Kevin Conner 5K Set to Honor Fallen Columbus County Trooper

A Columbus County State Trooper will be honored once again, with the Trooper Kevin Conner Memorial Run on October 15.

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Master Trooper Kevin Conner lost his life when he was killed during a traffic stop on October 17, 2018. He left behind his wife, Miranda, and his children, Briley and Braxson.

The Bladenboro native had always wanted to be a state trooper, and according to the memorial website built in his honor, he was able to make that dream come true in 2007.

After his death, to honor the 1-year anniversary, the first annual Trooper Kevin Conner Memorial Run was held in Columbus County. It was the largest organized race ever held in the county, with over 900 participants.

On October 15 of this year, the 4th annual race will be held, and proceeds will go into a scholarship fund in Conner's memory. To date, the Trooper Kevin Conner Memorial Foundation has given over $10,000 in college scholarships to students in Columbus and Bladen Counties.

Organizers say this year's event will be the biggest and best one yet, with a 5k and 1-mile run planned, as well as a full day of celebration, including a cornhole tournament, raffles, kids activities, food trucks and more.

If you're interested in sponsoring this year's event, please contact Emily Dowless at 910-876-0813 for more information.

If you would like to register to participate in the race, you can go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Whiteville/TrooperKevinConnerMemorialRun.

Let the raging debate on the best barbecue cities in America begin, and yes North Carolina cities are in the discussion!

But first, can we agree that nothing is better than a big old plate of bar-b-que (or BBQ, or barbecue, or whatever 50 other ways you want to spell it)? And if you will permit, I personally think we in North Carolina have, by far, the best Que in the country.

Our friends over at LawnStarter aimed to "solve" the great barbecue debate, and ranked the biggest U.S. cities based on 18 hallmarks of a true ’cue hub.

The criteria used examined the number of cooking teams and smokehouse per square mile, the consumer rating for both, the awards won by the teams, the number of bar-b-cue festivals held and the number of Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned events held.

"What are the key ingredients of the best BBQ city? Award-winning barbecue restaurants, experience hosting a “master-level” competition, multiple barbecue festivals, and high ratings, among others."

Below is a list of the top 10. Also included in the list are 7 North Carolina cities that made the cut. There are a couple obvious ones at the top, but it's notable that the first North Carolina city doesn't come in until number 15!

And in case you are wondering, yes Fayetteville is in the top 50 for best barbecue cities in America, along with two other North Carolina cities. Let's take a look.

Overall Score: 49.41
Access Rank: 2
Quality Rank: 6
Accolades Rank: 6
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 46.45
Access Rank: 95
Quality Rank: 18
Accolades Rank: 1
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 37.27
Access Rank: 118
Quality Rank: 45
Accolades Rank: 2
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 37.11
Access Rank: 18
Quality Rank: 71
Accolades Rank: 7
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 36.65
Access Rank: 1
Quality Rank: 39
Accolades Rank: 37
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 36.27
Access Rank: 130
Quality Rank: 3
Accolades Rank: 4
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 36.13
Access Rank: 58
Quality Rank: 111
Accolades Rank: 3
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 31.53
Access Rank: 8
Quality Rank: 59
Accolades Rank: 25
Hosting Rank: 2

Overall Score: 31.37
Access Rank: 3
Quality Rank: 54
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 30.10
Access Rank: 66
Quality Rank: 27
Accolades Rank: 8
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 28.34
Access Rank: 115
Quality Rank: 25
Accolades Rank: 10
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 21.72
Access Rank: 94
Quality Rank: 21
Accolades Rank: 56
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 20.85
Access Rank: 46
Quality Rank: 23
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 14.25
Access Rank: 61
Quality Rank: 112
Accolades Rank: 63
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 11.50
Access Rank: 160
Quality Rank: 65
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 13

Overall Score: 10.07
Access Rank: 173
Quality Rank: 49
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48

Overall Score: 6.60
Access Rank: 141
Quality Rank: 164
Accolades Rank: 81
Hosting Rank: 48