The auditor for the Town of Middlesex assured residents and commissioners that the town has a good system in place following the recent news of a town employee embezzling money.
John Anthony, of Anthony and Tabb, PA, spoke to the board on Monday night, during the board’s regular meeting. Anthony said he wanted to talk to the town and its citizens and ensure them that the town has a good system in place to prevent large embezzlements from happening.

Nashville residents have two more weeks to take part in a transportation survey that could help prioritize several Nashville projects.
At the town board’s meeting earlier this month, Town Manager Preston Mitchell encouraged council members to talk to citizens about participating in the online Rocky Mount Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Transportation Survey.

Nashville’s Town Council will hold a public hearing on July 30th to consider a special use request to allow a school to locate inside an Agricultural (A-1) District.
The property is identified as Rock Creek Baptist Church.
New Life Christian Academy is hoping to house portions of its school at the church facility for a year, said Nashville’s Planning Director Brian Hassell.

Four candidates have filed for seats on the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education.
Filing for the six available seats ends on August 1 at noon.
Jon Hardy, incumbent for the District Two seat, has filed for re-election. In addition, Linwood Weeks, Jr, has filed for the District Two seat. Both Hardy and Weeks are from Rocky Mount. 

Nash Health Care has recently unveiled a new patient portal that allows patients to access health records from hospital files. The new portal opened on July 1, but contains hospital tests and other medical records including the period from January 2013 and following.
The new patient portal can only be accessed with a unique password and certain sensitive records, such as results of pregnancy tests and HIV status will not be available on the portal at all.

World War II Veteran Janice Gravely shared her experiences as a Navy WAVE with guests at the Nash County Senior Center last Wednesday, July 9th during a special “Pursuit of Patriotism” program.  The event began with a medley of patriotic songs, with help from Gravely’s daughters, Jane and Louise. (Above), Gravely, shares a photo of her during service.

A $1.5 million grant will assist Nash County in extending sewer along Highway 97, making the area more attractive for potential industries.
Golden L.E.A.F  awarded Nash County the $1.5 million grant last month for the Highway 97 sewer project. Nash County will contribute up to $1.6 million towards the project. That money will come from economic development funds.

Sara Elizabeth Langston and Phillip Scott Carlisle were united in marriage at 2 p.m., July 12, 2014 at Sunset Avenue Baptist Church. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the church.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Scott Langston. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Audie Elrod and Mrs and Mrs. Joseph Langston, Sr.

Whitney Elizabeth Fink and Aaron Josiah Hartsell were married on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 11 a.m. Rev. Joseph Carter of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, officiated the ceremony.
The outdoor wedding was held at the home of the bride’s mother in Marietta, Pennsylvania on the deck of the home and was decorated with white tulle and chairs for the guests.

The popularity of Summer Night Lights, presented by the City of Rocky Mount’s Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Rocky Mount Police Department, has certainly not waned. The event has become so attractive to teens and their parents that it is continuing for a third year, and this time with organized sports, field days, inflatables, a live DJ, face painting, Bingo and much more.

Rocky Mount Council Member Lamont Wiggins attended the Castalia Town meeting held on Monday, July 1, to present the work of the NC League of Municipalities and to introduce himself as a candidate for the office of District Court Judge in the coming election.
Wiggins first spoke about the benefits offered by the NC League of Municipalities and urged board members to attend upcoming conference to be held in Greensboro in October.

4-H summer camps are continuing this week, with an Art and Drama Camp taking place at the Nash County Agricultural Center and a Cloverbud Horse Camp taking place at Circle J Farm in Nashville. Pictured above (L-R), Nora Stroud and Ivanova Herbert show off their dreamcatchers that they made on Monday morning at art camp.

INCIDENTS
A larceny after breaking and entering and breaking and entering a residential was reported on 7/6/14 at 1118 Sunnyfield Road
A driving while impaired and leaving the scene of an accident were reported on 7/7/14 at Napa Auto Parts Store, 511 W Barnes Street

Khalideo Jackson-Davis

The Board of Directors of the Kitty Powell Scholarship Fund recently presented $3,000 in scholarships to members of the bowling community.
Since 1989, the Kitty Powell Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $70,000 to 114 scholarship recipients to further their education.

Peyton Randolph Black, President of the Terpsichorean Club of Raleigh, recently announced that invitations have been issued to the 88th annual North Carolina Debutante Ball.  The event will be held in Raleigh on September 4th, 5th and 6th.  The formal presentation of young ladies from across the state will highlight the weekend festivities.

