Vineland Christmas •Gator basketball squads fall in openers at East Kicks Off Tonight Bladen. •WHS bowlers now Lighting of the Village Ceremony takes competing at Shallotte. place at 6 p.m. at Vineland Station followed •SCHS honors fall sports by the Lighting of the Tree at 7 p.m. Sports teams. See page 1-B. See story below. ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Thursday Reporterfor the County of Columbus and her people. Thursday, December 3, 2015 Three to Volume 125, Number 45 Whiteville, North Carolina challenge 75 Cents Prevatte Inside By ALLEN TURNER and NICOLE CARTRETTE 4-A Early in the candidate filing period a race • Chadbourn man has emerged for a county commissioner seat. sentenced to many Four candidates, all Democrats, including incumbent James Prevatte, had filed as of late months in sex cases. Wednesday for slots on the March 15 ballot for the District 2 seat on the Columbus County 5-A Board of Commissioners. • Lead guitarist of Challengers to Prevatte include Chris Smith, JoAnn Bailey and Whiteville city coun- NewSong talks cilman Tim Blackmon. Like Prevatte, all filed about Columbus Staff photo by FULLER ROYAL on the opening day of filing Tuesday. County connections. Bailey Making merry JoAnn Bailey, 51, a self-described stay-at- 6-A Darian Ransom, owner of Furniture Depot puts the finishing touches on his new window display Sat- home housewife, is making her first bid for urday. Ransom said he wanted to recapture the Christmas spirit downtown businesses used to enyoy. public office. She and her husband, Albert • Thursday Watts, are active in a gospel ministry and they dinner event spend much time performing in rest homes celebrates and similar venues. Bolton’s 100th. She has been actively involved in grand- Whiteville City Schools pre-school parental rights in North Carolina and was on • Big day at farmers hand last year in Raleigh as Rep. Ken Waddell, mart this Saturday. D-Columbus, fought unsuccessfully to pass teacher earns exceptional award legislation to increase rights of grandparents in the state. 9-A By SHALON SMITH “I have written several articles in the past • Choral goup Contributing Writer about corruption in Columbus County,” she expands its outreach. said. “I didn’t want to run for public office, Preschool teacher Debbie Sim- but I am tired of there not being any change mons is Whiteville City School’s in Columbus County.” DIDYOB? Exceptional Children program’s Bailey said everything is “geared toward Did you observe ... Teacher of Excellence and was attorneys” and she wants to see representa- honored at the N. C. Public School’s tion on the board of commissioners that will Exceptional Children Division’s 65th reflect things “from a people’s point of view.” The Whiteville Fire conference on exceptional children She decried the lack of jobs in Columbus Department’s new in Greensboro recently. County and said that, as a county commis- Simmons, a teacher at Whiteville sioner, she would reach out and talk to people Christmas lights? Primary, is loved and respected by See Filing, page 3-A her students, her peers, her parents And the Whiteville and administrators who work with Police Depart- her, said Kristi Maultsby, director of ment’s new Christ- exceptional children at Whiteville City Schools. Vereen’s plea mas lights just “As a teacher who understands and practices early childhood princi- across the street? ... ples, she works tirelessly to provide ends trial here About 35 members a program that is foundationally sound for her students,” Maultsby of Whiteville First said. Debbie Simmons helps a youngster with the number “7.” in two murders A Whiteville native, Simmons Baptist Church lenge.” together — I truly love my students n started her teaching career at White- “We have high expectations of with special needs.” Second-degree murder plea taken gathered to deco- ville Primary 22 years ago after our students as well,” she said. Simmons wants parents of spe- Wednesday morning to end prospec- rate their sanctu- graduating from the former Pem- Outside of her professional train- cial needs children to know that the tive trial and process of selecting broke State University. Initially she ing in special needs education, Sim- instructional processes involved in jurors. ary Wednesday worked at the school as a consulta- mons said it is her faith and what teaching their children at Whiteville By BOB HIGH night? ... Cooler air tive teacher for students in grades she has been taught about love that Primary are no different than the Staff Writer K-2. The following year, she began contributes to her style of teaching. processes involved in teaching gen- back in the county? teaching exceptional children when “I Corinthians 13:13 says, ‘And eral education students. Dryan Escabedo Vereen, a 26-year-old from a preschool classroom for the pro- now these three remain: faith, “Their children are given the Tabor City who spent a short time in prison in ... gram was added. hope, and love. But the greatest of same opportunities as all other 2010 for shooting two people, was sent to prison “I have been teaching preschool these is love.’ This is my favorite students in the school. They are ex- Wednesday morning here for a minimum of students with special needs since scripture in the Bible,” she said. posed to all of the academic concepts 16 years and a maximum of 20 years after County Deaths then,” she said. “I accept my students for who they as their peers,” she said. he pleaded to two counts of second-degree Simmons said education teach- are, find out where they are in their “No matter how difficult the situ- murder. ers may not always be aware of the Vereen, known as “Boss” and “Drizzle” Whiteville development, and move forward. I ation, Mrs. Simmons approaches it potential that children with special feel if my students know that I love on the streets, pleaded – but did not admit – See Simmons, page 11-A Carl Richard Johnson needs may have and called it a “chal- them, we can get a lot accomplished he participated in the robbery and shooting Swight Anthony Callahan deaths of half-brothers Lee Otis Vereen, 42, Chadbourn and Jerome Williams, 39, in the Ridgeland Acres Trailer Park five years ago. Udell McLamb Cribb ‘Alford’ plea Hallsboro Vineland Christmas begins today Dryan Vereen’s attorney James Payne said Elsie Creech Hayes Vereen planned to use an alibi defense if the Tabor City “A Vineland Christmas,” sched- school in Whiteville from 4 to 6:30 will be available. Admission is $5 trial had started. The state and defense were Joseph Wayne Todd uled Dec. 3-12 in downtown White- p.m. on Dec. 4. Judges will deter- and includes cocoa and a shopping still seeking to seat 12 jurors, and at least two ville, will be anchored at Vineland mine the winner from the different bag. alternates, when the defendant ended the ac- Delco Station but exciting events will also age groups. Go to “Mistletoe Market at Vine- tion by entering an “Alford” plea – a situation James Stanley Grice Sr. be happening in other areas of town. A $5 charge will be made to par- land Christmas” on Facebook for where the defendant does not admit guilt, but Chicken Bog ticipate, but there is no admission more information. is treated by the state as if he pleaded guilty. On Dec. 3 Boy Scout Troop 512 to see the creations displayed Pancake Breakfast Dryan Vereen accumulated 1,707 days hosts a chicken bog supper inside at the Columbus County Saturday, Dec. 5 – Vine- credit toward his prison time. Index Vineland Station at 5 p.m. Arts Center from 6 to 8 land Village Christmas Lee Otis Vereen and Williams were killed Lighting of the Village, a tree- p.m. Friday and 1 until events include a Holly while being robbed in the trailer park on a Editorials ......... 10-A lighting ceremony, is at 7 p.m. 5 p.m. Saturday and Jolly Pancake Breakfast Sunday evening. Lee Vereen, a resident of Obituaries ......... 7-A The event will be dedicated in 2 to 5 p.m. at New Life Longs, S.C., was visiting his mother for sup- Sports ................ 1-B memory of the late Tom Stanley, Sunday. Communi- per that day, as was his usual Sunday routine. Crime ................ 4-A who was executive director of the For more ty Church The men were robbed, and then shot and killed Living ................ 1-C Whiteville Downtown Development information on the from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. about 150 to 200 feet apart. Commission and had planned to be Gingerbread House com- on Saturday, Dec. 5. Others sentenced master of ceremonies. petition contact Rhonda The Reindeer Romp 5K Several other defendants were involved Simply Dance and the Pentecostal Creech at 910-642-2460. Run/Walk is Saturday. in the murder cases, some by helping Dryan Holiness Church Singers will per- Market Participants in the 5K are asked Vereen, Antwan Omar Wright and Ronald form. New Life Church will host a A Mistletoe Market at Vineland to bring a new unwrapped toy as Eugene Bellamy escape after the robberies Smorefest. The cost is $3. Station Friday from 12-8 p.m. and their entry fee to benefit Families and murders. Gingerbread Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is First toy drive. Registration is at 7:30 Wright pleaded in February 2014, and re- Opening Doors Preschool will sponsored by the Whiteville Junior with the start at 8 am. ceived a term of 165 to 207 months in prison sponsor a Gingerbread House com- Women’s Club.