NASHVILLE - A new "patient bed tower" planned to host 150 patients, with 30 patient rooms per floor, is in the design development phase for UNC Health Nash in Rocky Mount, and new medical offices are planned for construction in Nashville and Middlesex.
Jason Brand, Vice-President of Support Services for UNC Health Nash, filled Nash commissioners in at their June 17 meeting, saying construction documents are being drafted and showing a tentative floor plan.

NASHVILLE - UNC Health Nash has entered into a new lease agreement with Nash County, and also amended its bylaws to allow two county commissioners to sit on the Hospital Board as of July 1.
The new lease agreement will require the hospital to pay Nash County two million dollars per year, with an additional increase after each five years in the 3.5% to 5.5% range over the next 40 years.

"We're really chewing on this to make sure we do the right thing," Brenda Brown, Nashville Mayor, said about the prospect of purchasing the Fellowship Church at 969 Old White Oak Road as a new town hall and parks and rec location.
Five-hundred thousand dollars has already been put in the FY 2025 budget as a one-third payment of an accepted purchase contract, although the town is still in its extended "due diligence" period, which expires July 22.

NASHVILLE - Nash County officials have adopted their $142-million-dollar budget ordinance, although the vote to do so was not unanimous and starting salaries for sheriff's deputies and emergency services personnel were singled out for comment.
The vote at the June 17 county commissioner meeting was 6-1, with the lone "no" vote coming from Sue Leggett, commissioner.
Leggett made no explanation of her vote at Monday afternoon's meeting, but later supplied a statement upon request to The Graphic.

MOMEYER RURITAN CLUB CELEBRATES 60 YEARS. Contributed photo

MOMEYER - The Momeyer Ruritan Club celebrated its 60th anniversary at its clubhouse Monday, June 18, in a ceremony attended by state and national Ruritan dignitaries.
About sixty people socialized and nibbled on fruit, cheese and crackers and had a chance to look over the club's scrapbook of newspaper clippings before enjoying a 7 p.m. dinner.

ALL IN THE FAMILY - Ramzi and Jamila Abukheit's daughter, Mallaq, is pictured helping out at the family business. Graphic photo by Nancy West-Brake

NASHVILLE - A family business based in Nashville, RJ Snacks, is growing, having acquired a second warehouse and is looking to hire both warehouse workers and salespeople who can drive box trucks.
RJ Snacks, whose name including the initials of the couple who began it, Ramzi and Jamila Abukheit, is a thriving distributorship of such snack items as chips, chocolate, candy, cakes, cookies, meat products and drinks. From Nashville, they deliver goods to stores from Durham to the beach.

Nash County citizens will have the opportunity to file to run for non-partisan elections including Soil and Water Conservation (one seat) and Nash County School Board (all districts).
Filing opened June 10th for the Soil and Water Conservation seat and ends at 12 noon on July 5th. The fee to file is $5.
Filing will begin on July 5th at noon for school board seats and ends July 19th at noon. The fee to file is $96.

A Bailey woman is facing charges from State Highway Patrol after an accident last Thursday on US 64 outside Spring Hope that sent a tractor-trailer full of peanuts off the road and closed down the roadway for three hours.
Janella McKeel Ordess, age 43, was reportedly driving a passenger car west on 64 near the NC 58 intersection at an estimated 70 miles per hour when she rear-ended the back left portion of a tractor-trailer owned by Mikasa Express, also headed west, in the right lane.

A 76-year-old Castalia man has died and three more people were hurt in a three-vehicle collision Thursday, June 13th, in the area of recent construction near Nash Community College.
Jimmy Roosevelt Taylor was reported killed in the accident, which occurred around 8:34 a.m. under the Old Carriage Overpass.
A state trooper's report said that Taylor had been driving west in a 2021 Chevrolet behind two DOT contractors, the first pulling a trailer, when the first two vehicles began to slow near the right shoulder of the roadway.

I once heard a testimony from a lady in my church. She confessed to having a nervous breakdown and was so stressed out that she couldn't remember her own name. Ultimately, it was her faith that brought her through. She said, "I may not have known my name, but Jesus did".
After listening to her story, I realized the comfort that comes from knowing that we belong to Christ. For many, it's the first outward and visible sign of the peace that comes with salvation.

