Nashville's Police Department is hosting a training session to educate local citizens and business owners on what to do during an active shooter event.
The department has scheduled its first "Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) class for Tuesday, February 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The training will take place inside council chambers, which is located adjacent to the H.D. Cooley Library.

One-stop early voting for the 2020 Primary Election will begin this week, on Thursday, February 13 and run for just two weeks, until February 29.
Early voting sites will be the Nash County Agriculture Center in Nashville, Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount and the Mt. Pleasant Community Building in Bailey.

GLOVER

Volunteers were honored for their dedication to the mission of 4-H during the annual Nash County 4-H Awards and Recognition Program.
The event was an opportunity to thank all those who volunteer with 4-H in Nash County but singled out those who went above and beyond in 2019.
"This program, much like many others, our 4-H clubs, events and activities cannot take place without volunteers," Nash County Cooperative Extension Director and 4-H Extension Agent Sandy Hall said. "Thank you for all the great work that you do."

Budget talks continued last week for Nashville's Town Council and now it's up to the town's finance director and manager to make the numbers work.
A second budget work session was held last Wednesday afternoon to go over departmental requests and decide which requests could be met and which requests would have to wait.

Middlesex will soon be celebrating its first new business in over 10 years.
Premier Propane and Hardware is currently under construction at 11480 West Finch Avenue and plans to open sometime in the spring.
Nash County Commissioners approved spending economic development funds through the Retail and Small Business Incentive Grant Program to assist the new business in expenses associated with moving a sewer line that ran through the property.

Nashville Elementary School is once again inviting the entire community to participate in a special reading program.
Principal Quintin Mangano came before Nashville's Town Council last Tuesday night with the invitation to participate in the One Book, One School, One Community program.

Castalia Commissioner Brian Hinkle was unanimously voted in as the new Mayor Pro Temp at the February board meeting.
The board also made several monetary decisions during the meeting, some of which will require amending the budget.
The largest expenditure will be for various park improvements. NC Turf Pros has quoted $8,030 to bring the park back to its former appearance.

Plans to potentially bring businesses and development to Spring Hope and surrounding areas in Nash County are underway.
Andrew "Andy" Hagy, Nash County's new Economic Development Director formally introduced himself to the public and board Monday night, highlighting his intentions for the county.

Nashville's Town Council has agreed to give more time for a developer to construct three additional shell buildings in the West Nashville Commerce Park.
The town initially entered into a private-public partnership with Prime 1 Builders, LLC for development in the Cooke Road industrial park in June 2015.
The agreement was for Prime 1 Builders and Leigh Balance to construct four shell buildings on lots on Cooke Road.

INCIDENTS
An obtaining money/property by false pretense was reported on 2/3/20 at 2012 Elderberry Court
A warrant served was reported on 2/4/20

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from February 3 through 7.

Red Oak's town board went into closed session Tuesday night to discuss the possibility of a land purchase.
During the open session the board voted to allow Mayor Levell Langley and Town Clerk Tracy Shearin to enter into negotiations with the town's attorney regarding the property. The location of the land (in Red Oak) remains undisclosed due to the risk of compromising negotiations.

Nash Community College hosted a science fair on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 for homeschool seventh-graders from the Rocky Mount and Dortches Classical Conversations ​communities. Natural Sciences faculty Dr. David Beamer, Christine Ricci, Rebecca Williams, Tammy Glover and Jarret Devine served as judges.
"This is a great opportunity for young scholars to get involved in scientific research and to visit our campus," NCC Natural Sciences department chair June Kearney said.

The O.D. Moore Scholarship Foundation will host the fourth annual Gospel Jubilee Fundraiser on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at the O.D. Moore Building in Nashville.
Enjoy a spaghetti dinner while listening to your favorite gospel singers.

The Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation was held December 8-10th at the Sheraton Four Seasons and Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at MB Hubbard Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Bailey Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Gretchen Alvey-Ramirez of Rocky Mount has earned a Bachelor of Science, Health Information Management degree from Western Governors University (WGU). The online, nonprofit university has graduated over 167,000 students from across the country since its inception in 1997.
WGU has recognized 5,617 undergraduate and 4,302 graduate degree recipients, who have completed their degrees since October 2, 2019.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Red Oak Middle School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

The North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office, with the Friday Institute at NC State University, is conducting a five-minute survey to gather data on internet connectivity from North Carolina farmers. The survey was developed in part from information gathered during NC Farm Bureau Federation listening sessions conducted with local farmers and agriculture partners.

The West Mount Fire Department presented its first "Chiefs Award" to J. Wayne Outlaw, Nash County Commissioner (far left). The award was presented by West Mount Chief Johnny Barnes (far right).

