Faster internet may be on the horizon soon for the town of Castalia.
Town Clerk Marlita Thompson said the town is seeking CloudWyze as a potential primary internet provider to replace current prime provider CenturyLink.
"CenturyLink has basically written us off. The technicians will tell you. They're very honest and upfront. It costs too much money to invest in such a small populated area and they're not going to do it so they'll let us complain until our lips fall off.

The Town of Nashville announced its new finance director last week at the board's regular meeting.
John O'Keefe started in the new position last Tuesday, November 2.
"I'm still learning the ropes and hopefully I'll exceed expectations," O'Keefe told the board at the November 3rd meeting.

Pictured above Elks Lodge #1308 Exalted Ruler Michael P. Davis shakes hands with Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray, guest speaker at Saturday night's event.

Elks Lodge #1038 at Birchwood hosted a veterans appreciation service Saturday welcoming guest speaker Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray.
Gordon-Bray completed over three decades of service in the United States Army where he gained extensive experience in commanding military forces from a platoon of 40 military service members to spearheading military operations in Iraq with a Brigade Combat Team consisting of over 4,500 men and women with the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Town of Nashville is working to update its town charter.
Council members voted last week to hold a work session to further discuss amendments to the charter, after a public hearing was held.
A town's charter, according to the North Carolina League of Municipalities, is a document that defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of the city government.

Lanny Shuff with Susan Wingfield, granddaughter of departed inductee John Olgesby Winston Gravely

Nine individuals were honored and inducted into the Twin County Hall of Fame at the 17th annual induction banquet last Thursday evening.
The banquet was held at the Rocky Mount Event Center. The Twin County Hall of Fame mission is to celebrate the history, culture, people, and accomplishments of Edgecombe and Nash Counties. Inductees made broad and lasting contributions to both counties.

Nash UNC Health Care has recently been selected as a recipient of a $1 million dollar federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in conjunction with their Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).
According to HRSA, the purpose of this grant is aimed at strengthening and expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural areas for substance use and opioid use disorders.

The William Knight family stands at a wreath in his memory. A flag was raised in honor of Knight in September.

Lester Weaver, a long-time supporter of the West Mount Ruritan Club and respected veteran, was honored during a flag raising ceremony in September at the Rocky Mount Veterans Memorial at Jack Laughery Park.
The ceremony was performed and hosted by the Joint Veterans Committee of Nash and Edgecombe Counties.

Robert Ricks of Nashville has received a diploma from The US Army Aviation Center of Excellence, 125th Aviation Brigade, recognizing his completion of the Aviation Maintenance Technician WOB Course. Ricks graduated WOCS at Rucker, Alabama to become a Warrant Officer, WO1 then went on to Ft. Eustis to complete WOBC becoming a 151A Aviation Maintenance Technician as of October 28, 2021.

Possession methamphetamine; resisting arrest/hinder and delay; trafficking heroin/opium/opiates was reported at 10427 Camp Charles Rd, Bailey on 11/3/21
Felony breaking and/or entering; larceny after breaking and entering was reported at 1436 Waynes Lane, Nashville on 11/1/21
Larceny of a firearm, felony breaking and/or entering was reported at 2817 S Halifax Rd, Rocky Mount

Incidents
Breaking and entering, larceny from auto, damage to personal property reported at 920 Eastern Ave., on 11/4/21
Larceny after breaking and entering; felony breaking and/or entering; damage to personal property reported at 163 Nashville Commons Dr. on 11/3/21

Pictured, left to right, are Sophomore Debu-ettes Anna Tyson, Lizzie Joyner, Kennedy Jones, Greyson Thorne and Caylie Stutts.

Gov. Cooper has appointed Oppie N. Jordan of Rocky Mount as a Substance Abuse Services Family Member, North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services
Jordan serves as the Vice President of Carolinas Gateway Partnership. She also served as Chairperson on Rural Internet Access Authority.

