Hello New Bern! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around New Bern? Post it to New Bern photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️
Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Why This North Carolina Town Still Feels Like A Step Back In Time (takingthekids.com) — New Bern’s historic core, from Tryon Palace to Union Point Park, is highlighted as a rare place where colonial streets, preserved homes, and riverfront views still shape daily life. The piece walks you through local landmarks, festivals, restaurants, and museums that keep the town’s architecture, food, and community traditions closely tied to its 18th- and 19th-century roots.
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2. New Bern mourns The Music Man (publicradioeast.org) — New Bern is mourning Howard “Music Man” Matthews, the beloved street guitarist often seen playing outside Baker’s Kitchen on Middle Street. After the community rallied around him following an assault in March, residents and Mayor Jeffrey Odham are now honoring his memory, and his family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover funeral and burial costs.
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3. Pamlico County caps off unbeaten debut with winter flag football title (highschoolot.com) — New Bern’s girls’ flag football team was part of a 14-team Eastern North Carolina winter tournament where Pamlico County capped an unbeaten debut season with a championship at ECU. New Bern fell to Pamlico during the season, but the growing sport now includes over 130 North Carolina schools and multiple seasonal championships statewide.
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4. NC Chemical Company Pleads Guilty to Polluting River (wnct.com) — From a federal courtroom in New Bern, prosecutors detailed how American Distillation, Inc. and its owner admitted to illegally dumping chemicals into the Cape Fear River and failing to pay federal taxes. The case outlines years of improper handling of tert-butyl alcohol and wastewater, and highlights federal officials’ warnings about risks to downstream communities that depend on those waters.
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5. Judge blocks Trump administration's attempt to end a disaster-preparedness grant program (publicradioeast.org) — New Bern’s Duffyfield Canal flood-risk assessment, worth $300,000, is back on track after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end FEMA’s BRIC disaster-preparedness grants. The ruling also protects millions for nearby towns like Pollocksville, Maysville, and Greenville, allowing long-planned resilience and drainage projects to move forward across Eastern North Carolina.
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Ok New Bern! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don't know, but April May!
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