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Bobby W. Wynne, 69, of 6929 Fowler Road in Zebulon, died May 12. Arrangements by Strickland Funeral Home, Wendell.

Frances Collins Broadwell, 83, of 8001 Poole Road in Knightdale, died May 14 at her home. Funeral is scheduled for May 16 at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Knightdale. Burial will be at the church cemetery.

She was born in Wake County May 20, 1924, daughter of the late Cornelius Raymond Collins and Mattie Lillian Watkins Collins. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Worth Broadwell, Oct. 31, 1998; sisters, Clellie C. Daniels and Ruby C. Liles; and son-in-law, Kenneth F. Watt.

Surviving: daughters, Kathryn B. Watt of Knightdale, Joan B. Wilkerson and husband Randy of Knightdale; grandchildren, Kristin L. Watt, Kelly W. Hunter and husband Ryan, Jonathan S. Wilkerson and special friend Summer D. Hart, Matthew B. Wilkerson, Christa J. Leonard; great-grandchildren, Greyson K. Hunter, Hannah Jo Wilkerson; sister, Louise C. Harris and husband Allen of Tulsa, Okla.; brother, Raymond Lee Collins and wife Martha of Florence, S.C.; numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Frances Collins Broadwell Memorial Fund, c/o Bethlehem Baptist Church, 8400 Poole Road, Knightdale 27545; Eastern Wake Fire-Rescue, 4828 Clifton Road, Knightdale 27545; or Hospice of Wake County, 1300 St. Mary’s St., Fourth Floor, Raleigh 27615. Arrangements by L. Harold Poole Funeral Service and Crematory, Knightdale.

Luther James Norton Sr., 85, of Knightdale, formerly of 14708 N.C. 96, Zebulon, died May 13 at Wellington Nursing Center. Graveside service is scheduled for May 15 at Corinth Baptist Church cemetery, Zebulon.

He was born in Rockdale County, Conyers, Ga., June 21, 1922, son of the late Grady Norton and Mary Wilbert Norton. He was a member of American Legion N.C. 0148, and was past commander and life member of American Legion 1001 in Raleigh. He served his country during World War II in the U.S. Navy from May 11, 1944, to Feb. 17, 1946. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Alice Upchurch Norton in 2004; daughter, Mary Ann Norton Holland in 2003; and son, Luther James Norton Jr. in 1989.

Surviving: grandson, Kenneth Luther “Buddy” Wagnon of Wake Forest; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild.

Arrangements by L. Harold Poole Funeral Service and Crematory, Knightdale.

William Sidney Davis, 85, of Raleigh died May 11. Graveside service was May 14 at Montlawn Memorial Park with military honors.

He was born Oct. 28, 1922, in Wake County, son of the late Harvey Davis and Helen Cooley Davis. He was a truck mechanic with Sanders Ford for 30 years and Cross Poultry for 10 years. He served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a member of the 737 Tank Battalion. With this service, he was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery. He was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Clarence, Vayden, Melvin and Ernest; and sister, Erma D. Owens.

Surviving: wife, Maurine Taylor Davis; daughters, Jo Ann Davis Boyette and husband Bruce of Raleigh, Jean Davis Barham of Raleigh; grandchildren, Kristie B. Austin and husband Chris, Dana B. Haithcock and husband Chuck. Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3120 New Hope Road, Raleigh 27604.

Arrangements by L. Harold Poole Funeral Service and Crematory, Knightdale.

Marjorie Dean Webb, 83, died May 10 at Duke Hospital following a period of declining health. Funeral was May 13 at Epworth United Methodist Church, Durham. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery.

A native of Wake County, she was the daughter of the late Walter E. and Maggie Scarboro Dean. A graduate of Peace College, she spent more than 30 years working in the business office of the VA Medical Center. She was a member of Epworth United Methodist Church. A longtime resident of Hope Valley, she loved gardening and for many years was a member of the local Garden Club. Her nieces and nephews became the children she never had, and she remembered them on every holiday and special occasion.

Surviving: husband of 61 years, Raymond M. Webb; niece, Judy Price of Asheville; great-nephew Allen Price of Asheville; great-niece, Natalie Waggett of Wilmington.

Memorial donations may be made to Epworth Church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, Durham 27707. Arrangements by Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.

Smithfield — The school board voted Tuesday to make Selma Elementary School Principal Robin Herridge the new director of elementary education for the school system. Succeeding her will be her current assistant principal, Janice Jett. They will start in their new jobs June 15.

The board also hired Clint Eaves, the current interim principal at Clayton High School, as the principal under a two-year contract.

