The Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education held a public hearing on Monday to allow the public to share their thoughts on qualities they'd like to see in the new leader of the school system.
The 5 p.m. meeting only brought around 30 to the meeting and only eight spoke.
Board Chairwoman Evelyn Bulluck said the meeting was for the public and the board would not be responding during the forum.

Nash County residents will start their Halloween celebrations early this year, as the Third annual Monster Dash for United Way kicks off Saturday morning.
The 5K run will begin at 9 a.m. and the one-mile fun run will follow at 10 a.m.
The Nashville Parks and Recreation Department will once again host its Haunted Walking Trail on Saturday, October 31 at Glover Park.
Area businesses, organizations and churches will be set up along the park's walking trail giving out candy to area youth.

SWEET POTATO -- Raven Whitaker, 8, of Rocky Mount, picks a sweet potato on Saturday during the annual Yam Jam event, which brings out volunteers to pick sweet potatoes which are then given to the Food Bank.

Over 200,000 pounds of Nash County sweet potatoes were donated to the Food Bank on Saturday, as part of the annual Yam Jam.
The event was held just outside of Nashville on one of Richard Tyson's sweet potato farms on Highway 58 Saturday morning, with over 100 volunteers coming out to pick a majority of the 200,000 pounds.
Milton Fields, a member of the Christian Men's Fellowship of First Christian Church Disciples of Christ, the organization who heads up Yam Jam, said the event has been going on for 18 years though it first started in Old Sparta.

A committee put together to review Nash County's Human Resources Policy Manual presented changes to the Board of Commissioners on Friday during a recessed meeting.
The new policy manual is being revamped after 20 years of updates and amendments, said Stacie Shatzer, Nash County Aging Services Director who also chaired the policy study committee.

This year's fall festival at Nashville Elementary School will be a bit different than in year's past.
There will be the same games, food and other fun activities traditionally found at the event but this year, the festival will be for a purpose; to raise money for a brand new playground.
Ana Joyner, a member of the school's Parent Teacher Association, said this will be the first year the festival has raised money.

VOLUNTEERS -- Maecie and Vickie Corbett, of Spring Hope, carry sod to be placed in the yard of Sgt. Michael Beck\'s new home on Elmwood Road in the Oak Level Community.

Every week, Michael Beck visits 3377 Elmwood Road in the Oak Level community to check the progress on his family's new home.
This past weekend, significant progress was made, as dozens of volunteers came out to help landscape the home.
In just over a month, Homes for Our Troops will turn over the keys to Beck and his family.
Beck was serving in the United States Army as a Sergeant when he was wounded in 2008 while deployed in Iraq. Beck spent four years undergoing over 100 surgeries, rehabilitation and other treatment before finally being sent back home to Rocky Mount in 2012. But, Beck lost both his legs.

Willard Inscoe just celebrated a birthday milestone but said he's holding out for an even bigger one.
"He invited us to his 200th birthday," Anthony Gagnon said his grandfather told everyone at his 100th birthday party.
Inscoe turned 100 years old on October 20 and celebrated with around 100 friends and family at a party held at Rock Creek Baptist Church in Nashville.
Inscoe said 100 isn't that big of a deal.

Early voting for municipal elections for Bailey, Middlesex, Nashville, Red Oak and Spring Hope will end Saturday, October 31. Those wanting to participate in early voting can do so at the Nash County Board of Elections Office at 1006 Eastern Avenue in Nashville. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The office will also open on Saturday, October 31 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. for early voting.
Municipal elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3.

HERE\'S YOUR SIGN! -- Nash Central High School students stand in line with signs displaying their faith and encouraging others to make commitments in their faith during the Fields of Faith event recently.

Local youth joined together on the football field at Nash Central High School recently to share their faith and encourage others to make commitments in their faith.
The Fields of Faith event was one of over 500 held across the nation. The event is a student-to-student ministry and included music from "Exodus" of Liberty University as well as a testimony from former NFL Football Player Jason Brown. Students also shared their testimony during the event.
Jordan O'Leary, a freshman at Nash Central High School, publicly shared her testimony with fellow students and how she had changed in her faith over the years.

A vehicle stop near Middlesex led to the discovery of drugs last Thursday night and the arrest of a 36-year-old woman.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division conducted the stop on 264A near Middlesex around 11 p.m. on Thursday, October 22.
The driver, Amanda Gail Dille, of Driver Road, Zebulon, was on probation for two counts of school attendance violations.
A search of Dille's vehicle was conducted and 2.5 grams of heroin, marijuana residue, a marijuana smoking pope and a cut straw were located and seized.

