Nash County Commissioners are waiting on information from Nash-Rocky Mount Schools to determine if they can contribute any local funds to pay all school employees a merit-based bonus.
The State of North Carolina is providing the school system with $208,000 to offer merit-based bonuses to state employees. Brian Miller, Chief of Staff for Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, said 123 employees would be eligible for the merit-based bonus under a plan the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education approved, bringing the total bonus to $1,691 per employee.

The Town of Nashville is hoping to begin a music series next year with the help of a grant.
Nashville received a $2,000 grant through the North Carolina Arts Council's Grassroots Arts Grant Program. Nash Arts acts a liaison in administering the grant.
The grant is a 50/50 grant so the town will have to put up another $2,000. Nashville Planning and Development Director Brian Hassell said the match could come from town funds but added that another source could also provide the match.

COPS AND KIDS CHRISTMAS - Willie Scales, 7, shops with Nashville Firefighter, Andy Joyner, at Wal-Mart during the event Friday.

Nashville police officers recently spent some time shopping with local youth as part of the department's annual "Cops and Kids Christmas."
Officers, along with Town of Nashville employees, Nashville Firefighters and officers with the Nash County Sheriff's Office, took 15 youth to Wal-Mart on Friday to shop for Christmas.
This is the second year the department has helped Shannon Scales and her family. Scales has six children and said she is thankful for the program.

Teck Bass speaks during the Nashville Fire Department's Christmas and Centennial Celebration on Saturday.

The motto of Nashville's Fire Department is "to protect lives, property and the environment by providing skillful and cost effective fire and life safety services to customers."
On Saturday, the department officially celebrated 100 years of doing just that.
The department hosted its annual Christmas Celebration, with members being recognized, but also included some time to look back at the past 100 years.

The family of Wilbur Jackson stands with the Tom Downing Award he received posthumously at the Momeyer Ruritan Club's annual Christmas celebration. Pictured holding the award is Wilbur's son, Edward.

A charter member of Momeyer's Ruritan Club was posthumously honored on Monday night with the Tom Downing Award.
Corky Camin, Ruritan National Foundation Trustee and Secretary, and Stuart Parker, a Momeyer Ruritan, presented the award to the family of Wilbur Jackson during the club's annual Christmas celebration.
Jackson was one of 30 charter members of the Momeyer Ruritan Club, which chartered in June 1964.

Nashville Firefighter Chris Sykes (at right) helps Madison Scales, 6, shop for clothes at the annual Cops and Kids Christmas event on Friday. Nashville's Police Department hosts the event each year and invites the fire department, town employees and the Nash County Sheriff's Office to participate.

Andrew Clements of Troop 16 presented his eagle project to Red Oak Commissioners for their approval during the December 5 meeting.
Clements would like to replace the "Welcome to Red Oak" signs that are in a state of disrepair. The cost of the project can vary depending on which design for the signs is chosen. Town Commissioner Barbara Tyre commented, "One thing that I would like to request is that when you are considering the signs to consider a sign that would be as low maintenance as possible." The board unanimously approved the proposed project that must be completed by August 2017.

INCIDENTS
A larceny was reported on 12/12/16 at 303 S First Street
A damage to property (vandalism) was reported on 12/13/16 at 409 E Green Street
An indecent liberties with a minor was reported on 12/13/16 at 803 S First Street

Riley Bissette whispers her list to Santa during a visit to D&J Grocery on Old Carriage Road. The store welcomed visitors from 1-4 p.m. Saturday to sit with Santa. Children received an ornament and candy from Santa.

Found property was reported on 12/11/16 at 4350 S US 301
An assault with a deadly weapon was reported on 12/11/16 at 4757 Redwood Lane
An identity theft was reported on 12/12/16 at 1373 Red Oak Road
A breaking, entering and larceny was reported on 12/12/16 at 3434 Duke Road

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from December 12 through 16.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at Nashville Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at M.B. Hubbard Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at Nash Central Middle School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at Nash Central High School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Rocky Mount Academy announces the 2016-2017 Turner W. Battle Scholarship recipients. The criteria for receiving the Turner W. Battle Scholarship are leadership, scholarship, college potential, and school spirit. Top row: Colby Freeman (9th), Elias Moore (11th), and Paul King (12th). Sitting: Emily Cheston (12th), Julia High (12th), and Anna Scott Wingfield (12th).The recipients are pictured with the three Trustees of the Turner W. Battle Scholarship; Jeffrey Batts, David Warren, and Richard Battle, son of Turner W. Battle.

