When your granddaddy’s name was “Sea Captain” along the Tar and Pamlico Rivers, you are destined to become a Sound Rivers Water Watcher.

As I read the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office June statistics, I was reminded what public service looks like in a rural county. Per their Facebook post, in June alone, their Communications Center dispatched 3,053 calls for service…an average of 102 calls every day…more than 4 calls every hour…or one call about every 14 minutes, 24 hours a day. Of those, 1,455 calls required a Deputy Sheriff’s response…an average of 49 deputy calls every day, or one deputy response every 30

As our country celebrates 250 years of independence, I’ve found myself reflecting on something much closer to home. Recently I’ve spent countless hours studying not only the history of our nation, but the history of Edgecombe County. The more I have learned, the more I realize that every generation reaches a moment when it’s their turn to help write the next chapter. For me, that moment is now. After a lot of prayer, conversations with my family, and more self-reflection than