FRONT PAGE

Despite a "no" from the Planning Board, Castalia's Board of Commissioners gave a local developer the green light last Tuesday night, unanimously approving a rezoning of the vacant Family Dollar building on Main Street.
The unanimous vote transitions the property from retail (B-1) to light industrial (L-1). While the move technically raises the floor for what can be built on the site, board members argued that the town's permit process provides enough oversight to block businesses--like vape shops or gaming halls--that wouldn't benefit the community.

NASHVILLE - A decided lack of trust on the part of some members of the public permeated a recent public hearing on a rezoning application to turn a house into office space. Nearby residents were vocal at both the March 3rd council meeting and an earlier planning board meeting, stating that they are afraid the developer is going to try for apartment complexes.
In the end, the application was withdrawn in favor of submitting a new one asking for conditional rezoning.

BAILEY - Under warm sunshine at the edge of a field that sits atop one of the highest geographical points of Nash County, a community of stakeholders participated March 5th in groundbreaking for the new Southern Nash Middle School.
Among those participating in the 11 a.m. event were five sixth-graders at the current SNMS, who will walk the halls of the new school when they become 8th-graders.

SPRING HOPE - In order to combat the problem of people erecting cemetery stones across plot lines, town officials are considering issuing permits to ensure correct placement.
Clinton Hedgepeth, cemetary contractor, said at the March 3 board of commissioners' meeting that there was a problem at both Meeks and Oak Dale cemeteries with incorrect stone placement.

NASHVILLE - A man who affected generations of young people in Nashville has been recognized with an official proclamation from the town.
The late Bobby Thomas ("Coach B.T.") Dunn, who passed away Dec. 23, 2025, was recognized and celebrated at the start of the March 3 town council meeting.
Members of Dunn's family- his wife, Hattie Ghrael, son Bobby Dunn Jr., and niece Angela Pompey stood front and center with Larry Taylor, councilman, as Taylor presented them with a framed copy of the proclamation as it was read by Brenda Brown, Mayor.

Newspaper man, college professor, voracious reader, detective of history, wicked humorist and writer: Michael Brantley, Graphic Soapbox columnist, could also be described as a Renaissance man with many talents and areas of knowledge. His latest achievement, though, is the publication of a fifth book, a nonfiction, about an 1800s-era North Carolinian whose exploits "come off the page like an action movie," Brantley said.
The book title names its subject: Captain Otway Burns: Privateer, Legislator, and Naval Hero of the War of 1812 .

NASHVILLE - An organizational meeting for Nashville's 'America 250' plans attracted a small group with lots of ideas, but town officials are hoping for a greater turnout at the next community planning meeting planned March 19.
Lou Bennett, town clerk and town liaison for the as-yet-unformed committee, presented a power point March 4th in the council chambers at Cooley Library that provided an overview of the volunteer-driven event and why Nashville should celebrate.

The registration deadline for the annual Down East Senior Games, which officially closed March 10th, has been extended through this weekend, but participants will have to register online.
The Down East Senior Games, one of 54 local games sanctioned by North Carolina Senior Games, are open to residents 50 years of age and older from Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax, Wilson, and Northampton Counties.