It is good, wise, and right to make plans. The weightier the goals, the weightier your plans. "If you fail to plan," said Benjamin Franklin, "you are planning to fail." That old and famous axiom is true. The Bible teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight. Yet the life of faith does not exclude making plans. Scripture does rebuke the pride and presumption that makes plans without factoring in God. That is the message of James 4:13-17.
James is the most practical letter in the New Testament. It is the New Testament counterpart to Proverbs. James teaches us to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Patrice McGrue, one of the three O.D. Moore Foundation Scholarship recipients, speaks during the banquet. Contributed photo

The O.D. Moore Scholarship Foundation recently made a return to its annual events with the Henry Earl Coley Golf Classic kicking off the weekend after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first place team consisted of Willie Lee, Ernis Lee, Lee Jackson and Nate Lundy. Second place went to Stacy Fehr, Anthony Perry, and Greg Boykin. The foundation also hosted the annual banquet in Nashville, where they awarded three deserving students with scholarships.

Damien Wozniak of Nashville was named to The University of Alabama Deans List for spring semester 2024.
A total of 13,103 students enrolled during Spring Semester 2024 at The University of Alabama were named to the dean's list with an academic record of 3.5 (or above) or the president's list with an academic record of 4.0 (all A's). These driven students are making waves across UA's more than 70 undergraduate programs.

Appalachian State University has released its list of 2024 Spring gradutes. Local students include:
Logan Mckenzie Davis of Castalia earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Languages, Literatures & Cultures
Landon Wesley Green of Rocky Mount earned a Master of Science Degree in Nutrition
Rebecca Gail Pinkham of Rocky Mount earned a Master of Social Work

Edgecombe Community College Associate Degree Nursing graduates participated in their pinning ceremony on May 8. The ADN Class of 2024 is a large class of 41 members, who graduated from the ADN program during the college's commencement ceremony on May 10. The graduates have met the education requirements to take the NCLEX-RN®, the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses.

Eight of the eleven members of the Edgecombe Community College Radiography Class of 2024 passed the national certification exam on their first attempt, becoming registered radiographers and earning the title R.T.(R)(ARRT), which signifies Registered Technologist in Radiography by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. Three graduates are waiting to take the certification exam.

NASHVILLE - Twenty-four people were celebrated for having the curiosity to find out how local government worked and the dedication for spending time over eight weeks to do it; graduation ceremonies for the 15th Nash County Citizens' Academy class were held May 20th as part of the second monthly meeting of the Nash County Board of Commissioners.

Rosa Estrella Vega, Manuel Vega Linares, Hugo Rosas, Marisol Hedgepeth, D. Hedgepeth and Donnell Hedgepeth Jr. to Rosa Murillo Rosas; 4418 Boseman Road, Rocky Mount
Winstead Crossings, LLC and Williams Builders of Rocky Mount, LLC to Williams Builders of Rocky Mount, LLC and Winstead Crossings, LLC; Lots B1-B9
R. Leonard Daughtridge and Debbie W. Daughtridge to Vincent P. Keeney and Christen E. Keeney; 3820 Woodlawn Road, Rocky Mount; $659,000

Addition (covered); 6197 Bones Acres Rd., Elm City; Matt Gibson; $40
Open shelter (detached); 9978 Straight Gate Rd., Whitakers; Lindberg Nicholson; $24,000
Singlewide; 4590 Langwood Way, Rocky Mount; J. Freeman; $50,000

I've guess I've reached the point in life where I slow down over obituary page, something I'd never thought I'd do when I was younger.
Maybe I'm more keen to it since my mother's passing in March, but three other friends have passed this year that have really made me think about the impacts they had on me.
Earlier this year, my 9th grade English teacher, Bonnie Kane, died. She was unlike any instructor I'd had in my life to that point or since.

The Nashville Town Council members have a huge decision to make in a short amount of time. I sure wouldn't want to be in their shoes over the next few weeks attempting to weigh the pros and cons of purchasing a building and property just outside the city limits to revamp as a new town hall and recreation center.
A quick snap-shot, in case you've been enjoying the fruits of summer vacation and haven't had a chance to catch up on your local news. The Town of Nashville has been offered a really good opportunity on a building and property, the former location of Fellowship Church at 969 Old White Oak Rd.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on September 23, 1971. A new civil defense truck was presented to the Momeyer Rescue Squad.