The Nash County Sheriff's Office arrested a Rocky Mount business owner after discovering marijuana plants at his business.
The Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division arrested Edward Scott Bass, of 7247 Hunter Hill Road, Rocky Mount, on Monday, October 19 for manufacturing marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
An investigation revealed that Bass was allegedly growing marijuana plants behind the family business.

INCIDENTS
A failure to stop at the scene of an accident and safe movement violation was reported on 10/19/15 at 128 Arrowood Drive
A possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and driving while impaired was reported on 10/19/15 at 367 W Washington Street
A larceny (shoplifting) was reported on 10/22/15 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue

A manufacturing marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia was reported on 10/19/15 at 1300 S Wesleyan Boulevard
A stolen truck key was reported on 10/19/15 at 4230 Green Hills Road
A felony larceny was reported on 10/19/15 at 4572 Annie Leigh Lane
A breaking, entering and larceny, damage to a coin machine and injury to real property were reported on 10/20/15 at 4883 S Highway 58

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from October 19 through 23.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International's Mu Chapter of Rocky Mount has awarded a scholarship to Malinda Pennington to help her pursue her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Malinda is studying in the area of Special Education at NC State University. Her interests include the development of effective undergraduate teacher education programs so that general and special educators are prepared to meet the needs of students with autism.

Elijah Luper Jr. and Kathi Luper, of Nashville, announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Lynn Luper, of Nashville, to Thomas Pendleton Boddie, of Nashville. He is the son of William Lewis Boddie, Sr. and Kim Boddie, of Nashville. A December 12, 2015 wedding is planned at Rose Hill Plantation.

Monday,, November 2 from 2:30 until 7 p.m. at Lakeside Baptist Church, 1501 Sunset Avenue, Rocky Mount
Monday,, November 2 from 3 until 7 p.m. at the Spaulding Family Resource Center, 615 South Pine Street, Spring Hope
Tuesday, November 3 from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Honeywell Corporation, 3475 Wesleyan Boulevard, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, November 3 from 3 until 7 p.m. at Stony Hill FWB Church, 9649 Stony Hill Church Road, Middlesex

Yvonne Brown spreads mulch last week as part of a project Lowe's employees did for Nashville Elementary School through their Lowe's Heroes program.

The grounds of Nashville Elementary School got a face lift last Tuesday, as Lowe's employees spent the entire day at the school doing multiple projects.
The projects were a part of Lowe's Heroes, a program that encourages employees to team together, adopt a volunteer project with a local non-profit or public school and make a difference.
Employees spent the day doing various landscaping projects, beautifying walkways and painting, said Rocky Mount Lowe's Manager Eliot Smith.

Nashville United Methodist Church is offering a healing service for the community on Sunday night, November 1.
Pastor Ralph Brown, Senior Pastor of the church, said the service is the second one the church has done.
"It's something done in response to a perceived need," he said.
Brown said the first service was done at the spur of the moment, after he was led to do it. He said it was well received and he felt God leading him to do another one.

Three UDC Bethel Heroes chapter 636 members were winners in the Braswell Memorial Library Summer History/Genealogy Reading Program. Pictured (L-R), Edith Whitby was the winner of a year's subscription to Newspapers.com, Helen Sharpe was a winner of a year's subscription to Fold 3 and Margie Parker Brantley a winner of the Family Tree Maker Software. Presentations were made by Traci Thompson, History/ Genealogy Librarian, who is also a member of Bethel Heroes Chapter 636.

It's coming soon. The unofficial official start to the holiday season here in America. The time of year where businesses start to breathe a sigh of relief as the number one and number two money making holidays are coming within two months of each other; Christmas and Halloween.
It's curious that these two are hands down the biggest money makers in our economy. One celebrates the fact that the Word has become flesh and dwelt among. The other celebrates...umm...ghosts....satan...darkness...pumpkins...candy? Wait, what is Halloween all about?

The Red Oak United Methodist Church celebrated their 197th Homecoming on Sunday, October 18! Following the worship service everyone gathered in the Red Oak Community Building for a delicious meal.
Get your tickets now for the Fall Stew Sale on Saturday, October 31 at Red Oak United Methodist Church! The stew is sure to sell out so contact any church member or call the church office at 937-9300 to get your tickets. Each ticket is $7 and is for 1 quart of stew.

I feel everyone has really enjoyed the beautiful weather we have been having in this area lately. The sunny days have really made us all feel better. As I am writing this, Elizabeth Garner is predicting rain in the next few days. Let us remember God has not promised "Skys always blue." We really need the rain as well as the sunshine. At the time we need to thank God for each day of our life. We always need to say prayers for areas that are having floods and hurricanes such as Mexico and Texas. The weather here was really appreciated by those who attended the State Fair this year.