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Cedar Grove Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at CITI High School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

North Carolina's egg prices were higher on all sizes when compared to last week. Supplies of extra large and large were light, medium moderate to meet a moderate demand. The North Carolina weighted average price quoted Thursday, February 06, for small lot sales of delivered, cartoned, grade "A" eggs was 128.02 for Extra Large, 127.61 for Large, 97.65 for Medium, and 70.00 for Small eggs.

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
No one was more prepared to speak on the subject of vanity than Solomon. He lived a life chasing all the traps that his money could set for him. After he finally learned that it would get him nowhere, he wrote a book about it and called it Ecclesiastes.

February Greetings fellow followers! For today let's talk about the future and, more specifically, your future.
One of the first characteristics we learn about the serpent in the Bible is that he is a "deceiver" (Genesis 3:13). All satan needs to do is deceive us - cause us to think something true that is really false and something false that is actually true.

Red Oak Baptist Church is offering a Parents Night Out on Friday, February 14. Child care will be provided from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm in the Family Life Center. They will have a sign in/sign out sheet for children as well as an information form to be filled out by the parents. Form will include allergy information, emergency contacts, and concerns.

USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages agricultural producers to enroll now in the Agriculture Risk Loss (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. March 15, 2020 is the enrollment deadline for the 2019 crop year.
Although more than 200,000 producers have enrolled to date, FSA anticipates 1.5 million producers will enroll for ARC and PLC. By enrolling soon, producers can beat the rush as the deadline nears.

Peachtree members, family, and friends met Sunday to praise our Lord for the protection He gave us during this terrible storm. We know there were some homes, buildings, a lot of trees, and wires that were damaged. But God guarded our lives. He loves us so much that He was right there with us all the time. We are truly blessed.

Have you ever run from the will of God for your life, thinking, "I could never do that"?
That's what Jonah did. God told him to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. But instead, Jonah went in the opposite direction. He made his way to the seaport of Joppa and boarded a boat headed for Tarshish.

This past week at Cooper's Elementary School, students and staff celebrated the 100th day of school for the 2019-2020 year. Ms. Joyner in the computer lab wore a shirt with 100 computer keys attached. There were also shirts and pants in the school with the number 100 represented in buttons, popcorn, wiggly eyes, sequins, pompom balls, numbers, emoticons, band-aids, gray hairs, bubble gum, play money, smartees, bubble wrap, words and more. What fun!

Cheryl Glover was named the 2019 4-H Volunteer of the Year. The award is presented in honor of Joseph Enroughty and memory of Peggy Enroughty and given by Susan Enroughty-Whitley, Cullin Whitley, Payton Whitley and Scott Enroughty. Pictured (L-R) is Cullin Whitley, Payton Whitley, Susan Whitley and Cheryl Glover.

The Feathers and Fur 4-H Club received the Club Citizenship Award. Pictured (L-R) is club leader Brenda Wind, Corbin Clark, Devin Clark, Lucy McGhee,Tucker Vandemark, Liana Vandemark, Seth LaHay and club leader Molly LaHay.

Club members received special recognition, along with a gift, for their service to Nash County 4-H.

I suppose a sign of getting old is when you start noticing a change in how you view things.
For example, I saw a commercial during the Super Bowl where a couple had a bunch of people over to their house to watch The Big Game.
They brought food and drinks. At one point, a guest shows up at the door with bags of chicken sandwiches, which are piled up on a dining room table.

Basketball.
It's my all-time favorite sport and having three boys, I've been patiently waiting for the day one of my boys expressed an interest in the sport.
My husband really isn't a sports person so I've been dreaming of the day I could take in a Carolina game with my kid. That day still hasn't come (my kids can't sit still that long) but my oldest son is finally taking an interest in basketball.

These photos were found in The Nashivlle Graphic's 1970 archives labeled "The Blue Flames."

RED OAK -- Last Wednesday was a bittersweet day for coaches, students and fans at Northern Nash High School as four members of the Knights football program formally committed to play collegiate football on the opening day of the second legal signing period.
Brian Hopkins Jr., Austin Curtis, Michael Bunn, and Chris Reynolds each announced their college choices in front of their families, friends and coaches inside the library at Northern Nash, with each athlete picking an institution different from their teammates.

DRIVING FORCE. Red Oak's MyKal Williams drives for a basket during Monday's championship game victory against Parker at the ROMS Gymmasium.

RED OAK -- Teams often reflect the demeanor of their coach, especially during pressure-packed, challenging times.
Which was exactly why Red Oak Middle School boys basketball skipper Kristian Cox was refraining from displaying too much emotion during Monday's championship game versus rival Parker Middle in the Tri-County Conference Tournament at the ROMS Gymnasium.

