NASHVILLE - Two million dollars in Nash tourism dollars is headed into the coffers of the City of Rocky Mount, earmarked for roof and window repairs at the Imperial Centre.
The money was raised through a 2 percent occupancy tax, or "hotel/motel room tax," currently levied by state statute and designated specifically for use by the City of Rocky Mount

NASHVILLE - The first of three budget-related meetings for the town of Nashville took place in streamlined fashion April 2, with figures presented on property tax revenues and projections for same based on the number of new homes anticipated over the next three years.
"This is the meat of it," said Randy Lansing, town manager, at a council budget retreat, stating that the overall framework would allow town council members to set priorities based on established goals.

Shawn Holland (right) receives the Nashville Chamber of Commerce 2025 Distinguished Citizen Award. Presenting the award is John Seegars.

NASHVILLE - Appreciation for those who make Nashville a better place and the value of community: those were two themes during the well-attended 33rd Annual Distinguished Citizen Awards Ceremony and Reception, presented April 3 by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Nash Arts Center.
Shawn Holland was named the 2025 Distinguished Citizen, receiving his award from his boss, John Seegars of Seegars Fence Company.

SPRING HOPE - The concept of being part of a proposed Southern Nash County Regional Wastewater System was either outright rejected, questioned, or met with reservations on the part of Spring Hope commissioners, who broached the topic at their April 7 town board meeting. Present at the meeting and questioned was Jonathan Boone, Deputy Manager for Nash County.
No official action was taken by the board, with several members feeling that it was too early to do so and stating that they needed to have a better idea of costs involved.

SPRING HOPE - A special "in-season" Little League tournament, "The Spring Hope Sandlot Showdown," is planned this Saturday at the Spring Hope Community Park at 401 McLean Street, starting at 9 a.m. with the last game to start at 6 p.m.
Sponsored by the Spring Hope Chamber of Commerce, the first-ever invitational event will involve competition by six teams of 7-8 year-old participants registered in the Nash County League.

Eleanor Mize of Middlesex is pictured with her goat, dressed as a fairy godmother with "Bippity Boppity Baaa." Eleanor won first place in the costume contest for Goats.

Nashville Parks and Recreation will host Eggciting Saturday, a community Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 12, 2025 - 10 a.m. sharp at Stoney Creek Environmental Park, 455 W. Washington Street, Nashville. Rain or shine, the event is for children ages 0-12. Special activities from 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Nashville Parks and Recreation will also host a Sensory-Friendly Easter Egg Hunt on April 12, 2025 , from 2-4 p.m. at 200 S. Boddie Street, Nashville. Sensory-friendly pictures with the Easter Bunny, indoor Easter Egg Hunt, crafts and games.

The annual Nash County Master Gardener Plant Sale will again be the site for WPTF's Weekend Gardener program, whivh will broadcast the day of the sale from 8-11 a.m.
Nash County Extension Master Gardeners have been planting and planning for weeks to get ready for the annual plant sale on April 26, which will be held at the Nash County Agriculture Center in Nashville from 9 a.m. - noon.

NASHVILLE - An inmate at the Nash County Detention Center is dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. Chad Barry Mackenzie, 36, was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after 10 p.m. April 3rd from an apparent hanging.
Resuscitation efforts were attempted by Detention staff while First Responders and the Nash County EMS responded to the scene and additional life-saving measures were attempted, but proved unsuccessful. Mackenzie was pronounced deceased on scene.

Nash County Cooperative Extension Office has launched the 2025 Nash County Arboretum Tour at the Nash County Agriculture Center.
The tours will provide insight to gardeners on choosing the right plant for the right place for their home landscapes.
Tours include April 11th (Spring Awakenings); May 9th (Native Plants) June 6th (Bashful Bloomers); Aug. 8 (Brown Thumb Plants): Sept. 12 (Roots of Freedom): Oct. 10th (Groovy Groundcovers): and Nov. 14 (Festive Foliage).

NASHVILLE - Nash County has named a new Finance Director, with Nikki Stanton taking on the role as of April 14.
Stanton, who is currently the Finance Director for Warren County, was introduced to the Nash Board of Commissioners at their April 7 meeting and will be taking over from Melanie Eason, who has served as Interim Director since January 10, 2025.

