While the Nashville Police Department has been without a Chief since the end of October, the Nashville Town Manager is proposing to create a new Public Safety Director position in charge of both the police and fire departments.
Town Manager Randy Lansing told The Graphic that he will advance the proposal, including the hiring of Fire Chief Chris Joyner, at the Jan. 16 Nashville Town Council meeting.

Nashville Town Planner Sherry Moss is packing her bags after three and a half years of service and heading home to Vance County.
An announcement on the town's Facebook page popped with the news Jan. 5 about Moss, who heads up Planning and Development.
Moss told The Graphic that she had accepted the Planning Director position in Vance County.

Farmers require seasonal workers for labor intensive crops such as sweet potatoes.

They live here, usually for ten months out of the year. They work here. Their children go to school here. They're part of the farming force that puts food on your table. And most of the time, they go unnoticed.
Who are they? Seasonal workers, usually called "Migrant Workers," who are hired to do the hard farm labor that no one else will.

The topic of an overstretched and under-staffed Nash County Sheriff's Office arose again at the Jan. 8 Board of Commissioners' meeting with a motion made and then failing regarding the addition of a budget amendment.
Denise Stawicki of Whitakers addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting, relating that a recent call for service after an apparent break-in at her home resulted in a two-hour wait time before a deputy could respond.

The Nashville Willing Workers & Nashville Democratic Party will host the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. The event will be held at the O.D. Moore Building, 814 S. Alston St., in Nashville.
The keynote speaker will be Bishop Shelton Daniel of Greater Joy Church of Rocky Mount.

Parking abusers beware: beginning this month, the Town of Nashville will begin random enforcements of the two-hour parking limit on Washington Street between Barnes and Boddie Streets and on South Boddie between Washington and Church Streets.
Code Enforcer Shawn Lucas went business-to-business Jan. 5 with notices from Randy Lansing, Town Manager, quoting Section 36-97 (b) of the Nashville Code of Ordinances, which prohibits parking in designated areas for more than two hours at a time Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The issue of sidewalk merchandising in Spring Hope has resulted in a referral to the Downtown Development Board (DDB) for review and recommendations.
Three merchants on S. Pine, W. Main and E. Railroad Streets who had items for sale put out on the sidewalks in front of their businesses were cited with code violations in November as a type of "courtesy warning" according to Code Enforcement Officer Shawn Lucas. Two of the three are now in compliance, according to Town Manager Andrew DeIonno.

Spring Hope's historic pedestrian bridge, still in use despite warning signs and barriers composed of chain or tape, is the topic of an upcoming public hearing.
The town's Board of Commissioners set a public hearing on the bridge for March 4, 2024.
The bridge, which has one end on public property at the intersection of Bridge and Railroad streets, lands on private property on the other side, divided between two homes on East Branch Street.

Two hunters are lucky to still be with their families today after separate hunting accidents in December sent them to local hospitals.
The names of the men have not been released and the first incident, on Christmas Day, is still under investigation by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The posted speed limit on six Momeyer town roads will be lowered from 55 to 45 after a request by town officials was approved by DOT Friday.
Town Clerk Sheila Alford told council members Monday that she'd received a call from the state Jan. 5 approving the speed limit changes, pending ordinance changes that would need to be signed by the town council and the installation of new speed signs.

Nash County had a changing of legal guard Jan. 8, as officials honored retiring County Attorney G. Vincent Durham and appointed Mike Gaynor as the new counsel.
Durham, who worked under five county managers and multiple boards in his 32 and one-half years, was given a framed copy of a resolution passed in his honor Monday, in a ceremony attended by family members and members of the Battle Winslow Law Firm of Rocky Mount.

Tax incentives from Nash County to Cummins Rocky Mount Engine Plant are helping facilitate a planned $580 million-dollar project, part of which is projected to generate 40-80 new jobs.
Nash County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve an 'economic development inducement agreement' with Cummins under the Local Development Act of 1925, N.C.G.S. 158-7.1, which allows the county to make appropriations "for the purposes of aiding and encouraging the location of manufacturing enterprises....

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'." (Hebrews 13:5)
Several years ago, I wrote a column to encourage all of us to take a few moments to say something encouraging to those who live and work around us. Lord knows we all need it. The column also appeared on my website, www.devotions.com. I received emails from around the world thanking me for my website and encouraging me to continue the work that God has laid out for me. In turn, it was an unexpected blessing to me.

A small town was selected for the site of a hydroelectric plant. A dam would be built across the nearby river, submerging the city. When the project was announced, the citizens were given ample time to arrange their affairs and relocate. During those months, a curious thing happened. Home improvements, neighborhood upkeep, and infrastructure repairs ceased. The city looked and felt abandoned long before the citizens moved away, and the waters came. One resident explained: "When there is no hope for the future, there is no power in the present."

