GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - After dedicating a career to serving the public, one Eastern Carolina firefighter is being repaid for his actions in his time of need.
Jack Mozingo was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and hundreds of hungry people bought barbeque plates from Mission BBQ to help pay his medical bills. “As far as being a first responder, it takes a very special person to do that,” said Pactolus firefighter Jimmy Barber. “I’m very honored to be a part of the brotherhood of being a first responder in Pitt County.” As the crowd licked their plates clean, these emergency service professionals smiled knowing every dollar spent on their dinner was going into the hands of a Greenville family in need. “It is absolutely awesome the support that these guys are giving to their fellow brother that has come down with cancer,” added Barber. Mozingo spent 14 years fighting flames in Greenville and 15 years in Kinston. Now, he fights a new beast: pituitary carcinoma, cancer so rare, no treatment plans exist in previous patients. “Sadly, firefighters have a much higher rate of cancer than the general public,” explained Greenville Fire Chief Carson Sanders. After fighting the disease for years, the medical bills add up. “He’s exhausted a lot of the funds that are available through the state of North Carolina and through some local charities,” said Sanders. “So, we have to try to find some creative ways to support him and get him some money.” Fundraising at Mission BBQ Wednesday night, all of the money raised will offset Mozingo’s medical debt. In true firehouse fashion, the night ended with a family meal. “They spend a third of their lives with these people. They are dependent on them,” said Sanders. “Every day we depend on each other for our lives. We depend on each other and make sure that we care.” The latest tumor detected by Mozingo’s oncologist came up on a routine scan earlier this year. Although he is early in the process of fighting against this cancer, the fundraiser was evidence of just how well supported he is. “As you can imagine, spending that much time with people, you know all about their families. You know all about their histories, the good and the bad,” said Sanders. Station One is still accepting donations at their South Greene Street firehouse. Checks are to be made payable to the Greenville Firefighters Benevolent Fund and will be delivered to the Mozingo family. The cooks at Mission BBQ will fire up their smokers to raise money for Greenville first responders again on Thursday night . All sales made then will benefit Greenville Police and their Cop fund for workers that fall into hard times.
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ORLANDO, F.L. (WITN) - The East Carolina University baseball team sealed the series win in Orlando with a 10-1 victory against the University of Central Florida Knights Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates totaled a 32-8 win overall for the weekend. The three wins at UCF bring the team to an overall record of 22-15. Action on the diamond was stalled in a scoreless tie until the fifth inning when the Pirates scored eight runs on six hits to take a 8-0 lead. Jake Hunter took his first collegiate win from the pitcher’s mound throwing three scoreless frames and faced the minimum on the day of nine batters. Two more trips round the bases in the sixth took ECU to a 10-0 lead. UCF Knight Noah Orlando stopped a shut-out with a two-out solo shot to left field. ECU takes to Clark-LeClair Stadium Tuesday against UNCW. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
MARTIN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - People in Martin County in need of safe drinking water will soon see that flowing.
Congressman G.K. Butterfield (NC-D) was in the East Wednesday to present county leaders with a check to improve the water system there. With the water system infringing on residents’ most basic needs, the money is expected to change lives. “We would benefit greatly from having a source of potable water,” said Martin County resident Early Whitehurst, Jr. For Whitehurst and his neighbors, if they want freshwater, they have to treat their well supply with a myriad of salt and minerals to make it safe. But Whitehurst says most of his neighbors are retirees that can’t afford the added sodium in their meal plans. “So, it’s kind of a dietary issue, along with the rust and the appliance issues,” added Whitehurst. The county applied for a federal grant through Butterfield’s office. Wednesday they received a big check, in more ways than one. “There’s nothing more important than safe, clean water,” expressed Butterfield. “So many communities now are suffering from contaminated wells and aquifers are being infiltrated with toxins and the water is not safe.” Nearly $3.5 million was allocated to improve county water systems through a Community Project Fund grant. The money will help bare another load for Whitehurst and his neighbors. For those on a fixed income, added bills to clean their well supply don’t make budgeting easy. Whitehurst says the water bill can be an additional $60.00 to $100.00 a month to factor in, and he has a suggestion for the next issue to tackle. Right now Whitehurst says he has to pay for satellite TV, Dish internet, and a landline phone all separately. “We feel if we could get broadband in the community, we could combine all three items on one bill,” said Whitehurst. Congressman Butterfield’s office will be taking a look at the next round of appropriations submissions for the 2023 fiscal year soon. The deadline to submit proposals comes at 5:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon. From those submissions, the congressman can select up to 15 project funding requests for further consideration.
KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - Tuesday was the home opener for the Down East Wood Ducks and fans took to the stands of Grainger Stadium ready to watch nine innings of fun.
For the 2020 season, games were canceled due to the pandemic. In 2021, fans were allowed in the stadium at spaced out distances. This year, everyone is taking a step closer to pre-pandemic life. “Since the pandemic has gone down, you’ve got kids out here running the bases and all that kind of stuff,” said Wayne County native Jessie Jones. “It’s for your whole family.” With the first pitch at 7:00 p.m., Wood Ducks fans fell right back into their routines. “You get to interact with the guys and fist bump them,” said Jones. “They’ll talk to you and all that.” For Wood Ducks super-fans like Jones and his friend, William Regenthal, getting to know the players fuels a passion project: collecting autographed copies of baseball cards. “I got a Wood Duck jersey; I’ve got a bat. I’ve got their lineup card and it’s all hanging up on my wall,” shared Jones. “My room is like a memorial. It’s like a museum.” Tuesday night, the meaning of baseball rounded third and closed in on home. “We got to know Cody Freeman with the Wood Ducks last year. We got to be really close with him and my son got close with almost all the whole bullpen,” said Regenthal. “They’re just really nice, accessible people. It makes it a lot of fun for us.” For the Regenthal’s, they’ll take a pass on peanuts and go straight for the hot dogs. “[My son] was buying one of them hot dogs with my debit card last year, and I told him, ‘You know, he’s not buying you those hot dogs with his money.’ That’s dad’s money!” laughed Regenthal. Although COVID restrictions have been lifted for the stadium, the Wood Ducks are going to keep one element of their pandemic modifications. The team will limit the amount of travel they do for their series. They’ll play all six games at home before journeying on to the next diamond. The Wood Ducks lost to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Tuesday night with a final score of 2 to 7. The team will have their next chance to best the Cannon Ballers Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on their home field of Grainger Stadium.
WARSAW, N.C. (WITN) - The family of a man shot and killed in Warsaw is not satisfied with the way police have handled the investigation.
Phillip Troublefield was killed in November of 2021. Warsaw Police say this was a random act of violence, but the victim’s family thinks otherwise. For months, the family has grieved the sudden loss of a loved one. Now, they demand updates in the investigation of his killing. “That was his life. You ain’t had no business taking his life,” cried Renee Means, Troublefeled’s aunt. “If you were a real man you would go and talk to him, but you took him away from us.” Troublefield was shot and killed alongside Debbie Cortez in a car. Two kids in the backseat suffered injuries but ultimately recovered. Troublefield’s family says nothing has been the same. “The kids, they be saying, ‘Mommy and Daddy!’ We don’t know what to say,” said the man’s grandmother, Annie Smith. “They pick up the picture and they say, ‘dada? Mommy?’ There ain’t much we can say.” Although Warsaw Police were seen patrolling the apartment complex Monday where the shooting happened, they were not able to provide an update on the investigation. “They were saying, ‘Let them do their work so have patience.’ I had patience; I don’t have anymore patience because I feel like they were out here laughing at me, laughing at us, and I want justice,” said Troublefield’s mother, Katrina Wilson. Troublefield’s family is left with more questions than answers five months after the man’s death. They want the person responsible to be held accountable. “We’re not going to rest well knowing somebody’s out there just being able to terrorize people and there’s no justice,” warned Tessie Wilson, the man’s cousin. The family confronted some of the Tanglewood Apartment complex residents insisting they share anything they saw or heard that day. Emotions were high and once again, the family left the scene of Troublefield’s death in tears. Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to contact Warsaw police at 910-293-7816.
HYDE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - An Eastern Carolina man is dead after his wife says he tried to kill her.
