NASHVILLE - A resolution discouraging the release of helium balloons in Nash County almost went flat but passed in a 4-3 split vote by Nash County commissioners Feb. 3.
Introduced by Sue Leggett, vice-chair, the resolution cites reasons against balloon release as "posing significant risks to wildlife, marine life, livestock and ecosystems," stating that many balloons end up as nonbiodegradable litter "contributing to long-term environmental pollution" and affecting the county's aesthetic beauty.

NASHVILLE - A Nashville man is in jail on a $76,000 secured bond, awaiting a grand jury appearance on five felony counts of sexual exploitation of children related to child pornography.
Andrew Grey Leonard, 37, of 6100 Taylors Store Road, was arrested December 9, 2024, after an investigation by the Nash County Sheriff's Department, beginning with a cybertip of an ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children Case) through the State Bureau of Investigation.

ORLANDO, FL - Nash County's only high school dance team, Nash Central's Dancentral Dance Team, showed up and showed out to compete for the first time this month Feb. 1st at the Universal Dance Association National Dance Team Championship, ending up placing 11th in their division among over 300 teams. The competition took place over three days.
"We competed in the Varsity Intermediate Hip Hop division," said Kelly Scott, Dance Teacher and Dance Team Director, who said the music used was a mix of high-energy hip-hop songs customized just for NCHS.

Nash County is experiencing a sharp increase in influenza A cases, with nine flu-related deaths reported since January 1, 2025. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) confirms that flu activity is widespread across the state and is expected to continue rising in the coming weeks.
Bill Hill, Director of Nash County Health and Human Services, emphasizes, "If you haven't been vaccinated yet, it's not too late to get a flu shot. The flu vaccine is the most effective way to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death."

NASHVILLE - Swift Creek Elementary school has been sold, with a closing bid of $250,000 accepted by Nash County Public Schools.
Angie Miller, Executive Director of Athletics, School Nutrition and Maintenance, shared the news at the Feb. 3 NCPS Board of Education meeting, stating that the winning bid was submitted by CLMM Inc. The bid closing date was Jan. 24.
Nash County G.I.S. states the land value at $110,310 and the total building value, incorporating three or more buildings, at $6,322,860.

NASHVILLE - Nash firefighters now have a valuable tool that could help save farmer lives, thanks to a gift of a 'Great Wall of Rescue' kit made at the Feb. 6 meeting of the Nash County Farm Bureau.
"This is an outstanding tool, and I hope we never have to use it," said Chris Joyner, Nashville Public Safety Director, who received the kit along with Chase Bass, Momeyer Fire Chief.

NASHVILLE - The first K-9 officer ever to join the ranks of the Nashville Police Department, Renzo, has officially been retired from the force and has been purchased from the town in order to live out his retirement years with his handler's family.
Chris Joyner, Public Safety Director, asked for and received the council's blessing to buy the dog from the town for $1 to gift him to his handler, Officer Grant Stallings, "because the two have a bond."

SPRING HOPE- Spring Hope's board of commissioners has approved a development agreement for Bryson's Ridge, planned as a 200-plus single-family unit multiphase subdivision on 68 acres on NC 581 North.
While no one from Axion Development LLC was present at the Feb. 3 board meeting, the agreement was signed after a lengthy review process and multiple drafts.
Bryson's Ridge, which currently has three phases of development, reportedly has active home building going on in phases one and two. Phase three has not yet begun.

NASHVILLE - Keyana Walston, who just finished up her first two-year term on Nashville's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) Advisory Board, has been reappointed to a second term by the Nashville town council.
Walston, the former board chair, "comes to us with a wealth of knowledge in municipal government," according to Koy Worrell, Parks and Rec Director, recommending her reappointment, which was done at the Feb. 4 Nashville town council meeting.

NASHVILLE - Nash county has sweetened the pot for GXP-Storage, the Raleigh-based biomedical storage company that purchased the second shell building at the Middlesex Corporate Center, by approving an Inducement Agreement that will reimburse half the company's taxes for one annual payment during each of four phases of development.