Red Oak Baptist Church is collecting greeting card fronts through Sunday, Jan. 14 for St. Jude's Ranch for Children. Cards are repurposed and resold as a fundraiser for the organization. St. Jude's Ranch for Children has a mission of transforming lives of abused and at-risk children, young adults, and families. All cards are accepted except those with Hallmark, American Greetings, and Disney due to copyright laws.
Women in Action will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. They will begin working on a sewing project that will help women in South Asia.

CULLOWHEE - Ava Moore, of Nashville, was named to the Western Carolina University Fall 2023 Chancellor's List. Moore was among more than 1,600 students to achieve this honor. To qualify for the Chancellor's List, students must earn a GPA of 3.8 or higher while completing a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Adams Homes AEC, LLC to Travus Lemont Perry and Eric Perry; 8501 Shallow Creek Trail, Bailey; $356,500
Gwendolyn T. Davis and Grady P. Davis II to Clinton Powell Jr.; 805 Cedarbrook Drive, Rocky Mount
Sherri M. King to Samuel Mills Jr. and Samantha Mills; 1065 Arbor Lane, Rocky Mount

Building Permit Residential
Lenwood Kelly, 1115 Nick Coley Rd; deck; $2,000
Kadeidra Jarrett, 4290 Lauren Dr; renovation/alteration; $20,600
Ivette Rivera, 546 Cessna Dr; new single family; $147,000

Financial transaction card fraud reported at 10601 E NC 97, Rocky Mount on 1/6/24
Warrant service at 12178 Selma Rd, Middlesex on 1/4/24
Assault-point gun reported at 2829 Othas Field Dr, Nashville on 1/1/24
Larceny misdemeanor reported at 4371 Massey Rd, Zebulon on 1/6/24

SEATTLE - Nash County native Dana Austin Bass, was named to the 2023 "Husky 100" as one of 100 University of Washington students making the most of their time as a University of Washington student. Born in Rocky Mount, Dana Austin is now a Graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle where he is now pursuing his Master of Architecture degree while helping to lead various student organizations on campus relating to architecture, mentorship, and his Filipino cultural heritage on his mother's side.

I don't know how your new year is going, but 2024 started at my house with what future generations will refer to as the Great Demon Cat Caper.
One morning around 2 a.m., my wife Kristi made several trips from the bedroom to other parts of the house.
On one of those trips, she told me there was a feral cat in the house. I wasn't sure if she was dreaming, but I learned my lesson years ago -- she's referred to by all in our family as a "sleep fighter." I kept quiet.

Seeing the photo of the old pedestrian bridge in Spring Hope for this week's edition brought back quite a few memories from 'back in the day.'
My oldest sister lived and owned a business in Spring Hope which made for many days of my childhood spent in that neck of the woods. Her son (my nephew) was only 3 years younger than I. He was more like my brother growing up than a nephew.
We played endless days around Peachtree Hills and also tagged along with my big sister for hours in downtown shopping.

This photo originally published in The Graphic on March 23, 1967. Cuyler Best (left), agriculture teacher at Coopers High School, goes over some of the parts of a tractor engine in a tractor maintenance course offered at the school through the agriculture department.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Not since the Montre Cash Era in the mid-2010s had Nash Central secured a road triumph at rival Rocky Mount -- but that's exactly was happened last Friday night at the RMHS Gymnasium.
In what was easily their biggest moment of the regular season to date, the Bulldogs invaded RM and left with a convincing 85-73 victory over the rebuilding Gryphons.

ROCKY MOUNT -- To the victor comes the spoils. And in the case of the winner of the Class 2-A portion of the Big East Conference girls basketball standings, that would mean an automatic berth in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Playoffs.
At the midpoint of the regular season, the Nash Central Lady Bulldogs appear destined to obtain that lofty status under the direction of veteran head coach Terri Cash.

RED OAK -- Many are the challengers to Bunn's throne atop the Big East Conference wrestling standings -- but none of them have been able to break through the Wildats' victory defense since Coach Parker Haake's talented club joined the league in 2021.
Since then, BHS has claimed back-to-back Big East Conference crowns -- and is well on its way to a three-peat.
Bunn added to its Big East resume' last Wednesday as the Wildcats rolled past homestanding Northern Nash by a 63-16 margin at the historic NNHS Gymnasium.

RALEIGH -- North Carolina State University baseball head coach Elliott Avent announced the program's 2024 schedule recently.
The 54-game schedule includes 33 contests at Doak Field at Dail Park, highlighted by 21 home contests in the team's first 28 matchups of the season.
Opening Day for the Wolfpack's 2024 season is set for Feb. 16 when NC State welcomes VCU for a three-game series at The Doak. NC State then makes a lengthy road trip to Hawai'i for the first time since 2017, playing a three-game series against the Rainbow Warriors from Feb. 23-25.