Issue link: https://timwrob.uberflip.com/i/1547367
9 THE BUZZ AROUND WAYNE COUNTY NOVEMBER 2026 Community Safety Matters: By Cassey Curran As our commu- nity prepares for the upcoming holiday season of gatherings and celebrations, we're also reminded of the importance of keeping our young people safe. Firearm safety continues to be an important conversation for families across North Carolina. Safe storage is one simple step adults can take to help prevent firearms from getting into the hands of children and teens. North Carolina health offi- cials recommend keeping firearms locked and unloaded, with ammu- nition locked and stored separately. An increasing number of guns are being stolen from parked cars in North Carolina. If you leave a gun in your car, make sure the gun is out of sight and secured with a lock or in a locked gun case. Anyone in need of a gun lock can visit the CSS office at 111 S. Center St., or the Department of Juvenile Justice at 209 S. William St. to re- ceive a free gun lock. Keeping our kids safe takes all of us. Talk with the young people in your life, know what they have access to, and make sure firearms in the home are securely stored. Visit ncsafe.org more information on firearm safety and safe storage. WE GIVE WE GIVE THANKS THANKS By Clara Barnes Costner "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; For his mercy endureth forever." 1st Chronicles 16:34 KJV We thank God, our Heavenly Father And praise Him for blessings shown For who he is and who we are For mercy, making us His own We thank Him for loving us For our families and our friends For helping us when we do wrong For forgiveness of all our sins We thank God, our protector Ever present when there is strife For forgiving us when we ask Sending Jesus, to give everlasting life We praise Him for always being near To comfort us when we mourn Always there to renew our spirits Whenever we have been scorned We thank Him for the dwelling place The place we can call our home Always there beside us When all others have gone Thanksgiving. We give thanks For memories of loved ones passed We are content because we know They are in the arms of Jesus, at last Thanksgiving Reminder By Jonathan Greeson,CFP® In addition to the food, family, and football, Thanksgiving is a great time to evaluate your financial plan. First, Thanksgiv- ing is an opportunity to reflect on the year's blessings. It's easy to focus on our unmet desires, because they fuel our ambition, but we should also remember the good things. Reflection reminds us that even during our struggles, there are people who wish they had our lives. In 2026, the federal poverty rate for an American family of four is $33,000. While that family definitely struggles here, they would be considered wealthy in underdeveloped countries. While keeping that perspective, evaluate your financial situation, or better yet, let me. There's no charge unless we decide to work together. I work like the attorneys on television, "Contact me and let's see if I can help." Finally, thanksgiving is a reminder to check on your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) obli- gations. Once you turn 73, you may have to start taking money out of your retirement fund. When you were working, the government allowed us to delay paying taxes on income saved for retire- ment. Now they want their money. I'll try to make that as painless as possible with some financial planning. Email me! Jonathan Greeson Financial Planning is located in Pikeville. For more information, visit www.jonathangree- son.com. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Wealth Advisors, LLC (BWA), a registered investment advisor and an affiliate of Brookstone Capital Management, LLC. BWA and Jonathan Greeson Financial Planning are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BWA but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. OPENING DOORS Thank You for Opening Doors By Matthew Whittle As we head into the holiday season and begin to prepare for Thanksgiving, it may be a bit of a cliché to take a moment to pause and say thank you, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. This has been a busy year for Hab- itat Goldsboro-Wayne. We have been celebrating our 25th anniver- sary (and we're going to celebrate for a while longer) and we have kicked off our biggest project ever in the form of our McNair Heights Neighborhood. Along the way we have had sup- porters step up in a major way – both in terms of volunteers and do- nations – and we've been reminded that if it was not for that support, none of this would be possible. Of course, the work isn't done. There is still much to do as we continue to build new homes, repair existing homes, and build community and hope. But that's al- ways true. The mission never ends. Every time we open the door for one family to build a better future for themselves, there's another right behind them. One day we'd love to work ourselves out of a job, but that day won't be tomorrow. And so in the meantime, we want to just say thank you for continuing to help us open that door..