1 COUPONS INSIDE! Save on your favorite brands with these valuable coupons. MOUNT OLIVE MOUNTMOUNT OLIVE, OLIVE, N.C. N.C. | your M| YOUR home HOME newspaper NEWSPAPERO s inceSINCE 1904Tribune 1904 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020 | ONLINE DAILY • PRINTED WEDNESDAYSDAYMODATEYR | 75¢ | 75 cenTs Lucama man Mount Olive Piggly Wiggly pays off fine charged in deadly For the Tribune RALEIGH — Piggly Wiggly of Mount Olive has paid off $2,085 hit-and-run in fines because of excessive price-scanner errors, according For the Tribune Troopers say Ekstrom to the N.C. Department of Agri- drove his tractor-trailer culture and Consumer Services’ The North Carolina through a stop sign at Standards Division. State Highway Patrol has Kelly Springs Road and The store received penalties made an arrest in the collided with a Suzuki from a February inspection that hit-and-run death of a driven by 36-year-old found a 12% error rate based on La Grange resident last Kristopher A. Parks, who six overcharges in a 50-item lot. Wednesday morning. died at the scene. A follow-up inspection in March Authorities charged Parks was traveling on found a 3% error rate based on 57-year-old Eric J. Ek- Highway 55. nine overcharges in a 300-item strom of Lucama with Ekstrom left the scene lot. TRIBUNE PHOTO/RUDY COGGINS felonious hit-and-run after the wreck, ac- NCDA officials said the store is The Mount Oilve Piggly Wiggly recently paid off a fine levied by the resulting in death and a cording to the Highway due for another inspection. USDA after two inspections found the store in violation of over- stop sign violation. Patrol. “The price on the shelf and charging on items at the register. According to NCSHP, NCSHP officials said the price at the register should the deadly incident they identified Ekstrom match,” said Steve Troxler, stores pass inspection. Ones of price-scanner systems in occurred just before 5:30 late Wednesday after- agriculture commissioner for with errors face fines until they businesses to check for accuracy a.m. at the intersection noon and placed him North Carolina. “Stores have a come into compliance.” between the prices advertised of N.C. Highway 55 and under a $10,000 secure responsibility to make sure their The department conducts pe- Kelly Springs Road. bond. pricing is accurate, and most riodic, unannounced inspections See Piggly Wiggly, Page 2A Fremont man accused of Wilber’s Barbecue is back poisoning By RUDY COGGINS estranged wife Assistant Editor Can you smell what’s By WILLIAM HOLLOMAN been cooking all night over Staff Writer oak embers in its historic pit? A Fremont man is in the If you guessed a pig, Wayne County Jail under a you’re right on the money. $500,000 bond after he alleged- Wilber’s Barbecue is ly attempted to murder his back in business. estranged wife. The iconic Eastern Charges were North Carolina restaurant CONTRIBUTED PHOTO filed against reopened last Wednesday 57-year-old for curbside service after A barbecue sandwich, Philander Lee it shuttered its doors in CONTRIBUTED PHOTO hushpuppies and barbecue Jones, of 311 March 2019 due to financial sauce is shown here at Wilson Road, troubles. Wilber’s Barbecue is back in business. Wilber’s Barbecue. on July 9. “It’s a quintessentially Detective important place in Wayne Willis Underwood, bought restaurant will introduce in the History Channel’s Jones Sgt. Matthew County … don’t think there Wilber’s last November. more items to its menu in upcoming Season 3 of Strickland of is anything more iconic Since then, they’ve worked the coming months, in- “It’s How You Get There” the Wayne County Sheriff’s Of- than traditional barbecue to get the restaurant out of cluding ribs, fried chicken, series. fice said the incident occurred places,” said Jim Kerr, one bankruptcy and resurrect- barbecue turkey and link Shirley and Carl Lyerly on June 14 when they respond- of several investors associ- ed a time-tested treasure sausage. purchased Hill’s Barbecue ed to a possible poisoning of ated with Goldpit Partners that has whet the appetite “As soon as safely pos- in 1962 and renamed it the suspect’s estranged wife. who helped restore the of many generations. sible, we look forward to Hwy. 70 Barbecue. Within a The victim, Judy Jones, told nearly 58-year-old business. Wilber’s is serving fully opening and wel- year, Lyerly sold his share officers that someone had tam- “It’s an important part guests with orders deliv- coming customers inside in the business to Shirley, pered with her bottled tea and of our heritage and our ered directly to customers our extensively restored who changed the name to a container of spinach dip that culture. Mr. [Wilberdean] curbside due to the current building complete with a Wilber’s. had been