Happy Holidays to you and your family, including your pets. Holidays are stressful times, but if you feel like your family needs a little love, please don't forget the Shelter pets. Buying a pet just encourages breeders to breed more. What happens to the ones they don't sell and they get past the cute puppy stage? They end up in the Shelter or worse. Sometimes given away free, which can be dangerous. Too many people use free pets for bad means. Such as bait pets.

Since 2007, College Foundation, Inc. (CFI) has awarded ten Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarships per year to encourage North Carolina seventh grade students with high potential to aspire to a college education. The scholarship is named in honor of the chairman of the CFI Board of Trustees who served for 30 years and left a strong legacy of service to North Carolina.

Nash Community College is moving forward with construction projects thanks to funding from the $2 billion Connect NC bond which North Carolina voters supported during the March 2016 primary election.
"Site work and grading have begun for the two new buildings and construction is estimated to begin in June 2017," Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer Adrienne Covington said.

Tuesday, January 3 from 3 until 7 p.m. at the Harrison Family YMCA, 1000 Independence Drive, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, January 3 from 2 until 6:30 p.m. at the Rocky Mount Shrine Club, 320 Airport Road, Rocky Mount
Wednesday, January 4 from 3 until 7 p.m. at the Gold Valley Church of God of Prophecy, 1740 S NC 231, Middlesex
Monday, January 9 from 3 until 7 p.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 305 South Halifax Road, Rocky Mount

Merry Christmas to my Nashville neighbors and surrounding friends from distant counties (and even distant states)! Nashville is such a special time during the month of December, or as Christians call it, the time of Advent. From the Hanging of the Greens services at different churches to the Downtown Christmas Parade where the children put on a show and we light the tree - I find the Original Nashville to be an incredibly special place to be as we await the Christmas season and for that, I am thankful to God above.

The excitement of the Christmas season was felt by the Peachtree Folks as they gathered for worship on Sunday morning. The weather was mild and beautiful.
The sermon for the children by Beverly Wilson was about the ornaments on the Chrismon tree that were crosses. These had been used throughout the ages to symbolize Christ. Early Christians, who had to hide their faith from the authorities, might use them to let other Christians know of their faith.

Dorothy, Audrey, and Suzy had a great time celebrating Christmas with family in Zebulon on Sunday, December 11. They enjoyed visiting with relatives and having a delicious lunch together.
The Adult II Sunday School Class of Red Oak Baptist Church had a party for Tonia Taylor at South Village in honor of her birthday.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at J.W. Parker Middle School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the first semester of the 2015-2016 School Year.
The following students at G.R. Edwards Middle School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Many people dive headlong into Christmas somewhere around the week before Halloween, and put their trees up and decorate before temperatures in this area have broken 75.
These are the people who ask me if I'm "ready for Christmas yet" before I've even had the chance to consider the damage I'll do at the Thanksgiving Day table. They've finished shopping and hope to have everything wrapped before December 1, around the time I'm starting to get serious about thinking about doing some thinking about getting serious about Christmas.

There's just a few more days until Christmas and if you're reading this, it must mean you have some free time because you have accomplished all of your Christmas "to do" list.
For some of us, it means we have just a few more days before that "Elf on a Shelf" character can go back to the North Pole.
I'm not sure where this elf idea came from or even how long it's been around but for the past two years, I've been hearing about it and thinking what a cool thing it was....for other kids.

Dear editor,
The Pastor and members of the Sandy Fork Missionary Baptist Church, Nash County, would like to thank Barnes Farming / Farm Pak for their support and help to get an additional entrance way into the Sandy Fork Church Cemetery. Mr. Johnny Barnes said he will continue to help maintain the front road ditch area. Barnes Farming has been an asset to this community by keeping their surrounding farming area looking good.

Dear editor,
Last Wednesday, when the Republican leadership of the NC General Assembly launched a surprise special session, my office that night began receiving email protests from citizens across the state. Within 48 hours, more than 2,500 emails had poured in, dozens of protesters had been arrested inside the Legislative Building, and hundreds had chanted through the halls against the appalling attempts by the GOP to limit the powers of Governor-elect Roy Cooper.

Dear editor,
Since President-elect Trump's election there have been numerous articles, letters and opinions published outlining the prognostications of writers about what the policies of a Trump administration will look like!
Writers were publishing articles, letters and opinions predicting what a President-elect Obama administration's policies would look like.