College students can now apply for one of nearly 100 internships across multiple North Carolina state government agencies. Governed by the NC Department of Administration's Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the annual North Carolina Internship Program offers a 10-week, paid internship for college students interested in careers in state government.

Alyssa Brookhart of Rocky Mount has received a 2021 scholarship from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Since the 1970s, NCWF has awarded scholarships to more than 300 college students from across the state to follow their dreams of studying and working in the wildlife and conservation fields.
Brookhart is a rising senior at Wesleyan College studying Environmental Science and Chemistry with a focus on investigating and reducing pharmaceutical pollution in bodies of water.

Everyday heroes are found mostly behind the scenes in pet rescue. I would like to tell Bull's story. His first hero was the finder when he was a stray. Bull had a wound on his face, which they treated. He went to the Nash Shelter as the finder couldn't keep him while trying to find his owner. He didn't have tags nor a chip, so he had to stay. His second group of heroes were the Animal Control staff, because they took care of him while he was sheltered, making sure his wound was clean, his kennel was cleaned, he always had water, plenty of food and kindness.

We all know what the Bible teaches: "For the wages of sin is death". (Romans 6:23) Yet, we often don't equate chronic everyday sin as something that will eventually lead to spiritual death. The truth is sin can often be a silent killer - one that doesn't show the damage it can do until it's in its late stages.
Several years ago, I realized in a very personal way just what sin can do to us, especially over a long period of time. I've been a diabetic for 27 years.

Red Oak Baptist Church will be loading up their Operation Christmas Child boxes on Sunday, November 14 to be delivered to the local collection site. Sunday will be the last day for members to bring their boxes. The church goal is 300.
The North Roanoke Baptist Association Senior Adult Christmas Luncheon will be Tuesday, December 7 at 11:00 am at Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.

Last week I began what I thought would be a series on Being Pentecostal. Well as God's Spirit can do at times, He is nudging me in a different direction. Therefore, this article will center around the sacraments. Recently at Nashville we preached on the importance of the sacraments and it seems good to the Lord to continue that conversation today with you. So I pray that you receive the following in the power of God's Spirit.

The Lord gave us another cold windy day Sunday as The Peachtree Baptist Church Congregation gathered to worship and dedicate this service to our veterans for Veteran's Day.
"A Closer Look at Veterans Day," by Cyndy Salzmann

Amanda Joyner Boykin and Michael Tony Boykin to Daniel Smith and Jessica Smith; 7066 Southern Nash High Road, Bailey
D.R. Horton, Inc. to Lavonne Decarlo Harvey and Justin Dominique Harvey; Old Spring Hope Road, Lot 60
East Coast Timberland, Inc. to Jonathan Edward Naylor and Ashley Walls Naylor; Whispering Pines, Lots 2-3

Building Permit
Residential
Sandra Russ, 3572 Windbriar Ct; detached accessory; $10,500
Ashley Barley, 6847 Lancaster Store Rd; renovation/alteration; $15,000

Last week, like most of you, I went outside to go to work one morning and found my windshield covered in a thick frost.
It was annoying and had me shaking my head since I'd been wearing shorts just a few days prior. No matter how old a person gets, North Carolina's bi-polar weather can still offer a shock to the system from time to time.

Last week's edition boasted a gob of "goblin" photos as Nashville's traditional Halloween events were back in full force after a break due to COVID-19.
It was pretty awesome to see those little youngsters swarming into downtown around 9 a.m. for the Nashville Elementary School Costume Parade which has been a longtime tradition in downtown ever since I can remember.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on September 25, 1958. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Taylor held a birthday party at the Nashville Community Center for their three children Stephanie, Herbert Jr. and Denise.

