The Nash County Board of Education has given an F to legislation to reduce its number and realign remaining members along county commissioner lines.
The school board voted 8-3 in May to draft and send a resolution to the General Assembly in opposition to Senate Bill 248.
If the March 8 legislation passes, the school board would shrink from 11 to 7 after Rocky Mount students are divided along county lines, sending 1,700 pupils to Edgecombe County for their education in 2024.

A former library director for H.D. Cooley Library has been named the library director for Braswell Memorial Library.
Tikela Robinson Alston became the director of library services at Braswell Memorial Library on May 15.
Alston replaces Catherine Roche, who is retiring in June after serving as the director since 2014.
"It is a great honor for me to take stewardship of Braswell Memorial Library," Alston said. "I take this responsibility seriously and have many plans to enhance library services."

ALL IN - Pictured (L-R): Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone, Rocky Mount Police Chief Robert Hassell, Nashville Police Chief JT Winstead and Edgecombe County Police Chief Clee Atkinson before the Torch Run. The final leg of the run will be on June 2 in Raleigh.

Rocky Mount city officials have sent letters to Nash County commissioners and state lawmakers opposing legislation that would affect Nashville and every municipality in the county concerning voluntary satellite annexation.
City Manager Keith Rogers penned the letter expressing the city council's disagreement with Senate Bill 169 and displeasure with county commissioners for engaging with members of the local legislative delegation to create the bill.

Charles Taylor speaks during the Memorial Day ceremony hosted by Nashville's American Legion Post 110.

Each year, members of Nashville's American Legion Post 110 spend the days before Memorial Day posting American flags on the graves of veterans at Forest Hill Cemetery. This year, around 800 flags were posted throughout the cemetery.
Memorial Day ceremonies are typically held at Forest Hill Cemetery so attendees can walk the cemetery and recognize the men and women who died in service.

BATTLE

Citizen complaints led to the arrest of a couple accused of having drugs and guns at their home in Gold Rock.
Ervin Ray Hendricks, 40, and Tanisha Battle, 44, face charges of trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin, marijuana possession and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance. Authorities also charged Hendricks with possession of a controlled substance on jail premises. He's accused of having 16 grams of cocaine hidden on him when being booked into jail.

North Carolina has entered the 100 deadliest days of the year when the number of deadly crashes with teen drivers skyrockets, according to state transportation officials.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2021, more than 13,000 crashes involved teen drivers. In those wrecks, 29 teens died and 2,600 were injured, said Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

ARRESTS
Taekwon Allen; 5/22/23; charged with traffic control device violation, speeding, resisting arrest/hinder and delay, felony maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for a controlled substance

The state's DMV is offering tips to improve visits to the local driver's license offices.
Following the following suggestions can enhance customer experience, said John Brockwell, a spokesman for the DMV, headquartered in Rocky Mount.
Don't wait until the last minute to renew a driver's license or state identification card. The DMV sends a reminder card to the address on file six months before the expiration date. Customers can renew at any time during the six-month window.

Sadly, MANY cats will die if they go to the Shelter. WHAT? Let's look at some hard facts. Most homeless cats at Shelters are euthanized. At Nash, it is by humane injection, as you would when you take your pet to the vet. Sometimes it is for space, they literally run out of a place for all. County Shelters have unlimited intakes. It isn't like a private facility where they can pick and choose.
When euthanasia happens, there are cries of horror; it shouldn't happen, they say. We agree, it shouldn't happen, then there come the WHY questions.

When you look worry up in the dictionary, my picture should be next to it. I even worry about the fact that I worry.
Worry is not a Christian quality. It is sin and represents nothing more than an innate fear of the unknown. It's exactly what our Christian faith should remedy. So just what does the Bible have to say to those of us who worry? How can we work through our faith to rid ourselves of a trait that can have such disastrous consequences? It's not only detrimental to our health, but in our relationships with others - especially with God.

Today, I was in a conversation when the person exhorted me to be true to my "calling."
1 Thessalonians 2:12 says we should walk in a manner worthy of God, "who calls you into his own kingdom and glory." 1 Thessalonians 4:7says: "For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness."
Paul prays "that our God make you worthy of his calling." This request does not suggest we can be worthy of salvation.

Rocky Mount
6/1/2023: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Peacemakers of Rocky Mount, 2221 W Raleigh Blvd
6/2/2023: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Braswell Memorial Library, 727 North Grace Street
6/9/2023: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive

Trey Alexander Jerman and Tori Bailey Jerman to Amy Lynne Gentile-Schlothauer and Amy Lynne Gentile Schlothauer; Cross Creek Communities, Phase 1, Block A, Lot 127
Christopher Price, Gwendolyn M. Gilliam-Price and Gwendolyn M. Gilliam Price to Carolina Rural Homes, LLC; property along Vaughan Chapel Road; $3,500
Jill C. Thrower, Robert Granville Thrower and Laeron Roberts to Robbie B. Davis; 4.57 acres, .27 acres and 2.68 acres; $25,000

