State legislators are all in on a casino opening in Nash County, but some residents want it to fold.
Area church leaders concerned about a General Assembly plan to allow casinos to be built in Eastern North Carolina including Rocky Mount gathered last Friday at Old Carriage Road Baptist Church, which is a half mile from the proposed site.

The Town of Nashville is looking to establish a curfew for teenagers to curb trouble-making activities.
Police Chief J.T. Winstead brought a proposed ordinance before town council on Tuesday night that would give parents whose children violate the curfew ordinance a verbal warning and eventually a fine.

Nashville Deputy Chief David Boykin was on patrol Tuesday morning when a local resident flagged him to stop. She asked Boykin if he could by chance surprise a young boy at Richardson Court Apartments (Israel) with a patrol car on his 12th birthday. About 45 minutes later Nashville's police and fire departments arrived at Israel's home for a little celebration which included some cool down fun.

A highly-successful interstate interdiction team has been disbanded due to so many deputies leaving the Nash County Sheriff's Office for higher paying jobs.
The unit has captured fugitives and murder suspects and busted drug runners, bringing in more than a million dollars in asset forfeiture revenue to the county. But with a deputy shortage, the team is no more, said Sheriff Keith Stone, explaining the dire situation during Tuesday's meeting of the Nash County Board of Commissioners.

The Momeyer Town Council will be working with the owner of Bass Mobile Home Court to get residents to clean up their neighborhood.
Complaints have poured into town hall lately about too tall grass and lack of underpinning on trailers in the long-standing trailer park on Pine Street.
The council voted unanimously at its Monday meeting to send Councilman Richard Matthews to join owner Eddie Bass in delivering violation notices to park residents.

Club President Chad Thompson paints his teddy bear during the recent event hosted by Red Oak Area Rotary Club.

The Red Oak Area Rotary Club sponsored a paint party on August 12 in cooperation with Banner Bears, a non-profit that gives teddy bears to children who are experiencing life drama. Headed by Linda Sheets and her board, Banner Bears has packages for young children and teenagers who might have lost their home or a parent or who are going through a trauma.

Veterans Day is still a few months away, but event organizers are already gearing up for a third annual event meant to recognize area residents who have served in the Armed Forces.
Town Military Liaison Todd Winstead, a retired Marine, asked the town council during its Monday meeting for help in promoting the Nov. 11 event. He also asked anyone who knows a local veteran who could deliver a keynote speech to give him a call.

Red Oak Elementary has announced the grand opening of its campus, signifying a significant moment for the Red Oak community. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 22, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 4:30 p.m.
A press release announcing the event states, "Red Oak Elementary offers an exceptional opportunity for parents, students, educators, and community members to explore our modern school grounds.

A resisting arrest/hinder and delay was reported on 8/6/23 at 100 N Boddie Street, Nashville
A recovered vehicle was reported on 8/11/23 at 12255 Old Smithfield Road, Bailey
Two counts of assault by pointing a gun and communicating threats was reported on 8/8/23 at 12536 Sanford Street, Bailey

INCIDENTS
A felony breaking and entering, larceny, breaking and entering from an auto, larceny from an auto was reported on 8/8/23 at 120 N Lumber Street
A misdemeanor larceny was reported on 8/8/23 at 731 E Washington Street

Jeff White (left) and Victor Ward have been appointed to leadership roles at Nash County Public Schools Central Office. Contributed photo

Two Nash County Public Schools (NCPS) educators, Victor Ward and Jeff White, have been appointed to leadership roles at the central office.
Ward, former principal of Nash Central High School, assumes the role of Transition and Safety Director for Student Support Services and Operations.
A press release from NCPS states, "Ward recognizes the values of patience, being a good listener, and staying open to ideas. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a safety-focused mindset and ensuring the well-being of students, parents, and staff."

Damage assessments are ongoing in Nash and Edgecombe counties following a tornado that touched down last month. After the town of Dortches met the state threshold for public assistance damages incurred, the Governor filed a state emergency declaration earlier this week.
"Emergency Management is working diligently with local officials to identify communities that meet the damage threshold for support and to develop a special state budget request for those that don't. I appreciate all of their efforts to get this important work done as quickly as possible," said Governor Roy Cooper.

Nash County Public Schools observed Cultural Day this summer, underscoring the district's dedication to cultivating an inclusive and diverse learning environment. Esteemed guests, international teachers, and educators from various backgrounds gathered in June to commemorate this special occasion.
The event commenced with a grand Procession of Flags featuring international teachers proudly carrying their respective nations' flags. The audience respectfully stood as talented international teachers performed the national anthems of the United States, Colombia, the Philippines, and Honduras.

