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RED OAK- Red Oak town officials have posted the 2025-2026 Budget, and are looking to add sidewalks and new activities at the Ennis Park pavilion.
The budget, which has increased by just over $20,000 from last year's, totals $1,268,100. A public hearing conducted at the town council's May 12 meeting produced no comments.
A formal vote to approve the budget ordinance, currently posted on the town website, is expected in June.

NASHVILLE - The owner of a Middlesex property planned for a LCID (land-clearing and inert debris) landfill is making a second special use permit request, with a quasi-judicial public hearing planned May 27, at the Nash County Administration Building.
Travis Felts of Spring Hope, the owner of FMC Grading, is also the owner of just over 54 acres off NC 231. A previous permit request in August of 2024 was denied by the Nash County Board of Adjustment.

Nashville's Chamber of Commerce launched its 27th Blooming Festival last week featuring all of the many traditional good times expected by visitors including the carnival, a parade, crafts, festival food and a variety of live music.
This year's event was headlined by Country Music Artist Matt Stell. National touring artist Maggie Baugh opened for Stell.

NASHVILLE- The town of Nashville is a little big larger, with town officials moving to annex three properties at the May 6 town council meeting.
First on the list was the annexation of the Nash Central Middle School at 1638 S. First Street, owned by the Nash County Board of Education, which has 28.63 acres surrounded by town land, including the Cardinal Woods subdivision and Glover Park.
The school system submitted a petition asking for the annexation in January of this year, a move which has both pluses and minuses for the town.

Finalists for the Nash County Public Schools 2025 Educator of the Year, including those in several new awards categories, will find out who the winners are this coming Tuesday, May 20, at the Benvenue Country Club.
The event recognizes outstanding educators and support staff across the district, with traditional awards given to Teachers of the year, First-Year Teachers of the Year, Teacher Assistants of the Year, Assistant Principals of the Year and Principals of the year.

NASHVILLE - Sketch plans for three new subdivisions in the Spring Hope area have been approved by the Nash County Planning Board, with plans remaining valid for one year, subject to preliminary construction plat approval requirements.
Forty-five new residential lots are proposed in the Sycamore Landing Subdivision, with the subject property just over 64 acres on the southeast side of the Liles Road and Broken Road intersection, southeast of Spring Hope. The land is owned by Donna T. and Marvin E. Langley and is located in R-40 single family residential zoning district.

NASHVILLE - Nashville's ongoing efforts to enhance and preserve wetlands along the Stoney Creek corridor could potentially get a huge boost to the project's piggybank, should the town be awarded an $800,000 DEQ grant.
Koy Worrell, Parks and Rec Director, asked for and received town council approval for the grant application at their May 6 meeting, appearing with Tammy Rundle from the North Carolina Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Foundation (NCWORF).

NASHVILLE - Bond has been set for a conditional release in the case of Darrell Greg Wallace, a 63-year-old Nashville father charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of his son, Brandon Michael Wallace, 34. The incident occurred at the family home at 416 Woodfield Drive, Nashville, on Monday, May 5.
Darrell Wallace was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury after the incident, but the charge was upgraded to second degree murder after Brandon Wallace, who suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head, died from his injuries at Wake Med on May 6.

SPRING HOPE- Spring Hope Elementary is adding a new LED message sign in hopes of getting more up-to-date information to the community.
Christopher Jones, Principal, asked for and got permission from members of the Spring Hope Board of Adjustment at their May 5 meeting, giving sign particulars, including programming a 10-second delay between messages.

SPRING HOPE- A new town ordinance is being drafted to address vacant properties within the town, with the goal of preventing or reducing the number of blighted properties.
The "Vacant Properties Ordinance" working draft was on the agenda at the May 5 Board of Commissioners' meeting and shared with commissioners present, although few details were commented on publicly.

I just celebrated my 72nd birthday. That has prompted a lot of questions for me about where I am in my Christian walk.
The older I get, the more I realize there are a lot more years behind me than ahead of me. I never thought much about it until I got into my fifties. But the Bible tells us that we should not expect to live too much beyond 70. I finally understand why my dad read the obituaries so religiously when I was in my teenage years.
It's not that I am worried about where I'm going when I die. Jesus made a promise to me that I know he will keep.

Mark Twain said, "Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example." No one exemplifies this reality more than the woman of Proverbs 31. The Proverbs 31 Woman is idolized by many Christians. She is notorious to just as many. Her good example is an annoyance that is hard for many to put up with. But the tension of the text is eased by knowing that Proverbs 31 is one long discourse. King Lemuel wrote this chapter. Proverbs 31:1 is the only place where the name occurs. Lemuel may be a pseudonym for Solomon or Hezekiah.

