Nash County Commissioners reviewed a list of capital projects requested over the next five years during a work session held last Monday.
The projects totalled $86.7 million; however, $34 million of that was for public schools, including $19 million for construction of a new elementary school.
Commissioners discussed the school system's project costs and agreed that a meeting needed to be held to further discuss their needs so that all parties could come to a consensus.

The Nashville Police Department is looking for two men who robbed three individuals of their cell phones on Tuesday night.
According to Nashville Police Chief Thomas Bashore, two males and a female were walking on Embassy Drive Tuesday night when they were approached by two black males.
"They displayed a weapon," Bashore said.

Nash County Commissioners agreed last Monday morning to switch its banking institution to Southern Bank.
Commissioners approved a three-year agreement with Southern Bank after receiving proposals from Southern Bank and PNC Bank.
Donna Wood, Finance Officer for Nash County, initially presented the request to commissioners at the regular board meeting on Monday, January 4 but commissioners tabled the request until the board's work session on Monday, January 11 since all commissioners were not present at the January 4 meeting.

The history of fire services in Nash County is now available in a book that is possibly the first of its kind.
"Nash County 24/7 Heroes" was published last week and so far, has been a success.
Locals Todd Joyner and Bob Bartosz teamed up to put the book together, a process that took around a year.
Joyner has a career in fire services that spans 27 years with the City of Rocky Mount.

The falling snow on Sunday caused Nashville's Willing Workers to postpone its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration.
The banquet was slated to be held on Sunday afternoon, which was the first time the event had been held on a Sunday. Organizers had moved the event from Monday morning to Sunday afternoon with hopes of bringing out more to the celebration. But organizers said they had to make a decision early Sunday on whether or not to continue on.

The Director of the State Bureau of Investigation announced his intention to retire this week during an internal conference call with agency management.
Director B.W. Collier cited personal reasons for his decision to make April 1 his official retirement date. Most importantly, the Director mentioned the need to devote more time to his family.

A revised Capital Improvement Plan was presented to the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education last Thursday night during the board's regular meeting.
The revised plan was around $12 million less than one presented to the board in 2013. That one had a price tag of $71.5 million. The one presented last Thursday night was around $59 million.
Dr. Eric Cunningham, Associate Superintendent, told board members the $12 million savings stems from reprioritizing facility issues and utilizing in-house teams.

The Nash County Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the Towns of Bailey and Middlesex for the construction of a senior center at the Bailey-Middlesex Community Park.
The agreement was approved 5-1 at the board's regular meeting held on January 4. Commissioner Billy Morgan cast the dissenting vote.
Nash County would be responsible for the construction and operation of the Southern Nash Senior Center.

Eighth Grader Jaidan Pearce-Cameron was selected First Chair, Baritone Saxophone, for the Eastern All-District Concert Band. She will represent Southern Nash Middle School in the Eastern District clinic and performance in February.
The Eastern District of the North Carolina Bandmaster's Association represents the area of North Carolina from I-95 to the coast. Pearce-Cameron auditioned for the All-District Concert Band on Saturday, January 9, at C.B. Aycock Middle School in Greenville.

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools (NRMPS) has announced that four NRMPS students have advanced to the semi-final round of the Park Scholarship selection process and two NRMPS students have advanced to the semi-final round for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship selection process.
The four NRMPS students who were named as semi-finalists for the Park Scholarship are: Joshua "Blake" Boyd of Southern Nash High, Brandon Pitts of Southern Nash High, Jash Prem Gulabrai of Rocky Mount High and Grace Anne Langley of Rocky Mount High.

INCIDENTS
A possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana was reported on 1/11/16 at Oak Level and Benbrook Road
A missing person was reported on 1/11/16 at 504 Richardson Court
A possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana was reported on 1/12/16 a 227 S Barnes Street

Communicating threats and assault on a law enforcement officer was reported on 1/10/16 at 4130 Wollet Mill Road
A motor vehicle theft was reported on 1/10/16 at US 64 Bypass at the 444 Mile Marker
A domestic was reported on 1/10/16 at 920 Holland Lane
A breaking and entering a motor vehicle and damage to personal property was reported on 1/10/16 at Taylors Store Road and Skyland Road

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from January 11 through 15.

