Thursday, February 28, 2013 Jacksonville, N.C. 50¢ Daily, $1.25 Sunday

C O V E R I N G C O A S T A L C A R O L I N A

A new sound for classic hymns

Groundbreaking today for Onslow goverment center

Partly sunnyand breezy Page 4

Vol. LXI No. 059 — © Copyright 2013 Jacksonville Daily News Co. 910-353-1171Delivery No. — 910-577-7323

JDNEWS.COM GET THE LATEST HEADLINES, LOCAL NEWS UPDATES, SPORTS AND WEATHER

Chuck Beckley / Sun Journal

Members of the Craven County Sheri! ’s SWAT team prepare to advance toward a truck parked in the drive-way of 306 Camelia Road in Trent Woods Wednesday afternoon. The owner of the black pick-up truck was found dead from what investigators say was a self-in" icted gunshot. Police said Thursday the active-duty Marine was wanted for questioning in the death of his baby in Jacksonville.

Tragic end in probeMarine sought by Jacksonville police for questioning in baby’s death takes own life in Trent Woods

Sequestration brings concern to communityBy JANNETTE PIPPINDaily News Staff

With the possibility of auto-matic federal spending cuts looming, there are concerns within the community about furloughs, reduced bud-gets and impacts to military readiness.

If Congress doesn’t reach a compromise, the domestic and military spending cuts take effect Friday.

Sequestration was look-ing more and more likely Wednesday as the deadline neared, putting potential im-

pacts closer to reality.While the jobs of military

personnel are protected, the cuts would hit the civilian workforce.

More than 20,000 civil-ian Department of Defense employees at North Caroli-na military bases, including Camp Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point, face po-tential furloughs that would equate to more than $121 mil-lion in cumulative pay cuts.

Al Burgess of Jacksonville, president of American Feder-ation of Government Employ-ees Local 2065, said that ac-

cording to U.S. Department of Labor employment statis-tics, Onslow County has ap-proximately 7,000 federal workers and retirees.

If sequestration occurs, he said permanent workers will lose about 20 percent of their pay, the contracts of term em-ployees will not be renewed and temporary employees will be released.

The furloughs, he said, would equate to one day each week, meaning two lost days each pay period from April Don Bryan / The Daily News

Tra# c moves east on N.C. 24 right, as tra# c from Camp Lejeune left, travels west late Tuesday in Jacksonville.

Federal budget impasse sparks talk of furloughs, military readiness

See Sequestration • Page 2

Page 7Page 42

The Daily News / www.jdnews.com Thursday, February 28, 2013 41

February 28, 2013 — Vol. 13 No. 9

Clay Whittington will perform on March 3 at 7 p.m. at The Morehead Center in Morehead City.

Page42

Classical | Jazz | Musical Theatre | Rock | Pop | Country

42 Thursday, February 28, 2013 www.jdnews.com / The Daily News

By ANIESA HOLMESDaily News Staff

EVER WONDER what “Amazing Grace” would sound like with a mix of

jazz or a touch of the blues?This weekend, Musician

Clay Whittington will pres-ent his unique talent of tak-ing classic hymns and creat-ing his own improvisational style of music.

Hope Mission and Cape Lookout High School invites audiences to a benefit con-

cert featuring the “Hymn-prov” music of Whittington on March 3 at 7 p.m. at The Morehead Center in More-head City. Whittington is well-known in Carteret Coun-ty for his work with the Cart-eret Community Theater as the pianist for the 2011 show

“Broadway at Its Best.” Whittington’s “Hymnprov”

is a series of hymns select-ed from the United Methodist Hymnal done in his own im-prov-piano performance with styles ranging from classical to jazz and blues to rock. No part of the performance is re-

hearsed and “sheet music” is only used as a guide to the melody. Hymns are previous-ly selected, but only to aid in a smooth performance. The per-formance is divided into four parts: Wesleyan hymns, spir-ituals, contemporary hymns, and traditional hymns.