Have you ever been lost? I mean really, really lost. Have you ever felt like you were in this big world all by yourself? Your world changed in a blink of an eye or should I say with a last breath. It's not a good feeling and if you feel this way now, please listen to what I have to say. It's been 6 years since my world changed never to be the same again. They were hard, miserable and painful years, but I survived and I am here to tell anyone that is feeling that way now, that there is hope and happiness for you too.

The boards of advisors of the Futrell-Mauldin Community Foundation for Greater Rocky Mount and the Edgecombe Charitable Foundation recently announced a total contribution of $89,590 in local grants.
This year's nonprofit recipients from the Futrell-Mauldin Community Foundation community grantmaking fund include:

On Saturday, September 26th, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ®, Chi Omega Chapter of Rocky Mount kicked off their ASCEND program. The ASCEND Program focuses on the following key areas: Achievement, Self-Awareness, Communication, Engagement, Networking and Developmental Skills. This signature youth enrichment program is designed to motivate, engage, and assist high school students in reaching their full potential and to support their journey to college and other post-secondary opportunities.

TWIN COUNTIES -- Twin County Community Pride, Inc. is pleased to announce the 2015 Inductees to the Twin County Hall of Fame.
This year's class of nine includes an attorney-writer, a banker, a building contractor, a Congressman, entrepreneurs, two doctors/clinic & hospital founders, an educator and two pioneer librarians.
Extensive community service is a trait they share.

TWIN COUNTIES -- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2016 Governor's Volunteer Service Award for Nash and Edgecombe Counties.
The awards program, created by the Office of the Governor in 1979, recognizes North Carolina's most dedicated volunteers.
Through the years, the award has been bestowed on thousands of North Carolinians who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors by volunteering in their local community.

With Halloween approaching, it is a good time to think about scary stories. What's interesting is that it is not just American culture that has folktales and urban legends that have been around so long people view them as true, it occurs in countries all over the world.
Author Jan Brunvand compiled many of these into a collection called "Encyclopedia of Urban Legends." This will be the reference for some well-known and no-so-known stories.

Well October is all but over, which means things are about to get a bit crazy.
The holidays are coming!
If you didn't realize how close the holidays were, apparently you haven't been shopping lately.
I took the boys Halloween window shopping recently and they couldn't decide if they wanted to look at monsters or Christmas trees.

There have been no controversial issues during this local campaign season in Nashville- which usually predicts low voter turnout for Election Day.
Sadly, this is the case in many municipal elections around the nation. When something happens that changes our town or the life we enjoy here, we're quick to speak out and demand action, yet many folks won't take a few minutes out of their schedule on Election Day to vote.
Our lives and communities are directly affected by the decisions made by local town boards. Town council members make decisions as to how our town will grow.

With the exception of Christmas - Halloween is one of children's favorite times of the year. Who could blame them - it's FREE Candy Night. Halloween night is October 31st and the Town of Nashville has some great activities for kids of all ages. First is the "Haunted Walking Trail" at Glover Memorial Park from 5:00 till 6:15. Following this event is the "Movie Night" at Glover Memorial Park starting at 6:15pm - showing "Monsters Inc." The town will recognize Trick or Treaters from 6pm until 8pm in many of the neighborhoods around town. Following are some safety tips for Parents, Drivers, Residents, and Little Ghosts and Goblins!

HALLOWEEN PARTY -- This photo was found in The Graphic's 1977 archives of a local day care Halloween party. Can you spot any familiar faces?

Who doesn't love the mental image of sitting on a porch in a rocking chair on a quiet sunny day, with an old dog at your feet and/or a cat on your lap? Senior pets should be cherished. After living their lives obeying their masters through good times and bad, they have proven their loyalty.
It seems that lately the Shelter has had an influx of senior pets. It breaks our hearts to see them sit in the shelter, confused and scared, with one eye always watching the kennel door for their master to come back.

BREAKING AWAY. Nashville junior varsity running back Javon Macon escapes the Wilson defense during last Saturday's football contest at Wilson Fike.

WILSON -- Nashville's Junior Varsity Hornets couldn't have asked for a better way to close out the 2015 campaign in the Eastern North Carolina Football League.
The JV Hornets have shown plenty of promise this season, but that hadn't translated into a victory until the last two weeks of action.
Nashville picked up a much-needed decision two weeks ago against Tarboro and brought plenty of momentum into last Saturday's finale on the road versus the Wilson Parks and Recreation Department Golden Demons.

JUST OUT OF REACH. Southern Nash Middle School's Daniel Batchelor (left) tries to come up with a pass reception for the Cobras during last Thursday afternoon's road football matchup against the Red Oak Tigers.