PLAY OF THE YEAR. Nash Central's D'coris Wilkins (left) is hugged after bringing in the winning 2-point conversion.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Same play, same result with a little higher degree of difficulty.
But it worked once again. And because of that, the Nash Central Bulldogs are still alive in the Class 2-A State Football Playoffs.
Earlier in the year, Nash Central scored late against Franklinton to draw within one point -- and decided to use a fake extra-point attempt with Justus Staten throwing the ball for a 2-point pass that worked, and gave the Bulldogs a key Big East Conference victory.

HAPPY RETURNS. Jordan Battle (left) was exceptional in the punt return department for the Northern Nash Fighting Knights during last Friday night's home football playoff triumph against Pittsboro Northwood.

RED OAK -- Say what you want about Northern Nash's up-and-down performance during last Friday's home football playoff matchup against Pittsboro Northwood.
But the bottom line -- as in the final score -- ended up in Northern Nash's favor as the Knights used a clutch late touchdown drive to slip past Northwood by a 24-17 margin at historic Death Valley on the NNHS campus.

TEAM EFFORT. Southern Nash High School's Jackson Vick attempts a pitch as teammate Justin Braswell (right) prepares to throw a block during last Friday night's home playoff victory against White Oak.

STANHOPE -- After a first-round breeze, the challenging winds of the Class 3-A State Football Playoffs will begin to blow this Friday night for the Southern Nash Firebirds.
That's when Southern will hit the road for a date with a touted Lee County squad in a second-round contest in Sanford.

NASH CENTRAL'S KIARA VIDURRIZAGA

ROCKY MOUNT -- A Maroon Storm took over the Big East Conference volleyball proceedings during the 2021 campaign.
That's when Nash Central High School broke on to the stage of the upper-echelon portion of the Big East and eventually qualified for the Class 2-A State Playoffs.
Central, coached by Heather Thompson, won its first nine matches and was in contention for the Big East regular season crown heading into the final week of the schedule.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College football team powered past conference foe Southern Virginia University 19-10 on Senior Day last Saturday afternoon on the NCWC campus.
The Bishops used a nice combination of offense and defense to corral the victory.

CHAPEL HILL -- Here are last Friday's first-round results and this Friday's second-round matchups of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's Class 2-A and Class 3-A State Football Playoffs:

STANHOPE -- Southern Nash rolled to the Big East Conference Girls Golf Championship this fall -- as evidenced by their top-to-bottom inclusion on the All-Big East Team for the 2021 campaign.
Southern Nash, coached by veteran skipper Todd Brewer, featured all six of its golfers on the prestigious list, led by Big East Player of the Year Mackenzie Gamble.

NORTHERN NASH TENNIS STANDOUT CHLOE HARRINGTON

RED OAK -- Sometimes, it can be a stretch to annoint a student-athlete as the best ever in his or her sport at a high school -- especially one that is over five decades old.
But that's not the case with Northern Nash senior Chloe Harrington, who has created an undoubtable legacy during her four years with the Lady Knights' tennis program.

DURHAM -- The Durham Bulls will host their free Fall Fan Fest this Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park from 3-5 p.m.
Admission is free, however fans must RSVP online and claim a ticket before the event by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3mLA3FT
Planned activities at Durham Bulls Athletic Park include:

Nash Central's Tim Holiday (with ball) looks for running room during last Friday night's contest.

It takes two Southwest Onslow players to bring down Nash Central's Justus Staten during this run as part of last Friday night's first-round playoff action at The Dawg Pound.

Northern Nash High School running back RJ Loring (with ball) helped the Fighting Knights put together the eventual game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of last Friday night's home victory over Pittsboro Norwood in the first round of the Class 3-A State Playoffs.

Mini Monsters 2nd place - Charlotte Burns

The Town of Nashville's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department announced its Pumpkin Picasso painting contest winners last week.
The contest was open to ages five and older and also local businesses.
For more information on future activities visit townofnashville.com or call 459-9796.

Mini Monsters 3rd place - Zayden Taylor

Mini Monsters 3rd place Zayden Taylor

Business winner Corner Coffee Café (Laura Wood)