By Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes and N.C. Rep. John Bell In late 2020, a veteran soldier was in a mental health crisis. Distraught, he left his home in the family RV, his wife convinced it would be the last time she saw him. A Charlotte-based veterans organization, The Independence Fund, which had provided suicide prevention training to him in the past, attempted to assist the veteran through local law enforcement. The first county law enforcement department The Independence Fund reached was understaffed, overstretched, and was understandably concerned over the potential threat their force may face with a combat experienced veteran in a mental healthRead More →

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Craven County Commissioner’s will meet at 11 a.m. today (March 15) during a work session in which they will seek state approval to restore partisan elections to the county School Board. The meeting will be held at New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. The draft resolution seeks state legislation to enable partisan elections at the school board level. They say that current non-partisan elections have low voter turnout and withhold party affiliation that may be useful to voters. Longtime school board member Carr Ipock posted a history of school board elections. It is reposted here with his permission: “Many, many years ago, the Craven County BoardRead More →

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New board member is sworn in during special ceremony New Bern mortician Victor Dove was sworn in to replace Beatrice Riggs Smith on the a raven County school board on Thursday. Smith was selected by the Craven County Board of Commissioners to fill the District 3 seat held by the late Johnnie Sampson, Jr., who died of COVID-19-related pneumonia on Nov. 5, 2020. Smith, who was the first black female to hold a principalship in the integrated Craven County Schools system, is the first black female Craven County Commissioner. Smith was selected at the Dec. 14, 2020 Board of Commissioners work session and was swornRead More →

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A broad group of organizations representing the community’s physicians, physician assistants, health clinics, hospitals and local health departments strongly encourages everyone currently eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible. Organizations include the North Carolina Medical Society, North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, North Carolina Healthcare Association, North Carolina Community Health Center Association, North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors, and the North Carolina Public Health Association. Getting vaccinated with one of the three authorized vaccines is crucial to stemming the severity of the illness caused by the COVID-19 virus and the spread of its more transmissible variants, the groupRead More →

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The New Bern Historical Society is currently accepting applications for its Harriet Marks Scholarship, and the March 26 due date is quickly approaching. This scholarship is awarded to a senior graduating from New Bern High School for the purpose of obtaining higher education at an accredited college, university, or institution of higher learning.  Renewable for three succeeding years as long as academic standards are maintained, the scholarship provides financial assistance to a deserving senior based on equal weight of scholarship and financial need. The Marks Scholarship was established by a trust estate created in 1968 under the terms of the will of Miss Harriet MarksRead More →

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The 6th Annual Craven Works Outdoor Job Fair will be held at Union Point Park on Tuesday, March 30 beginning at noon. If you are looking for a career change or an employment opportunity in Craven County, this job fair will introduce you to several area employers looking to hire. Pre-registration is required for all job seekers. If you have a resume, you can be pre-matched with registered employers prior to the job fair. Jobseekers will receive an email with their pre-matched list of registered employers based on their resume. If you need assistance with a resume or if you want to be pre-matched withRead More →

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For the sixth year in a row, CarolinaEast Medical Center has been named one of the top best hospitals in the state by Business North Carolina magazine in their annual “Best Hospitals” issue released in March. The 2021 ranking lands CarolinaEast tied for sixth. CarolinaEast is the highest ranked hospital in Eastern North Carolina. New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington tied for 20th. No other hospitals in Eastern North Carolina made the Top 20 rankings. Carteret Health Care in Morehead City and Vidant Medical Center in Greenville both received recognition for bariatric surgery but were not listed in the over-all rankings. Onslow Memorial HospitalRead More →

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Available for individuals who meet NC vaccination criteria On Saturday, March 6, 2021, CarolinaEast Health System will be hosting a multi-site COVID-19 Community Vaccination Event in Craven County. The event will take place at three locations, including CarolinaEast Internal Medicine in Vanceboro (620 Farmlife Ave., Vanceboro), CarolinaEast Internal Medicine in Havelock (532 Webb Blvd., Havelock) and New Bern Riverfront Convention Center (203 S. Front St., New Bern). Vaccinations, by appointment only, will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We are pleased to have the ability to offer the vaccine to more in our community,” said Brandy Popp, Public Relations and Community Outreach ManagerRead More →

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Craven County remains one of the highest among COVID-19 spread in North Carolina, but numbers have dropped dramatically since the post-Christmas Holiday spike. COVID-19 spread in Craven County is described as “substantial” (orange) in the County Alert System managed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Craven County had been “critical” (red) in the previous report, along with the majority of counties in the state. Craven County has had 445 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, an elevated rate but half what it experienced following the Christmas break and a lower rate than what is occurring in neighboring PamlicoRead More →

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On Saturday, March 6, Tryon Palace will present its new exhibit, “A Lasting Monument: Creating North Carolina’s First Permanent Capitol,” in the Duffy Gallery of the North Carolina History Center. The exhibit celebrates 250 years of Governor Tryon’s Palace, from 1770 to 2020. One of North Carolina’s most beautiful historic landmarks, the story of this elegant Georgian-style structure reveals a complex, multi-faceted journey through North Carolina’s history beginning in Colonial America as the Royal Governor’s residence and administrative building, and triumphing over tragedy through decades of American change, destruction and perseverance. The exhibit explores the process of establishing a permanent capitol in North Carolina, itsRead More →

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