Denise Blount called 911 as she said the man chased her with a gun through her home in Swan Quarter. Blount says her husband’s behavior follows a pattern. On March 4th he was arrested for assaulting her. Per his release he was ordered to eliminate contact and stay off of her property. The woman says her husband camped out across the street from her home for at least 30 days, stalking her. Domestic violence advocates in Hyde County say that controlling behavior is a sign of abuse. “I know it’s hard for some people. They’re scared, they don’t have anywhere to go, they can’t support themselves,” said Debbie Douglas, a Hyde County Hotline domestic violence advocate. One in every four women experience severe intimate partner violence across the country. The Hyde County Hotline tries to plant seeds of hope in victims. “People would probably be surprised at what goes on behind closed doors,” said Douglas. Denise and Nat Blount were married for 48 years., but Denise says she thought Nat was going to kill her on Tuesday. Hyde County Sheriff’s deputies say in a standoff with the man, he aimed his gun toward them. Ten year sheriff’s deputy veteran William Waters then fatally shot the man. “We do what we can, but transportation, jobs, housing, is a problem down here,” said Douglas. With Hyde County’s rural landscape and sometimes limited resources, domestic violence advocates stress the importance of identifying signs of abuse. “If they’re bossy, if they’re trying to control everything, isolate them from their friends and family, those are signs of domestic violence,” advised Douglas. “Domestic violence isn’t always hitting. There’s also emotional abuse.” Using these signs, the hope is to save survivors from further harm. Nat Blount’s shooting death is being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation, per the Hyde County sheriff’s request. The SBI’s findings will be sent to District Attorney Seth Edwards’ office for final review. Until then, Deputy Waters will remain on paid administrative leave. If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, you can call the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also visit the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s website at nccadv.org.
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The state is imposing new suspensions for the poultry industry as High Path Avian Influenza infections are on the rise.
Tuesday, North Carolina’s state veterinarian, Dr. Michael Martin, put a pause on all poultry shows and mass public sales. More than 350,000 birds have been euthanized this week in the state, but the total number of birds affected is still unknown as with each new positive site, the state broadens its testing parameters. Martin is tightening the reigns on bird gatherings, all in an attempt to beat the clock on migration patterns of infected wild birds out of the state and to keep cross-contamination as subdued as possible. Feed store owners now wonder what this might mean for their industry. “If there was a ban on commercial sales, that’s going to impact us pretty heavily,” said Greg Cannon, the owner of a hardware and feed store in Farmville. Cannon sold the last chick of his most recent order, but with high path bird flu ripping through the country he wonders if it is safe to order more. “We certainly have been concerned about it, but we’ve sold some chicks this year,” said Cannon. “We usually sell about 600 chicks a year out of the store.” Seven commercial farming operations across Johnston and Wayne Counties euthanized more than 90,000 turkeys and more than 280,000 chickens in the past week. “What we’re seeing with the spread of this virus in our commercial birds and also what we’re seeing nationally, shows that there’s a lot that we still have not learned about how this virus actually sheds,” said Martin. His office most recently placed a suspension on all poultry shows and live public sales of birds but relief came for Cannon and other feed store owners. “This is not for, like say pet stores and that type of thing, but we’re talking about open sales, auctions, swaps, poultry shows,” explained Martin, “Those types of things, where we have a large group of people that are coming together with maybe a mixed group of birds.” Cannon acts diligently to keep his product safe from infection saying, “I want to make sure when we order our [hatchlings] that we get them immunized before they come here.” All the while, he tries to keep the local industries afloat through the threat. “I do have some farmers that have chicken houses and they are concerned about it,” continued Cannon. “They obviously don’t handle my chickens and don’t get around my chickens when they are here.” Biosecurity is essential to containing bird flu. Humans are safe from contracting the virus, but they can easily transmit infection if say they handle a sick bird and then touch other birds without washing up first. The best thing for commercial and backyard flock owners to do is to limit their flock’s contact with other birds as much as possible. At one time that excluded common backyard songbirds, but now the state says to err on the side of caution and quarantine your flocks whenever you can. Infected birds do not pose a threat to the food supply, but Martin says no contaminated flocks will make it to processing centers because the risk of further infecting more flocks is too high.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Pregame coverage of the NCAA Basketball Championship is underway as bars and restaurants across the East prepare for a busy night of UNC vs. Kansas action.
Monday night’s game is the finale of the weekend for Uptown Greenville spots. Doggie Jams and the Final Four match-up kept bartenders and servers on their feet. “It’s a great game. We’re supporting local restaurants,” said Terence Green, a self-proclaimed UNC super-fan. “Everybody, we have a good time. I’m a little nervous, but guess what, I wore my jersey. We’re gonna see how it works out.” Yet, that won’t stop the televisions from staying on and the doors staying open late once the UNC Tar Heels and Kansas Jayhawks tip-off at 9:20 ET. “We’re doing really well actually. This was a really good weekend for us,” said Blackened Kraken bartender Julianne Hughes. “All of the events brought a lot of people in, a lot of families and college students, so we are very stocked behind the bar.” Calling in more staff to have on hand than they typically would on a Monday night, Hughes’ team is ready for a full house and a long line of bar tickets to fulfill. “I’m a bartenders and like we get big crowds at my job, but this is a huge crowd right now,” said New Bern resident Sidney Legette ”We’ve got a lot of UNC fans.” Hughes will be mixing up a special menu item just for tonight’s match, a Tar Heel shot. “A Tar Heel shot is also known as a Blue Kamikaze. It’s equal parts vodka, blue curacao, and lime juice,” said Hughes, “and it’s a light blue color.” For the 12th time, the Tar Heels will battle the Jayhawks for the championship title. UNC is hoping to continue its winning streak for a seventh overall win. “Everything has been prepped either this morning or last night. So, we are ready for as many people as possible to come in,” added Hughes. Good food, good drinks, and good times aren’t the only things expected out of the East for the game. Former ECU basketball coach Jeff Lebo and former Kinston High Viking Dontrez Stylez will represent the Tar Heels in the Big Easy.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - It is flu season for birds and the current strain of High Path Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu, caused the euthanization of 32,100 turkeys in Johnston County.
