;

*Windsor ranked at no. 420;

*Swannanoa was ranked no. 421;

*Fletcher was ranked no. 474, and

*Burgaw was ranked no. 499.

To read the full report, click here.

Elizabethtown Primary School has released the honor rolls for the third 9 weeks grading period.

3rd Grade

“A” Honor Roll

Cabria Baldwin, Danyelle Cotten, Colton Daly, Dajour Davis, Destiny Gore, Melody Kulp, Isaiah Lee, Chelsea Lesane, Chance Miller, Aubrey Nixon, Gaby Rebollar, Hunter Simmons, Teagan Smith, Ayden Williams.

“A/B” Honor Roll

Kamille Burden, Ariel Cromartie, Erica Cupp, DeAdra Dimery, Ta’Mya Elliott, Madison Franzeo, Jacob Gooden, Madilyn Hall, Levi Harrelson, Adriana Howell, Emily Martinez, Joseph Martinez, Andrea McDowell, Caleb McGough, A’Nida McKibben, NyQurea McRae,  Olivia Meggs, Carly Nguyen, Jayden Osborne, Jena Packer, Alina Rabanales , Alden Ross, Zachary Sholar, Gavin Smith, Grady Starling, Max Tart, A’Marra Washington, Niyah Wooten.

4th  Grade

Superintendent’s List

Savanna Howell

“A” Honor Roll

Gissele Campos-Almazo, Corey Clark, Braxton Grimes, Colin King, Anna Marie Miranda, Aidan Schultz, Jaiden Steffan, Jaylen Suggs, Marco Ventura, Iveonna Ward, Brianna Wuerlger

“A/B” Honor Roll

Gabriel Al Gozi, Jaedyn Beatty, Cameron Blanks, Chace Butler, Joshua Evans, Annosty Hall, Shannon Hankins, Kenadie Hill, Makaylee Holloman, Alex Izquierdo-Hidalgo, Lukas Johnson, Christopher Joseph, Kylie McGough, Maria Medina-Leal, Davion Miller, Lamaiya Morgan, Zipporah Morgan, Jeremiah Morton, Al’Licia Owens, Cara Priest, Wilie Rojas-Sandoval, Aubrey Schwable,  Destiny Shipman, Seth Smith, Jaamir Stephens, Jonathan Stocks, Jada Suggs, Julio Vazquez Murillo, Marcus Williams, Arieyanna Willis

The Industrial Hemp Commission will host a public meeting on Monday, April 17, at 2:30 p.m. via telephone conference call to review and approve applications received to grow industrial hemp under a pilot program. No public comments will be taken during the meeting.

Access to the conference call can be made at http://go.ncsu.edu/industrialhemp?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss or by calling 1-646-558-8656 (U.S. toll) or 1-408-638-0968 (U.S. toll). The meeting ID is 552-175-681. Participants will be prompted to enter their name and email address to enter the meeting via the website, or prompted for a unique participant ID for the call. They should press # to access the call.

The N.C. General Assembly passed Senate Bill 313 in 2015, allowing the creation of the Industrial Hemp Commission to develop the rules and licensing structure necessary to stay within federal laws. The Industrial Hemp Commission adopted temporary rules in February, setting up the application requirements and process.

For meeting questions, contact Lori Pfister at 919-707-3236.

Boost the Boro New Brickwork

BoostBoro mulch

Boost Boro mulch2

Boost Boro Painting

The Boost the Boro non-profit and the Town of Bladenboro are working together to improve the local town. One project is to paint a wall and landscape the area at a prominent corner in Bladenboro.

Friday afternoon the painting project began.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the 2017-crop loan rate differentials for upland and extra-long staple cotton.

The differentials, also referred to as loan rate premiums and discounts, have been calculated based on market valuations of various cotton quality factors for the prior three years. This calculation procedure is identical to that used in past years. The Commodity Credit Corporation adjusts cotton loan rates by these differentials so that cotton loan values reflect the differences in market prices for color, staple length, leaf, extraneous matter, micronaire, length uniformity, and strength.

The 2017-crop differential schedules are applied to the 2017-crop loan rate of 49.49 cents per pound for the base grade of upland cotton and 79.77 cents per pound for extra-long staple cotton. The 2014 Farm Bill stipulates that the upland cotton loan rate ranges between 45 to 52 cents per pound, based on the simple average of the adjusted world price for the two marketing years preceding sowing of the ensuing year’s crop. The loan rate provided to an individual cotton bale is based on the quality of each individual bale as determined by Agricultural Marketing Service classing measurements.

The tables of these loan rate differentials are available on the FSA website at http://go.usa.gov/3W8tV?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Erik Dohlman at 202-720-4284 or by email at Erik.Dohlman@wdc.usda.gov.

Bladen Community College President William Findt treated students, faculty, and staff members to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in April. Findt is pictured here with student Zack Bridgers. The PB and J Social is an annual event at BCC.

