Emergency officials are bracing for Hurricane Florence, which is anticipated to bring strong winds and torrential rainfall to Nash County.
Forecasters are comparing the hurricane to Hurricane Hazel, which hit North Carolina in 1954 as a Category 4 storm. It is the only Category 4 storm on record to hit the Carolinas. Hurricane Florence is threatening to change that.

As of presstime, two shelters had opened in preparation for the storm, one at Nash Central High School and one at Southern Nash High School. Information going around social media listing numerous Nash County schools as shelters was not accurate.
For up-to-date information on shelters, Nash County recommends downloading ReadyNC App.

A volunteer firefighter with the Castalia Fire Department has been charged with 10 counts of obtaining property by false pretense.
The fire department reported inaccuracies in their fuel transactions on Wednesday, August 29 and the department's president, A.C. Daniels, requested the Nash County Sheriff's Office investigate the inaccuracies.

A project on Nashville's wish list for many years is finally happening.
Work recently began on the Cross Street Extension project, which will align Cross Street with Western Avenue.
Bobby Liverman, District Engineer for the NC Department of Transportation (DOT), said utilities are currently being moved.

A long-time hardware store that was being operated as a restaurant burned down early Sunday morning.
The building on Benvenue Road operated and was well-known as Wells General Merchandise for many years. It was currently a Mexican restaurant, El Rinconcito, said Red Oak Fire Chief Bob Brown.

The Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Leadership Team has set three town hall meetings to discuss potential sites to build a new elementary school.
The meetings will be held at the schools that will be affected if the new school were to be built: Swift Creek Elementary School, Cedar Grove Elementary School and Red Oak Elementary School.

A Nashville woman will spend three and a half years in prison for conspiring to sell crack cocaine.
Chief United States District Judge James C Dever III sentenced Sade Shana Holland, also known as Sharde Richardson, 27, of Nashville to 42 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The sentencing was last Thursday in federal court.

The Nash-Rocky Mount School System remains a low-performing district, according to data released last week by the State Board of Education.
This is the fourth year the school system has been on the list.
Of the 24 reporting schools in the Nash-Rocky Mount School System, 14 schools are considered low performing, including 10 elementary schools and four middle schools.

The Edgecombe County Sheriff's Department is investigating a house fire in Whitakers.
Whitakers Firefighters were dispatched to the home at 42 N. Whitfield Court on Friday morning, September 7.
A doublewide mobile home was showing heavy fire throughout along with a partial roof collapse in the center of the home.

The NC EMS Angels hosted a Ride for Emma Bailey on Saturday, September 8 at the Coopers Volunteer Fire Department. The event was a fundraiser for Emma Bailey, a recent Southern Nash High graduate who was in an automobile accident. Pictured above, people register for the Ride for Emma, which also included a 50/50 raffle.

L&L Food Stores hosted a L&L for HOPE Day on Saturday, September 1. A portion of gas sales, hot dog sales and other sales went to the HOPE Initiative. Pictured (L-R) is Nashville Mayor Donald Street, Nashville Police Chief Tom Bashore, Karey Pettigrew, Marketing Manager for L&L Food Stores, Shelly Gray, HOPE volunteer, and Michelle Parrish, Volunteer Coordinator for HOPE.

Darius Richardson of Rocky Mount is celebrating his good fortune after he won a $542,354 Cash 5 jackpot.
His good fortune happened when he stopped by the Rose Mart on North Nash Street in Wilson and bought a Quick Pick ticket for the drawing on June 1. His ticket beat odds of 1 in 749,398 to win the drawing.

ARRESTS
Jessica Hall; 9/3/18; charged with failure to appear
Deangelo Williams; 9/7/18; charged with failure to appear and violation of a court order

A damage to personal property, recovered property was reported on 9/2/18 at Stoney Hill Church and Harris Road
A misdemeanor larceny was reported on 9/2/18 at 3697 N Halifax Road
A cardiac arrest was reported on 9/3/18 at 1366 New Castle Court

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from September 3 through 7.

Richard Fennell, Export Compliance Manager, UTC Aerospace Systems, Wilson, visited with members of the PFLAG-Rocky Mount Chapter in July to express support for PFLAG's scholarship program for area youth.
Fennell announced $400 in employee donations from the company's PRIDE Employee Resource Group.

As Hurricane Florence continues to track toward Eastern North Carolina, the Red Cross encourages residents to finalize safety preparations. The organization also seeks volunteers to help with disaster response post-landfall.
"At this time, it's crucial that families complete their preparedness kits, secure their homes, and listen to local officials for evacuation updates.

Rocky Mount Mayor David Combs has issued a proclamation declaring a State of Emergency and imposing a curfew starting Thursday, Sept. 13.
Curfew hours will be effective Thursday, Sept. 13 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.; Friday, Sept. 14 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and Saturday, Sept. 15 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Disasters happen anytime and anywhere. We are in the midst of preparing for a hurricane. Is your family prepared?
Prepare a disaster kit for staying at home which should include water, food, clothing, first aid kit, non-prescription medicine, emergency supplies, and sanitation supplies. You will need to store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. Keep at least a 3-day supply of water for each person in your household.