A native of Kinston, Whit-tington began music lessons at age 8 with piano and con-tinued with guitar, trom-bone, baritone, mandolin

Want to go?Clay Whittington will perform■ March 3 at 7 p.m. ■ The Morehead Center

1311 Arendell St.Morehead City

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased by calling 252-726-1501 or online at themoreheadcenter.com

See Music • Page 43

Clay Whittington takes classic hymns to create

new sound

The Daily News / www.jdnews.com Thursday, February 28, 2013 43

MAX MAGAZINE CALENDAREventsPINE KNOLL SHORES

Imagination and education merge into a magical day of Forest Fair-ies to Sea Serpents March 2 at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Elves, imps, fairies, gnomes, sea monsters, sprites, drag-ons, trolls, leprechauns, storybook creatures and other mythical char-acters are invited. Costumes are en-couraged as a big part of the fun, though not required. The best out-! ts will be awarded pixie -perfect prizes from roving judges on the lookout for originality.

All the enchantment of the day is free with admission or membership. Children’s activities are designed for both girls and boys and are avail-able from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Build fairy houses on the board-walk from pine cones, sticks, shells and other natural materials.

• Search for fairy doors and mermaid doors throughout the Aquarium.

• Discover your fairy or elf name. • Decorate your own fanciful

wand to take home.Also enjoy a new twist on the dai-

ly dive programs at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. as a pretend sea dragon appears in the Living Shipwreck. The Creature Features at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. turn into theatrical fairy tales starring live animals in whimsi-cal, Aquarium-style interpretations of favorite fables. Though Forest Fairies to Sea Serpents focuses on make-believe beings, the activities inspire a closer look at real animals and their environments.

For more information, visit ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores or call 252-247-4003.

ONSLOW COUNTYOnslow County Public Library

hosts a series of free events for the whole family throughout the month of March. Families are invited to a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party featuring stories, crafts, food and fun at all li-brary locations on March 7 at 6 p.m.

RICHLANDSFamilies are invited to a new af-

ter-school family program, Journeys of the Imagination, where we will “journey” to di" erent times and ex-plore new places. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, our “journey” for the month of March will be to the Emerald Isle, where we will have stories, games, snacks, singing, and crafts — all centered around Ireland. Don’t forget to wear green. This

fun program will be at the Onslow County Library Richlands branch, March 14 at 4:30 p.m.

SNEADS FERRYTeens in grades 6-12 are invited

to meet and compete during Teen Gamers at the Sneads Ferry branch on March 14 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 pm. Join us for a fun night of vid-eo games, board games, snacks and more.

BEAUFORTSupport the N.C. Coastal Feder-

ation with local oysters and great beer, both provided on March 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hannah’s Haus, located at back of Gaskill’s Hardware Store, 900 Live Oak Street in Beau-fort. There is no cost for this event, but donations for beer and oysters will go directly to the federation. A special federation membership will be o" ered during the event, so bring your friends. Volunteers are needed at the federation’s member-ship table and at the oyster tables. Contact Sarah Phillips at sarahp@nc-coast.org to help.

JACKSONVILLEThe Onslow County Parks and

Recreation Department and the North Carolina Museum of Nat-ural Science are sponsoring two Spring Nature Sessions on “Reptiles and Amphibians” March 3 at Jack-sonville High School in the cafete-ria. The ! rst session begins at 2:30 p.m. The second session begins at 3:30 p.m. Check out the distinguish-ing characteristics of these two fas-cinating animal groups. Many liv-ing examples will be on hand. The two, one hour-long programs will feature a short lecture then provide an opportunity for hands-on par-ticipation. The program is free and open to the public. An adult must accompany children under 12 years of age. If you have questions about this program please call the Onslow County Parks and Recreation De-partment at 910-347-5332 or visit onslowcountync.gov/parks.