NASHVILLE - Nashville's Parks and Rec Department is hosting a Eastern Bluebird Workshop February 22 in coordination with the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group of Warrenton, NC.
"Our primary goal for this program is to educate the public about the life history and conservation efforts for Eastern bluebirds," said Ashley Hamlet, Assistant Parks And Rec Director.

NASHVILLE - A 29-year-old Spring Hope man is in jail, charged with ten felony counts of cutting support cable wires to utility poles and collecting the wiring.
Rasheed Markale Wilson of 813 Gum Avenue was arrested by Spring Hope Police Officer D.A. Taylor Jan. 14, 2025, for alleged offenses involving ten Duke Energy Power Poles one day earlier, on Jan. 13, according to court records.

ROCKY MOUNT - Late last year, UNC Health Nash finalized plans for a new, seven-story, state-of-the-art inpatient tower, aimed at modernizing care delivery and enhancing operational efficiency. Last week, the UNC Nash Board of Commissioners voted to move into the next phase of the project to continue site preparations and construction. The full tower project is expected to receive Local Government Commission (LGC) approval later this year.

Braswell Family Farms' feed mill is located at E. Cross Street in Nashville. The operation was constructed at this location in 1969. The original millworks was on Boddie Mill Pond Road,

NASHVILLE - Anyone living or working in Nashville and travelling down E. Cross Street has probably driven past it uncountable times: the Braswell Family Farms feed mill, in operation there since it was constructed in 1969 as the successor to the original millworks on Boddie Mill Pond Road.
There's plenty of truck traffic- around 30 a day rolling in and out- with about 10 railroad cars pulling up to unload... but how does it all work? What comes in, what goes out, and what happens in between?

A lot of unbelievers don't associate evil with Satan. Christians also fail to connect the evil we see in others with the devil. Isn't it interesting that the confusion we experience about the real source of evil also comes from Satan himself? I think that's what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "For God is not the author of confusion". (I Corinthians 14:33)

The city of Smyrna, known today as Izmir in Turkey, holds a significant place in Christian history, particularly through the lens of the early Christian church mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The church at Smyrna, one of the seven churches addressed by Jesus Christ through John in Revelation 2:8-11, stands out for its resilience amidst persecution.

D.R Horton, Inc. to Jairo Marino Sarmiento Quizhpi and Adriana Gabriela Zambrano Mizhquiri; Saddlebrook Subdivision, Lot 34
NVR, Inc. to Faith L. Serrano; 8290 Grasshopper Trail, Bailey; $269,000
Navy Federal Credit Union to See Your Wealth, LLC; 1348 South Franklin Street, Rocky Mount; $76,000
Michael Abram Sr. to Michael Abram Sr., Michelle Lentei Abram, Michael Abram Jr. and Valerie Abram; 8068 Creech Road, Middlesex

RALEIGH- The North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center has received a grant of $6.38 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative.
The aim of the initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.

RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. Nonprofits and government agencies wishing to apply have until March 10 at 5 p.m.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is managed by the department, through anticipated funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eligible projects must involve fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, nursery, floriculture or horticulture crops.

Next week, we will celebrate Presidents' Day and hardly anyone will notice except for the folks who get a day off work and maybe a few others who catch a sale.
Back in the old days when George Washington and Abraham Lincoln had recognized birthdays, those were low-key as well.
So what exactly does this mean about how Americans view the highest office in the land? Do people think vicious campaigns and unqualified people running are new things in American politics?

Growing up, I recall hearing people say a good snow cleans the air of all the winter ailments such as colds and flu. A snow fell dusting Nashville with a taste of winter a few weeks ago - however, I think the old wives' tale has been proven wrong.
Just after the snowfall it seems flu cases surged, RSV went through the roof and just about every virus known has popped up. I can attest all certainly broke loose here at the newspaper after the snow.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on April 2, 1964. These eight students at Coopers High School prepared and delivered speeches on the topic, "What Should be the Foreign Policy of the United States in 1964?" in the annual World Peace program sponsored by the University of North Carolina.