Local state trooper looks to change people s view of law enforcement
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
Jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin begins Monday, and law enforcement in Kinston wants to continue changing the perspective people may have of all officers.
On May 25, 2020, a video captured Chauvin pressing his knee on the neck of a Black man, George Floyd, for 9 ½ minutes which eventually resulted in the death of Floyd, who was handcuffed at the time.
According to a USA TODAY article on Friday, March 5, “the question at the heart of the case is whether what people saw on the video was murder or a terrible tragedy.”
Mayor Hardy wins AARP NC Inspiration Award
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
For his outstanding leadership in the Coastal region, AARP has selected Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy as the 2020 AARP NC Inspiration Award recipient.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AARP will hold a virtual celebration for Hardy and 23 others from the AARP NC Coastal region of 33 counties on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.
WWAY TV co-anchors Donna Gregory and Ramel Carpenter will present the awards from Wilmington on Zoom. People are asked to RSVP at 877-926-8300 or register online at: https://aarp.cvent.com/AARPINSPIRATIONAWARDS2020. It s a distinguished honor to have been recognized out of 33 counties in the East, Hardy said. I just want to be an inspiration to everyone I encounter, encouraging anyone I m connected to to become passionate leaders no matter what position they hold.
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
As she led by a mere nine votes in the city council race almost four years ago, Kristal Suggs had no idea she would soon help make history in the City of Kinston.
Suggs not only became the third Black woman to be named a Kinston City Council member, she joined Felicia Solomon, Sammy Aiken, Joe Tyson, and Robbie Swinson, creating Kinston’s first all-Black city council on December 4, 2017.
“It honestly did not occur to me that the makeup of the council would be all Black until well after the election,” Suggs said. “While I’m proud of the historical significance we’ve brought to our community, we are simply representatives that should be categorized by the decisions we make not the color of our skin.”
How Lester s has survived box stores for nearly 70 years
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
For Cabot Hearn, the arrival of another big-box hardware store in Kinston is nothing new for his family’s business or anything to really worry about.
It’s just more competition.
News traveled this week of the Harbor Freight Tools chain arriving in Kinston mid-spring across from Walmart, and Hearn, manager of Lester’s Hardware Company, feels the nearly 70-year-old mom-and-pop store on North Herritage Street will continue to provide great customer service and maintain good inventory levels for hopefully another 70 years.
“You start thinking about its impact on your business,” Hearn said. “I’m sure there’s going to be a little bit more competition in the tools department, but overall, I’m not especially worried.
NAACP re-elects president, MLK Day celebration slated for Sunday
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
With the most recent riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Kinston-Lenoir County NAACP feels a public celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. is inevitable even during a global pandemic.
The NAACP will hold its annual MLK Celebration this year via a drive-in on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 3 p.m. at St. Augustus AME Zion Church, located at 318 North St. People will be required to stay in their vehicles amid COVID-19 as they listen from speaker Mayor Pro Tem Felicia Solomon, who gave a powerful speech during a peaceful protest in downtown Kinston last summer after the death of George Floyd by police officers.