NASHVILLE - Nash County is still working to untangle and clarify its committee information; an issue first coming to light when a commissioner complained about a lack of minutes and now, as of this month, about not being informed about who is serving, or members' terms.
Unanswered from June are questions about what committees constitute public bodies, which mean they are open to the public and "noticed," or advertised.
More questions emerged during discussion of Planning Board and Board of Adjustment (BOA) member appointments at the July 13 Nash County board of commissioners meeting, with no answers readily available.

Opposition to data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations is growing in Nash County, with one municipality banning them outright and multiple others, including Nash County itself, enacting or working towards temporary moratoriums.

Congressman Don Davis shares a moment with Mary Whitaker of Rocky Mount, whose late husband, SSgt. Raymond Whitaker, was honored in a flag raising ceremony July 18th at Jack Laughery Park.

ROCKY MOUNT - Thirty-five years after Raymond Whitaker Jr. passed, and 57 years after his meritorious military actions in Vietnam, Whitaker, the father of a Nashville man, was honored during a flag-raising ceremony July 18th in Rocky Mount. Whitaker, awarded the Bronze Star five times for his actions, was also honored by Congressman Don Davis, who attended the event at Jack Laughery Park.
Davis, who shared with the crowd that his own son had just begun his military service by arriving at Pope Army Airfield at 3:21 that morning, said that Americans needed to honor veterans for what they did, and do, to provide the securities that we enjoy today.

NASH COUNTY - Twenty capital projects totaling nearly $100 million are in various stages, with the new Southern Nash Middle School topping the list at $44 million.
The new SNMS is currently under construction near the intersection of NC 581 and NC 97, while offsite improvements related to water wastewater disposal and treatment are under development.

RED OAK - Tired over confusion between Red Oak Boulevard and Red Oak Road, town officials have decided to begin the process to see if they can get the name changed on one of those.
Red Oak Road, councilmen said at the July 13th town council meeting, used to be called "Red Oak Nashville Road," but it was changed, first by NCDOT and then by Nash County 9-1-1 Telecommunications.

MOMEYER - A "prickly" town council meeting July 13th raised questions about the transparency of town records and a suggestion about tightening the town's attendance policy and setting term limits for its boards and committee members.
Brian Edwards, planning board chair, spoke under the public comment portion of the meeting as a citizen, complaining that materials that council members reviewed during meetings should be available for public purview. He said that did not apply to agenda items related to personnel issues or that were protected by attorney-client privilege.

RILEY

On July 19, 2026, members of the Nash County Sheriff's Office Community Action Team (CAT) and Narcotics Division were traveling on US 64 Eastbound near NC Hwy 231 when they observed a tractor-trailer unable to maintain its lane and speeding. CAT members conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver, Charles Wilson Randolph, of Eastland, Texas. A passenger, Treyshawn Anthony Traylor Riley, of Phoenix, Arizona, was also present inside the vehicle.
While speaking with the occupants, Nash County K9 Jezzy and her handler arrived to assist and conducted a free-air sniff around the tractor-trailer due to conflicting information provided by the occupants.

ROCKY MOUNT - "Back on the farm"; the phrase may evoke relaxing, idyllic scenes of rows of neat crops, animals grazing, lemonade on porches, and relaxation at sunset - but the real-life nitty gritty aspects of earning a living from the land are as far from that as Disneyland is from Newfoundland.
Nearly any job can have stressors - but for farm families, those stressors, including financial uncertainty, high operating costs, adverse weather conditions, changing markets, and labor or trade disruptions - have effects that many people are not aware of.

BAILEY- Another step towards independent functioning has been taken by the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey, with the 'Country Doctor Museum Foundation' now listed as the owner of three land parcels transferred from ECU July 5th and July 6th.
The three parcels transferred are the original doctor's office at 6629 Vance Street, now referred to as the "Freeman-Brantley building", assessed at $48,760; 7089 Peele Road, the main museum headquarters, with a "carriage house" outbuilding which has an assessed value of $151,300; and an undeveloped parcel at the corner of Main Street and Peele Road that is an unpaved parking lot. It has an appraised value of $49,200.