NASHVILLE - Street drainage problems at Boddie and Railroad have caused one local business owner damages four times - but now town officials are filing an insurance claim on his behalf and vowing to fix the issue.
Chris Sandy, who owns a contractors' wholesale supply business at 720 S. Boddie, appeared before the town council March 4 and April 8.
"Please help me. I can't take but so much," Sandy said. "Please fix it."

The Nashville Town Council approved appointments for Natalie Brooks and Shirley Fisher to the Library Advisory Board.
Brian Booth introduced Brooks and Fisher, decribing them as retired educators who are "avid readers" and praising them for bringing a "wealth of knowledge and keen acumen to the Advisory Board leadership."

NASHVILLE - A bill that would modify how Nash County spends its hotel tax dollars for tourism has been filed by Rep. Allen Chesser. This leading first to opposition by the Nash Tourism Development Authority, which filed a resolution in opposition, and then a letter from Chesser alleging misinformation presented by Robbie Davis, TDA Chair and county commissioner. Davis wrote a letter in response.

Bryleigh Colbert (pictured next to the ribbon) wins the Champion Market Hog ribbon. Contributed p hoto

The 2025 Eastern Carolina 4-H Livestock Show and Sale was held last week in Kingsboro featuring many traditional showings as well as a new lighter side offering youth to show their animals in themed costumes in addition to an Old Timer's Show. Youth from three counties, Nash, Edgecombe and Halifax, competed in the annual event.
Results for the show are as follows:

The Rocky Mount Debuette Club announces their 2025 senior class.
The club consists of young women in grades ninth through twelfth who volunteer together in the community. They become community leaders while developing lifelong friendships during four years of service.
This year, the senior class of 12 young women volunteered their time and collected donations to support local organizations.

It's hard to believe that Good Friday is next Friday.
Sadly, most of the world no longer sees much of the "Good" in Good Friday. I guess that's why most businesses no longer observe it as a holiday.
But Good Friday is more than a holiday. And while we call it "Good", it actually commemorates one of the darkest days in history. In fact, the Bible records that when Jesus died, "darkness came over the whole land". (Luke 23:44) That's God's reminder to us all about what sin does in our world. It separates us from God's light.

Not every institution that calls itself a church is really a true church. In the Bible, some such institutions are called "synagogues of Satan" (Rev. 2:9; 3:9). So, how can we tell if a church is really a church? When the New Testament church began in Acts 2, it was described this way: "So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:41-42). There was the preaching of God's word, the sharing of the common life, the ordinances, and prayer.

Welcome to the Red Oak Baptist Church family of faith Charlotte Lewis and Larry Flood. Charlotte and Larry were baptized Sunday, March 30 at Red Oak Baptist Church.
Congratulations to Brent and Morgan Belk, Bodee, and Brooks on the birth of their daughter and sister, Eleanor Ann Belk born on March 9. Proud grandparents are Craig and Susan New. Also, congratulations to Tucker and Makayla Bass on the birth of their son, Harrison King Bass, born on March 28.

On April 13, 2025, 15 junior and senior women from area high schools will participate in the 43rd Rocky Mount Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Jabberwock Scholarship Pageant. The honorees attend Rocky Mount High, Southeast Halifax High School, Nash Central High, Southern Nash High, North Edgecombe High School, Tarboro High School, SouthWest Edgecombe High School, and Wakefield High School.
The Jabberwock 2025 Theme is: Herstory: Making A World Of Difference.

Edgar Messick, Beth Messick and Beth Schroeder to Leslie Scott Carpenter and Rebecca Ann Zartman; Section 2, Englewood, Block K, Lot 4
Richard M. White III and Heather P. White to Joyce Keith and Hillary Keith; 3471 Wagon Wheel Road, Rocky Mount
Family Hospitality Investment LLC to Riffat Shafiq; 5028 Netherwood Road, Rocky Mount
Family Hospitality Investment LLC to Riffat Shafiq; property in Rocky Mount

Fail to maintain lane control; simple possession schedule VI controlled substance; flee/elude arrest with motor vehicle (F); DWI; Driving while license revoked not repaired revoked at mile marker 462 US 64-E on 3/13/25
DWI at Eastern Ave./N. Clarendon Dr., Nashville on 3/15/25
Obtain property by false pretense at 501 Barnes St., Nashville on 3/14/25