Rocky Mount
8/21/2023: 1:30 p.m. - 6 p.m., Christ Covenant Church, 3124 Belmont Lake Drive
8/24/2023: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., North Carolina Wesleyan University Taylor Center, 3400 N. Wesleyan Blvd
8/24/2023: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., West Mount Volunteer Fire Department, 7955 West Mount Drive

The UNC Health Nash Foundation received a $2,700 grant from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help UNC Health Nash feed neighbors in their time of need. The gift will be used to provide disease-specific food options to qualifying patients, which helps to alleviate the stress patients often feel as they transition back into their home setting after being hospitalized.

DOG DRAMA... To get attention, drama statements may get attention about lost or found pets but sometimes you need to translate statements to reality. Such as:
~ Stolen dog translates to "I put my dog out to potty and didn't watch. He wandered away and if I'm lucky a Good Samaritan picked up and will be looking for the owner." Mind you some are stolen but majority are just lazy owners.

The Associated Press recently released the result of a survey regarding angels. It stated that 7 out of 10 Americans believe in angels. There are actually atheists and agnostics that believe in angels!
Reading the article prompted a lot of questions about angels. When did God create angels? What do angels do? How many angels are there? Do angels have bodies? What do angels look like? Do people become angels after death?

There are places in Scripture that are powerful, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. Psalm 23 is one of those places. As one scholar said, "The psalm itself is green pasture; the psalm itself is still water; the psalm itself restores my soul."
Hear it again in the joyous voice of a child, with a little help from dad.
Psalm 23 is very personal. There are no references to "we" or "us" or "they," but only "my" and "me" and "I" and "You."

Welcome to Daniel and Dana Jernigan who joined the Red Oak Baptist Church family!
Women in Action of Red Oak Baptist Church met at the church on Tuesday, August 8. The group collected school supplies for Red Oak Elementary School as their mission action project. In addition to the missions program, the group also discussed plans for the new church year beginning in September.
The Red Oak Rotary had a Teddy Bear Paint and Brunch on Saturday, August 12 at Red Oak Baptist Church Family Life Center.

The Barnes family and Maxine Whitley, owners of Barnes Farming Corporation, recently donated a portion of their farmland for the expansion of Sandy Fork Missionary Baptist Church's cemetery.
The cemetery has been located adjacent to the Barnes' land for decades and has been the final resting place for many Black community members, church congregants, and employees of Barnes Farming.

Nash County Public Schools (NCPS) seniors turned their tassels as they graduated from various high schools in the district on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
The ceremony was held at Nash Central High School for the following schools, Nash Central High School, Northern Nash High School, Rocky Mount High School, Southern Nash High School, and Tar River Academy.

Jesus Aguilar to Julio Cesar Pedro Mateo and Norma Alicia Morales Pascual; 6764 Pinecrest Road, Zebulon
Axiom Holdings, LLC to Axiom Development, LLC; 4.894 acres
John B. Thompson and Robbin P. Thompson to Aaron G. Pico and Evie L. Blazier; 5633 Sandy Road, Nashville; $198,500

BUILDING PERMIT
(COMMERCIAL)
Fred Smith; 7814 S NC 58; addition; $100,000

North Carolina's egg prices were higher on extra large and large, steady on the balance when compared to the last report. Supplies are moderate to meet a good demand. The North Carolina weighted average price quoted Thursday, August 10, for small lot sales of delivered, cartoned, grade "A" eggs was 148.69 for Extra Large, 135.11 for Large, 122.09 for Medium, and 84.00 for Small eggs.

Nash County will be offering training for Extension Master Gardener Volunteers beginning on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023 through Tuesday, November 21st, 2023.
This training will not be online-based; training will be conducted in person.

I don't know if y'all heard, but there might be a casino coming to town.
I'm not an expert on casinos or gambling, but I have watched most of "Ozark," several Robert De Niro movies and think Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale was one of his best.
That pretty much qualifies me to talk about this topic.

The opening of Nash County's Pet Connection Center, which will now serve as our animal shelter, has been a long time coming.
Thanks to so many people who continued to advocate for homeless and abandoned animals, a long-time vision is now a reality. And also due to the financial support of a well-known physician who left her estate to help animals. A donation of $1.5 million was made from the trust of Dr. Nancy Shaw who passed away in 2020.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on June 2, 1983.