First Baptist will be celebrating Family and Friends Day on April 23.

The Rev. Joel McCauley of Durham, NC will be the speaker for the morning service. Rev. Jerry McDowell and congregation of New Mount Zion in Riegelwood, NC will be the speaker for the afternoon. Services will begin at 3 p.m.

Please come out and join us in our worship experience.

By: Rep. Brenden Jones
Last week was a short but busy week in the General Assembly. Below is a summary of key bills I introduced or sponsored, key actions taken by committees on which I serve, and key House votes.

News Clips
Key Bills Sponsored / Introduced

HB636: Sale of Salvage Vehicle/No Inspection
HB666: Revise Volunteer Fire Department Req’ts
HB708: Require Criminal BGC/Pharmacist Licensure

Key Committee Actions

HB68: BRIGHT Futures Act (discussion only)
HB443: Auto Dealers/Continuing Education (reported favorably)
HB298: 00 Alcohol Restriction—All DWI (reported favorably)

Key House Votes

HB206: NC Cancer Treatment Fairness (Passed; I voted in favor)
HB243: Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act. (Passed; I voted in favor)
SB68: Bipartisan Bd of Elections and Ethics Enforce (Passed; I voted in favor)

Photo Gallery 

Rep. Jones speaking to the Whiteville Rotary Club on Apr. 13.

Week in Review

Monday

Met with staff and colleagues to discuss a bill.

Also met with various members and discussed wildlife-related issues.

Session began at 5 p.m. and we voted on various bills, including:  HB223 (voted in favor), HB300 (voted in favor) and HB206 (voted in favor).

Tuesday

Tuesday morning the ABC Committee met and we held discussions but not votes on HB460 and HB500.

At 10 a.m. I attended the Regulatory Reform Committee, where HB443 (of which I am a primary sponsor) was heard and passed.  It has now been referred to the Finance Committee.

Next, I headed over to the Transportation Committee at 11 a.m.  We voted on a few bills including HB94 (voted in favor) and HB418 (voted in favor).  At 1 p.m. I attended the Energy and Public Utilities Committee where HB68 was heard for discussion only.  I am a co-primary sponsor of this legislation.

Session was held at 2 p.m.  We voted on various bills including:  HB228 (voted in favor), SB68 (voted in favor), HB501 (voted in favor).

After session, the legislature adjourned through April 18, 2017.  No committee meetings or votes will be held until we reconvene on April 19, 2017.

If you have questions or comments about other issues, please feel free to call my legislative assistant, Andrew Bailey, at 919-733-5821 or jonesla@ncleg.net.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Centers in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Bladen Counties are having a Sheep and Meat Goat Field Day on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. until noon at Grays Creek High School (5301 Celebration Dr. in Hope Mills, NC  28348). Registration is at 9 a.m. and the field day begins at 9:30 a.m.

The field day will be an opportunity to learn more on sheep and goats. The field day will cover basic nutrition, feeding minerals, and an overview of the FAMACHA deworming system. There will also be 3 tracks to choose from during part of the field day.

Track 1: FAMACHA certification – producers will learn how to properly use the FAMACHA system to deworm.  You will also be certified. Cost is $16 per card.  Check to Robeson County Cooperative Extension.

Track 2: Youth Basics will focus on basic knowledge about hoof trimming, showing/judging, and castration.

Track 3: Advanced Track will discuss grazing, alternative forages and strategies in deworming.

Please call 910-862-4591 or email becky_spearman@ncsu.edu to register by April 26th.  For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Becky Spearman at 910-862-4591 or email becky_spearman@ncsu.edu five days before the field day.

Bullard

Bladenboro Ash Street 3

Bladenboro Ash Street

Bladenboro Ash Street 2

By: Erin Smith

Bullard

Bladenboro Police Officer Tonya Bullard was on routine patrol on Monday afternoon when she spotted a storage building on fire behind a residence on Ashe Street.

According to Bladenboro Police Chief Chris Hunt, Officer Bullard reported the to the Bladen County Communications and in communications notified the fire department. Lt. Rouse heard the call and also responded to the scene to assist Officer Bullard.

“They knocked on the door to alert the homeowner and learned he was asleep,” said Chief Hunt. The officers and the homeowner tried to contain the fire until the fire department arrived.

The fire was contained to the storage building which is a complete loss. Chief Hunt said there were concerns about some propane tanks and gas cans that were stored in the building. There were also tools stored the building.

“I want to commend Officer Bullard for a job well done,” said Chief Hunt. “With the propane tanks inside and the various five gallon gas cans and tools filled with gas in there it could have caused a lot of damage had they exploded.”

He added, “I want to thank the fire department for their quick response. Everybody did an outstanding job.”

Bladenboro Fire Department Deputy Chief Andy Coleman said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. He also praised the quick response of the Bladenboro, Clarkton and Dublin fire departments to the scene. The Bladenboro Police Department and Bladen County EMS also responded.