NEWKIRK

The circle road in front of the Spaulding Family Resource Center in Spring Hope now bears the name of the man who has dedicated many years of his life to ensuring the center was a success.
Nash-Rocky Mount Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson unveiled the new “Newkirk Circle” sign on Saturday at a special appreciation service for Mr. Bill Newkirk.

Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity will join forces with Rocky Mount’s Habitat for Humanity to serve a broader area.
Nashville Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors recently announced that the merger of the two entities will become effective October 1.
The new organization, Nash Rocky Mount Habitat for Humanity, will serve a broader area, including Nashville and Rocky Mount but also to include Nash County.

DANCING FOR THE ARTS ––– Dr. Paul Bondy of Nashville’s Boice-Willis Clinic and dance partner Tonja Philbeck of Nash County Farm Bureau, won the 2014 Dancing for the Arts competition raising the most money for Nash Arts.

Six local couples put their dancing shoes on to help raise money for Nash Arts in the second annual Dancing with the Arts competition.
This year’s event raised over $17,000, said event coordinator Amy Beasley.
Beasley said before doors even opened on Friday night a majority of the money had already been raised.
“It was so good because before the doors even opened they had raised over $12,000,” Beasley said.

It’s been a long time coming but the first phase of the Bailey-Middlesex Community Park is officially open.
Nash County Parks and Recreation hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony for the park on Friday morning.
The park has been in the minds of many for several years. In 2006, the first meeting was held on the park.
“We first met about this and first started to dream,” said Middlesex Mayor LuHarvey Lewis. “It’s been a terribly long process but it’s getting there.”

Officer Name: Mark Withrow
Number of years in law enforcement:
I’ve only been in Law Enforcement for a year and half.  However,  I bring life experiences to the Nashville Police Department.

This year’s Spring Hope Pumpkin Festival will feature two record breaking pumpkins straight from the farm of a local man.
Around a month ago, Danny Vester returned to his Spring Hope home from Cullman, Alabama with the largest pumpkin in the Southeastern United States. This past weekend, Vester beat his own record, breaking another state record with his 1,404 pound pumpkin.

Nashville’s newest pharmacy was celebrated last week at a ribbon cutting and grand opening event.
Drugco Discount Pharmacy officially opened on May 5.
The ribbon cutting was hosted by Nashville’s Chamber of Commerce last Thursday morning.
Drugco was founded in 1987. The company has locations in Roanoke Rapids, Ahoskie, Littleton and now, Nashville.

A crime reporter with WRAL will serve as the guest speaker for a charity dinner put on by My Sister’s House.
Amanda Lamb will speak at the event, The Empty Chair, on Friday, October 17 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at Nashville United Methodist Church.
Meredith Holland, Executive Director of My Sister’s House, said the event should be informational. She added that Lamb would be a great speaker for the event.

INCIDENTS
A driving while license revoked, driving while impaired and possession of marijuana was reported on 9/22/14 on First Street Extension
A larceny was reported on 9/24/14 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue
A larcey (shoplifting) was reported on 9/25/14 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue

A breaking, entering and larceny of a residence was reported on 9/22/14 at 5102 Wildlife Road
A breaking, entering and larceny of a residence was reported on 9/22/14 at 4797 Duke Road
A counterfeiting was reported on 9/23/14 at 522 N Old Carriage Road
A simple assault was reported on 9/23/14 at 8667 Cedar Grove School Loop Road

Bagley

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division made several arrests last week as part of an ongoing effort targeting drug dealers in the area.
The arrests are related to previous arrests made over the past several weeks. The sheriff’s office will continue to make more arrests related to the investigations in the future.

Monday, October 13 from 3 until 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 200 South Church Street, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, October 14 from 2:30 until 7 p.m. at Englewood Baptist Church, 1350 Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount
Wednesday, October 15 from 12 until 4 p.m. at Eason Corporation, 8171 Planer Mill Road, Middlesex
Thursday, October 16 from 12 until 6 p.m. at Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive, Rocky Mount

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from September 22 through September 26.