SPRING HOPE - Planned street repaving in several town areas has been put on hold for at least a month after questions arose about bid differences at the July 6th board of commissioner meeting.
Jonathan Allen, town manager, shared quotes from three contractors - Weaver's Asphalt & Maintenance, Rian's Paving & Patching, and Marshall's construction, for the following paving projects: Virginia Street (the entire length), Second Street (between 3rd and 1st Street), and all of Cherrington Court, including the intersection with Walnut Street.

Elks Lodge 1038 Scholarship Recipients are (left to right) Kaydin Shook of Northern Nash High School, $1,000 Education Scholarship; Tressa Bissette, Chris Bissette; Cyndi Carpenter, scholarship committee leader; Alyson Sharp of Southern Nash High School, $1000 Ag & Tech Scholarship. Not pictured is Alely Velazquez of Southern Nash High School, $1000 Nursing Scholarship.

NASHVILLE - Most people, but especially anyone in agriculture, knows that the Nash County Cooperative Extension exists.
But many people may not have any idea of the number of lives it affects, or how.
Heather Glennon, Nash Extension Director and Livestock Agent, one year after her hire date, laid it all out May 18 in her "2025 Report to the People."
Glennon, speaking to Nash commissioners, listed core areas as: Agriculture and Food; Health and Nutrition, and 4-H Youth Development.

Nash County is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Marion as its new Human Resources Director. Marion brings more than 30 years of human resources experience to Nash County, including more than 20 years in strategic leadership roles. She started her career in the federal government, where she developed a solid foundation in public-sector human resources, organizational development, and regulatory compliance. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives in talent management, employee relations, organizational development, workforce planning, and leadership support.

Daledrick Henley, Brittany Henley and Brittany Nicole Henley to Daledrick Henley and Brittany Nicole Henley; 3865 Baker Pond Trail, Nashville
GCC, LLC to Cory J. Lydon and Carrie B. Lydon; 4040 South Hathaway Boulevard, Sharpsburg; $187,500
East Coast Timberland, Inc. to Joseph Scott Batchelor and Deborah Braswell Batchelor; Section 1, Peachtree Creek, Lot 8
WJH, LLC to Brandol Pahuamba Hernandez and Yeni Coreas; 9424 Harrison Street, Castalia; $250,000

Did you know that there is a blueprint for heaven in the Bible? That's right! We serve such a wonderful, loving God that he not only provides directions about how to get to heaven, he also left a painstaking description of it so that we will recognize it when we arrive.
Interestingly, while there are over 400 references to heaven in the Bible, only a handful of those verses tell us anything about it. In fact, we have to wait until the last book - Revelation - before we get any real description about this magnificent city where Jesus said he was going to "prepare a place for us". (John 14:2)

This week, we find ourselves continuing to work our way through what God has to say about evil and suffering and possible reasons why he allows them to exist. We have previously looked at what the Bible says about evil and suffering as punishment for sin, as a consequence of other people's sin, and as an outworking of the fallen angels' free will manifest in all sorts of natural evil, including disasters and disease. However, the Bible also speaks of the necessity of some evil and suffering bringing about "a greater good."

RALEIGH - The N.C. State Fair will recognize 11 farm families during the fair this year through the Farm Family of the Day program, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company. Nominations and applications are being accepted now through August 21. If you are a proud N.C. farmer who works hard to contribute to our state's No. 1 industry, and loves both farming and the N.C. State Fair, your family could be one of the lucky ones selected to represent the industry at the fair.

