Local News

NASHVILLE - The holidays can be a special time spent with family and friends, but for 33 Nash County children looking placement in foster homes, that kind of security is still lacking.
"Since COVID, the community has been hesitant to participate in the foster program in Nash County," said Jeffrey Wilson, Social Work Program Administrator at Nash County Social Services.

SPRING HOPE - The Spring Hope Downtown Development Board, now down to five members after the election of its chairman, Pam Brantley, and Steve Brumfield as town commissioners, could potentially be cut to four should a pending DDB ordinance be adopted that includes attendance requirements.
The board of commissioners took no formal action after reviewing a DDB resolution at their Jan. 5 meeting, agreeing to send the three-page document to the DDB to review at their upcoming Jan. 19 meeting.

MOMEYER - A long-running project to create a town seal for Momeyer is close to completion, with a seal design approved along with the planned creation of promotional items okayed via budget amendment.
The town council approved the design, which features a train with a farmer and mule in the background, at their Jan. 12 meeting. There was one tweak, however: the design showed the date for the town's establishment as 1900, and council members said that had to be changed to the more accurate 1906.

Sarah Hinton of Nashville wins $500 from the Nashville Chamber of Commerce "It Pays to SHOP LOCAL" contest. Presenting the contest winnings is Nashville Chamber of Commerce President Cliff Joyner. The chamber hosts the contest each year to encourage shoppers to support local businesses. Shoppers submit receipts to the chamber when shopping with chamber members.

NASHVILLE - The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) has selected Erica Puente, a fifth-grade teacher at Bailey Elementary School, as a finalist for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.
Puente, who also serves as Nash County Public Schools' Beginning Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year, is one of a select group of educators from across North Carolina chosen for this prestigious honor.

January is not a great month for a lot of Americans. Ultimately, the excesses of Christmas catch up with all of us, especially those of us who "charged" our way into the hearts of others by using credit cards instead of paying cash for those gifts. It's payback time!
According to USA Facts, the average American spent $1,766 on Christmas in 2024. That adds up to $600 BILLION DOLLARS! I don't know about you, but I finally finished above average in something, although I probably shouldn't be very proud of it.

The last few weeks have been spent presenting non-biblical sources that speak to one or more of the three minimal bedrock facts concerning what happened to Jesus after His crucifixion. We spent a lot of time looking at the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus and the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Both historians wrote in the mid-first century, and both wrote about Jesus. But there is more to mention. Lucian of Samosata is another non-Christian source that provides independent testimony to the fact that Jesus was a real person and that He died by crucifixion.

In an age marked by constant motion--endless notifications, shifting expectations, and the pressure to produce more and rest less--the ancient Christian invitation to "abide in Christ" feels almost countercultural. Yet for many believers, this simple phrase from John 15 remains one of the most profound descriptions of what it means to live a life rooted in faith rather than frenzy.
At its core, abiding in Christ is not about achieving spiritual perfection or performing religious tasks.

LifeWise Academy began on Monday, Jan. 12 in Red Oak! Approximately 80 Red Oak Elementary students were enrolled with parental permission to participate in LifeWise Academy which is held at Red Oak Baptist Church. This is a release time Bible education ministry that takes place during school hours.
The Baptist Men's breakfast will be Sunday, Jan. 18 at 8:30 a.m.
The youth and children of Red Oak Baptist Church will have a Biscuit Fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 9:15 a.m - 9:45 a.m. Cost is $6 each.

MANCHESTER, NH - Natahja Mayfield of Nashville (27856) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Fall 2025 Dean's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

MANCHESTER, NH- Dominique Jones of Nashville has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU) Fall 2025 President's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

NASHVILLE- Nash County has 426 family cemeteries listed on the website Find-A-Grave- but there are likely to be more, forgotten in woods or overgrown fields. The Nash County, NC GenWeb estimated that about 50% of known cemeteries have not been surveyed. But who regulates cemeteries, and what are the rules for maintenance? And if someone wants to bury 'Uncle Henry' in the backyard- or choose their land as their final resting place- is it legal to do so?
The terms "cemetery" and "graveyard," incidentally, do not refer to the same thing.

NASHVILLE - While cases of flu have skyrocketed across North Carolina, and there has been one flu-related death in Edgecombe county, a new concern- Measles- has surfaced, with five cases diagnosed in the state since late December.
NCDHHS shared information in a Jan. 9 press release that a new case had been diagnosed in Rutherford County, with potential exposure locations at the Mission Hospital Emergency Department waiting room in Asheville Jan. 4; at Constantine's Restaurant in Gastonia and at Christmas Town USA in McAdenville

RALEIGH - A backyard flock in Franklin County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI). The positive sample was identified Jan. 5 by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh.
This is the first confirmed positive in Franklin County and the ninth confirmed positive in North Carolina since Oct. 1. A list of domestic bird cases of HPAI in North Carolina is online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/AvianInfluenza.

SPRING HOPE- The Spring Hope Museum is hosting a special traveling exhibit, "The People of Colonial North Carolina," beginning Jan. 14th and lasting until Feb. 2.
The exhibit, entitled "America 250 NC" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the USA, is on loan from the NC archives Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.