WITN first spoke with North Carolina’s state veterinarian in February about the outbreak in wild waterfowl. Now that the disease spread into commercial and backyard flocks, we checked back in. “If we can just at least get to the other side of the season then hopefully, we’ll be in a better place,” said state veterinarian Dr. Michael Martin. Martin says the good news is, the illness is not a threat to people or food safety. He said, “We had been lucky so far. We knew that this virus was in our wild waterfowl. We have been on heightened alert in North Carolina since the middle of January.” The state is now testing flocks within 6.2 miles of the infected farm, but backyard flock owners should be taking precautions as well. “Birds having contact or association with wild waterfowl is always considered a high risk factor. Beyond that, there’s maybe more things that you can kind of speculate on or guess on,” said Martin. “One of the things that concerns me personally is are there other wild bird species that are carrying this disease?” Dr. Martin is talking about songbirds. They were previously written off to be safe from the flu, but now researchers aren’t so sure. The best practice, he says, is to strictly follow biosecurity measures even in your own backyard. “To the backyard, independent flock owners, if you can keep your birds enclosed in a coop or at least pent up in and it’s not going to create a welfare problem with those birds, we still highly encourage you to do that,” advised Martin. “We know this virus existed in our wild bird populations and so if you can protect them without creating a welfare problem, you definitely should do that. And then again, that biosecurity: clean clothes, clean shoes, clean hands, is really going to be critical.” Treat the flu like wet paint, he explains, If you’ve come in contact with other birds, don’t touch anything until you’ve washed up. The Johnston County farm now joins 48 other commercial farms in 12 states where the virus has been found. Also, 32 backyard flocks in 13 states have tested positive, all this year. Although the low risk to people can ease some minds, the high mortality and transmissibility of this virus should always be treated with caution. Some of the early warning signs of the flu in flocks include reduced energy, irregular egg production, and swelling or purple discoloration.
TARBORO, N.C. (WITN) - One man is under arrest for the high-speed chase that left a Tarboro police cruiser wrecked upside down at a busy intersection. The woman driving the other car says the officer blindsided her without lights or sirens.
“We were just driving through the light then, boom!” said Megan Miracco, the driver behind the wheel of the car that was involved in the crash. “All I remember hearing was, ‘Megan!’ and I seen Tarboro police and we just spun.” While Miracco was trying to keep her car from hitting others, Taylor Smith in the passenger seat was focused on her daughter “I really didn’t worry about me. She was buckled in, thank God for that,” said Smith. “We got out alive basically, I was more praying for that than anything.” The pair said they were hit by a Tarboro police officer. That officer was in a high-speed chase of a different driver in Rocky Mount. Later Monday evening, that driver was identified as Major Perry and charged with several offences, including felony flee to elude arrest. Perry was given a $15,000 secured bond. Miracco and Smith say their fate could have been avoided if the officer used his lights or sirens. “It would have helped if we had heard the sirens. I respect police, I respect the fire department, I respect everybody that works for the city,” said Miracco. “We would have stopped, but if only we heard the sirens. I didn’t hear anything.” Smith echoed that statement, “I didn’t see no blue lights and if we would have known that he was coming I think we would have reacted differently, or at least he would have reacted differently.” Grateful to be dealing with soreness and scrapes over something worse, but now out of her only vehicle, Miracco has some demands for those responsible. “We could have been gone. We wouldn’t be able to do this little interview. We wouldn’t have been here and people are taking it like, ‘Oh, you know, officer involved,’ but we were involved too,” said Miracco. “We’re definitely part of the victims. We just want justice for us. Not for it to go again. Be careful out there.” Miracco sought legal representation to lead any future cases that come of this crash. WITN has contacted Tarboro Police but have not heard back. |
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