PINEHURST — The mark of the Green Hope golf team for years has been the consistency of players one through six. If one or two players played poorly, the other four were there to shoot low and make up for it.

Always.

In the second round of the NCHSAA 4-A state tournament Tuesday, the Falcons demonstrated that trademark consistency once again, but not in a way that anyone would have predicted.

The six Falcons who took to Pinehurst No. 6 for the tournament’s final 18 holes all had uncharacteristic off days, and they saw their eight-stroke first-round lead evaporate and ended up in a third-place finish, four strokes behind runner-up Charlotte Providence and 10 strokes behind champion Southern Pines Pinecrest.

“We all played like crap pretty much,” said Green Hope senior Ben Kohles, who followed up a first-round 73 with a second-round 78. “None of us played good. All of us played the worst round of the year.”

Though Green Hope — winner of the last two state championships and three since 2003 — didn’t play exceptionally well, Pinecrest certainly deserves credit for its win. Led by individual champion Jack Fields’ blistering second-round, four-under 67, the Patriots shot six strokes better as a team in the second round than the first.

Green Hope, which shot 287 in the first round Monday, shot a second-round 309. The 18-stroke difference between scores in rounds one and two was the third largest disparity in the 12-team field. Concord Robinson was 27 strokes worse in the second round, while Holly Springs improved by 21 shots from round one to round two. But those two teams finished 11th and 12th, respectively, in the team standings.

What makes Green Hope’s less-than-stellar second round so perplexing is how well they played their other 18-hole rounds this season.

At the N.C. High School Invitational, the Falcons shot 11-over 299 and won that tournament by eight strokes.

At the Keith Hills High School Kickoff, they shot even-par 288 and won that tournament by three strokes.

At the Tri-Eight championship, they shot even-par 288 and won that tournament by 22 strokes.

At the Mideast Regional, they shot one-under 287 and won that tournament by 11 strokes.

In the first round of the state tournament, they shot three-over 287 and led by eight strokes.

“We felt like we left a lot of shots out there, but we all played decent and we played well on the back nine, which helped out a lot,” Green Hope sophomore Michael Cromie said of the Falcons’ first round. “But we felt like we could do better today and it just didn’t happen. It just wasn’t meant to be today.”

Michael Marshburn, who had the first-round lead after shooting one-under 70, was cruising along in the second round. He made the turn even for the day, but then his round fell apart. He went bogey, par, double bogey, double bogey over the next four holes and finished the day with a six-over 77.

“Just on the back nine, I couldn’t get anything going,” Marshburn said. “It was in the wrong place every time I missed a shot.”

Green Hope played the back nine first in the second round, and the day unraveled for the team early. The Falcons were eaten alive by No. 13, a 186-yard par 3 with a downhill approach from the tee into a green that slopes from right to left. A water hazard is left of the green and wooded out of bounds spans from around the back side of the green to the right, about 25 feet from the fringe.

The six Falcons played that hole at a collective nine-over par. Marcus Lindroos, who shot 78 in the first round and 79 in the second, and Brooks Beanland (76-78) were the only two to make par. Kohles quadruple-bogeyed, while Cromie and Will Almand (73-76) doubled.

“I hit a perfect shot and the wind died on me, and it went out of bounds,” said Cromie, who shot an even-par 71 in the first round and seven-over 78 in the second. “I hit another good shot and it hooked left in the water. Honestly, you should play short of the water and just take a bogey and run. I should have done that. But you make mistakes to learn, right?”

The Pinehurst No. 6 yardage guide handicaps the hole as the easiest on the course, but Green Hope coach David Allen said it was among the most difficult Tuesday because the pin was placed in the back right-hand corner of the green and the wind was blowing right to left, thus pushing shots into the slope away from the pin and toward the hazard.

After the shaky start, the Falcons were unable to recover.

“It’s a textbook case of forcing an outcome,” Allen said. “In this game, you must stick with your strategy, and if you stay poised and maintain your lead and keep believing that if it’s hard for you, it’s hard for everybody else, you’ll be fine. And we didn’t do that today. We just played bad at the wrong time. … Great players, great kids, great team — wonderful team — they just unfortunately played their worst round that they could play at the end.”

Curtis Wayne Whitley, 39, of Fort Stockton, Texas, formerly of Johnston County, died Sunday, May 11. Born May 10, 1969, in Johnston County, he was a son of Norman W. Whitley of Rocky Mount and Betty Jean Lynch Whitley of Selma.