Some Spring Hope residents are concerned Envirolink is not fulfilling maintenance duties in a timely manner.
Jean Deak of Main Street said she has several bags of yard waste outside of her home which she moved four times. She said the bags killed the grass in her yard and left dead spots on the ground. Deak said the waste was outside of her home for a month.

Red Oak's town board voted Monday night to sponsor an upcoming community event, donate to the scouts, and apply for a grant.
Town Clerk Tracy Shearin explained to the board about a matching grant available from the NC Parks Trust fund. If received, the $500,000 grant would be used to expand the current playground area at the park into an all-inclusive (special needs accessible) playground.

The Nash Central High School Class of 1960 commemorated its 58th class reunion August 10 through 12. A banquet was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Rocky Mount on August 11, with 18 class members in attendance.

Nash Community College President Dr. Bill Carver and NRM-Early College High School Principal Jennifer Sharpe distributed laptops and backpacks to Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School "Super Seniors" on Friday, August 10, 2018. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 47 super senior students are enrolled in the Early College High School, a five-year high school within the Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools system, located on Nash Community College's campus.

Mu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, Eta State-NC installed officers for 2018-2020. They are from left to right Patricia Taylor, past president of Mu Chapter and Eta State-NC who installed the officers and presented the President's Pin to incoming President Margie Parker Brantley. Next, is Malinda Pennington, second vice-president; Vicky Deans, recording secretary; Pam Harris, treasurer; and not pictured is Tunisia Bullock, vice president.

Nash Community College's Natural Sciences Department hosted an exhibition of plastinated cadavers recently for students, faculty and staff to examine real-world human anatomy.
"This is an exciting and unique experience for our students to see the human cadavers on our campus," Nahel Awadallah, NCC Anatomy and Physiology instructor said.

As many of the adult volunteers at Nash UNC Health Care enjoyed a summer break, Junior Volunteers assumed their duties - greeting patients, escorting pet therapists, selling candy, and filing documents - but with a twist. The eight-week Junior Volunteer program also gave students a valuable look at the healthcare field and the opportunity to learn about many career options.

Retired teachers and staff from Coopers Elementary School recently met at Ribeyes in Nashville.

Volunteer photographers are the first and front line of people who work tirelessly to help save the pets of Nash County. When I founded this group in 2010, that is what I did, photograph. Then we share to find adopters or rescue. These days, we have a great team of photographers! People like Meagan Asay, Jodie Davis, Stanton Mesh, Cindy Engrassia and Elizabeth Crisp go in every week!

It was a beautiful hot Sunday morning at Peachtree. It was a pleasure to hear our Trinity Chimes ring calling the Peachtree faithful to church for worship service.
The Sanctuary flower arrangement was presented to glorify God by Fran and Bobby Bunn in loving honor of their granddaughter, Linnea Mink on the occasion of her 17th birthday.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning at Peachtree. Our Trinity Chimes rang calling the Peachtree faithful to church for the 9/11 Patriot's Day Worship Service
The Sanctuary flower arrangement was presented to glorify God by Cheryl and Doug Hayes in loving memory of Betty Burg and Melvin and Annie Hayes.

"So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:16
That's a pretty powerful statement, especially considering the fact that Jesus said it. It certainly begs the question: Could Jesus be talking about my church?
Actually, the church to which Jesus was referring to was the church at Laodicea. Laodicea was the last of the seven churches described by Jesus in Revelation.

There will be a Deacon Ordination at Red Oak Baptist Church on Sunday, September 23 during the morning worship at 11:00 am. Daniel Cole and Nathan Griffin will be ordained.
Women in Action will meet on Tuesday, September 25 at 6:30 pm at Red Oak Baptist Church.

Prepared? No doubt most everyone in eastern North Carolina is actively getting ready for a dangerous storm. Hurricane Florence is forecast to wreak havoc on our state and its citizens.
I've visited the grocery store (Piggly Wiggly) and the Lowe's Home Improvement store in the last couple days. Lots of folks buying batteries, water, bread, charcoal, etc. While in Lowe's, I actually saw a verbal dispute between two men shopping for a generator.

A storm is a brewing. As I write this, it's Monday morning here in our beautiful town of Nashville. The forecast track for Florence is currently looking like a direct hit for the Old North State. By the time this article hits the stands and your mailbox we could still be waiting, we could be in the midst of another hurricane, or the prayers of many could send that thing back out to sea to harm no one. As you know, much could change between now and Thursday.

Things might get complicated this week.
I'm going to sort out protests and boycotts and see if we can keep score. It's all ridiculous.
The latest, of course, is based around former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Nike.

By the time you all read this, you may be bunkered up in your homes waiting for Hurricane Florence to pass.
My hope is that Florence is like so many other hurricanes the weather folks talk about; they amp it up to be a big deal, we run out and buy supplies and then it ends up being a rain storm.