Pauline Thompson Battle, long standing member of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Nashville, will celebrate her 95th birthday on Saturday, January 23rd. She has served many years as a mother, deaconess and Sunday School teacher. She and her husband Henry Battle were married 71 years before he passed away. She also worked with Nash County Schools 18 years in the Food Service Department before she retired.

Nash County Republicans gathered last Thursday, January 14th in the Warner Conference Room of Braswell Library for another GOP Aware meeting.
Andrew Pardue addressed the crowd. A native of Nash County, Pardue attended Nash Rocky Mount Public Schools until he graduated from Nash Central High. Currently a senior at Harvard, Pardue has interned for Beverly Perdue, Mike Huckabee, and others. Recently, he served as the social media coordinator for Senator Thom Tillis.

A Sharpbsburg man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for distributing crack.
Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced Arlo T. Wright, 40, to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on January 11, 2016.
Wright was named in criminal information filed on July 15, 2015, charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack). Wright pled guilty to that charge on August 17, 2015.

Saturday, January 23 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 652 Raleigh Road, Rocky Mount
Monday, January 25 from 3 until 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 200 South Church Street, Rocky Mount
Thursday, January 28 from 3 until 7 p.m. at West Mount Volunteer Fire Department, 7955 West Mount Drive, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, February 2 from 3 until 7 p.m. at Stony Hill FWB Church, 9649 Stony Hill Church Road, Middlesex

Nash Arts will welcome local celebrities to its dance floor February 26 for the third annual Dancing with the Arts in Nash County. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is a fundraiser to support the arts in Nash County.
Admission is $16 per person.
Participating couples will dance multiple routines hoping to earn your vote.

Just enough snow fell on Sunday for Blake Bass, 4, to make himself a snow angel. Blake is the son of Dana and Chase Bass, of Nashville.

Justin Coppedge, 2, had some fun on Sunday during the brief snow day Nash County experienced. Justin is the son of Amanda and Lee Coppedge, of Nashville.

Benjamin Whitehead, 3, was excited to build a snowman following Sunday's snowfall. Benjamin is the son of Luke and Anna Whitehead, of Nashville.

Pictured above from left to right during the Wake Electric Bright Ideas Grant Luncheon: Elizabeth Viverette, Nashville Elementary; Kristi Adkins and Elizabeth Godwin, Coopers Elementary; Phil Price, Chief Operating Officer and Assistant General Manager; Fred Keller, Manager of Member Services; Lee Sudia, Rocky Mount High; Joy Simpson, Williford Elementary; Laurel Currie, Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High. Not pictured: Cindy Williams, Northern Nash High; Marquis Spell, Nash Central Middle and Susan Proctor, Nash Central Middle.

We want to be loved. This is a critical, truthful, and evident fact among human beings. It's universal among people of all ages, nations, and races. We want to know that we know we are loved. That someone cares about us. That someone wants to see us. We want to hear, "I love you."
Throughout the book of Psalms there is a phrase that is used quite often; it's actually a plea, a desperate plea for something, and that something is steadfast love. The Psalmist yearns for a steadfast love, yet this steadfast love is also the reason for being able to do many things.

Congratulations to Nathan and Heather Griffin in the birth of their daughter, Windley Grace! Windley was born on Tuesday, January 12 at 6:15 pm weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 21 inches long! Very proud grandparents are Neil and Dot Griffin and Bill and Trudy Brunson. Proud Great-grandmother is Bobbie Brunson.
Red Oak United Methodist Church is preparing for their next Bible study. The Discipleship Bible study is a 32 week study on Genesis, Exodus, Luke, and Acts. If you would like to participate, please contact the church office.