Surviving in addition to his parents are children, C.W. Whitley and Hannah Whitley, both of California; and a brother, Norman Keith Whitley of Selma.

The funeral will be private.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Reins From Above, 12160 N.C. 42 East, Kenly, N.C. 27524.

Willie Matthew Worley, 70, of 1746 Old Hinton Road, Princeton, died Tuesday, May 13. Born Sept. 8, 1937, he was the son of the late David A. and Luria Hartley Worley.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at Casey Funeral Home in Princeton. The Revs. Steve Singleton and Reverend Jimmy Earp will officiate. Burial will follow in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Surviving are his wife, Joyce Deans Worley; a son, Keith Worley of Princeton; two daughters, Enita Kaye Barbour of Princeton and Sandy Brinchek of Kenly; two brothers, Ronald Worley of Princeton and Ricky Worley of Smithfield; three sisters, Mavis Sexton of Smithfield, Gail Singleton of Princeton and Julia Friend of Florida; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

The family will receive friends 6 till 8 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 14) at the funeral home.

Condolences may be sent to caseyfuneralhome@msn.com.

Mary Love Brock Stanley, 79, of Smithfield died Tuesday, May 13, at Britthaven of Smithfield.

Born May 7, 1929 in Johnston County, Mrs. Stanley was a daughter of the late John Henry and Alma Lee Brock. She was the widow of Refus Ray Stanley. Mrs. Stanley was a member of Smithfield Advent Christian Church.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at Parrish Funeral Home, 1351 S. Pollock St., Selma. Burial will follow in the cemetery at Hephzibah Baptist Church.

Surviving are four sons, Johnny P. Stanley of Goldsboro, Ronald Lee Stanley and Tony D. Stanley, both of Selma, and Donald Ray Stanley of Lakewood, Colo.; six daughters, Faye Ellis of Four Oaks, Connie Sue Evans of Louisburg and Grace Tart and Pat Deese, both of Smithfield, Angie Shelly of Augusta, Ga., and Lisa Haynes of Selma; a brother, Leonard Brock of Clinton; four sisters, Mildred West of Clinton, Betty Jones of Roseboro, Shirley Rushing of Jasper, Fla., and Hilda Harvey of Lake City, Fla.; 15 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends from 7 till 9 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 14) at the funeral home and at other times at the home of Pat and Junior Deese, 2175 Bear Farm Road, Smithfield, N.C. 27577.

Condolences to the family may be made at www.parrishfh.com.

South Johnston's baseball team will never be confused with the 'Amazing Mets' of 1969.

But for one night, many similarities could be seen between the two teams.

By blending sterling defense, superb pitching and timely hitting, the Trojans looked almost as impressive as that world championship squad.

But South isn't New York, and the Trojans weren't playing the Baltimore Orioles in the Fall Classic. Instead, they were handing host Northern Nash of the New 6 Conference a 2-0 whitewashing in the second round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs.

More importantly, this win vaults the Trojans into a third round game Friday night at Rocky Mount of the NEW 6 Conference.

It also marks the first time the Trojans of the Cape Fear Valley Conference have advanced this deep into the playoffs since 1996.

"We have got some guys who are stepping up and playing their best baseball of the season right now," said South coach Keith Durham. "It couldn't come at a better time.

"It's all about survive and advance now, and it just means we get one more game to play."

Defensively, the Trojans were sparked by outstanding plays from left fielder Dee Walden and right fielder Ryan Barefoot, who made grabs reminiscent of Tommy Agee and Ron Swoboda in the '69 Series.

Walden made a diving catch of bloop to left by Justin Shannonhouse, robbing the Knight's second baseman of a hit in the second inning.

Ryan Barefoot raced over from his right field position to make a similar catch of a flare to center by Tyler Clark in the fourth.

Along with those spectacular plays, Steven Johnson was as impressive at third, snuffing the Knight's shots down the line, while the middle of the infield kept the Knights from advancing past second base.

"We had some guys make some outstanding defensive plays," Durham said. "It's easy to pitch when you know you have guys behind you who are going to get it done for you."

That defense complimented a Tom Seaver-ish effort on the mound by Jerry Glover, who threw a complete game victory.

Glover threw 90 pitches en route to the win, scattering three hits, striking out five batters and walking one.

"Jerry was outstanding," Durham said. "Easily his best outing of the year. They [Knights] have some guys who can hit the ball and knock it around the park. He did a great job, keeping them off-balance."

Glover said everything was working for him.

"I was feeling great," Glover said. "Fastball, curveball, changeup. ... almost everything was working fine for me. I felt real good."