A 5K race next Saturday will help fight hunger around the world.
The Town of Red Oak and Red Oak United Methodist Church are sponsoring the first Fruit of the Spirit 5K on Saturday, October 11.
The race will start at the church at 8 a.m.

Promising young North Carolina leaders were recognized August 7 for completing the 2014 Summer Youth Leadership Program of the N. C. Community Development Initiative.
The 23 rising seniors from 14 North Carolina counties were honored at a luncheon ceremony in Raleigh for completing the eight-week intensive internship program, where each teen worked on a community economic development project with a host organization.

Charles Douglas Johnson and Sue Ella Johnson, of Red Oak, annouce the engagement of their daughter, Shannon Jeanette Johnson, of Kansas City Missouri, to Robert Gregory Gault, of Greenville. He is the son of Greg and Becky Gault, of Greenville. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Sue Edwards and the late Grover W. Edwards, Jr. and Jeannette Worsley Johnson and the late Gerald Kent Johnson.

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Candidate-Citizen Meet and Greet on Thursday, October 9th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Nash Arts Center in downtown  Nashville.
The event is free and open to the public.   Nash County voters are encouraged to attend to meet and talk with the 2014 candidates.

Luquire George Andrews (LGA), an advertising, digital and public relations agency, has hired Rocky Mount native and Northern Nash High School grad Courtney Ottelin as digital project manager in the client services department. In this role, she collaborates with all agency disciplines as the point person responsible for scheduling and managing day-to-day progress of website development and related digital programs.

Keep America Beautiful of Nash and Edgecombe counties will host its NC Big Sweep Cleanup Day on Saturday, October 4, 2014.
The Big Sweep is an annual event in which volunteers from across the state of North Carolina and approximately 100 countries clean up rivers, lakes and oceans.

A dog from Maryland has captured the hearts of many here in Nashville.
Maggie is a black lab mix with a large white patch on her chest and a bushy black tail.
She has made her home in the woods of Nashville after pulling out of her collar while being housed at the Nash County Animal Shelter.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for Nash and Edgecombe counties.
The awards program, created by the Office of the Governor in 1979, recognizes North Carolina’s most dedicated volunteers. Through the years, the award has been bestowed on thousands of North Carolinians who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors by volunteering in their local community.

Momeyer native Stephen E. Webb, II recently returned to Nash County and has joined the Valentine Law Firm in Nashville. He is the grandson of Mildred Matthews of Momeyer and the late George Matthews.  He is the son of Natalie Webb of Momeyer and the late Steve Matthews.
After graduating from Southern Nash High School,  Stephen attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Jarrett A. Moss, a senior at Southern Nash High School,  recently earned the Billy Mitchell Award, one of the Civil Air Patrol’s most prestigious cadet honors. Moss received the award on August 28th after  satisfactorily completed all requirements.
The award has been in existence since 1964 and honors Billy Mitchell who is considered by many to be the most important figure in the history of airpower.

The Labor Day holiday ushers in the start of school and football season, and signals the end of summer – marking a time many people decide to celebrate with alcohol. The N.C. Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program worked closely with law enforcement officers statewide to keep drunk drivers off the road during the Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign.

AgCarolina Farm Credit is accepting grant applications through October 17 for programs that specifically benefit farmers and rural residents in the thirty-four county geographic area where AgCarolina conducts business.  Grants are available up to $5,000 per organization for programs that are in one of these four focus areas:  Education, Environment, Technology, or the Quality of Rural Life. 

We had a really good service at Beulah Church of Christ on Sunday morning. Even though we do not have a full-time minister at this time we have been blessed with several ministers who are visiting with us and bringing us some great sermons. This past Sunday, Minister Dolan Baker and his wife, Ruth, were at our morning service.

Everyone at Red Oak Baptist Church had an opportunity to tour the new family life center to see the progress.  It was interesting to walk through and think of all the ways the building could be utilized for ministry in the community and for reaching people for Christ through Sunday School, missions groups, Vacation Bible School, and other special events.  A date of January 25, 2015 has been set for the Dedication Service for the family life center.

