A multiple-agency investigation into the death of an 18-year-old Spring Hope man continues as his family plans funeral arrangements.
Amir Keyshawn Hinnant was reported missing to the Wilson Police Department on Feb 24th, according to a copy of the missing person's report, which said he had been last seen at 1 p.m. Feb. 24 at a home in the 600 block of Vance Street East. A Facebook live post said his family had not seen him since some time earlier. Hinnant's white car was also gone.

Aubree Moss of Nashville is pictured above volunteering at A Touch of the Father's Love food pantry in Momeyer. Aubree, along with other members of the "A Little Bit of Everything 4-H Club" made birthday boxes in January.

ROCKY MOUNT - Cooperative Extension folks are pulling out all the stops for the upcoming 4-H Ag Day March 16th, to be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the East Carolina Ag & Education Center, 1175 Kingsboro Road, Rocky Mount. A joint effort by three county 4-H teams and the 4-H Alumni group, the event will be a fund-raiser for the Eastern Carolina 4-H Livestock Show and Sale this Spring.

MOMEYER - While simultaneously looking to the town's past and to its future, Momeyer Town officials are taking steps to reclaim their history while also discussing ways to bring some older customs, such as a 4th of July celebration, back.
At their March 11 Town Council meeting, Mayor Wil Funderburg gave an update on the Momeyer Historical Project, which began to take shape in the last several months with discussions about where and how to store printed materials and artifacts relating to town history.

RED OAK - The Town of Red Oak dug into its coffers to shake the piggy bank and empty its Scholarship Fund Monday on behalf of two requests for aid: one from the Red Oak Basketball League, and one to assist first graders at Red Oak Elementary to go on a field trip to the NC Zoo in Ashboro.
Matt Kannan, a coach for the Red Oak Basketball League, addressed the Town Council March 11 to ask for $3,500 in operations money to make up for a deficit caused by a lack of apparel sales; Kannan said they sold about 25% of what was ordered for the year.

A $2.6-million-dollar new Driver Training Center designed to streamline training for Nash Community College programs requiring Commercial Drivers' Licenses had its groundbreaking March 6 next to the Pet Connection Center at 3600 Eastern Avenue, Rocky Mount.
"This new facility will allow us to provide a space for all of our programs that require CDLs," said Dr. Lew K. Hunnicutt, president of NCC.

NASHVILLE - Red Oak Volunteer Fireman Brent Fisher, who may be better known in his capacity as Assistant Director for Nash County Emergency and Fire Rescue Services, has retired after 30-plus years of service to Nash County to take a job at the state level. Fisher is the new Area 6 Coordinator for NC Emergency Management.
Area 6 makes up fairly close-by counties to the north, including Halifax, Franklin, Warren, Granville, Northampton, Person, and Vance counties.

Pictured above, family members of Frederick P. Winner gather as Castalia Mayor James Alston reads a proclamation honoring Winner.

A moment of silence started Castalia's Board of Commissioner's meeting last Tuesday night, as commissioners remembered David "Pac-Man" Braswell.
Braswell passed away on Friday, March 1 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Braswell was an active member of the Castalia community, serving the town's fire department for 38 years. He also worked for the town of Castalia, after serving most of his life as an electric lineman.

Red Oak Mayor Levell Langley poses with Sandra Wester after presenting her a plaque and delivering a proclamation at the Feb. 12 Red Oak Town Council meeting to honor Wester's years of service to the town as Zoning Administrator. Wester served from the late 1980s until 2023. The proclamation expresses "deep appreciation and gratitude" for many years of exemplary service and praises Wester for "significantly enhancing the quality of life for our residents."

BATTLE

An Elm City man and a Rocky Mount woman are behind bars, charged with trafficking heroin and firearms violations after a joint investigation by the Nash and Edgecombe County Sheriff's Offices.
Terrell Quintel Battle, 38, of Elm City and 22-year-old Kelsey Ann Vernon of Rocky Mount were questioned during a traffic stop on W. NC 97 near Hopkins Road, Middlesex, on March 6 by narcotics division officers with Nash and Edgecombe County, with assistance from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, according a NCSO March 8 news release.

NASHVILLE - Applications are now open for the 2024 Nash County Citizens Academy, a free eight-week course meeting one night a week to allow citizens behind-the-scenes looks at county facilities and the opportunity to engage with department leaders to gain a comprehensive understanding of Nash County's operations.
Held at 6 p.m. Tuesday evenings beginning March 26th and concluding with a graduation recognition during the May 20th Board of Commissioners' meeting for those attending at least six of the eight scheduled sessions, the Citizens Academy is open to Nash County residents or business owners at least 18 years old.

RED OAK - A site plan for Forever Oaks, an event/wedding venue owned by William Donald Poland under construction at 5730 Red Oak Road, Battleboro, has passed its first two hurdles, receiving approval with stipulations from the town planning board and on March 11, from the Red Oak Town Council. The next step will be to receive Nash County approval for a zoning change from Residential to Commercial.