Trojans' catcher Corey Sasser said Glover pitched a great game, typical of his entire season and described his curve ball as "nasty."

"He was hitting his spots," Sasser said. "He wasn't throwing many balls in the dirt - it was just another night at the ballgame - for him anyway."

Glover's effort was matched by the Knights' Brandon Denton, who stifled the Trojans' bats, limiting South to five hits while fanning nine batters and walking two.

Two of those hits were doubles, however, including a third inning shot to left by Walden, who scored Dillon Bass with the only run South would need.

Bass opened the frame with a single to center, and scored from first on Walden's blast when Clark couldn't handle the throw home.

"Dillon's not the fastest guy," Durham said, "But I figured at this point, we're in a tie game in the playoffs, and we needed to make something happen."

Walden moved to third on a single by Hunter Langdon, and scored when Denton threw the ball away, trying to pick off Langdon at first.

Now, the Trojans set their sights on the Gryphons, who are coached by former South Johnston coach Pat Smith who led the Trojans to the 1990 state championships, and hopefully beyond.

"We just have to keep playing at this level," Durham said. "Keep our focus and hope some things go our way."

An amount less than a single cent in Cary’s proposed property-tax rate has the Town Council weighing millions of dollars in decisions.

The council met for its first budget work session Tuesday. Town Manager Bill Coleman presented his proposed $306 million budget to the council for the 2009 fiscal year, which starts July 1, last week.

The proposed budget calls for a property-tax rate of 33 cents per $100 of valuation. For a Cary house valued at $300,000 the corresponding town property-tax bill would be $990. That “revenue neutral” rate takes into account Wake County’s property-tax revaluation that became effective Jan. 1. The revaluation was the first since 2000.

A “revenue neutral” tax rate is one that raises the same amount of money following a revaluation as before. Since Cary’s revalued tax base as of Jan. 1 rose to $19.1 billion from $13.8 billion, a corresponding drop in the tax rate is necessary to generate the same amount of revenue in 2009 as 2008. The current tax rate is 42 cents per $100 of valuation.

Trying to more precisely define revenue neutral and determine whether 33 cents is the best estimate of that concept occupied the council for most of the session.

Council member Jack Smith said he has heard from residents saying that at 33 cents, because the value of their homes increased in the revaluation, the proposed tax rate will have them paying more in taxes than the current fiscal year when their homes had lower tax values but the tax rate was 42 cents.

“What I argue with is saying revenue neutral with a straight face,” Smith said.

Property tax comprises by far the largest portion of the town’s revenue stream and is the budget component over which Cary has the most control.

North Carolina law requires the town to state a revenue-neutral property-tax rate in years immediately following a revaluation. Statutes also provide a methodology for determining that rate, which includes the calculation of a growth factor since the last revaluation. Town officials used local data that they believe more accurately reflects Cary’s growth in calculating the rate. As a result, the rate the town calculated is 32.38 cents. The rate using the state’s approach is 31.79 cents. The town has traditionally rounded its tax rate to an event cent.

Budget Director Scott Fogleman said the rounding up to 33 cents was not only to stick with tradition but also acknowledged “economic uncertainty” that could cut into sales tax and other revenue sources.

Each cent of the property-tax rate generates about $1.9 million in revenue for the town.

Fogleman also explained that about 15 percent of the tax base is vehicles and equipment, which are not subject to revaluation and depreciate each year.

The new tax rate also needs to cover that depreciation, Fogleman said.

“It’s town revenue neutral,” Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said of the proposed tax rate. “It’s not individual revenue neutral.”

Even with the explanation, Smith said that impact of the proposed tax rate “seems to be hundreds and hundreds of dollars” on consituents he has talked with.

Council member Erv Portman said that “32 cents is probably the real revenue neutral number.”

Portman requested that the council receive more data on the rounding and property-tax collections from staff before settling on the tax rate.

Gale Adcock said that rounding up lets the council “hedge our bets” on sales tax and other revenues.

“It gives us a little cushion on things that may happen that we have no control over,” Adcock said.

Though agreeing that the proposed tax rate should be scrutinized, council member Jennifer Robinson said, “I have trouble revisiting the base rate when I think there has been huge due diligence.”

CLAYTON -- Jeff Jennings believes in having a clear purpose for raising money, communicating that purpose to folks, and then showing them how their money is spent.

He’s not running for political office, but that spirit, plus his commitment to running hour-long meetings, has earned him the trust of his PTA peers at not one, but two schools.

And recently, the Johnston County school system chose Jennings as its Volunteer of the Year for 2007-08.

