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DUDLEY — On any given Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the parking lot at Grady’s Barbecue is packed full at lunchtime, as folks in the restaurant queue up for some serious ‘cue. But on the first Friday and Saturday of this month, the gravel lot sat eerily empty; the restaurant inside, strangely silent. This was not, however, a sign that something was wrong. In fact, quite the opposite: The restaurant shut down for two days, while owners Steve and Gerri Grady jetted off to Kansas City, Missouri, for Steve’s induction into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The preamble to the U.S Constitution begins with “We the people,” unfortunately the people’s ignorance and lack of understanding of the document have them making decisions based on potentially biased and misleading soundbites and social media, said retired U.S. Army Col. Kenneth Sullivan.

Elianah Parris, 3, flashes a quick smile and an enthusiast thumbs up when her dad Ottley asks if she enjoyed the Mt. Olive dill pickle she had just devoured.

Eighteen-year-old Vinny Varas watches a lot of boxing.

On Oct. 26, over 80,000 people crowded into Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium for the Concert for Carolina, which raised over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The star-studded event featured performances by, among others, Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, the Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Sheryl Crow, and Keith Urban. But it was one musician, in particular, who succeeded in capturing the essence of what the evening was all about — and that musician was Duplin County’s own Wesko.

Elaynna Gregory of the Summerlins Crossroads community could hardly wait to get home and dive into her Halloween goodies topped off with whipped cream.

Firefighters put their lives on the line to save others. For most, it’s a calling. It’s what they feel led to do. It’s what they train hard to do. And when they answer a call, they’re outfitted, head-to-toe, in protective gear. The job’s still dangerous, but the gear helps.

MOUNT OLIVE — The University of Mount Olive (UMO) recently hosted a reception to honor the 2024-25 cohort of Golden LEAF Scholars. The event connected scholarship recipients with members of the Golden LEAF Foundation and the University’s academic deans.

SEVEN SPRINGS — On the corner of Spring and New streets, a rainbow of colors has seemingly sprouted from the ground, with fire-engine red, royal blue, lime green, and bright-as-the-sun yellow intertwined in a vivid display designed to appeal to both children and adults. This the town’s fully refurbished Community Park.

SEVEN SPRINGS — Spring Creek Elementary third-grade teacher, Ashley Harper, has been named the North Carolina Center For The Advancement Of Teaching (NCCAT) 2025 Empower Beginning Teacher of the Year for Wayne County Public Schools (WCPS).