The falling snow Sunday was really beautiful. The white trees looked like something that only God could do. They were indescribable if you didn't see it. Even with their beauty, as we get older I guess many of us are glad the snow didn't get deep. But the younger age groups were disappointed when it stopped snowing. The weather this week is supposed to be extremely cold so be careful and try to stay warm. Pray for others who may be outside or cold in their homes. When we "think" we have problems there are always those who are less fortunate and have "real" problems.

As I write the news for Aventon, it is snowing hard here. Our little church had Sunday school, but we canceled Church due to the weather. It's pretty to look at for sure, but the thought of driving any distance in it is not a pleasant thought for me; our little Garrett is still in Chapel Hill being treated for a bacterial infection. Garrett's care is 24/7 at home, and even in the hospital, with the staff, we do not leave his side. As a family we take turns being with him, and my turn starts again tonight. I have never liked driving in the snow, and really never had to.

As Peachtree folks gathered for worship on Sunday morning, it was in the midst of a unique weather event. There were a few snowflakes falling as people prepared to go to church. Since no snow storm had been predicted by the weather man, the faithful paid it no attention. But it became more intense, and Doug Hayes, who was the church greeter for the day, met and escorted some people into the church with an umbrella.

It didn't take long for 2016 to throw some snow at us. Many of us woke up Sunday morning to huge snowflakes dropping in mass all over Nash County. In the southern end, it piled up in the grass and yards and trees and was, well, beautiful.
By the afternoon, it was gone, not much more than really pretty rain in an area that hasn't seen more than a day or two of dry weather in the last two months.
Such days as this give me the opportunity to antagonize the people I know who bought into global warming and then had to change it to climate change.

Lots of children were probably excited to wake up on Sunday and discover it was snowing! I know mine were.
I was prepared for a few "flurries" but when I looked out the window, I saw a bit more than that. I saw some hard-core snow! It was falling fast and hard and I don't think we could have gotten the boys dressed fast enough to go outside and explore.

Nashville Graphic staff members and I have had the pleasure of getting acquainted with a pretty incredible fellow over the past year.
Todd Joyner started a journey a little over a year ago to compile and publish a book to detail the history of fire and rescue services in Nash County, with the help of renowned fire service photographer Bob Bartosz.
Joyner approached me early on in the process asking if he could spend a little time here at the paper to research the Graphic's archives for relative information and old photos.

This photo originally published in The Graphic on April 7, 1981. Cliff Joyner (left) treasurer of the Nashville Jaycees, presents a check to Donnie Jones, vice-president of Nashville Explorer Post 76. Proceeds were used for the post's emergency vehicle.

BIG GAME FOR BULLOCK. Northern Nash's Raymond 'Goody' Bullock (left) scores in the paint during last Friday night's home victory against the Southern Nash Firebirds in Big East Conference boys basketball action.

RED OAK -- Northern Nash's boys basketball squad was provided one of the feel-good stories of the 2014-15 season as the Knights, under the direction of first-year head coach Henry Drake, came within one victory of earning the Big East Conference Championships.
Drake and Company have raised the expectation bar this winter as the Knights, despite losing several key seniors, would love to take the next step toward winning the Big East.

TWO MORE. Red Oak's Nisaja Thomas (right) scores inside last Thursday against rival Edwards.

RED OAK - When star point guard Alexis Moore suffered an injured ankle over Christmas Break, it was considered a given that several players needed to step up their games for the Red Oak Middle School Lady Tigers to be successful in the second half of the Tri-County Conference basketball season.
That's exactly what has happened to date as the Lady Tigers, even with Moore unavailable, have remained undefeated and atop the tough TCC standings.
Red Oak's streak continued last Thursday as the Tigers pressed early and often en route to defeating Edwards Middle by a 41-19 total at the ROMS Gymnasium.