BUILDING PERMIT
(COMMERCIAL)
Turn-Key Contractors, Inc.; 8250 S NC 58; renovation/alteration; $3,130,000
Rachel Taylor; 9191 NC 33; sign; $25,000

Members of the Nash Central High School Navy Junior ROTC march around Jack Laughery Park in Rocky Mount on Monday as part of an annual Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the Joint Veterans Committee of Nash and Edgecombe counties to honor the nation's fallen military heroes. Retired Army Gen. Arnold Gorden-Bray spoke about the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the military and key-note speaker Tuskegee Airman Thomas Wood Newton told the crowd about his time in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Jayden Evans, Nash Central High School JROTC, was recently promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class. Jayden is a youth member in the West Mount Ruritan Club, and is very active with many club projects. Contributed photo

Charlie Brown, left, is shown accepting an academic scholarship from West Mount Ruritan Club Vice President Angela Becker. Contributed photo

Bayden Collins, left, is shown accepting an academic scholarship from West Mount Ruritan Club Vice President Angela Becker. Contributed photo

A lot of people consider Memorial Day Weekend to be the start of summer, it is not this year. That's because not one person has said to me, "Is it hot enough for you?"
Usually by the end of the May, I've heard this more than once. It's usually already hot as $%^&.
People get really excited about summer.

When I heard Nash Arts had an exhibit of art by Nashville Elementary School third and fourth graders I was intrigued to learn more. When I discovered the art was illustrations of downtown, I was absolutely determined to get a glimpse of the art in person even though I'm still not out and about as much as I'd like to be!
Thanks to Nash Arts Center Director Shelly Gray, I was able to get my own private viewing of the 40 pieces of art!
Carrie Morningstar, a teacher at Nashville Elementary, brought the students downtown earlier this spring as part of a classroom assignment and field trip.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on March 9, 1972. The Nashville Optimist Club announced its Oratorical Contest winners. Pictured (second from right) Roy (Coop) Cooper won first place in the contest. Other entrants (left to right) were Reginald Hines; Kenneth Burgess, third place; and Ray Watson, second place. Ray Sykes, club president, is pictured at the far right.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S BRYLEIGH POSEY

ROCKY MOUNT -- All along, it seemed like the Nash Central Lady Bulldogs were on the cusp of excellence during the 2023 soccer season.
It was simply a matter of putting all of the effective pieces together.
That happened down the stretch for Nash Central, which finished fourth in the Big East Conference regular season standings before reaching the second round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs.

NORTHERN NASH VETERAN GOLFER SAM CASPER

NASH COUNTY -- Roanoke Rapids' dominance of the Big East Conference boys golf standings this spring was so complete that the Yellow Jackets' entire scoring lineup has been named to the all-league squad for the 2023 campaign.
Included on that list is RR's Wyatt Beaver, who was tabbed as the Big East Golfer of the Year after compiling the lowest cumulative individual scoring total.
Joining Beaver on the All-Big East Conference ledger were Roanoke Rapids teammates Brayden Mills, Bryce Ott and Connor Johnson.

ROCKY MOUNT -- From the moment she first stepped on campus as a ninth-grader, Kaileigh Gunter was a standout for the girls basketball squad at Nash Central High School.
That fact was hardly a surprise, considering the amazing performance Gunter had displayed during her tenure on the middle school level at Nash Central.
For Gunter, the excellence continued through her senior year -- and she will look to keep her exceptional career in college.

NASH CENTRAL TENNIS STANDOUT LANDEN HOLLOMAN

ROCKY MOUNT -- Going back to his freshman season, Landen Holloman was a day-one force for the Nash Central High School boys tennis program -- and has continued to get better and better as his prep career has marched on.
But Holloman took things even further as a senior in 2023 as he dominated his Big East Conference competition en route to qualifying for the Class 2-A Regional Championships. He notched a victory at the regionals and came within one match of making the states.

HENDERSON -- Jay Wright of the Sandy Creek Bassmasters (boater) and Stephen Barr (non-boater) are headed to the 2024 BASS National Championship to fish for two of the three BASS Master Classic Invitations that will be up for grabs.
Both were crowned Kerr Lake Champions on March 17 and, under the new format adopted by BASS earlier this year, they are headed straight to the fight for those top three spots in the BASS Master Classic -- the Holy Grail of bass fishing.

LYNCHBURG, VA. -- Luke Adams hit a solo home run in the first, Jose Sibrian hit a three-run blast in the second and starter Will Rudy pitched through five scoreless innings with five strikeouts as the Carolina Mudcats defeated the Lynchburg Hillcats 5-1 in Tuesday's series opener at Bank of James Stadium in Lynchburg.
Adams got the Mudcats (25-18) going early with a two-out solo home run off Hillcats (22-24) starter Alonzo Richardson in the first.
The home run was his fifth of the season and came in what was his first game back after missing four games with an injury.

MASON WALLACE SIGNS TO PLAY BASEBALL AT BARTON COLLEGE

JACOB KEARNEY SIGNS TO JOIN MEN'S GOLF PROGRAM AT CHOWAN UNIVERSITY