Rachel Joyner, Nash County's Clerk of Court for 50 years, has passed away.
Joyner passed away last Wednesday, January 4 at the age of 91.
Joyner leaves behind an impact that reaches far beyond Nash County, Superior Court Judge Quentin Sumner said.
"She was the best clerk," Sumner said. "We will never understand her impact on the court system. All we can do is appreciate it and smile."

Nashville's water and sewer systems are in need of some TLC, preliminary findings from an asset inventory assessment show.
Council members approved last January funding an asset inventory assessment at a cost of $300,000 to help the town identify repairs and upgrades needed on its water and sewer system. Mike Tolson, Principal Engineer at Mack Gay and Associates, provided preliminary findings to town council members last week.
Tolson said work was wrapping up on the town's sewer system, with 90 to 95 percent of the town's manholes checked.

RALEIGH -- A Florida man accused of shooting a Nash County deputy on Interstate 95 two years ago has been sentenced to a decade behind bars.
Jarred Javon Ford is on trial this week in Nash County, accused of trying to kill Deputy William Toney of Spring Hope.
Regardless of the outcome of the local trial, Ford will spend 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon after being involved in a shootout with deputies. Toney has recovered but isn't able to return to duty, Sheriff Keith Stone recently announced.

Nashville native Larry Cockrell recently purchased the town's third fire truck, a 1948 American LaFrance fire pumper. Cockrell plans to restore the truck to its former glory.

A Nashville native who grew up in the town's fire department is now the owner of one of the town's first fire pumpers.
Larry Cockrell recently purchased the town's 1948 American LaFrance fire pumper at a cost of $1,000.
Council members approved declaring the fire pumper as surplus in November and last week, approved selling the pumper to Cockrell.

Baked & Brewed Coffee House recently celebrated its reopening with a ribbon cutting, hosted by Nashville's Chamber of Commerce. The coffee house was previously called Corner Coffee Cafe and was bought by Winde Jackson.

It's new baked goods with the same brew and crew.
Formerly known as Corner Coffee Cafe, Baked & Brewed Coffee House at 201 W. Washington St. in downtown Nashville across from the courthouse offers the same home brew: Lanoca Coffee Company out of Farmville; and a familiar crew: a family of baristas who worked at the shop under the previous owner.

SPRING HOPE -- The Town Board of Commissions is expected to vote on a state of emergency declaration for recent water issues at a special meeting tonight.
The board is also set to vote on a contract with Wooten Company for engineering services related to the town's aging water infrastructure, according to a notice for the 5:30 p.m. meeting.

BUNN

A local probation absconder stands accused of trying to outrun Nashville police and Nash deputies with a weapon of mass destruction and his 2-year-old child along for the ride in the backseat.
Chiali Alijuwon Bunn, 28, of Autry Road in Rocky Mount, faces charges of speeding to elude arrest; careless and reckless driving; failure to maintain lane control; illegal passing; child abuse, possession of a firearm by a felon; carrying a concealed weapon; possession of a weapon of mass destruction;

INCIDENTS
A forgery-uttering was reported on 1/2/23 at 501 W Washington Street
A failure to maintain lane control, license - failure to comply with restriction codes and driving while intoxicated was reported on 1/2/23 on US 64 E at the 461 mile marker

A first degree burglary was reported on 1/7/23 at 1050 Pace Road, Bailey
A simple assault was reported on 1/3/23 at 100 N Boddie Street, Nashville
Three counts of forgery - notes, checks, securities and forgery - uttering and obtaining property by false pretense was reported on 1/5/23 at 12536 Sanford Street, Bailey

BUILDING PERMIT
(RESIDENTIAL)
Reynaldo Rivera; 1691 Barnes Hill Church Road; renovation/alteration; $15,300
Timothy J. Bunt; 13453 Old Smithfield Road; detached accessory; $17,500

OH, what CUTE PUPPIES! I would love to get one! STOP!! Take time to think before making a decision. A puppy needs a lot of attention, especially during their "teen" period. They are also expensive if you consider food, treats, grooming, toys, beds and vetting. If you are considering getting one and keeping outside, just STOP. Dogs are pack animals and you are their pack leader.

GREEN

Nashville police arrested three out-of-state suspects accused of stealing merchandise from a local tobacco store last week.
Christopher Thibou, of 31 Henrico, Virginia, faces charges of two counts of fleeing to elude arrest, larceny of a motor vehicle, and commercial breaking and entering and larceny. He received a $210,000 bond.
Delbert Ray Woolridge, 34, and Dejuan William Green, 36, both of Richmond, Virginia, face charges of commercial breaking and entering and larceny.

Two North Carolina women were sentenced to prison this week for preparing false tax returns for clients and causing them to be filed with the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2009 through 2018 Betty Hawkins, 51, and Phyllis Ricks, 63, both of Rocky Mount, conspired with others to file false tax returns for clients of the tax preparation businesses where they worked. These returns included fictitious federal income tax withholding figures as well as other fraudulent items that generated fraudulent refunds for the clients.

Lois Barnes (at left) accepts a framed jacket that belonged to her recently deceased husband, Donald Barnes, from the West Mount Fire Department. Presenting the gift was Buck Pittman, President of the West Mount Fire Department. Donald was a charter member of the department, with 66 years of service. He served as chief for eight years, served on the Relief Board for 23 years and on the Board of Directors for 21 years.Contributed photo

Red Oak Baptist Church welcomed Regena Burden to the church family on Sunday, January 8!
Jean Stallings recently celebrated her 90th birthday with friends and family!
Do you have old cards you no longer want? Red Oak Baptist Church is currently collecting card fronts to be sent to St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

Whether it is to His people corporately or to individual believers who have fallen into sin, our God is a God of new beginnings! To the fallen but repentant King David, the prophet said, "The Lord has taken away your sin" (2 Sam. 12:13). To the disobedient and chastised prophet Jonah, vomited out of the great fish, "The word of the Lord came ... the second time" (Jonah 3:1). To the weeping and broken Peter, the risen Savior appeared privately to restore him.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)
There are times in my Christian walk when I wonder why I ever became a Christian. Salvation may have been free but living the Christian life has cost me dearly.

We took a family vacation last week, the first "big one" since 2018. Our primary target was the Disney parks in Florida, with minor stopovers in Savannah and St. Augustine.
The best way I've found to describe Florida is like if Wal-Mart at 2 a.m. was a state. I love it.
Despite going in January, there was a mass of humanity both in the parks and the interstates.

Nash County lost a very special person last week. Rachel Joyner, who served as Nash County's Clerk of Court for a very long time, passed away at 91 years old.
Ms. Joyner was one of those people you never forget. I was blessed to have met her and been able to share a couple of conversations with her. Her conversations were unforgettable, as everything she said was said with wisdom, kindness and fact.
I loved hearing her stories and she had lots of them! She was a simple farm girl from Castalia and to say she loved Nash County was an understatement.

BPW CLUB OFFICERS - This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on Thursday, February 19, 1974. Newly installed officers of the Nashville Business and Professional Women's Club are pictured studying the new charter. The new officers were installed in ceremonies at Nashville Baptist Church.