SANTA CLAUS -- This photo is from the December 22, 1977 Nashville Graphic archives. Santa visited Nashville youngsters to hear their Christmas wishes and distribute candy. The event was sponsored by the Nashville Firemen, Jaycees and Chamber of Commerce.

Nash Central sophomore guard Kayla Mitchell

ROCKY MOUNT -- By anyone's estimation, Nash Central's Robbi Allen is one of the most talented and valuable girls basketball players in the Big East Conference.
So when Allen went down early in the season -- for the second time in three years -- with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, it was easy to assess the potential consequences Allen's absence would have for the Lady Bulldogs.

SINCERE-LY SPECIAL. Sincere Battle is off to an exceptional start this season for the Red Oak Middle School boys basketball squad.

NASHVILLE -- Heading into the holiday break, Red Oak Middle School's boys basketball team is undefeated -- and relatively unchallenged -- in Tri-County Conference action.
One day after their closest win of the year at Southern Nash, Red Oak was back on the hardwood last Thursday on the road against backyard rival Nash Central.

JUST OUT OF REACH. Northern Nash's Raymond Bullock (right) tries to come up with a loose ball during last Thursday's victory over Nash Central at the Nash County Christmas Tournament.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Everything was in place for an energetic, high-intensity close in the boys championship game of the annual Nash County Christmas Basketball Tournament.
Two teams -- Nash Central and Northern Nash -- that like to get up and down the court in entertaining fashion.
A rematch between last year's finale, which was claimed by Northern Nash.

Red Oak Middle's Ky'Lise Clark

NASHVILLE -- Nash Central Middle and Red Oak have played their share of girls basketball thrillers in recent years -- and you can add last Thursday's meeting at the NCMS Gymnasium to that list.
The outcome of the game wasn't decided until the final horn as Nash Central, trailing most of the way, rallied in the closing minutes to secure a 17-16 triumph over the Lady Tigers in Tri-County Conference hoops action.

CHAPEL HILL -- Wells Fargo, along with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, has announced the final standings in the Wells Fargo Conference Cup competitions for the 2016 fall sports season.
The Wells Fargo Cup award, sponsored by Wells Fargo and the NCHSAA, recognizes the schools that achieve the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state's four competitive classifications.

CHAPEL HILL -- Here are the results from last weekend's North Carolina High School Athletic Association state championship football games.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The Big East Conference held its latest league swim meet last Wednesday, and with a familiar result.
Wilson Fike's girls and Wilson Hunt's boys continued their respective conference dominance this season during action at the Harrison Family YMCA Pool in Rocky Mount.
The Fike girls delivered 154.5 points to outdistance second-place Rocky Mount, which closed with 112 markers.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Both North Carolina Wesleyan College basketball teams were in action last Wednesday night.
The Bishop men won their fifth straight with a 93-73 victory at Columbia International, while Wesleyan's women suffered at 91-49 setback at Christopher Newport.
On the men's side at CIU (3-9), the Bishops used a 16-2 run midway the first half to turn a 13-13 tie into a 14-point advantage.
NCWC took an eventual 53-35 lead into the break and shot over 50 percent from the floor on the night to secure the 20-point win.

Northern Nash's Ashlee Brackett drives for the Lady Knights during last Thursday night's girls finale of the annual Nash County Christmas Basketball Tournament.

Members of the Nash Central High School girls basketball team pose after winning the Nash County Christmas Tournament last Thursday at home.

Nash Central Middle School's Emma Midkiff (left) heads toward the basket as part of last Thursday afternoon's home basketball decision over the Red Oak Lady Tigers.

Nash Central High School's Carisha Leonard pulls down a rebound during last Thursday's victory over Northern Nash in the title game of the Nash County Christmas Tournament.

Nash Central's Michaela Nelms (with ball) was sharp for the Lady Bulldogs during last Thursday's title victory over Northern Nash at the Nash County Christmas Tournament.

Dear Santa,
I want kinetic sand, Doc McStuffins bill Finding Dory movie, chewing gum, diapers for my baby doll, Hachable and that is all.
Maggie

Show business has never seen a group quite like The Coasters who occupy a special niche in the music field. And the Tar River Orchestra and Chorus League is excited to announce they will be hosting The Coasters live in Rocky Mount on Friday, February 10, 2017 at Nash Community College's Brown Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $60 per person and include heavy hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. Order tickets online at tarriverlive.com or reserve seats and tables by calling 252-200-4157.