PINE KNOLL SHORESReel in some insider tips and new

techniques with the Get Hooked Fishing School at the North Caroli-na Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The one-day course on March 9 is packed with presentations from the pros on many topics and types of ! shing. Participants can choose up to four sessions from the schedule that includes the following: Bryan Goodwin – Inshore red drum; speck-led trout; cobia; Mark Henderson

– King and Spanish mackerel; o" -shore trolling; Dr. Bogus – Pier and surf ! shing; Je" Cronk – Inshore red drum; speckled trout; # ounder; Ash-ley Williams – Kayak ! shing; John Mauser – Skinny water sight-! shing; North Carolina stripers

In addition, watch for Je" Cronk’s tips on catching live bait, details from the North Carolina speckled trout tagging study from Tim Ellis, and other shorter sessions on a vari-ety of topics. The event also includes a catered lunch, drawings for ! shing gear and ! shing giveaways. Agencies and businesses of interest to ! sher-men and boaters will be on hand. Get Hooked is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and all sessions are at the Aquarium. Advance registration is required and space is limited so sign up early. The fee is $60 per person; $54 for Aquar-ium members. Register online, call 252-247-4003 or stop by the Visitor Services desk at the Aquarium.

SURF CITYTown of Surf City’s Parks and Rec-

reation Department hosts its sev-enth annual Women’s Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 9 at the Surf City Community Center. For more in-formation visit townofsurfcity.com.

MusicJACKSONVILLE

The Charles Coakley Jr. Conser-vatory A Boutique Music Studio is looking for 20 talented Children in grades 2 - 8 who enjoy singing, dancing and acting for an origi-nal musical based on 3 Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. Auditions will be held March 23 at 10 a.m. Call-back audition will take place March 25 at 5 p.m. at St. Anne’s Parish Day School located at 711 Henderson Drive. To Schedule your audition ap-pointment or for more information, contact Charles Coakley Jr. at 910-382-9597 or email theccjmusicand-theatreproject@hotmail.com.

MOREHEAD CITYHope Mission and Cape Lookout

High School invite you to a bene! t concert presented by talented mu-sician Clay Whittington on March 3 at 7 p.m. at The Morehead Center, 1311 Arendell St., Morehead City. Whittington is well-known in Carter-et County for his work with the Cart-eret Community Theater as the pia-nist for their 2011 show Broadway at Its Best. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and can be pur-chased by calling 252-726-1501 or online at themoreheadcenter.com.

NEW BERNPreparations are well underway as

the New Bern Historical Society gets ready to welcome the world famous Vienna Boys Choir to the New Bern Convention Center on March 3 at 3 p.m. Vienna Boys choristers are be-tween the ages of 10 and 14. They are divided into four touring choirs that present 300 concerts and per-formances each year in front of al-most half a million people. Each group spends nine to 11 weeks of the school year on tour. They vis-it virtually every European coun-try, and are frequent guests in Asia, Australia and the Americas. This year we are pleased and honored to have the Boys Choir in New Bern, and many Historical Society volun-teers and sponsors have been work-ing diligently to make sure that they receive a warm welcome. General Admission and Sponsor/VIP tickets, and a limited number of preferred tickets are still available. General admission tickets are $35 through Feb. 15, then $40. Active duty mili-tary and their dependents with ID are $30, children and students with ID, $25. (Not recommended for chil-dren under the age of 8.) Preferred tickets are $55 through Feb. 15, then $60. VIP/Sponsor front and center seating is also available at $125 per seat, and Tickets are available at the New Bern Historical Society, 252-638-8558 or NewBernHistorical.org. Check the website or call for outlet information.

As has been the custom in past Legends in Concert shows, those with Sponsor/VIP seats are invited to a reception before the concert at the Convention Center. The concert hall doors will open at 2:30 p.m.

Theater & ArtsJACKSONVILLE

Onslow Players will be performing “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” at the Jacksonville Coun-try Club on March 1-3. The shows on March 1 and 2 are dinner the-ater, $35 for members of the club and $40 for non-members. Dinner begins at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. The show on March 3 is show only $15 and begins at 2 p.m.

