Nashville Fire Chief Chris Joyner shakes hands with Nashville Mayor Brenda Brown as he hands her a commemorative hat shield with a rendering of the new fire station on Oak Level Road.

Groundbreaking for the new Nashville Fire Station on Oak Level Road drew an appreciative crowd Oct. 26 consisting of current and former firefighters, first responders, town, county and state officials, construction crews and a member of the architectural firm that designed the new station.
Former Chief Randy Goodbrod led the group in prayer, asking that the land be blessed along with all those who worked to bring the new station into being. He also asked that those firefighters who would work the station be watched over and kept safe.

Nashville Police Chief John T. Winstead has resigned, effective Oct. 30, and town officials are looking to fill the vacancy.
Town Manager Randy Lansing announced Winstead's resignation Wednesday, Nov. 1, and said that in the interim, the Nashville Police Department would be headed up by Nashville Fire Chief Chris Joyner.

An 18-year-old Middlesex teenager is under investigation and is being sought by police after a multiple shooting incident early Sunday at the Wilson Fairgrounds that left five people hurt with two hospitalized.
Braulio Fuentes-Martinez, a student at Southern Nash High School, reportedly attempted to join a birthday party uninvited at the fairgrounds and was asked to leave, but retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and opened fire, injuring four people.

Jennifer Coppedge Hedgepeth walks with her daughter, Ava, in the Downtown Nashville Costume Parade. The event has been a longtime tradition in Nashville for Nashville Elementary kindergarten students and local pre-schools and day cares.

John Tate Bissette wins first place in the costume contest during Nashville's Halloween Happenings Friday night in Downtown Nashville.

An organization that started twenty years ago with the purpose of assisting Veterans with PTSD has expanded to reach out to First Responders and their families, with a pilot program planned Nov. 11 at Nash Community College. Sponsored by Seegars Fence Company and the Mercer Foundation, "Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training" is linked with Operation Angel Wing and will be an all-day, free-of-charge workshop planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in NCC's Brown Auditorium at 454 N. Old Carriage Road.

Boots Vandemark of Nash County receives first place in the female 40-49 category. Graphic photo by Jo Anne Cooper

Saturday's 2nd Annual Nashville NC Running Festival drew more participants than last year and was successful in raising $10,000 for Special Olympics.
Race Director Travis Hedgepeth said his goal for participation was 300 runners, and that 375 runners finished one of five races offered.
First out of the gate at 7:15 a.m. were 20 runners in the Boston Marathon Qualifier, running a full marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Winners were Chuck Engle from Fort Mill, SC, in the Men's Division, and Morgan Courtney of Rocky Mount in the Women's Division.

Nov. 7th is election day at which time all precincts will open for voting from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
More information about voter ID requirements can be found on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. A video and relevant links are available on the Nash County Board of Elections webpage at nashcountync.gov/130/Board-of-Elections. (Early voting ends Nov. 4)

A fishing trip on the Rocky Mount Reservoir turned deadly for a Rocky Mount man, who went missing Thursday and whose body was recovered by divers Friday.
Larry Drake, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene after being located in the water and retrieved by the Rocky Mount Fire Department Dive Team at approximately 2:25 p.m. Oct. 26.

A 25-year-old Spring Hope man is facing multiple charges after crashing his car Oct. 25 on Old Franklin Road.
Jaivon Chandon Thompson of 10669 Seven Paths Road totaled his 2014 Nissan after it left the roadway near 1119 Old Franklin at about 10 A.M.
Thompson's car, heading north at 55 mph, crossed the center line and traveled off the roadway to the left, colliding first with a ditch, losing its bumper, then continued down the shoulder until it ran into trees, according to a report filed by Highway Patrol Trooper B.H. Boone.

A joint investigation by state health and agriculture agencies has flagged WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, sold locally by Sam's Club and Dollar Tree, as having potentially dangerous lead levels for toddlers and young children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that consumers should not feed or buy the WanaBana brand of apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches because the product may contain "elevated levels of lead."

A man was pinned in his truck after it overturned on Sandy Cross Road Monday and had to be taken to Wake Medical after extrication by the Coopers Fire Department.
Highway Patrol Trooper B.H. Boone said the unnamed driver, who was alone in the pickup truck, had been driving at 85 mph westbound towards Old Bailey Highway at about 10:30 Monday morning near 327 Sandy Cross Road.

Spring Hope's candidates for upcoming local elections got a chance to rub elbows with state brass during a meet-and-greet at the luxurious Seven Paths Manor in an evening event Oct. 24.
The 6:30 p.m. event drew a crowd of around fifty.

Cyndi Carpenter, front, laughs while playing the new "audio flowers" at the playground of Stoney Creek Park. Also pictured are Tressa Bissette, Brenda Brown, Betty Bissett, Nancy Pridgen and to the rear, Ashley Hamlet. To the left rear is Faye Cahoon.

Several new playground items chosen specifically for handicapped accessibility and designed to appeal to very young children are being added to Nashville's Stoney Creek Park. The $16,000 equipment, consisting of "acoustic flowers" and a structure with touch-toy surfaces, was paid for by the Elks Lodge 1038, Southern Bank of Nashville, and a grant from the DeLeon Carter Foundation, with the remainder from the Town of Nashville.

Nash County Clerk of Court staff members decorated the courthouse lawn and doors in October in commemoration of both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Most of us know him. He is often referred to as a Charles Dickens and Mark Twain all wrapped up in one package. He is a masterful writer who has capitalized on America's fascination with the law. In fact, he's written 50 novels that have sold close to 400 million copies!
John Grisham has been on television recently promoting his new book, "The Exchange". It is a follow up of his book, "The Firm". Some of his other books include "The Guardian", "The Pelican Brief", "The Client", "Runaway Jury", and so many more.