The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority recently selected Hailey Askew as a recipient of a $12,000 Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarship.  Askew is a senior at Southern Nash High School and plans to attend North Carolina State University.
Askew is one of 215 students selected to receive a $3,000 scholarship each year for up to four years of study at a participating NC public university or private non-profit college or university.

The University of North Carolina Pembroke awarded Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees on May 9-10, 2014.
 Nash County residents receiving degrees include Christine Laura Jancso, of Nashville with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Birth to kindergarton, Chelsie M. Cooper, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Alexis Kara Cooper, of Rocky Mount, with a Bachelor Arts in Criminal Justice.

NC 4-H Poultry Competition took place last week at North Carolina State University’s Poultry Unit.  Participants came from Edgecombe, Nash and  Franklin county to make up the State winning senior team.  All 4-H’ers involved competed at the 4-H Avian Bowl (quiz bowl) competition in the morning followed by the 4-H Poultry Judging contest in the afternoon.

Mary Jones, Bailey Elementary

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools recently announced three new principals for the 2014-2015 school year during the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education Planning Retreat meeting held June 26 and 27.
John Milliner-Williams, assistant principal at Rocky Mount High School, was named the new principal of Tar River Academy. “I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity and will focus on what I need to do to be successful,” said Milliner-Williams.

Mandy L. Bailey and Carrie W. Morningstar of Nashville Elementary School attended programs held at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a recognized national leader in professional development programming for our state’s teachers.
Increasing teacher effectiveness is fundamental to improving public education. NCCAT provides teachers with new knowledge, skills, teaching methods, best practices and information to take back to their classrooms.

The theme of First Timothy Church of Love’s Vacation Bible School for 2014 was “We are family-God’s family.” Pastor Willie N. Hedgepeth assigned the task of coordinating and presiding over the biblical instruction and activities to Co-Youth Director, Michelle McKnight-Sykes. She was inspired by God of this theme from Matthew 12:48-50. Jesus asks who was family and told us that whoever does the will of God is family.

On Sunday morning Peachtree folks gathered for worship at the church.  Pastor Whitehouse greeted those in attendance.  Sanctuary flowers were given by Beverly Wilson in memory of her father, John Beverley Privette, whose birthday was July10.  Jane May served as pianist, in the absence of Jamie Winslow who was on vacation.

Several ladies from Red Oak Baptist Church participated in the monthly Bible study at Fountain Correctional Center in Rocky Mount on Monday, July 7.  Those attending were Robin Kelly, Karen Girona, Jean Mellor, Hazel Hill, and Marion Faulkner.
The GA’s and RA’s will meet at Red Oak Baptist Church on Wednesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 23 at 6:30 pm.

North Carolina’s egg prices were lower on small and medium, higher on the balance compared to last week. Supplies are moderate for small and medium, light on the balance to meet a good demand. The North Carolina weighted average price quoted Thursday, Jul 10, 2014 for small lot sales of delivered, cartoned, grade “A” eggs was 147.58 for Extra Large, 141.68 for Large, 112.43 for Medium, and 108.00 for Small eggs.

Criminals are often depicted by Hollywood as brilliant masterminds who would probably succeed in legitimate enterprises (okay, many of them do). However, the majority of criminals is, let’s face it, not all that bright.
That’s good news for The Soapbox, as we do like to have a recurring series of columns we call Not All That Bright Criminals. Here we go:

Recently the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 decision, ruled that it’s permissible to open a government meeting with a prayer. I’m sure many will agree that our government (national, state and local agencies) can use all the help they cant get and prayer surely would hurt!
If you’ve ever attended a meeting that was opened with an invocation, you know that sometimes it can be quite refreshing and inspirational.

LADY CHAMPIONS –- This photo was originally published in The Graphic August 20, 1970 of the Red and White softball team winners of the regular season and tournament softball champions.

Last week, the shelter received a very high volume of intakes. The Nash County Animal Friends (NCAF) volunteer staff spent many, many hours photographing and promoting pets.  The shelter regularly receives animals that are in poor condition, riddled with fleas and intestinal parasites. We want to tell you about one of the pets we saw.
A female stray dog arrived at the shelter and was named Shania by the staff.