JACKSONVILLEA red carpet gala event will be

held on March 16 to bene! t the Foundation for Hospice. The Faces of Compassion Gala & Auction is the area’s only mask event. More than 100 ceramic masks, decorated and painted by eastern NC’s artists, craft-

ers, and other creative talents, will be auctioned. These unique masks have been exhibited at the Council for the Arts in Jacksonville and are currently on display at the Art Expo-sure in Hampstead and will be there until the ! rst week in March.

The gala will feature a concert performance by Ocracoke Island’s award winning Molasses Creek Band who have recorded 12 albums and been performed on National Pub-lic Radio’s Prairie Home Compan-ion. Special guests for the evening will be Miss North Carolina USA and Miss North Carolina Teen USA. In addition, jazz saxophonist, Richard Lawton will entertain with smooth jazz. This red carpet event will of-fer up heavy h’ordeuvres and lots of fun as attendees compete in a silent and a “live” auction for the masks of their choice.

This fundraising event will be held at the Infant of Prague Parish Hall in Jacksonville and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. Tick-ets can be purchased in Jackson-ville, Kinston, Hampstead, and New Bern at the Continuum Home Care & Hospice o$ ce. Tickets will also be sold at the door; however, seating is limited. Call 888-814-8904 for more information. All proceeds from the Faces of Compassion Gala & Auc-tion will go to the Foundation for Hospice, a nonpro! t agency which provides ! nancial assistance to ter-minally ill persons and o" ers grief support programs to their families including Camp Butter# y.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Iris Foreman at 910-455-3925.

SportsJACKSONVILLE

The Onslow County Parks and Recreation, Brumbaugh, Mu & King, PA, Jarman Cap Co., and Pizza Hut will sponsor a Cheerleading Con-test on March 2 at Jacksonville High School. Check in begins at 9 a.m. followed by the competition at 10 a.m. All participants will receive a free T-shirt. Registration is by squad only. The cost is $10 per squad member. There are two Sections of competition: Open (Open to lev-el 1 All Star Squads) and Recreation (squad members have participat-ed in the County Youth Cheerlead-ing program during 2012-13) with 3 Age Divisions: Minor (9 and under), Midget (12 and under), and Inter-mediate (16 and under). Free admis-sion for friends and family. Please call 910-347-5332 or visit onslow-countync.gov/parks.

and the organ. “I can’t remember

a time when I wasn’t playing, although it’s not something that nec-essarily ran in my fam-ily,” he said. “I took pi-ano lessons for a few years from the time I was 8 to 12 and after that I learned theory and technical skills on my own. It just makes sense in my head.”

Whittington has pro-vided his talents to var-ious United Method-ist Churches for more than 10 years. He cur-rently serves as choir director at Camp Ground United Meth-odist Church in Fay-etteville and as organ-ist for Temple B’nai Sholem in New Bern.

“Out of all the styles and any way I’ve per-

formed I’ve done church music more than anything else,” Whittington said. “I’ve learned the hymnal like the back of my hand; when you hear it over and over again it gets old and you have to re-work so it sounds new again. That’s where I get the idea to impro-vise on them.”

When he’s not lift-

ing spirits during Sun-day morning services, Whittington enjoys per-forming for concerts at churches or theatres. For his upcoming per-formance, he will create new melodies for a few of his favorite hymns, including “Amazing Grace,” “I want Jesus to Walk With Me, and “Christ the Lord is Ris-en Today.”

“For this particular concert, I’ve chosen specific songs for that show and I don’t decide how I’m going to per-form until I hit the first note,” Whittington said. “I’m literally recreat-ing the song as I play it.”

Whittington said that he would eventu-ally like to perform in a concert with a com-

bination of jazz musi-cians, but for now he is enjoying and constant-ly improving his solo acts.

“When I’m not on the piano, I’m playing gui-tar or mandolin — for me it’s music 24 hours a day,” Whittington said. “It’s my life, my hobby and my work.”

For more information,visit claywhittington.me.

Music Continued from page 42