Commercial Truck Insurance in Wilson, NC

The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to add more talent to their roster through the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Raiders and every other team in the NFL wrapped up meetings with players last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind. The end of the Combine means the draft and free agency are approaching.

Coach Antonio Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco are looking to find the right cultural fits that will help the Raiders win football games in the long term.

The Raiders put together a strong draft class in 2023 and are hoping to stack another good class on top of that one.

Under Pierce, the Raiders created a strong defensive identity. They could more players to that defense to bolster that side of the ball.

One player they could add is North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson. A player with lots of experience, the Raiders could bring another tough competitor to their linebacker group.

Wilson finished his Wolfpack career with 402 total tackles, 48 tackles for losseds, a forced fumble, 13 passes defended, seven interceptions, and 15 sacks. He was a unanimous All-American, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-ACC selection in 2023.

Wilson stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds, giving him the ideal size for a linebacker in the NFL and he has the athleticism to be a three-down linebacker. He can play in space in the passing game and chase down running backs.

Wilson is an athletic freak. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a linebacker in the NFL Combine at 4.43 seconds. He also had a 34.5-inch vertical jump and will be able to hang with the best athletes in the NFL.

Wilson had two seasons with 100 or more tackles, including a 138-tackle season in 2023. He is all over the tape when watching North Carolina State, consistently making plays in every facet of the game.

Not only is Wilson physically capable of playing in the NFL, he has the right mindset and leadership to win over a locker room. He was a captain for the Wolfpack last season and spent five seasons in Raleigh.

However, Wilson’s injury history may scare teams away. He tore his ACL in high school and then again in college. His age, coupled with those injuries, might scare away teams.

Wilson’s great combine migh propel him higher in the draft, and he could go as high as the second round. If the Raiders want to add an experienced, athletic linebacker, Wilson could be a good fit.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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WILSON, N.C. (July 20, 2023) – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced its Wilson, North Carolina passenger/light truck tire manufacturing facility has earned the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS recognition for its transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials including bio, bio-circular and circular-based material to replace synthetic rubber in its transition to a circular economy.

“This recognition speaks to the commitment, dedication and diligence of each of our Wilson teammates who are committed to safe, sustainable operations that ultimately provide our customers with high-quality tires,” said Barry Owens, Senior Vice President, Bridgestone Americas Manufacturing Group. “We continue to implement enhanced sustainable operational systems and processes across our global manufacturing footprint.”

“The ISCC PLUS certification for our Wilson, N.C. manufacturing facility is an important mile marker in our journey to a sustainable solutions company as it is just the second tire plant in America to receive the certification, following Bridgestone’s Aiken County passenger/light truck tire facility,” said Hans Dorfi, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Bridgestone Americas. “Sustainable manufacturing is a core element of our 2050 commitments, and we will continue to implement changes to the processes at our manufacturing facilities to work toward a sustainable mobility future.”

The Wilson passenger tire manufacturing facility has been a leader in tire manufacturing innovation throughout its 49 years of operations. The Wilson tire plant manufactures passenger tires, light truck radial tires and original equipment tires. The Wilson plant led production of the new Bridgestone Turanza EV tire; Bridgestone’s first replacement tire designed specifically for today’s top-selling electric vehicles. In 2020, the Wilson plant was also recognized for its effective safety and health management systems and maintaining low injury and illness rates by the North Carolina Department of Labor. As the single largest industrial employer in Wilson County, the plant plays an active role in the Wilson community, contributing to the United Way of Wilson County’s campaign, Wilson Education Partnership and the American Red Cross.

The Wilson tire plant’s ISCC PLUS certification demonstrates Bridgestone’s progress toward sustainable manufacturing, which is an essential element of the company’s 2050 sustainability commitments – to achieve carbon neutrality and tires made with 100% renewable materials. Bridgestone also continues to advance its R&D initiative aimed at diversifying the world’s natural rubber supply by commercializing use of guayule natural rubber in tires by 2030.

The ISSC PLUS certification of the Wilson, N.C. passenger tire manufacturing facility supports the “Ecology” and “Energy” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, which establishes eight values starting with the letter “E” to solidify Bridgestone’s commitment to a more sustainable world.

For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.

*The bio- based and recycled content of the synthetic rubber is allocated using the ISCC PLUS mass balance approach. With respect to sustainable materials handled by the certified site, the annex to the ISCC certificate provides additional information and states that it is only applicable for material handled under the scopes: farm/plantation, point of origin, central office, (farm/plantation or point of origin) first gathering point, processing unit (any type) but not for material that is only traded and/or stored). Mass balancing is a chain of custody option in which certified and non-certified materials are mixed physically but kept separate in the bookkeeping. This method is used to document and track biological, circular and renewable materials through complex manufacturing systems. By using mass balance, certified entities can track how much sustainable material has been used in their manufacturing systems and ensure that it corresponds exactly to the amount of certified content in the end products. Specific information about the ISCC certification is available at: All Certificates › ISCC System (iscc-system.org)

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.: Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tires and rubber, building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone Americas employs more than 45,000 people across its worldwide operations. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 233

HAND: 9"

ARM: 30½"

WINGSPAN: 75¾"

40-YARD DASH: 4.43

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 34.5"

BROAD: 9'11"

POSITIVES

— Great frame for a linebacker in today's game and has room for growth to add some size.

