NASHVILLE - The Nashville Farmers' Market is getting ready for opening day of its third season, Friday April 12, from 3-7 p.m. Located at 723 S. Barnes Street, the market will feature twenty-three vendors selling their home-grown or home-made wares while live music and a food truck will enhance the experience.
"It has to be a North Carolina product to be sold at the market," said Koy Worrell, who heads up Nashville's Parks and Recreation Department. "We wanted to support local farmers."

NASHVILLE - Nash County residents, particularly those with children in Nash County public schools, are invited to attend two upcoming forums about proposed school attendance zone maps, encompassing elementary, middle and high schools.
Presented by Nash County Public Schools, the two forums are scheduled Monday, April 15, at 6 p.m. at Winstead Avenue Elementary School in Rocky Mount and Wednesday, April 17, at 6 p.m. at Nash Central High School. Both meetings will be held in the respective gymnasiums.

Lindsey-Grace Joyner shows her steer which placed as Grand Champion Market Steer at the annual 4-H Livestock Show and Sale. Contributed photo

ROCKY MOUNT - Three days of farm fellowship, showmanship and competitions came to an end April 3 at the East Carolina Agriculture & Education Center on Kingsboro Road, Rocky Mount, with the annual Eastern Carolina 4-H Livestock Show and Sale.
Ninety-five 4-H youth from Nash, Edgecombe and Halifax counties participated with their steers, lambs, pigs or goats after weeks of feeding, training, grooming and young farmer responsibilities.

NASHVILLE - 'Growing pains' for the town of Nashville mean anticipated needs for more personnel and more programs- and a new property has presented itself that just may have some of the answers. A public hearing is set at 7 p.m., April 16, as part of the Town Council meeting, regarding a purchase contract for 981 Old White Road, former site of the Fellowship Church of Nashville.

NASHVILLE - Following a bumpy committee meeting with unclear discussion on the topic March 25, the Nash County Public Schools Board of Education has voted to hire School Operations Specialists (S.O.S.) of New Bern to review district HR and finance committee "policies, procedures and practices" to "make recommendations as needed."

SPRING HOPE - A change in Spring Hope's town ordinance has made a general ban on discharging firearms within town limits more specific, and therefore more enforceable, by local law enforcement.
The board of commissioners, minus an absent Brent Cone, voted to approve additional conditions to section 14-141 of town ordinance Article 5, Chapter 14 under "Offenses Regarding Weapons," at their regular meeting April 1.

Braswell Family Farms of Nashville provided colorful eggs for the White House Easter Egg Roll for the third consecutive year. Contributed photo

NASHVILLE - A Nash County commodity, eggs from Braswell Family Farms, was front and center in national news for the White House Easter Egg Roll April 1.
"This is the third consecutive year that Braswell Family Farms provided the eggs... on behalf of America's egg farmers and the American Egg Board," said Trey Braswell.
The number keeps increasing. The first year Braswell Farms sent eggs, they sent 18,000. Last year, it was 30,000.

The death of a Nashville infant last week is under investigation, with law enforcement working to determine the events leading up to the tragic incident.
"Out of respect for the family no names are being released nor details surrounding the investigation. We ask that you keep the siblings and family in your prayers during this hard time," said David Boykin, Deputy Police Chief, March 10.

Assistant Director of Nashville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Ashley Hamlett demonstrates the solar eclipse shadow process to Benjamin Whitehead, center, his mother Anna Whitehead, at rear, Mary Hattin Whitehead, far right, and Ginny Whitehead, lower right. With his back to camera is Cairo Caudle.

Teamwork by two Nash County state legislators paid off for the Middlesex Fire Department, who received a new fire truck at the end of March.
Senator Lisa Barnes and Representative Allen Chesser were there when the truck, a 2024 "Pierce Enforce" rolled in on March 22nd. The new truck is equipped with a 1,500 gallon-per-minute pump and a 1,000 gallon water tank, and has an expected life expectancy of 20-25 years.

