Drugs, sex and murder: 20 years of prostitution in Rocky Mount, Sept 19, 2009 — In late 1997, a 38-year-old woman was raped, stabbed repeatedly and abandoned in a Rocky Mount alley between two roll-out trash carts, one of the more gruesome examples of violent crimes against prostitutes in the city’s history. A sock was tied around her neck, and she was naked except for her socks and shoes. Her story is not unique. (RELATED: Women on the fringe fear for their lives; A woman forgotten in life and death; Portrait of a suspected serial killer.)
The Ray Mulkey mystery, Oct. 24, 2010 – He was memorialized as an astute businessman who used his riches to entertain friends, impress young women and care for his family. But on the day an associate found Ray Mulkey Jr. slumped over a steering wheel in North Myrtle Beach this summer, he was broke and alone. In place of his image of as a respected businessman, Mulkey, 63, left behind at least $42 million in debts and few assets to repay them. (PDF clipping)
Bragg families want answers in infant deaths, Sept. 2, 2010 – Jay’Vair Pollard was a little more than 2 months old when he quit breathing April 15, 2009. The baby died that morning while sleeping in his mother’s arms at their home on Fort Bragg. Three months later, his cousin, 7-month-old Ka’Mya Frey, died while taking a nap in the same home on the military post. They are among 10 infants who have died suddenly and without warning inside military housing units at the installation since January 2007. (PDF clipping) (RELATED: Bragg officials declare homes safe, federal investigators unsure)
Annexation in black and white, Feb. 9, 2010 — In the highly publicized struggle that has raged for more than a year between the city of Rocky Mount and hundreds of residents bent against involuntary annexation, media coverage has stopped short of addressing a four-letter word some city leaders say is an underlying factor in much of the protest — race.
Myanmar refugees find work in rural N.C. slaughterhouses, Aug. 29, 2010 – Hundreds of refugees from the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma have found hope for a future slicing up chickens in North Carolina’s poorest and most violent county. Anything’s better than the life they left behind. (PDF clipping)
Lumbee controversy: gaming pact threatens tribal recognition effort, June 8, 2010 – After more than a century of lobbying, the Lumbee Tribe was never closer to winning federal recognition than it was heading into 2010. That was until tribal leaders abandoned their lobbying strategy in Congress and signed a secret pact with a Las Vegas gaming consultant. (PDF clipping) (RELATED: Some say gaming pact may derail recognition; Gaming firm cuts ties with tribe)
War-torn soldier boasts simple dreams, June 15, 2008 — The first in a series chronicling the recovery of a 20-year-old Rocky Mount soldier critically wounded in Iraq. The story was named by the N.C. Press Association the best feature story in 2008 among small daily newspapers in North Carolina.
Mortician pleads guilty in love-triangle murder, Sept. 28, 2008 — After asserting his innocence for nearly two years, a former funeral director unexpectedly admitted plotting with his mistress to murder his wife.