HELD BALL. (L to R) Northern Nash's Cece Harrison and Southern Nash's Dasia Allen tie up for a held ball during last Friday night's Big East Conference girls basketball matchup at the NNHS Gymnasium.

RED OAK -- Beginning with Tuesday's home showdown against red-hot Nash Central, Northern Nash's defense of its Big East Conference Girls Basketball Championship was about to undergo a maze of challenging tests.
But last Friday's action didn't provide one as the Lady Knights had no trouble defeating rebuilding Southern Nash by a 58-10 margin in league action at the NNHS Gymnasium.

EXCITING TIMES. Red Oak Middle School's Sincere Battle goes up for a layup last Thursday evening against rival Edwards.

RED OAK -- With zero returning starters and a new coach, it was convenient to surmise that this could possibly be a rebuilding campaign for the tradition-rich Red Oak Middle School boys basketball squad.
But that hasn't been the case as the Tigers have dropped just two contests and are still in the mix for a possible postseason position in the always-competitive Tri-County Conference.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College Battling Bishop men's basketball team hosted a pair of USA South Conference contests over the weekend, suffering a pair of 6-point losses to Maryville and Covenant in Everett Gymnasium on the NCWC campus.
Despite the losses, junior John Edwards turned in productive performances, averaging 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals per contest off the bench.
Last Friday night's game versus Maryville (12-3, 3-1 USA South) saw the Bishops fall just short in their comeback bid, 86-80.

TROPHY TIME. (L to R) Alexandria Gardner and Shelby Wilson display their awards from the Jedi Invitational Gymnastics Meet, which was held Sunday in Harnett County.

ANGIER -- The Harrison Family YMCA Gymnastics Team traveled to Angier on Sunday to take part in the prestigious Jedi Invitational Meet at the Langley Gymnastics Training Center.
A total of 127 competitors took part in the event.
Here are the top finishers from the Harrison Family YMCA squad:

WILSON -- Nash Central High School's effective girls basketball season continued last Friday with a clutch road victory against Big East Conference opponent Wilson Fike.
Coach Terri Cash's Lady Bulldogs held off Fike by a 51-46 margin to improve to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Myia Spivey delivered a double-double for NCHS with 19 points and 11 rebounds to go with a trio of steals.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats and Muddy the Mudcat are happy to help fans show "someMuddy" how much they love them this year with their newly available Muddy's Valentine's Day Gift Packs.
Muddy's Valentine's Day Packs are now available in a men's and women's version. Both packs will be delivered in person by Muddy the Mudcat on either February 12 (office delivery) or February 14 (home delivery) and include several terrific Valentine's Day themed items for $100.

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated Nash County Parks and Recreation Department Basketball Scores:

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated Nash County Parks and Recreation Department Futsal Scores

Northern Nash's Damian Moore elevates for a layup.

Northern Nash's Markeela Avent (center) goes up for a jumper in traffic during last Friday night's home victory against league foe Southern Nash.

Red Oak's Kylise Clark (right) tries to gain possession of the ball as part of last Thursday's home Tri-County Conference game against Edwards.

Red Oak's Kristian Johnson dribbles in open court during the Lady Tigers' home basketball victory last Thursday against Edwards.

Red Oak Middle School's Henry Richardson (with ball) drives for a basket during last Thursday's Tri-County Conference home basketball victory against the Edwards T-Birds.

Rocky Mount Mayor David Combs presents a resolution to Rocky Mount High School football coach Jason Battle to recognize and congratulate the Gryphons for winning the NCHSAA Class 3-A State Football Championship last December.

Despite being surrounded by a trio of Edwards defenders, Red Oak Middle School's Austin Parks (with ball) scores in the paint during his club's home conference victory last Thursday.

Nash Arts Center welcomes Big Daddy Love on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. as part of its ongoing Nashville Showcase Series. Tickets are $17 for the general public or $15 for Nash Arts members. For more information about the band, visit www.bigdaddylove.com. For more information about Nash Arts or the event, call 252-459-4734.