— In zone coverage, has good eye discipline to locate threats coming into his area and reads the quarterback's eyes well to anticipate throws.

— Also has the movement skills and fluid hips to tighten throwing windows.

— Against the run, impressive speed allows him to beat offensive linemen to the spot when coming downhill and gives him excellent sideline-to-sideline ranges against outside runs.

— Can contribute as a pass-rusher with a nice cross-chop move, speed to close on quarterbacks and good bend for an off-ball linebacker.

NEGATIVES

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— Long injury history dating back to high school.

— Lacks strength to hold his ground against run blocks from offensive linemen and bigger blocking tight ends. Also struggles to shed and gets stuck on blocks.

— Tackles high and gives up extra yards after contact.

— Run-pass transitions against play action are late, and he's susceptible to leaving his man open versus run fakes.

— An older prospect who will be 24 on draft day.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 138 TOT, 17.5 TFL, 6 SK, 3 INT, 6 PD, 2 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— Born April 21, 2000

— 4-star recruit in the 2018 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2018 (knee, missed first season at NC State rehabbing from surgery in high school), 2021 (shoulder, missed all but 2 games, had surgery and missed spring practices), 2022 (upper body, missed 1 game; shoulder, missed 1 game)

— His brother, Bryse, is a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers

OVERALL

If Payton Wilson's draft evaluation was based solely on his 2023 film, he'd have a strong argument to be the top linebacker in this year's draft class. He's an impressive athlete who stands out in coverage and against the run.

Watson does just about everything right in zone coverage. He uses his hands to help get re-routes, has good eye discipline to locate threats, reads the quarterback's eyes well and has the movement skills to tighten throwing windows. On top of that, he had good ball production in 2023.

Against the run, the NC State product's biggest asset is his speed, which gives him great sideline-to-sideline range and can help him beat the offensive linemen to the spot when coming downhill. He does need to add some size and strength to be better at holding up at the point of attack and shedding blocks, but that's fixable and far from his biggest issue.

Wilson's long injury history may give a lot of teams interested in drafting him some pause. That has been the biggest factor that has held him back throughout his career, as a high school injury forced him to redshirt his first year in Raleigh. He'll also be a 24-year-old rookie, so there are a few reasons to worry that he might not have a high ceiling.

Overall, Wilson could be a good "Will" linebacker in even fronts, but the team that drafts him just has to be comfortable taking a risk.

GRADE: 6.9 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 88

POSITION RANK: LB4

PRO COMPARISON: Zach Cunningham

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

WILSON, N.C. (WNCN) — A huge pickleball complex opening in Wilson next year is expected to bring lots of business to the city.

It comes as pickleball remains the fastest growing sport in the country.

Pickleball groups in Wilson currently share three outdoor pickleball courts at Greater Wilson Rotary Park.

With only three courts available, players have to rotate and wait for their turn.

One of them is Walt Etheridge, who players call ‘the man to know’ when it comes to Wilson pickleball.

“I’ve never played a lot of sports, so it’s a good sport that anyone can play regardless of age or athletic ability. So everybody can join in and have a good time,” he explained.

It’s perhaps the reason the sport has taken off, and why players need more space.

“When we opened these, it took about two months for us to realize we needed more courts,” said David Lee, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Wilson.

It’s why Wilson is getting ready to build the largest public pickleball complex in North Carolina.

City council recently awarded the contract to build 26 courts – eight of them covered – at J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex.

As pickleball gains popularity, all eyes will be on Wilson as they ‘serve up’ some friendly competition.

“We want to have some special programs during the year like couples night, or parent child night. Or any kind of creative stuff like that,” Lee explained.

They’re hoping this will encourage more visitors and bring business into town.

“We envision hosting college club pickleball tournaments here in Wilson, and having a bunch of colleges from all across the United States come to Wilson for a big pickleball tournament,” Lee said.

Whether they like to play competitively or they prefer a more casual game, pickleball players in Wilson are excited for more space, more fun and their favorite part – friendship.

“Just so many friends, you know,” Etheridge said. “We’re just a mixed group of different people from different lives and from young to old, we’re just great friends. That’s the big thing.”

The new pickleball complex is expected to open in 2024.

WILSON, N.C. — When a small city abruptly parked all its buses to launch a publicly subsidized van service offering $1.50 trips anywhere in town, only one of its bus drivers — a big-city transplant — went along for the ride.

What You Need To Know

Milton Barnes used to oversee crowded subway stations in Washington, D.C., a far cry from the sparsely filled buses he drove after moving to Wilson, North Carolina, to care for his elderly parents. Although transit ridership plummeted almost everywhere due to the pandemic, it has been surging in Wilson since its September 2020 switch from a fixed-route system to an on-demand one powered by a smartphone app.