I grew up listening to stories about Hurricane Hazel and how it pretty much wiped out waterfront structures on North Carolina's coast in 1954 - and how the storm turned inland with high sustaining winds causing substantial damage in Nash County.
The one story that always stands out in my mind is of my grandfather standing outdoors holding the reins to his mules through Hurricane Hazel to keep them safe.

This photo originally published in The Graphic on May 4, 1972. W.L. Greene students are pictured enjoying a baseball game between orange and blue teams.

COOLEY CAN'T BE STOPPED. Southern Nash's Quinton Cooley (right) has teamed with Zonovan Knight to form a potent 1-2 rushing duo this season for the undefeated Firebirds.

STANHOPE -- Southern Nash's prolific Firebirds have finally met their match -- sort of.
Opponents have been looking for a way to keep the Firebirds off the scoreboard for the past several years, and they may have found a solution, albeit one that won't affect the standings.

FABULOUS FOUR. Northern Nash's Jordan Richardson (second from right) paces with the top group during last Saturday's boys championship race at the Knights Invitational Cross Country Meet in Red Oak.

RED OAK -- Competition is always fierce at the high-level Knights Invitational Cross Country Meet -- and the 2018 version proved to be no different.
The annual event is hosted in early September every fall and gives Northern Nash the opportunity to test itself against some of the top distance programs in Eastern North Carolina and beyond.

LINKS VETERAN FOR THE LADYBIRDS. Southern Nash's Elisabeth Collie is one of the top returning girls golfers in the Big East Conference.

ROCKY MOUNT -- A newcomer has provided a quick jolt to the Big East Conference Girls Golf standings.
That player is Wilson Hunt's Plun Rattanaprakarn, an exchange student who just arrived in the area a few weeks ago.
When Rattanaprakarn expressed her desire to join the Lady Warriors' golf team, she was welcomed after being declared eligible by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

A PLACE TO GROW'S ALLISON BEDDINGFIELD

NASHVILLE -- The soccer fields at Glover Park were full this past Saturday for Town of Nashville Youth Soccer League action.
In three-year old play, DJ Dibo played Nashville Graphic, and Jude Jefferys, Brynley Daniels, Jasper Valentine, Mattie Allen, Austin Richardson and Tatum Price all scored goals.

NASHVILLE -- Nash Central Middle School's 2018 football schedule will begin Sept. 20 at Parker Middle in Rocky Mount.
The Trojans will once again be coached by veteran skipper Matt Lancaster.
NCMS' complete ledger is as follows, with home games listed in CAPS:

RED OAK -- Last Friday night was one of the most anticipated nights of the year for high school sports in Nash County.
That's because Northern Nash Knights and the Nash Central Bulldogs faced off in their annual football game, recently given the name of "The Battle of the Bridge".
This year, in an exciting and entertaining game, host Northern Nash was able to boost its record to 3-1 with a 39-28 win over rival Nash Central at Death Valley on the NNHS campus.

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated Nash County Recreation & Senior Services Fall Youth Soccer Scores:

WINCHESTER, VA. -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College football team, led by senior wide receiver Trey Lancaster and his second straight 200-yard receiving game, fell for the first time this season last Saturday night at Shenandoah University.
Lancaster's huge efforts were just not enough as a close game in the third quarter got away from the Bishops (1-1) as SU went on to win 59-21.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Elizabeth City State University, Winston-Salem State University and the City of Rocky Mount have announced that all events for the 21st Down East Football Viking Classic scheduled for Sept. 12-15 have been cancelled due to Hurricane Florence and its expected significant impact on the Rocky Mount region.

CLUTCH PIRATE. Former Southern Nash standout Tahj Deans caught two passes for 54 yards while helping East Carolina defeat North Carolina by a 41-19 margin last Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville.

On Tuesday, September 4, members of the Tar River Youth Soccer Association (TRYSA) gathered in Rocky Mount to demonstrate skills and to accept donations of used athletic apparel and gear for the BudasKids Foundation. They partnered with pro players from North Carolina FC for a Soccer Clinic on September 9 in Red Oak.

Northern Nash High School's Cydney Richardson blasts a drive during Monday's action at the Big East Conference Golf Match at Northgreen Country Club in Rocky Mount.

Northern Nash's Kelsey Hutchison leads this group of runners during the Girls Championship race at last Saturday's Knights Invitational Cross Country Meet in Red Oak.

Northern Nash's Chance Savage (left) paces with a Croatan runner during last Saturday's action at the Knights Invitational Cross County Meet.

SHELTER INFORMATION

****UPDATE**** Englewood Baptist Church remains open. Nash Central High and Southern Nash High shelters have closed today, Saturday, Sept. 15.

Englewood Baptist Church is currently open and is housing approximately 90 citizens of Tyrrell County. Englewood is pet friendly and Nash County residence are welcome. Wednesday, Sept. 12th at 6:00PM NASH COUNTY will open Nash Central High School and Southern Nash High School. Southern will be pet friendly.

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