Woodmen Water Park receives $500,000 grant from state
Kinston Free Press - September 12, 2011

The N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund awarded Lenoir County with a $500,000 grant to benefit the Woodmen Water Park.  The water park is set to be constructed on Vernon Avenue at the former location of the Smithfield Packing Plant and is part of a Woodmen Center project.

Interim City Manager Bill Ellis said with the help of the grant, he hopes the water park will attract people from around the eastern part of the state to Kinston.

Woodmen National Board Member Danny Rice said the grant will “expand the park significantly,” and the park is set to open in May.  Rice said building the water park would help the local economy and be an asset to surrounding counties.

New Deli on Queen Street
Kinston Free Press - September 9, 2011

Queen Street Deli and Bakery will open October 1 and offer more health-conscious items than most restaurants. Ms. Collier said, “We’re going to have a lot of preservative free food and we’re going to have a lot of local farmers that will be bringing stuff to us that we prepare.”  The restaurant will offer affordable lunch specials and eventually house an open air deli.  There will be small meeting rooms and virtual offices with internet access for customers.

Waffle House to open first location in Lenoir County
Kinston Free Press - September 2, 2011

The old Burger King building on Highway 70 East is being renovated to become a Waffle House.  It will be the first Waffle House chain to locate in Kinston and should be  open by late October.

Lenoir Orthopedics expansion and new location
Med Lines News Letter - Summer 2011

Lenoir Orthopedics offers the services of three orthopedic doctors, Dr. Michael Kuhn; Dr. Scott Stegbauer; and Dr. Charles Classen,  and a physician’s assistant, Sarah Maloney.  The practice is located at 701 Doctors Drive Suite G in the space originally occupied by Kinston Orthopedics.

New Bakery Brings Something Sweet to Kinston's Table
Kinston Free Press - June 10, 2011

Those craving something sugary may have a new favorite place to satisfy their sweet teeth. Deo Volenté Bakery, 3715 A W. Vernon Ave., opened a week ago and features cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, pies and cookies. Cakes and cheesecakes can be customized for special occasions or can be served up by the slice, with everything made from scratch 

New Cancer Resource Center opens in October
Lenoir Memorial Hospital Web Site - July 12, 2011
Lenoir Memorial was recently selected by the American Cancer Society as one of only three organizations in North Carolina to receive special grant funding to support the operation of a Cancer Resource Center. The Lenoir Memorial Cancer Center, located across from Lenoir Memorial, will be offering this new resource beginning October 7th. The resource center, allows Lenoir Memorial to elevate the level of care and services offered to cancer patients

Lenoir Memorial Hospital earned recognition this month for performing as one of the top hospitals in the state
Kinston Free Press

Cleverley + Associates, a healthcare financial consulting firm, deemed LMH a top community value provider.  Hospitals around the country were judged on financial strength and reinvestment, cost of care, pricing and quality in Cleverley + Associate’s study. The top 20 percent of hospitals that performed the best under those four criteria received the title of a Community Value Five-Star Hospital.  LMH was one of 34 hospitals in the state given the title, according to Cleverley + Associate’s website.

Those who meet the Five-Star Standard are recognized and printed in the annual publication “State of the Hospital Industry,” which helps determine the “value that a hospital provides to its community … (when it) is appropriately reinvesting back into the facility, maintains a low cost structures, has reasonable charges and provides high quality care to patients,” according to a press release from the hospital.

Locally-owned gas station new to Skinner's Bypass
Kinston Free Press - July 15, 2011

Winners Choice Convenience Store and Gas Station is new to the area, and customer service is their mantra for keeping loyal customers. Winners Choice is a locally-owned business and is not part of a chain.

Co-manager Tapan Patel said his family decided to renovate the gas station and put in several weeks of hard work because Skinner’s Bypass is a high-traffic area, with 40,000 cars passing through it every day. “We (focus) on service, because it’s kind of like a home business,” Patel said. “It’s like a mom-and-pop shop. It’s not like a corporation.”

Co-manager Kinnari Patel said her family is in the process of renovating some of the pumps for racing fuel. She said the store will offer octane 110 race fuel in the near future, something she hopes will draw in customers heading to the Kinston Drag Strip.

Experienced barber opens shop on Queen Street
Kinston Free Press - July 22, 2011

Wheels started turning in Anthony Coples’ head when he saw potential for a new business venture in a high-traffic part of town. Two months ago, Coples started looking into the possibility of opening a barbershop at 711 N. Queen St., near the intersection of Queen Street and Vernon Avenue. Coples opened Nedacut Barbershop July 11, his second barbershop in his 10 years of experience as a barber. Coples said he does not shy away from the challenge of cutting both men’s and women’s hair, as well as the tresses of different ethnicities.

Local author publishes third book
Kinston Free Press - July 31, 2011

Shanna Norris, a web designer for The Free Press and native of the Moss Hill area, writes books for young adults and recently put her third book out for the world to see.

Her newest book, The Boyfriend Thief, is about Avery James, a straight-laced high school student who wants to spend her summer in Costa Rica with a humanitarian program. But as hard as she worked for that opportunity, the funds just aren’t available after her mother abandoned her family four years before.

“My second book was Troy High, and so right now I’m working on a sequel novella, which is shorter than a regular book.” Troy High was featured in Scholastic’s Book Fair.

The Boyfriend Thief is currently available online at amazon.com and on barnesandnoble.com for Kindle and Nook.