“It was quite a surprise and a very nice honor,” Jennings said. “They made it sound like I did a lot of things, but I didn’t.”

Jennings said he has to share credit with his board members.

Jennings and his wife, Lou, are volunteers at East Clayton Elementary, where daughter Lindsey is in fifth grade, and at Archer Lodge Middle School, where daughter Courtney is in eighth grade. Paula Coates is principal at Archer Lodge.

“I told [her]that I would be interested in the PTA, and when they found out I had experience, everyone looked at me,” Jennings said. “I was very lucky to have a good board.”

Lou works for a Christian bookseller from home, and typically volunteers during the day. Jennings works for the N.C. Department of Agriculture in Raleigh, and volunteers after hours through the PTA.

The last two years, he was president of East Clayton’s parent group and stayed on in a secondary role this year, when he was the first PTA president at the newly opened Archer Lodge Middle.

Last Thursday night was Jennings’ last big fund-raiser for East Clayton, Spirit Night at McDonald’s in Clayton.

Next year, Lindsey will move up to Archer Lodge, and Courtney will start Clayton High.

Lindsey said she appreciated how hard both her parents worked to make her school better. She likes getting to have lunch with her mom sometimes. Also, she enjoys using the computers on the technology cart the PTA bought following a legendary basket auction two years ago that raised $40,000.

Following in her parents’ footsteps, Courtney was named Archer Lodge’s student volunteer of the year.

“If you truly want to see change, you’ve got to be involved,” Jennings said. “The rewards come when you start from scratch and then you see something come from it.”

For Archer Lodge’s first-ever fund-raiser, the PTA brought in $18,000 through catalogue sales. Jennings said the school needed outdoor benches, and the money raised paid for those.

“What makes it successful is when you tell people right off the bat what the money’s going for,” Jennings said.

Jennings thinks parents need to keep up with what’s going on at their child’s school. Also, they need to know what’s going on at school board and county commissioners meetings.

Parents who come to PTA meetings to hear their kids sing in the chorus will get to hear some songs, but first Jennings is going to give them the latest news.

Amanda Hill does the newsletter for East Clayton’s PTA, and she said Jennings’ organizational skills had left the PTA in good standing.

“He’s a great advocate for PTA and how important a role PTA plays in our schools,” she said.

Lynn Rodgers, secretary for the group, said Jennings was always willing to help, was knowledgeable, and her family liked that PTA meetings didn’t keep her out all night.

“He’ll be greatly missed,” she said of Jennings.

CLAYTON -- In the Republican primary for N.C. Senate District 12, David Rouzer routed Neena Reeves last Tuesday. But the candidates are not walking away from the race just yet.

Reeves is suing Rouzer for campaign mailings that she claims are defamatory. Named as co-defendants are the Friends of David Rouzer Committee; Rouzer’s company, Impact Strategies Inc.; and Robert J. Rosser, a registered agent of Impact Strategies.

When called for comment, Reeves responded with the following e-mail statement: “I will pursue the lawsuit I have already filed against Mr. Rouzer to hold him accountable for his actions. The truth will come out on many issues, and I can put all of this behind me.”

In the meantime, Reeves said she would focus on her family and pursue business ventures. “I have really enjoyed getting to meet so many people across Johnston and Wayne counties,” she wrote. “My family has been so supportive during this time. I’m looking forward to being a full-time wife and mother and taking care of my family.”

Rouzer said his attorney, a defamation specialist at Ward and Smith in Raleigh, would be handling the legal matter. In last Tuesday’s balloting, Rouzer raced by Reeves, 68 percent to 32 percent. “I expected it to be a 51-49, 52-48 race,” Rouzer said. “Just the nature of the campaign and the intensity ... . And when you’re outspent two-to-one, you generally don’t have much of a shot.”

The most-recent reports by the candidates showed that Reeves spent $186,305.99 through April 19, while Rouzer spent $82,147.35.

Rouzer said he spent election night at White Swan Bar-B-Que in Smithfield, waiting for returns with some of his supporters, including Sheriff Steve Bizzell, County Commissioners Cookie Pope and Wade Stewart and N.C. Rep. J.H. Langdon.

“I’ve been bombarded with calls all week long from friends all over the country,” he said.

The primary included lots of mudslinging, and Rouzer said he was eager to have a more-civil campaign against his Democratic challenger, Kay Carroll. “Kay Carroll is a friend, and he’s been a friend to my family,” Rouzer said. “I would expect see this campaign in the fall to be solely focused on the issues. I expect it to be a good, competitive campaign.”