The Parent/Child Dedication was held on Sunday, May 11 at Red Oak Baptist Church. Children dedicated included Lydia Mae Cooke, Parents Alex and Sarah Cooke; Arch Henderson Griffin, Parents Corbin and Nicole Griffin; Jameson Bennett Harrell, Parents Justin and Allyson Harrell; Leilani Ellen Lawrence, Parents Rahsun and Jessica Lawrence.
The Baptist Men will have their breakfast on Sunday, May 18 at 8:30 am.

Nash Community College proudly reinstated its chapter of the Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society this semester and hosted a formal induction ceremony celebrating 44 new student members for their academic excellence, commitment to service, and demonstration of strong character.
This milestone event, held on campus, marked the revitalization of the honor society, which had gone inactive in recent years. Under the guidance of NCC Biology Instructor and Chapter Advisor, Anna Ward, the ceremony celebrated student achievement and leadership.

Tonja Mcgee of Momeyer (27856) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Spring 2025 Dean's List. The spring terms run from January to May.
Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the Dean's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

The following students are among approximately 660 Bob Jones University students named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2025 semester.
The Dean's List recognizes students who earn a 3.00-3.74 grade point average during the semester.
Garrett Collins, a Sophomore Business Administration major at BJU, is a resident of Nashville.
Elaina Willis, a Sophomore Photography major at BJU, is a resident of Spring Hope.

The Coopers High School 91st Alumni Association banquet was held Saturday, April 26 at the Coopers School gymnasium. A social was held from 4-5 p.m. President Janice Worrell welcomed everyone. One-hundred eighty alumni and guest attended the event.
The oldest alumni were Carlton Cockrell 1950, Carolyn Moseley Lindsey 1951, Davis Eugene Bottoms 1952, Lauris Joyner 1953, Redfin Winstead 1953, Tempie Poland Dillard 1954, and Myra Jo Stallings 1954.

Tegan T. Mead and Michael A. Mead to Patrick Michael McManus and Karina Sikorski McManus; Winwood Subdivision, Section II, Block C, Lot 32
Kevin Lamb and Jill Lamb to Denali Homes, Inc.; 12760 West Hanes Avenue, Middlesex
Christopher D. Fowler and Tammy M. Fowler to Lee Ann Townsend Woodley and Seth Alan Woodley; Asheboro West Subdivision, Lot 12
Willis Edward Finch III and Julia Newman Finch to Finch Estates, LLC; 3006 J Mar Road, Spring Hope; $50,000

Multi-sectional; 9000 Murasaki Dr., Middlesex; $295,000
Multi-sectional; 9001 Murasaki Dr., Middlesex; $280,000
Detached accessory structure; 9475 Turkey Way, Middlesex; $11,500
Swimming pool; 7126 Hunter Hill Rd., Rocky Mount; $58,985

RALEIGH - Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging equine owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus.
"Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated," Troxler said. "EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent. However, both diseases are preventable by vaccination."

You may have gotten caught in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the impending end of the school year, or the fact that strawberries are in season and missed the 2025 World Happiness Rankings.
This annual report does not have 'Merica at number one, so the Soapox Staff conducted an investigation as to who was running the rankings show. It is a sketchy group indeed: some hoity-toitys from Oxford University, the United Nations and an editorial board composed mostly of pointed-headed professors.

I don't recall all the details as to why, but the chamber board was meeting at Ward Drug Company one night way back in the early 90s.
I do remember there was a lot of discussion about Nashville and its future. One of the things that continued to float to the surface was the Harvest Festival which had vanished decades ago due to the lack of volunteers and support.
Several folks continued to ask why we couldn't work on a new festival.

Another year of the Nashville Blooming Festival has come and gone, and as with all years, there are so many people that we need to thank. Obviously, this event would not have occurred if it hadn't been for volunteers, sponsors, the work of the town employees, and various departments within the town and the county. However, this year we have someone who went above and beyond not only what was expected of them, but went to measures that we didn't even think were possible. I am referring to our new police chief, Caleb Shockley.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on July 9, 1964. Betsy May (left) of Bailey and Angela Holland of Nashville pack for a trip to the National Future Homemakers of American Convention to be held in Chicago.

Nash Central High School will present the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount.
Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15; 7 p.m. Friday, May 16; and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 17. The Imperial Centre is located at 207 Gay St., Rocky Mount.