There was good news: The Summer Sounds Concert series ended with quite a show.
There was news both good and bad: Bladen County schools opened its academic year. Good news for most parents. Bad news for most kids.
And bad news: There was an armed robbery at the Dollar General store in Dublin.
Three Elizabethtown men were arrested Aug. 23 and charged in an armed robbery of Dollar General, according to the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office. The men were apprehended after a brief vehicle chase that ended in a mobile home park at the intersection of Owen Hill Drive and Robin Drive less than five miles from the store, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Arrested were Naquan Alphonso Matthews, 20, of Blue Moon Drive; Everette Nyquan Ward, 25, of South Cypress Street; and Carlton Terrell Smith Jr., 23, of Della Street. No one was hurt, the money taken during the robbery was recovered, and a .45 caliber handgun believed used during the robbery was found, Sheriff James McVicker said.
Summer vacation officially came to an end Aug. 24 for hundreds of Bladen County students. For high school seniors, the countdown is on until graduation in June. For kindergarten students, it was the excitement of something new without regard that it was 2,340 school days until high school graduation. On the upside, there’s now five fewer days in the school year.
The last “Summer Sounds” concert, on Aug. 27, at the Elizabethtown Farmers Market turned into a retirement party for former Elizabethtown Police Chief Bobby Kinlaw, whose last day of work was Aug. 28. Black Water Rhythm and Blues band entertained. Kinlaw served with the Elizabethtown Police Department since the early 1980s.
On Aug. 28, a memorial was held in Bladenboro to remember Lennon Lacy, the 17-year-old teenager found hanging from a swing set exactly one year earlier. Lacy’s death originally was ruled a suicide, but several people, including Lacy’s family, questioned the investigation. The FBI is investigating the case now. Claudia Lacy, Lennon’s mother, spoke during the Aug. 28 memorial, as did North Carolina NAACP President William Barbour.
In other news,
** Bladen County Emergency Services recognized five people Aug. 26 for saving the lives of two children in June. Sgt. Richard Bailey and Deputy Spencer Bryant of the Sheriff’s Office, and dispatcher Christie Jordan were recognized for saving the life of a 7-month-old child who had stopped breathing. EMS paramedics Heather Warwick and Erin Sasser were recognized for reviving a 12-year-old boy, who had gone into cardiac arrest.
** Sandra Cain was named Bladen County director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension effective Sept. 1. An extension agent with more than 30 years experience, she has served as interim county extension director since May 1.
** The East Bladen and West Bladen high school football teams remained undefeated after two weeks of play. East Bladen toppled Whiteville 29-8 and West Bladen outscored West Columbus 53-24.
** NC Capitol Connection released a list of almost 100 North Carolina and local government email addresses that have been uncovered so far as part of the hack of the online affair Web site, Ashley Madison. Included on the list is a Bladen County Board of Education email address. Bladen County Schools admitted the domain does belong to the school system. However, said Schools spokeswoman Valerie Newton, it wasn’t an indication that an employee of the school system created the account, nor does it indicate that any online activity took place. Bladen County Schools said it will continue to monitor its filtering system and online activity and take appropriate action, if necessary.
That’s the week that was in Bladen County.
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