Forgery, notes, checks, secuirities at 10025 US 264A, Middlesex on 3/3/25
Resisting arrest/hinder & delay; disorderly conduct by abusive lang or disruption; assault with a deadly at 10939 West St, Whitakers on 3/5/25
Larceny misdemeanor at 11420 S. NC 581, Bailey on 3/3/25
Larceny misdemeanor at 11607 Cedar Lake Dr, Middlesex on 3/3/25

New single family dwelling; 3895 Josiah Ct., Nashville; $125,463
New single family dwelling; 3881 Josiah Ct., Nashville; $155,841
Multi-sectional; 13115 Thrasher Ct., Zebulon; $21,000
Renovation/alteration commercial; 6975 Old Bailey Hwy, Nashville; $10,000

Dear Holly,
The theme for these 12 months could be "How Many Things Can Be Crammed Into a Year?"
You squeezed a graduate degree, a move, a new job and -- gasp -- an engagement into one year. Give it another two months and we can add "wedding" to the list.
Yep, "Dear Hollys" started in 2000. People told me it was good I was writing those things down because I'd be surprised how many things I'd forget. I thought they were crazy.

A report was shared with me this week containing 2024 data from animal shelters in our region. Nash seems to be on the high end of euthanizations again - which is disappointing. The largest number looks to be cats but with a high percentage of the dog intake as well. We are researching the report for more in-depth information before offering a full report in the paper, but I wanted to at least cast my opinion this week in what seems to be a huge, if not extreme, problem here in Nash County - feral cats.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on April 30, 1964. The photo as taken at the junior senior prom held in the school gymnasium at Nashville High School. Pictured, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Vick (right foreground), chaperones, waltz to the music of The Four Kings.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Nash Central's girls soccer season got sidetracked a bit last week during a pair of matches in the ultra-competitive Big East Conference.
Heading into the week with just one loss, the Lady Bulldogs suffered back-to-back defeats against rivals Roanoke Rapids and Southern Nash.
Last Tuesday evening, with first place on the line in the Class 2-A portion of the Big East Conference, the Lady Bulldogs fell 2-0 at Roanoke Rapids, which is also the overall league leader in the Big East.

STANHOPE -- The Southern Nash Firebird baseball team bounced back from a three-game losing streak on Friday night in an 18-8 run-rule victory over Raleigh Homeschool.
The Firebirds' win was part of the Tobs Classic high school event at Wilson's Fleming Stadium, and was the team's third game in as many days.
Despite picking up the decisive victory, Southern found itself trailing 7-3 through three innings but responded by posting a whopping 10 runs in the top of the fourth frame.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Talk about making the most of a single opportunity -- that's the story of Aiden Scott's football career at Nash Central High School.
Before his junior year, Scott was working as a backup offensive lineman for the Bulldogs -- until one fateful preseason practice day.
"One of our guys who was going to be a starter missed a practice, so we put Aiden in there with the first team,'' said NCHS head coach Chris Lee. "He never gave it up and ended up being a very good player for us.''

ROCKY MOUNT -- Todd Brewer expected a few ups and downs this season from his Nash Central softball squad, especially considering the fact that the Lady Bulldogs only have one senior (infielder Layla Lafferty) on their roster.
And that's exactly what the young Lady Bulldogs have provided this spring. Moments of jubilation and moments of disappointment have equaled out to the extent that Coach Brewer's crew carried a .500 mark of 7-7 heading into this week's action.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The tightest Big East Conference boys golf team championship race in recent memory got even tightier last Wednesday during the league's latest event at Olde Liberty Golf Course in Franklin County.
Heading into the event, Franklinton trailed Northern Nash by 22 strokes, but the Red Rams made up eight of those shots by using their home-course advantage to take first place overall at 346 strokes.

NORTHERN NASH'S TAYLOR MCINTYRE SIGNS TO PLAY TENNIS AT MEREDITH COLLEGE

RED OAK -- A pair of Northern Nash High School student-athletes recently pledged their collegiate commitments, set to continue their athletic careers at the next level.
Seniors Taylor McIntyre and Kailey Burden have each signed their National Letters of Intent, with McIntyre set to join the Women's Tennis team at Raleigh's Meredith College while Burden will be joining the Women's Flag Football program at Barton College in Wilson.