MARKET DAYS - Christina Wrenn arranges flowers for customers at the Nashville Farmers Market.

As the fall season approaches, the Nashville Farmers Market is holding steady with a supply of flowers, gifts, crafts, meats and some vegetables and is planning an "End of Summer Bash" family event Friday, Sept. 1.
"The summer crops are going out and the fall crops will start coming in in mid-September," Assistant Market Manager Chloe Johnson said. "We'll be getting pumpkins, muscadine grapes, collards and sweet potatoes."

An Edgecombe County man arrested in 2021 for fatally shooting his son-in-law at a Nashville residence has received a suspended sentence in Nash County Superior Court.
58-year-old John Henry Adams III of Macclesfield entered a Guilty Alford Plea July 27th to Voluntary Manslaughter relating to the shooting of 31-year-old Bobby Tyler Braswell during an altercation September 20, 2021 in the area of 1116 Mulberry Road, Nashville.

Bronis L. Avent holds a photo of his younger self during one of two stints in the military.

One of Nash County's native sons, Bronis L. Avent, is about to turn 100 years old on September 2nd. For all he has seen and done, from North Carolina to California, and from North Africa to Japan, Avent's main tenets that he lives by are these: "Treat everyone how you want to be treated," and "Take time to make time to check on your folks."
Avent's story would make a book.

The leading local Republican is calling foul on a move by Democrats on the Nash County Board of Elections to appoint handpicked people over properly submitted names to serve as precinct judges.
"The Democrats on the Board of Elections voted in a partisan vote to reject some of the precinct officials recommended by the Republican Party," Nash GOP Chairman Mark Edwards told The Graphic.

There's a new face-and a new voice- at The Nashville Graphic, and it's apparent right off when you hear her speak that she's not from "around here." But since she married a Southern guy and is a seasoned journalist, we might just let her stay.
Nancy West-Brake, born and bred in upstate New York, is our new staff reporter. She has lived in Nash County eight years, and in Edgecombe County for over twenty years before that, having come first to Tarboro to teach high school English in 1994.

A rock garden at Stoney Creek Park in Nashville has been placed in honor of Lauren Winstead. Contributed photo

The Stoney Creek Environmental Park has a new element: a rock garden where visitors can place, or take, painted rocks. Located at the base of the park's sign just off 455 West Washington Street in Nashville, the 8 x 8 heart-shaped garden was created by Brittany Winstead in memory of her sister, Lauren Elizabeth Winstead, who died on Memorial Day last year in an accident on the James River in Richmond, VA.

The 97-degree heat in Red Oak Saturday could not begin to wilt the spirits of love and support expressed at the running of the Relay for Life of Nash County, held from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at W.B. Ennis Memorial Park. The event was sponsored by Braswell Family Farms.
"Some Kind of Wonderful," played by Mark Speed and his group, "The Speed of Sound" seemed to sum up the palpable feelings of joy and camaraderie expressed by cancer survivors, their caregivers, families, friends and churches who attended.

Nash County Public Schools students returned to classrooms Monday. Pictured above, Nashville Elementary School students follow a teacher to class.

LUCAS

Local authorities have charged a city couple with having drugs and guns in their home within reach of two children.
Marcus Lucas, 46, and Denisha Carter, 39, of Rocky Mount, face charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, trafficking cocaine, possession of marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia. Lucas received a $250,000 bond; Carter received a $50,000 bond.

Authorities accuse a southern Nash County man of selling meth and having firearms.
Gregory Harold Denton, 59, faces charges of two counts of possession of firearms by a felon, trafficking methamphetamine, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He received a $60,000 bond.

No liability insurance; failure to maintain lane control; fictitious registration/alt title; NOL; DWI was reported at mile marker 461 US 64 E on 8/13/23
Break or enter with intent to terrorize or injure occupant was reported at 131 N Wheeles Drive on 8/17/23
Trespass-second degree; resisting arrest/hinder and delay; larceny misdemeanor; habitual larceny was reported at 731 E. Washington St. on 8/19/23

Found property reported at 10128 Chapman Rd., Bailey on 8/20/23
Harassing phone calls reported at 1916 W. NC 97 Spring Hope on 8/22/23
3 counts of damage to personal property; damage to real property; discharge firearm into occupied dwelling/moving reported at 2242 Dusty Lane, Nashville on 8/26/23

JUST THE FACTS ~ Studies have found that:
• Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
• People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
• Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.

Our mission as Christians is to win others to Christ. But the tricky part about soul winning is that it is more of an art than a science. In other words, how we go about it can make all the difference in the world. For example, the easy thing to do is to point out to our children or friends the consequences of sinful living. How many times have we heard something like this said: "Don't you realize that if you don't change your ways, you're going to end up in hell"?

How many times have you heard this statement: "Well, heaven has gotten a new angel today?"
I've heard that so many times in my ministry life following the death of a loved one. But this is not a truthful statement. God has created the angels as heavenly beings, and He did that so they worship Him and protect us from the Evil One. He uses them as messengers, and they are fearsome in appearance (Luke 2:9-10).