The Annual Homecoming at Peachtree Church was a great day of worship, fellowship and good food. Present were some people who had traveled a great distance to attend.  There were those who still lived in the community but who were now affiliated with other churches, who came back to visit. It was great to be able to renew acquaintances and also to greet newcomers.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently unveiled highly anticipated new programs to help farmers better manage risk, ushering in one of the most significant reforms to U.S. farm programs in decades. 
Vilsack also announced that new tools are now available to help provide farmers the information they need to choose the new safety net program that is right for their business.

Army Pvt. Jaquetta T. Lovely has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat...

UDC Bethel Heroes Chapter 636 outgoing  President Dottie Barrett (at left) passes on the President’s pin to incoming president, Margie Brantley Parker (at right). (Contributed photo)

Upset over low teacher pay? Under-funded school systems? The cost of health insurance for “everyone”? Money for police and fire departments? Roads?
There is more than enough money to fix everything that needs fixing and give every taxpayer in America plenty of money for a tax holiday.

Well, the second annual Dancing with the Arts is now behind us so local folks can now start sweating again, wondering if Amy Beasley is going to pick you to dance in the next Dancing with the Arts!
This year’s event was a huge success and I must admit, my mouth dropped a little when they announced that the event had raised over $17,000 for Nash Arts.

The first ever “Bark for Life” event will take place right here in Nashville on Saturday, October 4 from 9 am - 1 pm. The event will take place at Stoney Creek Environmental Park which is located  in the area behind L&L Food Stores and Bojangles off of Washington Street.
Bradley Leonard is organizing the event as another way to support Relay for Life and the fight against cancer.

COUNTY RECEIVES AWARD –– This photo originally published in The Graphic on August 2, 1977. An award for its efforts in developing an in-house planning program was made to Nash County by the National Association of Counties during the association’s annual meeting in Detroit.

FOREHAND FURY. Northern Nash’s Lauren Phillips prepares to blast a forehand winner during last Thursday afternoon’s No. 2 Singles match as part of a Big East Conference tennis event versus Nash Central HS.

RED OAK - Both Northern Nash and Nash Central have lost a slew of talented girls tennis players over the past few seasons -- and some of them are even competing on the collegiate level.
That’s not to say, however, that the programs are devoid of overall skill. The opposite argument could have easily been made during the clubs’ high-powered Big East Conference showdown last Thursday at the Northern Nash High School Courts.

IT’S ALL ABOUT ELEVEN. Southern Nash’s Jacob McNinch (right) sends the ball forward.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Life’s little ups and downs were evident in the past week for the Southern Nash boys soccer team as the Firebirds continue to seek consistency in the competitive Big East Conference.
Southern Nash has displayed plenty of potential through one round of the Big East slate, including a home victory against Northern Nash.

ROCKY MOUNT -- North Carolina Wesleyan College’s 2014-15 men’s basketball campaign will begin Nov. 21-22 at the South Region Challenge on the campus of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.
On Nov. 14, the Battling Bishops will play an exhibition game against the East Carolina University Pirates in Greenville.
NCWC’s first home event will be Nov. 25 versus Mary Washington College.

SPRING HOPE -- The Nash County Parks and Recreation Department conducted its annual NFL Punt, Pass and Kick event on Aug. 7 at the Spaulding Resource Center in Spring Hope.
Winners in each age group advanced to the sectional round, scheduled for Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at Herman Park in Goldsboro.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Listed are recent results from the Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Department’s Hot Shot Youth Soccer League:

FERRUM, VA. -- Senior Jacques Alston rushed for a career-high 218 yards and three touchdowns to lead his North Carolina Wesleyan College football team to a 34-30 USA South victory at Ferrum College last Saturday.
Alston and teammate Brice Wordsworth also hauled in scoring catches to pace the Battling Bishops, who evened their record at 2-2 on the season, 1-1 in conference play.

WILSON -- The Nash County Firebirds continued their 2014 Eastern North Carolina Football League schedule last Saturday with a road meeting against WYU-The SPOT at Wilson Hunt High School.
Under ENCFL rules, scores aren’t kept for the Rookie League games. But once again, the Nash County Firebirds’ rookies put together a strong performance -- and showed plenty of promise for the future.