INCIDENTS
Damage to real property reported at 102 C West Nashville Dr., Nashville on 3/31/24
Possession of drug paraphernalia; possession methamphetamine reported at 479 W. Washington St., Nashville on 4/3/24
Death investigation at 208 Richardson Ct., Nashville on 4/4/24

Damage to personal property reported at 10998 Beaver Dam Rd., Middlesex on 3/31/24
Motor vehicle theft reported at 2449 Eastern Ave., Rocky Mount on 4/3/24
Provide contraband to inmate reported at 2869 US 64A, Nashville on 3/31/24
Larceny misdemeanor reported at 4674 Denton Rd., Middlesex on 4/1/24

NASHVILLE - Online orders are being taken now through April 15 for the annual Nash County Arboretum Plant sale, to be held April 20 at the Nash County Agriculture Center in Nashville from 9 a.m. to noon.
Nash County Extension Master Gardeners, who number 75, have been growing plants at their homes, in their gardens, in greenhouses and dividing plants from the Arboretum itself for weeks, resulting in over 1500 plants for sale. There will also be nursery plants available the day of the sale.

CASTALIA - An accident involving an overturned dump truck carrying asphalt April 4 in Castalia has resulted in a clean-up by a Haz Mat company.
The truck, driven by Johnny Ray Thorne and owned by Battles Trucking, Rocky Mount, had reportedly been doing asphalt work for Barnhill Contracting in the Castalia area when it overturned along a roadbank near 6733 Taylors Gin Road at about 11:30 a.m.

MOMEYER - Town of Momeyer vanity license plate tags, a revived custom since the town incorporated in the 1990s but with history stretching back to the 1950s, are now available for free to town residents who come in showing valid vehicle registrations that verify town taxes paid to Momeyer.
Anyone else who wants one, Council members decided April 8, will have to pay $15, including residents who live in the town's ETJ, or extra-territorial jurisdiction.
The town is on its third 100-unit batch of plates, which previously sold for $4.30, but officials noted that the plates have become collectors' items.

NASHVILLE - Farmers and legislators broke bread together at the 3rd annual Nash County Farm Bureau Legislative Breakfast April 4, achieving the goal of having time to build relationships. Close to fifty attended the event, with keynote speakers Lynda Loveland, Farm Bureau Public Policy Director, and Jay Boyette, Commodities Director.

On April 20, 1999, there was a horrific massacre at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Two angry young men took the lives of 12 students and 1 teacher.
In all the sadness surrounding this awful day, there came forth an amazing story about a young 17 year-old junior named Cassie Bernall.
"Do you believe in God", one of the young gunmen asked. Cassie calmly answered, "I believe in God."

When the second World War ended in 1945, four Japanese soldiers who had been left on the Filipino island of Lubang refused to believe that the war was over. Even though the outside world tried to contact them by dropping leaflets, letters and photographs on the island, they thought that the Allied forces were just trying to trick them.
And so they spent year after year huddling together in the jungle, living on bananas and mangoes.

The youth and children of Red Oak Baptist Church are selling tickets for a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on Saturday, May 4. Dinner will be 5:30 pm - 7:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center and is eat-in only. Meal will include spaghetti, bread, salad, tea or water. Tickets are $10 each and must be presented at the dinner. All proceeds will support the youth and children attending summer missions camps.
A parent/child dedication will be held on Sunday, May 12 at Red Oak Baptist Church during the morning worship at 11 a.m.

Jeanette H. Glasgow to 360 Forest Products, Inc.; 17 acres
Timothy Leonard to Kelly Anne Smith and William Edward Smith; Whitley Crossing, Phase 2, Lot 16; $350,000
Eva Vivas Olea to Feliciano Martinez Urioso and Maria Del Rosario Rivera Ramirez
Melvin Ray Edmondson to Ernestine E. Edmondson; three tracts

Addition, 9942 Beaver Dam Rd., Middlesex; Denise Vliet; $14,000
Detached accessory structure, 6061 Strickland Rd., Bailey; Christopher Martin; $27,000
New single family dwelling, 7750 Michelle Rd., Rocky Mount; D.R. Horton, Inc.; $192,238
New single family dwelling, 7652 Michelle Rd., Rocky Mount; D.R. Horton, Inc.; $192,238

Just one year ago, I wrote about my son hitting 18 and becoming a legal adult.
I remember when I turned that age, it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
Kent dove into 18 headfirst, getting a real-life quasi-government job in his last summer as a "kid." He had to go away for a month for training and boy did he get a rude awakening.

I heard some rumblings this week about something that caused my long-time newspaper instincts to stand at high alert.
We recently reported Nash County is studying the options of expanding the Nash County Senior Center.
The anticipated price tag to expand the senior center and make needed repairs to the Nash Arts Center facility is expected to reach $4 million. From what I understand, the much needed repairs at Nash Arts was estimated to be over $1 million.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on September 13, 1973. Mrs. Rachel Joyner (left) Clerk of Nash County Superior Court, was pictured administering the oath of office to the three-member Jury Commission.