FRONT PAGE

NASHVILLE - For the second time in two months, the Nashville town council has voted to table a decision on rezoning two chunks of land off Cooke Road in the light of heavy local opposition to proposed land improvements for a Ripe Revival food processing and educational complex.
The council voted unanimously Feb. 4 to table while asking two requests of Will Kornegay, Ripe Revival founder and CEO: for more research to be done about how to mitigate potential biohazard risks to a nearby poultry farm and for Kornegay to address potential issues of noise and light pollution from a planned outdoor amphitheater at the complex.

NASHVILLE - Patricia Ann Ricks, 72, of 5073 Dutchman Road, Nashville, charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 7, 2023 death of her granddaughter, 8-year-old Christal Neveah Lane, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Appearing Jan. 31 in Nash County Superior Court, Ricks entered an Alford plea, essentially entering a guilty plea while maintaining innocence similar to a plea of "no contest," which allows a defendant to bypass a trial and go straight to sentencing.

ROCKY MOUNT - Red Oak native and longtime Agriculture advocate Bobby Jo Fisher was honored with the top award from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, "The Ambassador of Agriculture," during the second annual Agriculture Forum Jan. 29 at Nash Community College.
Steve Troxler, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner and keynote speaker for the event, said Fisher deserved recognition for his "lifelong commitment to Nash County, to agriculture in the regional, and as Chairman of the Nash County Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors for 35 years."

NASHVILLE- A request to rezone 7 acres of A-1 Agricultural land to B-1, business, for UNC Nash to put in a 10,000-square-foot medical offices building near the 64 interchange, has been approved by Nashville town planners and the Nashville Town Council.
The undeveloped parcel in question, which is part of a larger tract that belongs to 3MR Limited Partnership, is on Red Oak Road close to US 64 and falls within the town of Nashville's ETJ.

NASHVILLE - A rezoning request for a new, 72-lot subdivision on Peachtree Hills Road, Spring Hope, was turned down by Nash commissioners Feb. 3, but does not preclude the possibility of a somewhat smaller, scaled-down version at the same location, as permitted under current zoning.
L.D. Land Holdings LLC, the current owner of about 129 acres near the Franklin County line on both sides of Peachtree Hills Road and along the south side of Savage Road, requested conditional rezoning from A1 to RA30 for higher-density, single family homes.

NASHVILLE - A new policy addition that would permit public school students to voluntarily attend off-campus religious instruction during school hours has been drafted, with Nash County School Board members directed to screen it for potential revisions and possible adoption at the next full board meeting March 3.
While the policy had no discussion when shared with the full board by Steve Ellis, Superintendent, at the Feb. 3 meeting, Ellis asked board members to review it and submit any changes to him before the Feb. 24 committee meetings.

NASHVILLE- Building improvements underway at the old Nashville Furniture Store, which occupies both 125 and 127 W. Washington Street, have been recommended to receive Façade Grants, based on action taken by the Downtown Strong Advisory Board at their Jan. 27 meeting.
Larry Hyde, property owner, showed board members a framed photograph of the building dating from 1959, and submitting a 'scope of work' document outlining how much he has currently spent.