Local television personality Reece Gardner recently named one of the top 10 Quality Dale Carnegie Instructors in North America
Kinston Free Press - August 7, 2011

Gardner’s score ranked him 22nd in world. An “honor,” said the 40-year program veteran. “I was quite surprised,” Gardner said. “I was very proud; it’s not something that (easily) happens.

Dale Carnegie Training is a teaching-based program for businesses based on Carnegie's teachings. The top trainers are based on the submission of a minimum of 80 evaluations following the program.

The training program was founded in 1912 by Dale Carnegie, author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People. More than 8 million people have completed the training in more than 80 countries.

New dance studio opens in Pink Hill
Kinston Free Press - August 12, 2011

Open house was held recently for Rising Starz Dance Academy. A building in Pink Hill has been renovated and updated for the use of the academy. The vision for Rising staz is to offer quality technical training to students and is dedicated to promoting and teaching the arts as well as healthy living.

If you take a ride around Kinston, it’s clear that the physical face of the downtown is undergoing dramatic change…for the better.

The transformation is coming to pass due to overarching, formal and informal partnerships between public and private entities, including agencies such as the Golden LEAF Foundation, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT), the North Carolina Railroad, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, non profits such as the Community Council for the Arts, Pride of Kinston, and various agencies of the City of Kinston.

And private contributors and investors.

One new downtown project clearly illustrates an interlocking network of partners.

A space near the intersection of Blount and Queen Streets which once contained fading buildings and an unsightly bill board is now alive with art and color…safe for pedestrians and pleasing to the eye. This transformation came about with participation of individual artists, the North Carolina Railroad, the City of Kinston, and particularly its Planning Department, and the Community Council for the Arts.

Further down Queen Street, near intersection of Queen and Caswell Streets, work is underway to build a new museum to be called the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. It is hoped that the new museum will be ready by late 2012. This major project is coming about with the aid of private donors, the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association, the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and the General Assembly, helped along by the Pride of Kinston.

Physical change is also underway at the intersection of McLewean and King Streets. The law firm White and Allen at 106 S. McLewean has completely refreshed the façade of the office building. The firm also cleaned and improved the looks of the classic small building at the intersection of McLewean and Caswell Streets. The façade project was a partnership between members of the firm and Pride's Design Committee.

Across the street behind the courthouse, the Lenoir County Commissioners are building a new $21 million jail to relieve severe overcrowding in existing facilities within the courthouse itself.

In the meantime, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) has re-paved King Street leading to a new roundabout at the King-Martin Luther King intersection, a partnership DOT-City of Kinston project.

South Queen Street Initiative

An effort to enhance the southern entrance into Kinston, called the South Queen Street Initiative, has launched Phase 2 of the project: construction of a park entrance into historic Maplewood-Cedar Grove-Hebrew cemeteries. A campaign seeking private contributions is underway by Carol Southerland, chair of the Historic Cemeteries Task Force, and Pride of Kinston. The property fronting Queen Street between Shine and South Streets was cleared early 2010 in preparation for the design and funding for the park.

North Queen Street Development

Kinston entrepreneur Stephen Hill has received notification that his plan to renovate the old Miller Furniture Store showroom at 212 N. Queen Street—with support from a Main Street Solutions grant of $200,000.00—has passed muster in Raleigh and that he is approved to go ahead with construction. Mr. Hill, the City of Kinston and Pride of Kinston received notification Aug. 2; and reported Aug. 4 “that I’m looking at plans today.”

Developer of Mother Earth Brewery at North and Herritage, Mr. Hill plans to convert the old showroom into a Miami style bistro restaurant, 2 retail spaces and 2 offices.

Known for attention to detail and style, he has installed a dramatic piece of sculpture adjacent to the Mother Earth complex, designed and built by East Carolina faculty member Hanna Jubran.

New Restaurant

A new restaurant at 203 East Caswell Street — Cap’t. Shaady’s Fish & Chips — is due to open soon. It is reported that the proprietor will be Loderick “Harry” Livingston. Mr. Livingston is remembered for the Stop One Restaurant featuring Jamaican fare at 400 S. Queen, a building which was taken down to make room for the new entrance into the adjacent historic cemeteries.

Kinston Free Press June 30, 2011

DuPont’s Sorona holds world safety record
Harold Thomas, plant leader of DuPont’s Sorona facility said. “Safety is something he and his team can talk about with authority”.

According to the National Safety Council, the DuPont Sorona facility near Kinston holds the world record for being the “safest industrial site,” with more than 66 million man hours worked without a recordable safety incident. 

“There are lots of aspects to a well-managed safety process but in the end, it’s all about getting people to stop and think safety before they perform a task,” Alex Torres, the site’s safety manager, said.

Kinston Sorona Plant recognized
Kinston Sorona Plant has been recognized recently as one of DuPont’s highest ranked facilities for its effective implementation of DuPont’s Operational Excellence process.

Pioneer Hi-Bred officials hold groundbreaking for new Kinston facility
A groundbreaking for the U.S. 70 West Industrial Park’s newest tenant was held Wednesday, as state, local and company leaders celebrated construction of a Pioneer Hi-Bred crop research center.

“Pioneer Hi-Bred is joining an impressive list of companies that call Kinston home,” N.C. Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco stated. “The research they will be doing at this facility will directly benefit agribusiness, which plays such a significant role in the economic development of Lenoir County and North Carolina.”

The Iowa-based agricultural firm, a subsidiary of DuPont, will spend $2.3 million to build a 26,000 square foot facility on 6 acres off Enterprise Boulevard. About 10 people will be employed there full-time, conducting research on corn and soybean seeds that can thrive in the varied soil conditions of the Carolinas.