RED OAK -- Despite spending the majority of the opening half on Red Oak's side of the field, the territorial advantage hadn't translated to success on the scoreboard for the Southern Nash Middle School Cobras during last Thursday's Tri-County Conference football showdown on the ROMS campus.
Southern squandered several opportunities and found itself trailing the pesky Tigers by eight points at intermission.
The Cobras, however, made the most of their chances during a furious second-half charge that resulted in a 36-14 triumph over Red Oak for Coach Wayne Bryant's club.

RED OAK -- Northern Nash High School will once again host the Class 3-A East Regional Cross Country Championships this Saturday morning.
Action will begin with the boys finals at 10:30 a.m., followed by the girls event at 11:30 a.m.
Northern Nash is the reigning team champion, and NN's Stephen Whitehead hopes to defend his individual crown against a strong field that includes 2013 title holder Jacob Gonzalez from South Johnston.

NASH COUNTY -- Barring an unexpected late change of circumstance, the winner of this Friday's showdown between Southern Nash and Rocky Mount will probably hoist the Big East Conference Football Championship come November.
SN and RM are the lone remaining clubs without a blemish in the Big East heading into their meeting this Friday at Rocky Mount.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the RMHS campus

NASH COUNTY -- Here are the latest scores from the Nash County Parks and Recreation Department's Fall Soccer League:

ON THE LOOKOUT. Nashville's Ty Elam (with ball) eyes a Wilson defender while returning a kickoff during last Saturday's varsity football game at Wilson Fike High School.

WILSON -- A few weeks ago, Nashville Hornets' veteran football coach Jim Glover expressed concern that his varsity club might not be able to score a touchdown in what has been a frustrating rebuilding season.
The Hornets had come close on several occasions, but couldn't punch the ball into the end zone.
That changed last Saturday as Nashville finished off its regular season schedule with a road showdown against the Wilson Parks and Recreation Department's Golden Demons.

RED OAK -- Northern Nash High School will open its 2015-16 boys and girls basketball seasons on Nov. 17 with a road matchup against the East Wake Warriors in Wendell.
NN's first home game will be Nov. 20 against D.H. Conley.

ROCKY MOUNT -- North Carolina Wesleyan College celebrated its 2015 Homecoming last Saturday, and the day was full of notable highlights.
USA South Conference wins by football and women's soccer followed baseball and softball alumni games were secured, while the Department of Athletics' annual Hall of Fame inductions wrapped up the festivities.
The day began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for baseball's new clubhouse adjacent to Bauer Field, which features a locker room, lounge, study area and a variety of artifacts from the college's most storied program.

LOUISBURG -- Nash County has an exceptional tradition of success in cross country on the high school level, but many of those performers didn't advance to compete in college.
For many of those standouts, one of the problems was that there weren't many local options for next-level running.
That changed in 2014 when Jay Koloseus formed the Louisburg College cross country program.

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated Fall Baseball and Softball Scores from the Nash County Parks and Recreation Department:

ELM CITY -- County Line Raceway hosted its End of Season Showdown last Saturday evening.
Results from the event were as follows:

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College women's soccer team won its fourth straight match with a 4-0 shutout of LaGrange on Sunday afternoon at Scalf Field.
Seniors Sarah Olsowski, Nicole Liette, and Vanessa Batchelor from Nash Central High School were honored prior to the match.
Freshman Ericca Lenhardt proceeded to give the Bishops all the offense they would need with a score in the 42nd minute off an assist by Marissa Aguilar.

Stephen Whitehead and the Northern Nash Knights will host the Class 3-A East Regional Cross Country Championships this Saturday at Red Oak Middle School.

Southern Nash's Quinton Cooley (left) prepares to collide with a pair of Red Oak Middle defenders during last Wednesday's Tri-County Conference football showdown.

Several Nashville Hornets try to track down a Wilson runner, including Elijah Person (33) and Omarian Cradell (40) during last Saturday's game at Wilson Fike High School.

Joshua Davis, Jr., dribbles the ball for the Sharks during recent action against the Spartans in the Nash County Parks and Recreation Department's Fall Youth Soccer Season.

Nashville's Steven Joyner (left) prepares for the snap of the ball during last Saturday's road football contest against Wilson Parks and Rec.

The Tar River Orchestra and Chorus will kick off their 30th Anniversary season with a concert called "Autumn In Italia, Two Italian Masters" on November 7 at 7:30 PM at First United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.TarRiverLoveitLive.com, by phone, or at the door. Public and private school teachers will be admitted to the November 7th concert at no charge with school ID and as always, students get in free.