AND THERE HE GOES. Nash County’s Jesse Smith picks up yardage during last Saturday’s contest against Wake Forest.

WAKE FOREST -- Last Saturday was one of the biggest days in the brief history of the Northern Nash Knights youth football league.
Northern Nash was able to secure a sweep over Wake Forest in Johnston County Football League action.
The games were played on the campus of Heritage High School in Wake County.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats have announced a new, two-year player development contract with the Atlanta Braves.
The 2015 season will mark the Braves’ return to the Triangle for the first time in 18 years.
The Mudcats were the Advanced-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians the last three years.

Nash Central High School No. 3 Singles performer Kayle Sharpe returns a backhand during her club’s road team showdown last Thursday against Northern Nash.

Southern Nash’s Ishmael Rodriguez (left) tries to penetrate the Rocky Mount defense during last Thursday afternoon’s conference soccer showdown.

Nash Central HIgh School veteran Brianna Eley prepares for a return during the Lady Bulldogs’ road tennis contest last Thursday afternoon at Northern Nash in Red Oak.

Northern Nash’s Sarah Spain concentrates on a backhand return as part of her singles victory during last Thursday afternoon’s home team decision over the Nash Central Lady Bulldogs.

Northern Nash’s Robin Jones delivers a two-handed forehand last Thursday against Nash Central.

James A. Rackley, 90, passed away Friday, September 26, 2014.  He was born in Nash County June 13, 1924 to the late Frank A. Rackley and Molly U. Evans. In addition to his parents, Mr. Rackley was preceded in death by his wife, Nina M. Rackley; sisters, Mary Etta Cooper and Agnes Floyd.

NASHVILLE - Alice Sue Giles, 90, of Nashville, died on September 24, 2014.

NASHVILLE -  Anthony Alston, 42, passed away on Saturday, September 27, 2014.

Artelia Hamme-Leach, 64, of Newark, NJ, formerly of Henderson, passed away on Monday, September 22, 2014.

UPPER MARLBORO, MD - Betty Jane Cabbagestalk-Sheridan, 72, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland and formerly of Rocky Mount, died on September 23, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT - Charlie Edward Perry, 82, of Rocky Mount, died on September 28, 2014.

CASTALIA - Clark Gable Norfleet, 72, of Castalia, died September 28, 2014.

Emma Allen, age 84 of Spring Hope passed away on September 26, 2014.

FRANKLINTON - Eudora “Genia” Barnes, 44, passed away on Friday, September 26, 2014.

Eugene Weaver, 77, passed away Friday, September 26, 2014. He was born in Johnston County to the late Herman and Sadie Weaver. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Bud, Ed and JD Weaver; nephews, Junior and Brian Weaver.

Fonnie Thalbert “Dootsie” Harris, Jr., 85, passed away Thursday, September 25, 2014.

Harold Allyn Smith, age 89, passed away on Thursday, September 25, 2014. Born in Sellars, South Carolina on April 8, 1925, he was the son of Harold Allyn Smith, Sr. and Martha (“Mattie”) Smith. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his first wife, Newell P. Smith and two sisters, Betty Jo Hooks and Jessie Rose McQueen.

WARRENTON - Hermon Coplin Sr, 91, passed away on Friday, September 26, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT - James Edward Forbes, 73, of Rocky Mount, died on September 27, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT - Joan Blondell Cherry, 72, of Rocky Mount, died on September 23, 2014.

TARBORO - Joe Jerome Johnson, 57, of Tarboro, died on September 28, 2014.

John R. “Rabbitt Dog” Hunter, 73, passed away on September 25, 2014.

Letha B. Dales, 89, passed away on Friday, September 26, 2014.

Lula Curry, age 80 of Spring Hope, passed away Monday, September 29, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT - Pattie Lynch Lewis, 64, passed away on Wednesday, September 24, 2014.

Randolph Macon Brantley, Sr., passed away, Monday September 29, 2014. He was born October 15, 1924 in Nash County to the late Hassell “Doc” and Blanch Wheeler Brantley. He was preceded in death by son, Randy Brantley, daughter, Mary Boone, step-daughter, Becky Wester, brothers; Pete Donald and Maryland Brantley.