Former Red Oak Town Clerk Tracy Shearin will soon be serving the Town of Castalia as its interim clerk.
Castalia's Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to appoint Shearin as interim clerk on Tuesday night. Shearin will replace Susie Haughwout, who is retiring after serving around a year with the town.

A 50-year-old Nashville man has a January Superior Court date to answer multiple sex charges involving a child that date from eight years ago.
Jerry Lee Langston, of 8210 Cedar Grove School Loop Road, Nashville, is accused of 17 separate charges of statutory rape and/or indecent liberties with a child based on alleged assaults on a juvenile in March of 2015.

father and daughter, David Greene and Annamaria Greene of Elm City, produce an epic bubble at one of several free childrens' activities.

A first-ever county yield contest is underway for Nash County growers of cotton, peanuts and corn, with the due date for data January 19.
According to Farm Service Agency (FSA) Nash County 2023 data, Soybeans topped the total number of planted acres, with 26,057.86 acres. Sweet Potatoes came second at 9,108.19 acres, and Cotton was third with 8,155.75.

Family relations will no longer be a barrier to new hires for the Town of Nashville, after a change in policy approved Tuesday. Nashville's new HR Director, Trey Sanderson, presented a proposal to amend the current personnel policy on family hires to allow part-time additions, but new councilman Bill Lumpp successfully pushed to wipe out the restrictions altogether, and allow full-time hires within the same departments.

A Red Oak man with a passion for acting has been recognized in Hollywood and this month, received notice of his third Best Actor award.
Brian George, a native of Nashville, just got notice last week that he had been named in The Best Shorts Competition for his lead role as 'Lance' in "The Audition, " directed by David Wenzel and produced by DMAC Studios.

Christian missionary Kathy Gould, who has lived and served in Ukraine for thirty years, says the needs of the Ukrainian people are great, but their faith is greater. Gould addressed the Red Oak and Rocky Mount Rotary clubs recently, showing slides and telling tales of the ravages of war and urging that America "keep to its promise" to guarantee the territory of Ukraine.

A colorful, new little business is growing like its signature sunflower across from the Nashville Junction and the Nashville Farmers Market; Classy Corner & So Much More, owned and operated by sisters Bessie Short of Nashville and Theresa Winstead of Castalia, opened its pink and green doors Dec. 5 at 214 W. Cross Street.
Carrying women's clothing, seasonal décor and wreaths, light distressed furniture pieces, and offering custom artwork, Classy Corner & So Much More is a revamped continuation of an earlier family store, Two Sisters, that had been located in Peddlar's Village of Rocky Mount.

Cruelty to animals reported at 10913 Beaver Dam Rd, Middlesex on 12/26/23
Recovered property; receive/possession stolen property greater than $1,000; armed robbery reported at 12511 Jordan Ln, Middlesex on 12/29/23
Assault-simple; assault on a female reported at 1266 Maudis Rd, Bailey on 12/26/23

Caleb Shockley, Nashville Police officer, Chris Joyner, Nashville Fire Chief, Randy Lansing, Nashville Town Manager, Bill Lumpp, Nashville Town Council member, Terrie Condery, Restaurant General Manager, Joel Hartwell, Vice-President of Scottish Food Systems, Sharon Williams, Area Supervisor for Scottish Food Systems, Tammy Leggett, Director of Operations for Scottish Food Systems, and Cliff Joyner, Nashville Chamber of Commerce President.

Kelsi Pittman was the lucky winner of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce's It PAYS to SHOP LOCAL campaign. Shoppers sent in receipts to the chamber when shopping with a chamber member. Pittman's name was drawn from all entries and was presented with a $500 check just before Christmas by Nashville Chamber of Commerce President Cliff Joyner.

Nashville's Chamber of Commerce sponsors two $100 shopping sprees on Shop Small Saturday. Pictured are winners from the 2023 drawing. Pictured above is Emily Pate. Both winners chose Jody's of Nashville for their shopping spree of $100 each.

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is. Hear it and know thou it for thy good. Job 5:27
The days prior to New Year's Day are ones when we look back at the year and take stock of ourselves. What happened to you that was most important? What lessons will you take from this year into the next year? How have you changed?

I've been asked the question before. Sometimes it's said with genuine curiosity-"So explain to me what membership is all about." Other times it's said with a tinge of suspicion-"So tell me again, why do you think I should become a member?"-as if joining the church automatically signed you up to tithe by direct deposit.
For many Christians membership sounds stiff, something you have at your bank or the country club, but too formal for the church.

THIRD GRADE - A HONOR ROLL
Sebastian Aleman-Roman, Mason Allen, Semaj Hinnant, Adylen Luper, Sophia Maldonado, Aryanna Sagadraca and Ashton Surles

NINTH GRADE - A/B HONOR ROLL
Estrella Benitez-Zamora and Cameron Mathis

WJH, LLC to Janelle Andrikia Johnson; 1173 Manor Drive, Rocky Mount; $269,000
Barnes Land Corporation to CMH Homes, Inc.; 10.56 acres and 42.04 acres; $980,000
Amanda R. Patterson to Jacqueline Barnes and Eddie Taylor; Section 2, Red Oak Hills Subdivision, Lot 58

Members of the Nash County Senior Center prepared stockings prior to the holiday. Pictured above, Gladys Butler scoops a snack for a stocking.

As 2023 wound down, I realized one of the goals I'd set for the year was going to affect my New Year's Eve plans.
I've always enjoyed CBS Sunday Morning's year in review show. However, we'd dispatched our TV provider.
Having grown up in a time where the TV was a social center in households, I would have never thought in those days when I used bow tie antennas, tin foil, and sometimes a long piece of tobacco twine to keep our five channels dialed in, that I'd one day have none at all.

I've mentioned before, in this space, how sometimes we can get off track by comparing our town to other towns. More than once I've heard rumblings of "why can't Nashville be like so and so, or that town, or this town?"
My thoughts? Why would we want to be like someone else? Why would we want to mimic another town and be another place with the same things to see and do? We don't! We are Nashville and we have our own unique flavor and heritage. No reason to keep up with the Jones' here!

This photo originally published in The Graphic on February 16, 1967. Steve Wheeler (left) and David Strickland put the finishing touches on their snowman, many of which were built after a heavy snowfall.

A North Carolina band famous for its dance-inspiring Motown tributes is coming to Nash Arts Saturday, Jan. 6.
Supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, with additional funds provided by the City of Rocky Mount, The Legacy Motown Revue will perform music from the Temptations, the Drifters, the Coasters, the Jacksons, Earth, Wind & Fire, along with contemporary songs.

Brooklyn Southard of Willow Springs gets her face painted by Rocky Mount High School exchange student Emma Zhang of Mongolia.

Nash County Sheriff's Office Deputy Stan Ricks takes a few minutes to join the fun with kids during the New Year's Eve Egg Drop in Nashville.