By Free Press staff
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will invest $50 million over several years to expand their manufacturing facility in Lenoir County, in return, the company will receive $500,000 in grant support.
West s Kinston location is contributing components that are being used to fight against COVID-19. The expansion is in part due to the increased demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release about the expansion.
“I’m so proud of our Kinston team and the role we play in significantly contributing to the health of the patients we serve around the globe, said Mike Fischer, senior director of operations in Kinston in the release. We look forward to being able to support our local community with more job opportunities as a result of this expansion, and are excited that this grant will help support a continued bright future for Kinston.”
Buy A Bow drive fundraiser to benefit Kinston Arts Center
By Kinston Free Press staff
As part of the Save The Arts Campaign to benefit the Arts Center, the Community Council For The Arts (CCA) announces the Buy A Bow drive.
Distinctive magenta-colored bow are available for purchase to display to show support for the Arts in their community.
Each bow is sold for $20 and is available for purchase on the CCA website www.kinstoncca.com, or may be purchased at the Arts Center with cash, check or credit card.
Anyone interested in a bow is asked to call Shelby Harrison at (252) 286-6596, or email shelbywharrison@yahoo.com.
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
The Lenoir County SPCA is in a dire situation.
The private nonprofit receives community and taxpayer support and the community should have a new modern shelter. The problem is the community, taxpayers and donors should not trust the group to move forward while they lack basic fiscal controls and transparency.
Here is the pathway forward: new board leadership, conduct a forensic audit to ensure donors and taxpayers that funds have been used appropriately, and give access to records to the public and local government.
A forensic audit, recommended by the SPCA s attorney, was dismissed on grounds that it was too expensive. What are the board members potentially hiding from donors and taxpayers?
Mike Parker
On January 26 I received an email from Professor Michael Aceto of East Carolina’s Department of English. He wrote to let me know that Dr. McKay Sundwall passed away on January 20. McKay’s wife Marilyn wanted me to know. Dr. Sundwall was one of my English professors at East Carolina. I first met him when I audited a class in Medieval Literature as I was preparing for my oral comprehensive exams for my Master’s degree.
Dr. Sundwall changed my life and my approach to teaching. After that first class, I took other classes with him. When I struggled to finish my Master’s degree because I could not come up with an idea for my thesis, he volunteered to be my thesis director. I still remember his advice:
AgCarolina Farm Credit awards $33,850 in grants
By Free Press staff
AgCarolina Farm Credit has awarded $33,850 in grants to fourteen organizations through its corporate-giving program.
The grants will aid recipients in carrying out programs specifically benefiting farmers and rural residents in eastern North Carolina. Grants up to $5,000 per organization were awarded in one of the four focus areas of Education, Environment, Technology, or Quality of Rural Life.
South Lenoir High School got a grant for equipment for ag mechanics program.
The application period for 2021 grants opens as of January 1, 2021. For more information, please visit https://www.agcarolina.com/resources/community.
AgCarolina Farm Credit is a farmer owned financial cooperative with headquarters in Raleigh. They are the leading provider of credit to farmers in central and eastern North Carolina. AgCarolina Farm Credit has over $1.5 billion in loans and commitments outstanding to over 3,300 North Carolina fa