“All day long I’m picking up people and dropping them off,” Barnes, 59, the only driver to work under both systems, said while driving his van on a typically busy morning. “When you’ve got door-to-door, corner-to-corner service, it’s going to be more popular.”

Long wait times made the bus route almost unusable for David Bunn, even when his car broke down and he couldn't afford to replace it. Instead, Bunn, who has two broken discs in his back, would take a 5-mile round trip walk to pick up groceries. Then he spotted one of the public vans and dialed the phone number posted in a rear window.

“I don’t have to walk everywhere I want to go now,” said Bunn, 64. “They come pick me up, they’re respectful, and they’re very professional. It’s a great asset to Wilson and a great service to me.”

The city of less than 50,000 is frequently cited as a model for how less-populated areas can capitalize on transit in the same way as bustling metropolises.

Wilson landed federal and state infrastructure grants to support the shared, public rides residents summon — usually within 15 minutes — through a service operating like Uber and Lyft, but at a fraction of the cost to riders. Trips are now $2.50, a dollar more than they were at launch, and Bunn quips, “You can't drive a Pinto for that.”

Other communities elsewhere took notice and have tapped into public funding to start programs of their own, heightening Wilson's competition for continuing grant money.

These smaller-scale, tech-based solutions to public transportation problems, known broadly as microtransit, have emerged as a great equalizer in the battle for infrastructure dollars that has traditionally pit the bus, train and subway needs of urban areas against the road construction projects sought by rural communities.

“We don’t view transit as something only for big cities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told The Associated Press. “We want people to benefit wherever they live, including in less-dense, rural areas. The point of transit is not to have a bus. The point of transit is getting people where they need to be.”

Ryan Brumfield, director of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's integrated mobility division, said Wilson’s transition to microtransit came largely by necessity. Officials seeking to lower Wilson's unemployment rate first had to address the fact that in some pockets of the 23-square-mile city, as many as 3 in 10 residents lacked access to a car to get to work.

“That combination of a lot of people needing a service and it happens to be fairly dense makes on-demand a perfect fit,” Brumfield said.

More than half the rides are for residents using the vans to “maintain or get employment,” said Rodger Lentz, Wilson’s assistant city manager who pushed for the switch.

But need and convenience weren't the only reasons behind the city's 300% spike in public transit ridership. Image was a factor, too.

“In small, Southern towns, the perception of public transportation is that it’s for the low-income,” said Gronna Jones, Wilson's transportation manager. “There’s a stigma attached to riding the bus. Going to microtransit and nontraditional vehicles removed that stigma.”

Wilson partnered with New York-based Via, one of the nation’s top microtransit companies, to create the software and launch the on-demand public van service known as RIDE.

Via started operations seven years earlier with what was then a consumer service offering shared van rides in parts of Manhattan’s Upper East Side where the New York City subway didn’t go. But founder and CEO Daniel Ramot said he always considered Via a public transit company, not a private competitor to Uber, though it took a while for cities to buy in.

“We literally could not get a meeting,” Ramot said. “They said it was the dumbest idea they’d ever heard, that it was never going to work, that public transit was buses and trains.”

The first city to sign a public contract with Via was the Texas capital of Austin, where certain corridors were adequately served by city buses but others were considered transit deserts. Since then, Via has expanded operations to fill the transportation gaps in a broad range of communities in the U.S. and beyond.

On the Blackfeet Reservation in rural Montana, residents can use its app to order door-to-door rides. At one of the nation’s busiest airports, Chicago’s O’Hare, overnight FedEx cargo workers now use it to get home.

“Every movement is individual,” said Melinda Metzger, executive director at PACE, a bus system in the Chicago area that teamed with Via this summer for the O’Hare pickup service. “People are going different directions, and the biggest thing is patterns have changed. We have to understand and adjust to them.”

Although the pandemic drastically altered the nation's transportation needs, it also helped illustrate one of microtransit's greatest assets: the ability to be nimble. Subway systems and even major bus lines lack flexibility to instantly change service as demand changes, but microtransit is designed for such fluctuations, if it's tailored to each community.

“This is not the music man, where you just bring it from town to town,” said Alvaro Villagran, director of federal programs at the Shared-Use Mobility Center, which helps grant recipients with microtransit projects. “There are opportunities and challenges at the local level that need to be considered.”

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Still, the biggest challenge is largely universal: cost.

While the Biden administration has prioritized mass transit and microtransit projects, providing grants through the $1 trillion infrastructure law enacted in 2021, there is soaring demand for a limited amount of money.

Even Wilson won’t be able to operate under its microtransit pilot program forever without finding new ways to pay for it, said Kai Monast, associate director of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at N.C. State University.

Monast predicts that although Wilson will remain committed to microtransit, the community eventually will return in part to a fixed-route system, adjusted heavily from the data gathered through years of on-demand van rides. But he trusts the city's creativity to make it more efficient.

“It could be that they’ll find an answer that has never existed before,” Monast said.