Our network

Shopping & Services

Church hosting Antique Lawn and Tractor Show, yard and bake sale

Church hosting Antique Lawn and Tractor Show, yard and bake sale

ROCKY POINT, NC (WECT) – Pike-Rocky Point Presbyterian Church will be hosting its annual Antique  Lawn and Tractor Show and yard and bake sale Saturday starting at 7 a.m., according to event organizers.

Folks can check out antique tractors, and the event is said to include plenty of bargains at the yard sale.

Barbecue plates will be sold at $7 a plate starting at 11 a.m. until food runs out.

The church’s address is 7450 US Hwy. 117 S in Rocky Point.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved. 

School supply drive underway in Pender County

School supply drive underway in Pender County

BURGAW, NC (WECT) - The kids might not want to hear it, but school is right around the corner. 

So, it's time to start thinking about school supplies. Two local groups in Pender County are doing just thought.

"A Change Starts With Us" and "Visionaries" are hosting a school supply drive now through mid-August.

The supplies will be given out at the "I Praise Thee Gospel Open Mic" in Burgaw, which is scheduled for August 18 at the American Legion.

To donate, call any of these three numbers in the 910 area code: 538-6385, 231-2784 or 352-8897. They can come to pick up the supplies or meet you at a mutual location.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

S&P upgrades Pender County's credit rating

S&P upgrades Pender County's credit rating

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Pender County’s credit rating was upgraded, according to a news release from the County’s Human Resources Director.

The Standard & Poor’s rating service upgraded Pender County from A+ to AA- due to its “maintenance of a very strong financial position, despite recent weakness in the local economy.”

The County plans to sell bonds in the coming week to refinance existing debt to a lower interest rate, the release stated. The County estimates that the higher credit rating will generate additional savings of approximately $100,000 over the life of the transaction.

The County also reportedly received an affirmation of its bond credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service at the Aa2 level.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

Just over $120K awarded to eight Pender Co. fire departments

Just over $120K awarded to eight Pender Co. fire departments

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Over $8 million was awarded to over 600 fire departments across the state recently through the 2012 Volunteer Fire Department Fund.

The Fund was created in 1988 to provide dollar-for-dollar matching grants to assist volunteer fire departments, according to a news release from Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshall Wayne Goodwin. A total of $8,717,495.18 was awarded to 644 departments and some of that money is going to Pender County. Here’s the list of local grants:

  • Atkinson Fire Department, $15,000
  • Long Creek Grady Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Inc., $18,083.88
  • Maple Hill V.F.D., Inc., $20,606.40
  • Penderlea Fire Department, $3,111
  • Rocky Point Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., $14,138.88
  • Shiloh-Columbia V.F.D., Inc., $30,000
  • Surf City V.F.D., Inc., $9,763.27
  • Topsail Beach Fire Department, $9,729.09

“I’m proud that so many fire departments are taking advantage of this important grant program. These grants help our volunteer fire departments stretch their budgets to better serve our communities,” stated Goodwin in a news release.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

Dept. of Labor investigating workplace death in Rocky Point

Dept. of Labor investigating workplace death in Rocky Point

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The Pender County Sheriff's Office has closed its investigation, but the N.C. Department of Labor is still investigating a workplace death that happened at Lewis Nursery & Farms in Rocky Point on April 18.

Gilberto Arias De Los Santos was killed after his foot got caught in a homemade rope lining machine, according to Detective Lee Wells with the Sheriff's Office.

The Department of Labor said it could take 3 to 4 months to determine if any violations occurred.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

Entrepreneurs eligible for area awards

Entrepreneurs eligible for area awards

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) –To promote businesses, entrepreneurs and higher-paying jobs in the area, UNCW’s Entrepreneurship Center and the Greater Wilmington Business Journal will be presenting the Coastal Entrepreneur Awards this spring, according to a release from a Business Journal spokesperson.

Any company, new or old, in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties is eligible, and according to a statement, businesses submitted for consideration “…Must be actively engaged in entrepreneurial activity – creating new products or services for people in the Wilmington region or beyond.”

Companies can either submit applications themselves or be nominated by clicking here.

Nominees will go through two rounds of judging. Category winners will be chosen by a group of judges selected from area business leaders as well as the competition’s sponsors.

Topsail Beach agrees to help fund visitor guides through sponsorship

Topsail Beach agrees to help fund visitor guides through sponsorship

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Officials in Pender County are trying to keep tourism alive which can cost a pretty penny, but it’s something small towns that thrive on tourism can’t afford to lose.

The Town of Topsail voted Wednesday to pay $2,500 to the Pender County Tourism Development Authority as a sponsorship for the visitor pamphlets.  The money will help pay for sending tens of thousands of town visitors guides to hotels, restaurant and welcome centers across North Carolina.

Town of Topsail Manager Tim Holloman said beach towns depend on tourism for revenue.