JUST BEAT IT. Nash County All-Star Miller Jones swipes second base during last Saturday morning’s meeting with Zebulon at the Tar Heel District 12-Under Softball Tournament. The annual event was held at Ennis Park in Red Oak.

RED OAK -- Even in defeat, the Nash County All-Stars displayed plenty of character during last Saturday’s semifinal action at the Tar Heel 12-Under District Softball Tournament at Ennis Park.
Trailing going into the top of the fifth inning of the six-frame showdown, Nash County put together a clutch three-spot to move ahead against the Zebulon All-Stars.

RED OAK -- Ennis Park will be the site of two big events this coming weekend as the Nash County Parks and Recreation Department will host the Statewide Athletics Committee’s 12-Under Sectional Softball and Baseball Tournaments.
In addition to the Nash County club, other softball entrants will be Williamston, Wake Forest, Rolesville and Randolph County.

PEACE OFFERING. Nash County All-Star Bradley Peace (right) beats a tag at second base during his club’s matchup with Zebulon at last Friday’s Tar Heel District 12-Under Baseball Tournament in Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- For the Nash County All-Stars, it wasn’t just about coming in first place at last week’s Tar Heel 12-Under District Baseball Tournament in Franklin County.
The top two clubs from the tourney earned the right to advance to the states later this month in Smithfield -- and Nash County was on the cusp of that distinction before coming up just short.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Nash Central High School will conduct opening-day practices for its fall sports squads on Aug. 1.
Times are as follows:
• Football -- 6-8:30 p.m. (players must report at 5 p.m.)
• Golf -- 4-6 p.m. (for information, contact Randy Davis at 314-6256)

SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT HEROICS. The Nash County All-Stars hosted the Tar Heel 12-Under District Softball Tournament last weekend at Ennis Park in Red Oak. Among the highlights for the All-Stars were (above) Nash County’s Zhaterrica Cherry tries to tag out a Zebulon runner trying to slide into third base.

SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT HEROICS. The Nash County All-Stars hosted the Tar Heel 12-Under District Softball Tournament last weekend at Ennis Park in Red Oak. Among the highlights for the All-Stars were (above) Nash County’s Zhaterrica Johnson prepares to put down a tag.

NASHVILLE -- AIWF/Edge Wrestling will host a card this Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Nashville.
The facility is located at 1030 Eastern Avenue.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12. Kids 5-under will be admitted free of charge.
Bell time is at 7:30 p.m., and tickets will be available at the gate.

NASHVILLE -- Last Thursday’s Nash-Halifax Swim League schedule was called off due to poor weather.
Nash Rec was supposed to host Westridge while Birchwood was scheduled to entertain Roanoke Valley.
There are two more weeks remaining in the NHSL’s regular season slate.
This Thursday, Nash Rec will travel a few hundred yards to tangle with Birchwood, and Westridge will be on the road at Roanoke Valley.

ZEBULON -- Ryan Merritt was one pitch from completing a solid eight innings on Sunday afternoon at Five County Stadium, but Courtney Hawkins launched a three-run homer to propel the Winston-Salem Dash to a 5-4 win over the Carolina Mudcats in a Class A Carolina League baseball event.
The Mudcats (15-10, 44-48) saw their five-game winning streak snapped. The Dash (13-12, 43-51) ended a four-game losing skid in Zebulon.

ELM CITY -- A beautiful sun greeted spectators, drivers, crews and staff last Saturday for the ARCO Restoration Summer Slam.
With 5 full classes of racing ready to go, everyone was excited to get cars on the track.
The first event of the night, the Super Stock 4 Cylinders, lined up outside turn 4 with Hunter Bailey and Bill Winstead on the front row.

RALEIGH -- Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced the roster and schedule for the team’s 2014 Prospects Development Camp, to be held from July 21-26 at PNC Arena.
Fans are welcome to attend the evening on-ice sessions from July 23-25.

ROCKY MOUNT -- On July 8, the Harrison Family YMCA’s CEO, Jacquelyn Price, accepted a one-year grant in the amount of $9,000 through the Vidant Edgecombe Hospital Development Council’s Community Benefits Program.
This grant is to support the Y’s Coach Approach Program for Silver Sneakers.
This program was initiated by the Harrison Family YMCA to help older adults become comfortable with staying healthy and in shape.

KNIGHTDALE -- Taking on some of the top squads in the area, the Nash County All-Stars fared well at last week’s Tar Heel Coach-Pitch District Tournament at Knightdale Community Park in Wake County.
Louisburg would prove to be the chief nemesis for Nash County, which suffered both of its losses against that squad in the double-elimination format.