LOOKING FOR OPTIONS. Nash Central High School's Mallory Roughton tries to find an open teammate last Friday versus Wilson Beddingfield.

ROCKY MOUNT -- 'The Bubble' is not a place teams like to find themselves positioned late in the season, but that's exactly where the Nash Central Lady Bulldogs are heading into the closing stretch of the 2019-20 girls basketball campaign.
The latest expert projection has the Lady Bulldogs as the 32nd and final seed out of the East Region for the Class 2-A State Playoffs.

A.J. TO THE RESCUE. Southern Nash's A.J. Jones scores in the paint for the Firebirds during last Wednesday evening's non-conference road rivalry victory against the Bunn Wildcats in Franklin County.

BUNN -- Given Southern Nash's unexpected, near-miss struggles in the Big East Conference this season, it was almost a relief when the Firebirds stepped out of league play last Wednesday for a backyard rivalry matchup against the Bunn Wildcats. The clubs were supposed to play back in early-December, but the game was postponed due to Southern Nash's deep run in the Class 3-A State Football Playoffs.

NCHS' ISAIAH MILLER

ROCKY MOUNT -- Nash Central High School will need to make a positive late push if the Bulldogs hope to earn a spot in the upcoming Class 2-A Boys Basketball State Playoffs.
The Bulldogs, coached by veteran skipper Renny Taylor, are currently ranked just out of the postseason picture by expert, unofficial projections.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College baseball team split their doubleheader with Eastern Mennonite University (Va.) during opening weekend on Sunday on the NCWC campus in Rocky Mount.
Wesleyan won game one 3-1 before dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker in game two.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College men's basketball team used consistent shooting throughout the game and senior Cameron Martin's career-high 32 points to roll to a 99-77 win over Berea College (Ky.) at home on Saturday.
Wesleyan jumped out to a quick 21-8 lead on Berea thanks to Martin's 5 of 5 shooting and three early 3-pointers before Berea made a run cutting into Wesleyan's lead.

NASH COUNTY -- Here are updated Nash County Recreation & Senior Services Youth Football League Scores:

(L to R) ETHAN DURGARDIN, COLIN AGAN AND ROLAND MBOUMIEN

NASH COUNTY -- Nash County Recreation & Senior Services hosted the local Junior NBA Skills Challenge on January 26 at Nashville Elementary School for boys and girls ages 9-13.
The top three scorers from the 11-u boys and girls as well as 13-u boys and girls will advance to the regionals on February 16.

ZEBULON -- The 2020 baseball season is fast approaching and the Carolina Mudcats are looking to add to the club's game day staff by hosting a job fair hiring event on February 20 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. inside the Cattails Club at historic Five County Stadium, which is located in Zebulon.
Interested job seekers ages 16 and over wishing to work for the Mudcats are highly encouraged to attend the event.

Nash Central's Kia Richardson scores on a breakaway layup for the Lady Bulldogs during last Friday's meeting at Wilson Beddingfield in Eastern Plains Conference action.

Red Oak Middle School's Michael Battle goes up for a clutch basket for the Tigers during Monday's victory versus Parker in the Tri-County Conference Boys Hoops Championship.

Red Oak Middle School's MyKal Williams (with ball) helps freeze the ball in the final seconds of the Tigers' victory over rival Parker in Monday's championship showdown of the Tri-County Conference Boys Basketball Tournament.

MICHAEL BUNN. Northern Nash High School's Michael Bunn signs a letter-of-intent to continue his football career at North Carolina Wesleyan College. Also pictured are (back, l to r) NN assistant coach Cameron Avery, NN head coach Andrew Farriss and NN Athletic Director Joey Keefe; (front, l to r) parents Eddie and Cyndy Bunn. (Graphic photo by Geoff Neville)

BRIAN HOPKINS, JR. Northern Nash's Brian Hopkins, Jr. signs a letter-of-intent to continue his football career at Elizabeth City State University. Also pictured are (back, l to r) NN assistant coach Cameron Avery, NN Principal (and father) Brian Hopkins, Sr., NN head coach Andrew Farriss and NN Athletic Director Joey Keefe; (front, l to r) Tiffany Hopkins (mother), Kendall Hopkins (brother) and Mike Hopkins (brother). (Graphic photo by Geoff Neville)

The city of Rocky Mount's International Festival of Cultures, hosted by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, showcases the variety of diverse communities that call Rocky Mount home. Held in the Brown Auditorium on the campus of Nash Community College, the International Festival of Cultures has become an area favorite, and it will take place from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.