100 N Boddie St., Nashville; 07/02/26; malicious conduct by prisoner
11191 Baldy Hill Rd., Middlesex; 07/04/26; damage to personal property
11335 E NC 97, Rocky Mount; 07/01/26; misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; assault on a female
11541 E NC 97, Rocky Mount; 07/02/26; domestic disturbance

07/05/26; Cockrell St., Nashville; Assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill; discharge firearm into occupied dwelling/moving vehicle;
07/07/26; 501 Barnes St., Nashville; stalking
07/08/26; 120 W. Washington St.; hit and run; misdemeanor fail to stop
07/09/26; 174 Glover Park; breaking and entering auto, larceny from auto

Nash County held its annual Citizens Academy from April to June. Pictured, left to right: K'la Bellamy, Everette Matthews, Linda Bulluck, Isabella Bailey, Sherease Raeford, Deidre' Lyons, Elizabeth Jones, Joseph Bailey, Rodolfo Cruz, Patricia Lloyd, Toni Coleman, Damian Jeffers, Jamie Wilson, Brent Wilson. Not Pictured: John Brodie and Olivia Caviness.

NASHVILLE - Nash County Public Schools announced its 2026-2027 Educators of the Year during the annual Educator of the Year Awards Celebration held in May.
This annual celebration honors outstanding educators and school support professionals across the district who go above and beyond to serve students, support schools, and strengthen the NCPS community.

NASHVILLE - Nash County Public Schools proudly recognized its 2024-2025 All-Star Teachers and Principals during a special districtwide celebration honoring educators whose students exceeded academic growth expectations.
The recognition, held as part of the official Board meeting, highlighted the extraordinary impact of educators across the district, as measured by the state's Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS), which tracks student academic progress over time.

Nash Community College has recognized students for their outstanding academic achievement during the Spring 2026 semester by naming them to the college's President's List and Dean's List.
The President's List honors students who have achieved a perfect term GPA of 4.0 while completing 12 or more credit hours during the semester. The following students earned this distinguished recognition:

Cpl. Suzi Sannes Detachment 1262 of the Marine Corps League members are shown folding the US Flag after being taken down. The flag had been flown in honor of David Wayne Stallings, Sgt., U.S. Air Force. The flag was presented to his widow Theresa Stallings of Middlesex. A new flag was then raised in honor of Raymond Whitaker, Jr. 57 years after his tour in Vietnam.

I never knew I liked blueberries until my best friend's mama made blueberry pancakes for breakfast one Saturday morning after a baseball card themed sleepover. I was about 12 and it was one of my first exotic culinary experiences.
I'd never had blueberries, but it was love at first bite. After that, my mama would drive me over to Finch's Nursery in Mount Pleasant on a Saturday morning around July 4th every summer until I was old enough to drive myself. It didn't take long to fill a bucket for pancakes, muffins, and mama's sourdough blueberry loaf that became one of my favorite all time foods.

I began my newspaper career in 1985 at the Rocky Mount paper, which was then named The Evening Telegram. Never did I think I'd become a longtime newspaper gal, now celebrating 41 years in the industry, 35 of those years right here at my hometown newspaper!
I applied for a job opening in the classifieds department at the Rocky Mount paper with plans to arrange evening classes at Nash Technical College with a focus on a business management or marketing career. Little did I know I was about to be bitten by the "newspaper bug" with a journey ahead filled with hands-on experiences and learning.

Robert Coggin was born circa 1748 in Isle of Wight, Va. He enlisted at "Ramsay's Mills" probably Ramseur's Mills in 1781 in Randolph County. He served 12 months as private under Captains Sharp and James Carter in Colonel Armstrong's North Carolina Regiment. Anthony Sharp was Captain of 1st NC Regiment in 1778-1782. That regiment was involved in Battle of Eutaw Springs, South Carolina on 8 September 1781.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on Sept. 2, 1976. Nashville Mayor Rex Paramore presents Mrs. Rebecca Shumate of Peoples Bank in Nashville a proclamation designating Sept. 6-12 as American Institute of Banking Week. The AIB had 250,000 members who sought to expand their knowledge of banking through education.