in her refrigerator. Shirley, himself, was such coronavirus pandemic. new, more-efficient kitch- The award-winning Investigators said that an icon because he put a Since it reopened, en, larger bathrooms and restaurant has been a during an interview with the lot of kids to work that Underwood has already more,” said Underwood, destination for many bar- suspect on July 9, he confessed needed a job.” closed the restaurant early son-in-law to Shirley. becue aficionados around with altering the victim’s spin- The Department of Rev- on a couple of occasions The old knotty pine the country. Its staff has ach dip with crushed-up pills enue seized the restaurant due to sell-outs of several paneling, red-checkered ta- served many famous fig- or medication. after filing six tax liens menu items — particularly blecloths, familiar servers ures — Presidents George Jones was taken into custody against it that totaled more the chopped up whole hog and tried-and-true pit- H.W. Bush and Bill Clin- without incident at that time than $70,000 dating to 2018. barbecue and barbecue master crew remain in the ton, Governors Jim Hunt and charged with attempted Goldpit Partners, which chicken. newly-renovated restau- and Terry Sanford, and the murder. includes operating owner Underwood said the rant that will be featured late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. Brown retires as town manager Town to pay him six ment for Brown can be hired. Royall closed session that lasted 15 minutes. has been employed with the town The commissioners then reopened months’ salary in since 2003. the meeting to the public, and settlement “After 15 wonderful years with unanimously approved the adoption the town of Mount Olive and having and ratification of a settlement with By WILLIAM HOLLOMAN recently passed my 75th birthday, Brown. Royall was appointed as the Staff Writer I have reached the decision that it interim manager. is time for me to step aside,” said There was no discussion on the two Charles Brown retired as town Brown in a statement July 14. issues. manager of Mount Olive during The meeting, which was open to Brown did not attend the meeting the regular monthly meeting of the the public for the first time since and had not been in his office since CONTRIBUTED PHOTO town’s board of commissioners on March, was held at the town’s his- July 8. His town-provided vehicle was July 13. toric train depot. Just three items parked in front of Mount Olive Town Charles Brown is shown here inside Jammie Royall, the town’s special were on the agenda and two involved Hall. Mount Olive Town Hall. He retired from projects director, has been named in- Brown. his role as town manager on July 14. terim town manager until a replace- Mayor Ken Talton called for a See Brown, Page 2A CONTACT US WEATHER TODAY IN HISTORY 919-658-9456 Wednesday Thursday Friday 1587 - A second English colony PO Box 1448, Dunn, NC 28335 was established on Roanoke [email protected] 91 74 90 74 88 72 Island off North Carolina. The [email protected] High Low High Low High Low colony vanished under ©2020 The Record Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved mysterious circumstances. PAGE 2A | The Mount Olive Tribune, Mount Olive, N.C. | Wednesday, July 22, 2020 | www.mountolivetribune.com Silent auction OBITUARIES is huge success Molly W. Holler, 63 MOUNT OLIVE — Molly Williams Holler, 63, died By RUDY COGGINS Sunday, July 19, 2020. Assistant Editor Graveside rites to be held Thursday, July 23, at 10 a.m. in the Maplewood cemetery in Mount Olive. The final tally is unknown. Tyndall Funeral Home handled the service. But the seventh “Have A Heart For Kids” silent auction far surpassed any expectations by Selena Bennett, executive director of Thurston J. Jackson, 71 Communities Supporting Schools of Wayne FAISON — Thurston Julius Jackson, 71, of 207 County. Ned Cottle Lane, passed away Sunday, July 12, 2020. Held on Facebook due to COVID-19, the A graveside service was held at 3 p.m. Sunday, event raised at least $7,000. July 19, at Hillcrest Cemetery in Newton Grove, with Bennett said sponsorships, donations and the Rev. Chris Leak officiating. a matching Challenge Grant has pushed pro- In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the ceeds over $41,000. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Newton Grove United Methodist Church, 133 S. “I’m so pleased,” Bennett said. “[The record Church St., Newton Grove, NC 28366. funds] is another great chapter in all of this. This basket of Yeti goodies was one of several Services provided by Crumpler-Honeycutt Funer- We learned a lot, and will continue to learn as items auctioned during the seventh annual “Heart al Home. we navigate through this process.” For the Kids” silent auction.