Red Oak Baptist Church welcomes Rich and Jennifer Jared to the church family!
Promotion Sunday was Sunday, August 27 at Red Oak Baptist Church. Randy Griffin, Sunday School Director, recognized Sunday School members with perfect attendance. They included Audrey Pearce (14 years) and Suzy Pearce (13 years). Children moving up to first grade were also recognized and were gifted with a Bible. First graders included Parker Mast, Chase McIntyre, and James Rose.

Rocky Mount High School's AFJROTC program (Detachment NC-933) has achieved the esteemed Outstanding Organization Award (OOA). This recognition underscores the program's commitment to excellence and marks its inaugural reception of this prestigious honor.
Out of the 850 AFJROTC units globally, Detachment NC-933 of Rocky Mount High School has secured an exceptional position, with fewer than 10 percent of units receiving the sought-after OOA.

Daisy Bowen Odom, Shyrlyn Odom Parker, Denise Odom Sherlin, Nathan W. Sherlin and Teena Grace Eisenberg to DSV Legacy Estates, LLC; 845 Burton Street, Rocky Mount; $173,500
Kathryn Glover Hughes and William Hughes to Kathryn Glover Hughes and William Hughes; 1.406 acres, Joyner Road

Building Permit Residential
Pam Mullen, 4883 Country Lane; renovation/alteration; $50,000
Ricky Pruitt, 1595 Bloomery Rd; detached accessory; $40,000
Kent Hawkins, 7087 Hill Rd; Detached accessory; $15,000

I almost missed it and would have if it hadn't been for a magazine article I ran across by chance.
Earlier this year, the last Sears in North Carolina closed. It was in Greensboro.
I hadn't thought about the company in a long time, to be honest, but it sure played a key role in the first half of my life.

Apparently I was up for a test on how I follow my own advice from my "Life Happens" column last week.
Cindy Hale (our veteran circulation manager) and I were up for the challenge of attempting to fill the shoes of Sudie Hawkins who recently retired from her position as our chief mailroom guru.
We moved the schedule up a bit to give us ample time to process the papers while at the same time training new staff.

Dear Editor, Nash Community College has an Open-Door policy and is a committed resiliency-building resource for Nash County, serving the whole student. We offer courses in Basic Skills,
GED/HSE, certificates, diplomas, and degrees that can accommodate all academic levels.

Dear Editor, My name is Ruth Parker. As the founder of Nikki's Total Life Care Center (501(c)(3), I am proud to share my journey of serving the community in the areas of mental health, substance use disorders, and recovery.
Over the past two and a half years, I have witnessed the transformative impact of community support on individuals struggling with these issues.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on June 7, 1983. Students of Greg Bissette's Karate School in Nashville competed in the Wilson Open Karate Tournament May 21 at the Wilson Boys Club.

NORTHERN NASH RUNNING BACK BARIAN STRICKLAND

RED OAK -- Coaches often say that the biggest adjustments teams make over the course of the season come in between the season opener and the second game of the year.
Andrew Farriss' Northern Nash Knights proved that to be true last Friday evening, as just one week removed from a slow first half against Hunt, the Knights wasted no time getting moving against Fike in their first home game of the 2023 campaign.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S OLIVER BELHOMME CELEBRATES A FUMBLE RECOVERY (Photo Submitted by Meryn Johnson)

ROCKY MOUNT -- A whopping 98 total points in just two games.
Needless to say, it's been quite a positive start to the season for the Nash Central High School football squad.
Not that this was unexpected, as the Bulldogs return several key starters -- especially in the backfield -- from last year's club, which reached the third round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs for the second consecutive campaign.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER ASHELYNE LYNCH (Photo Submitted by Meryn Johnson)

ROCKY MOUNT -- Nash Central and Franklinton tangled last Thursday in an early-season girls tennis matchup loaded with implications for the Big East Conference standings.
Central was able to secure a 7-2 decision over the Lady Rams at the NCHS Courts.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 1-1 on the campaign, while Franklinton slipped to 0-3.

STANHOPE -- Southern Nash improved to 2-0 while South Granville dropped to 0-2 with the Firebirds winning 42-0 at their home field last Friday in non-conference prep football action.
South Granville had the ball first and had to punt.

ZEBULON -- Blayberg Diaz extended his hitting streak to 10 games and Jahder Areinamo went 2-for-4, but Columbia's Trevor Werner homered twice and drove in five runs while leading the Fireflies to a 9-0 rout of the homestanding Carolina Mudcats in Sunday's series finale at Five County Stadium.
The Fireflies (26-28, 61-58) scored four two-out runs in the first before adding four more runs in the fifth and one in the seventh en route to the 9-0 shutout victory.

RALEIGH -- The Centennial Authority, owners of PNC Arena, and Gale Force Sports and Entertainment, L.L.C. have announced today the signing of a 20-year lease extension with the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes.
The newly signed lease states that the Hurricanes will occupy PNC Arena through the 2043-44 NHL season.

Northern Nash High School running back Dywhaun Mitchell explodes for yardage for the Fighting Knights during last Friday night's home victory against the Wilson Fike Golden Demons at historic Death Valley in Red Oak.