"Then Jesus said to the disciples, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me'." (Matthew 16:24)
In 2003, I heard a speech by the then Georgia Secretary of State that she delivered at an Atlanta church.
She stated that Jesus could not win public office as a Democrat. What she didn't say, but what I think was implied, was that the only real chance for a Christian to win public office is as a Republican.

As we end our consideration of the Lord building His Church, we must think about our role.
You may not have the qualifications to lead, the gift to teach, or the talent to sing. But there is work for you to do. Galatians 6:10 says: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Red Oak Baptist Church is collecting needed baby items for Your Choice Resource Center in Rocky Mount. Lists of items are available around the church. Items can be brought to the church and placed in the playpen near the Family Life Center entrance through Sunday, March 24.
Everyone is welcome to the Easter Sunrise Service at Red Oak United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 31 at 7:30 am.

Robert Hall Sr., Robert Craig Hall Sr. and Takiaya Hall to Robert Hall Sr.; 6905 Peppermill Way, Rocky Mount
WJH, LLC to Sandeep Vuduthuri and Pradeep Vuduthuri; 24 Great Falls Court, Rocky Mount; $238,000
William R. Follansbee and Virginia Ann Follansbee to William Follansbee and Virginia Ann Follansbee; Bridgeview Subdivision, Block A, Lot 15 and 10.31 acres
Sean N. Rose to Sean N. Rose; Section 2, High Meadows, Block E, Lot 1

Heather English, 3627 N. Hathaway Blvd., Sharpsburg; repair; $4,200
Richard Belk, 3174 Boddie Mill Pond Rd., Nashville; renovation/alteration; $350,000
Tavis Richardson, 3148 Red Rd., Nashville; detached accessory structure; $29,000

We buried my mama last week.
You might have seen the obituary on a page full of notices of those who passed from our community. You might not think about how full that page is every week until someone you know appears on it.
The last couple of years were tough, but she lived a pretty full life, passing just a couple of weeks before her 89th birthday.

The recent mention of the historic Ice House in Spring Hope during a Spring Hope town council meeting leads me to believe a plan may be forthcoming to remove the tiny structure from downtown, or even worse, tear it down!
The word "dilapidated state," was mentioned in the recent meeting which is what leads me to think its days may be numbered.
The .16 acres of which the historic fixture sits upon was donated to the town of Spring Hope of which the town manager mentioned it would be a "great space for a downtown park."

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on November 10, 1983. The Northern Nash Varsity Cheerleaders attended the Southern Flue-Cured Tobacco Festival in Greenville where they won first place in the varsity division.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR STAR LYDIA HILL DRIVES VS. NORTH PITT

ROCKY MOUNT -- Very good with the potential to get much, much better -- that's the current state of the Nash Central High School girls basketball program.
The young Lady Bulldogs made plenty of waves in the Big East Conference this winter as they claimed the Class 2-A portion of the league's standings while not losing to a squad of their own classification.

NASH COUNTY -- The 2022-23 Big East Conference boys basketball season proved to be a three-way dance as Northern Nash, Franklinton and Rocky Mount competed fiercely for league supremacy -- and both NN and FHS would eventually qualify for the Elite Eight of the Class 3-A State Playoffs.
But Northern Nash went stag in the Big East this winter -- and that certainly didn't bother the Fighting Knights and their loyal followers.

RALEIGH -- The No. 14 North Carolina State University baseball team clinched a home series sweep over Boston College behind an 18-16 slugfest victory on Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack extended its winning streak to nine straight games and opens ACC play 3-0 for the first time since 2019.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SHORTSTOP MACI WORRELLS EXECUTES A FORCE PLAY AT SECOND BASE AGAINST FRANKLINTON

ROCKY MOUNT -- Getting off to a good start in league play is paramount to long-term success during the softball campaign -- and that fact was on the collective minds of both Franklinton and host Nash Central during Thursday on the NCHS campus.
The winner of the showdown was destined to gain some early-season momentum, and that club would prove to be the homestanding Lady Bulldogs.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Kenny Buffaloe, the official North Carolina Representative of Kyokushin Karate, and his student, Christian Buffaloe will perform a "Kyokushin Karate & Weapons Demonstration" at the annual International Festival of Cultures at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount this Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The Buffaloes always support local events and appreciate the opportunity to showcase their talents and abilities to area people.

NASH COUNTY -- Franklinton and Nash Central were the main showstoppers this winter in the Big East Conference girls basketball scene -- but there were plenty of other storylines in the always-tough league.
Franklinton did not lose against a Big East foe this winter en route to claiming the conference's regular season and tournament championships.

Dr. Michael Clark of Nashville will hold a book signing on March 16 from 2-3 p.m. at the Nashville Exchange in downtown Nashville.
Dr. Clark has been a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew language for more than 30 years. His most recent books include commentaries on the book of Genesis, The Revelation and the writings of Isaiah the Prophet. Copies of these 3 books will be available at the signing.