One of the greatest illustrations of faith can be found in the story of when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. This story of great faith involves a contradiction. The God who said not to kill was the same God who asked Abraham to make a monumental sacrifice--after having miraculously provided a promised son for Abraham and Sarah in their old age.
Genesis 22 tells us that Abraham loved Isaac. So, he had to act against his own emotional ties.

North Carolina Wesleyan University will host a Veterans Day event on Friday, Nov. 10 honoring the men and women of our armed forces. The morning will start off at 10 a.m. with a patriotic salute to all Veterans and a special pinning for Vietnam Veterans.
The event will be held at the main flagpole in front of the Braswell Administrative building with guest speaker, Rep. Allen Chesser.

Town of Bailey Board
of Commissioners:
Cecil J. Hawley
Ervin Powell
Thomas Richards
Walter Wells

Line dance classes will be held Wednesdays 2-3 p.m. at Town of Nashville Parks & Recreation Department, 108 S. Boddie Street, Nashville. Learn to line dance to popular songs in this beginner-friendly class. Four week class session, $10. Nashville town residents, $15. Nonresidents. For more information call the Town of Nashville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department at 252-459-9796.

Storytime is Nov. 2, Nov. 9 and Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. for ages 2-5.

Her Sisu, LLC to Maria Gianelli Andrade Chable; Englewood, Block W, Lots 54 and 55; $50,000
Four Seasons Contractors, LLC to Vilma Noemi De La Cru and Vilma Noemi De La Cru; Bradford Place, lot 37; $287,000
D.R. Horton, Inc. to John Edward Barlow III and Patricia Rosete Barlow; Saddlebrook Subdivision, Lot 6

Building Permit Residential
Charles Mullen, 7515 Grover Rd; new single family; $400,000
John Terrell Bunn, 1585 Matthews Farm Rd; new single family; $15,000
Eddie Lee May, 7404 Perry Rd; detached accessory; $70,000

Sometimes, I get to use this space to inform the public about amazing historical events that we have a chance to take part in.
Save your money and save the date for February 24, 2024. That's when St. Augustine, Florida will host the first-ever Florida Man Games.
In other words, there is finally a Redneck Olympics, y'all.

Next Tuesday, November 7th is Election Day for our town leaders. Unfortunately, voter turnout so far seems to be low which is usually the case for municipal elections. I'm always amazed at how few people actually vote for the leaders who can make the largest impact in their day-to-day lives. Yet some of these people who never vote are the very ones who will quickly complain about town services.

This photo was originally published in The Nashville Graphic on November 3, 1983. Kindergarten students from Nashville Elementary stroll downtown Nashville in the traditional costume parade. Pictured, the children are visiting the offices of J.A. Leonard Insurance which at that time was located on Boddie Street.

FRANKLINTON -- Almost there met already there last Wednesday, and already there is still there atop the Big East Conference volleyball scene.
Certainly, it's been amazing year for the Northern Nash Lady Knights, who made significant spike progress this fall -- defeating every league team except one en route to a second-place finish in the league.

IN THE GRASP. Southern Nash's Tylik Mitchell (with ball) tries to escape the tackle attempt of Northern Nash's Conner Baker during Monday's Big East Conference football showdown at historic Firebird Stadium.

STANHOPE -- Chronologically, this might have been the longest game from start to finish in Big East Conference football history -- 73 hours as a matter of fact.
But the grueling wait would prove to be well worth it for the Southern Nash Firebirds, who all but wrapped up at least a share of the league's regular season championship with a 28-21 thriller over rival Northern Nash.

SOUTHERN NASH HIGH SCHOOL LADYBIRDS / 2023 BIG EAST CONFERENCE GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONS

WAKE FOREST -- The Southern Nash Dynasty needed to overcome some adversity this fall in order to earn its third consecutive Big East Conference Girls Golf Team Championship.
Despite losing a pair of key players to season-ending injuries, the Ladybirds were still able to sweep every Big East meet this season, including last Monday's finale at the Brevofield Golf Links in Wake Forest.

LOUISBURG -- The Northern Nash High School boys cross country dynasty is continuing this fall -- but with an interesting twist.
Instead of rebuilding, Coach Jeff Dodrill's Fighting Knights have reloaded on the fly in 2023 with a roster dominated by underclasmen, including a much-heralded freshman class.

NASH CENTRAL'S HANNAH FRAZIER

ROCKY MOUNT -- A true sign of a high school sports program -- and not just a one-year wonder -- is how it bounces back from losing a strong senior graduating class.
So it's safe to say that Nash Central has developed a successful volleyball program after its strong 2023 campaign.

FRANKLINTON -- Two years ago, the Franklinton Red Rams pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent Big East Conference history when they shocked perennial titan Rocky Mount at home -- and going away for that matter.
History didn't repeat itself last Friday in RM's return to the FHS Football Field as a sturdy Gryphons' defense kept the Red Rams out of the end zone en route to delivering a 28-3 league decision in the next-to-last week of the regular season.

Nashville author Dan Seda is doing a book signing from 2-4 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Nashville Exchange Steakhouse & Café, 229 W. Washington Street.
Seda, originally from Raleigh, has lived in Nashville a year. He is an accomplished voice musician who teaches piano and voice lessons at his Nashville studio, teaches voice at The Singers Studio in Wilson and sings at Nashville Methodist Church. He also works as Band Director at Springfield Middle School in Lucama.