Nash County All-Star Haley Hiatt delivers a fastball last Saturday morning during district tournament softball action against Zebulon.

Nash County All-Star Elisabeth Collie beats out a grounder at first base during her team’s game with Zebulon last Saturday morning as part of the Tar Heel District Softball Tournament, which was held at Ennis Park in Red Oak.

Nash County All-Star Zach Holland (right) makes it safely into second base during his team’s meeting with Zebulon last Friday evening at the Tar Heel 12-Under District Baseball Tournament on the campus of Louisburg High School.

Nash County’s Hobart Brantley tries to negotiate through two Zebulon fielders en route to making it safely into second base during the clubs’ meeting last Friday evening as part of the Tar Heel 12-Under District Baseball Tournament on the campus of Louisburg High School in Franklin County.

Nash County All-Star Destiny Winstead slides safely into home plate to score a run during her team’s softball contest last Saturday morning against Zebulon in Red Oak.

Janet Rouse Evans, 64, passed away, Saturday, July 12, 2014 in Nash County. She was born May 1, 1950 to the late Herbert and Carolyn Lassiter Rouse.  She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Dennis G. Evans; son, Dennis C. Evans and wife Vanessa; daughter, Melissa E. Parrish and husband Robert; brother, Herbert “Smokey” Rouse and wife Linda; sister, Claudia R. Vick and husband David; three grandchildren.

Bettie Jean Sanders, 64, of Rocky Mount, died on July 7, 2014.  A Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., with the funeral service following the visitation, beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, 2014, in the Rocky Mount location of H.D. Pope Funeral Home. The Interment will take place immediately following the service at Gardens of Gethsemane in Rocky Mount.  Arrangements by H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

Cathlyn Brown, 63, of Greensboro, died on July 6, 2014.  Funeral Services were held at Morning Star Church of Christ in Rocky Mount; Bishop R.T. McCarter officiated. The Interment took place immediately following the service at Gardens of Gethsemane in Rocky Mount.  Arrangements by H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

Cecil “Wayne “Alston, Jr., 53, passed away Friday, July 11, 2014. He was born February 15, 1961 in Nash County. Wayne was preceded in death by his father, Cecil Wayne Alston, Sr.

 Esther McIver, 96, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, died on July 5, 2014. Burial was held on Friday, July 11, 2014 at Jones Family Cemetery in Rocky Mount.  Arrangements by  H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

Eula Pridgen Brantley, 81, of Bailey passed away Sunday, July 13, 2014.  A funeral service was held Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at Joyner’s Funeral Home, Wilson.  A graveside service will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday in Maplewood Cemetery.

Eunice Boose, 55 of Rocky Mount, passed away July 8, 2014. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Elizabeth Baptist Church, 4101 Frazier Road, Middlesex. Interment, Oakland Cemetery, Nashville.

Evelyn Tart Brown, 90, passed away, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. A graveside service was held  Friday, July 11, 2014  at Rocky Mount Memorial Park with Pastor Jerome Mozingo officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations made be made to Cornerstone Funeral Home to assist in final expenses. Arrangements by Cornerstone Funeral Home and Cremations, Nashville.

Iris “Meat Meat” Western Parker, 54, died on Sunday, July 13, 2014.   Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by H.D. Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

Joseph Earl Hunter, 61, of Rocky Mount, died on July 4, 2014.  Funeral Services were held on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2280 Morning Star Church Road in Battleboro. The Interment took place immediately following the service at Gardens of Gethsemane in Rocky Mount  Arrangements by H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

Laura Berneece Smith Spain, 94, passed away, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. A graveside service was held Thursday, July 10, 2014  at Forest Hill Cemetery with Rev. Carlyle Hall officiating. Arrangements by Cornerstone Funeral Home and Cremations, Nashville.

Myrtle Elizabeth Davis Melvin, 89, passed away, Thursday, July 10, 2014. A memorial service was held Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Ridgecrest Worship Center with Pastor Kelly Shope officiating. Arrangements by Cornerstone Funeral Home and Cremations, Nashville.

Raymond Lewis, 67, of Rocky Mount, died on  Friday, July 11, 2014.  Funeral Services were held on Tuesday, July 14, 2014, in the chapel of the Rocky Mount location of H.D. Pope Funeral Home.  Arrangements by H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.