Area authorities are investigating a homicide after finding the body of a Tarboro man in a Franklin County field.
Franklin County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Terry Wright said the body of Anthony Bernard Howard, 28, was found in a wooded area in the 700 block of Rick Boone Road, just inside Franklin County the morning of Dec. 24.
The body was found about 100 yards off the roadway and about 20 feet from a wood line.

The community joined the Nash-Rocky Mount School System in welcoming Dr. Shelton Jefferies on Monday night at a swearing-in ceremony and reception for the new leader of the school system.
The Board of Education announced the hiring of Jefferies at the December board meeting. Jefferies was one of 17 candidates from eight states who applied for the Superintendent post, which was left vacant in July.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol charged two Rocky Mount men in a road rage incident that occurred on December 28 on Interstate 95.
The Nash County Communications Center received a 911 call about a possible road rage incident on I-95 North around 7:15 p.m.
Daniel Aaron Edwards, 35, of Rocky Mount, had allegedly struck the vehicle of 69-year-old Norman Lee Webb, also of Rocky Mount, and followed the victim north into Nashville on Highway 58.

A Nashville police officer and fire chief from Roxboro were recognized by Nashville's Town Council on Tuesday night for their actions in saving a life during a vehicle fire in November.
Sgt. Brooks Heath and Chief Kenneth Torain were both recognized with certificates by Nashville Mayor Donald Street. Heath received a Life Saving Award and Torain received a Certificate of Appreciation for their lifesaving efforts on November 25.

The Nashville Willing Workers are gearing up for their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration but this year, have changed the event's day and time to hopefully draw more to the celebration.
This year's celebration is set for Sunday, January 17 at 4 p.m.
For many years, the Willing Workers have hosted a breakfast event on Monday, which is the day recognized for Martin Luther King, Jr.

A longtime employee of Nash County's Emergency Communications Center is celebrating retirement.
Cindy Wells officially retired on December 31, after over 30 years with Nash County.
Wells started her career in 1982 as a dispatcher with the Nash County Sheriff's Office. Wells said Frank Brown was the sheriff at the time.
When things transitioned to include more than just the sheriff's offices calls, Wells transitioned with it.

Nash County Manager Zee Lamb announced on Monday that Sue Yerkes, Nash County Parks and Recreation Director, would be leaving the county for a similar position in Missouri.
Yerkes has served as the county's only Parks and Recreation Director. She was hired in September 2006 when the county decided to start its recreation program for children who may not have the benefit of municipal programs.

The majority of Castalia's regular town board meeting Tuesday was spent discussing the town's water system.
"The water system is in trouble," Mayor Ellene Leonard explained, "It's been in trouble; operating in the red for years. And it's gotten to the point now where it's draining the general fund. And it's really a problem. We need to do something about it."
Earlier in the year, the auditor suggested that the town seek guidance from the School of Government on this issue.

SpringBoardNC, along with partner organization Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce, recently announced that it will host the third annual Shark Tank by SpringBoardNC event on March 17, 2016 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at The Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences in Rocky Mount. The popular competition event and startup business expo showcases local business ideas and gives would-be entrepreneurs a chance to win up to $15,000 in seed money. It will be free to participate in, and to attend.

Three individuals from the Nash County Sheriff's Office were awarded the Advanced Deputy Professional Law Enforcement Certificate by the North Carolina Sheriff's Education and Training Standards Commission on December 11.
Brandon Medina, Yvette McCalston Whitley and Angela V. Ricks all received the certification.
The North Carolina Sheriff's Education and Training Standards Commission was established in September 1983.

INCIDENTS
An animal abuse/neglect was reported on 12/28/15 at 585 Haley Drive
A damage to property (vandalism) was reported on 12/30/15 at 730 S Bass Drive
A larceny was reported on 12/30/15 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue

A possession of a controlled substance in jail was reported on 12/27/15 at 222 W Washington Street
A larceny of a four wheeler was reported on 12/27/15 at 2504 Goldrock Road
A fraud was reported on 12/27/15 at 6179 Windchase Drive
A breaking and entering and larceny after a breaking and entering was reported on 12/27/15 at 6099 Archibell Road

A Wilson man was arrested last week for attempting to steal a trailer from an Elm City home.
According to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a larceny in progress in the 4100 block of West Langley Road in Elm City. A caller reported that he was driving to his residence when he saw an SUV parked on the side of the road and a man pulling a trailer from one of the neighbor's homes. The caller stopped and questioned the suspect, who advised he was doing some work.

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from December 28 through 31.

The Town Board of Red Oak made a few decisions at its regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday.
The board unanimously decided to begin collecting bids for the demolition of the old dormitory, located across from Red Oak Elementary.
"That is too much liability sitting there right now," Mayor Pro Temp Levell Langley said.
The board also voted to accept a bid from Rocky Mount Awning and Tent Company for $1543.04 to place vinyl/canvas awnings over two doors at the Town Hall.

Members of the Boys and Girls Club are working on getting more involved in the community.
Youth recently visited Universal Healthcare of Nashville to sing Christmas carols to residents and give out handmade Christmas cards.
The visit is just the first of several things in store for the club, said Program Assistant Chris Williams.
Williams serves as the Program Assistant for youth ages five to 10 at the Nashville Boys and Girls Club.

Nash Community College celebrated the opening of its aseptic clean room Tuesday, December 15, 2015. Located in the College's new Continuing Education and Public Services Building, the 913 square foot room was funded through a Golden LEAF grant. Local and industry leaders toured the aseptic lab during the event.
Initial conversations about offering aseptic training in Rocky Mount began about four years ago. Pfizer Plant Manager Marty Nealey shared with attendees the pharmaceutical plant has historically sent employees to Maryland for the same type of industry training.

Students from Nash County, Vance County and Johnston County's Sheriff's Departments recently completed Detention Officer training at Nash Community College. The certification includes 181 hours of training designed to train qualified participants to function as officers in detention facilities. The course is governed by the North Carolina Sheriffs' and North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commissions.

Rotarian President Richard Sykes, at left, stands with US Marshal Scott Parker, at right, who spoke at the Doubletree of Rocky Mount on the operations, staff, and scope of duties of the US Marshal's service in Eastern NC. The next scheduled Rotary meeting is January 11th, with Chrystal Kowack, formerly of AAA Travel, who will be speaking on vacation travels, bookings, and locations.

The following students made at Red Oak Middle School made the A or the A/B Honor Rolls for the latest reporting period.

Hobgood Academy recently announced its Principal's List (A's) and Honor Roll (A's and B's) for the second six weeks of school.

Sarah Sophia Fairman, of Nashville, was recently named to the Dean's List at UNC-Asheville for the Fall 2015 semester.
The Dean's List is made up of full-time students who have achieved between 3.5 and 3.99 grade point average.

The N.C. Farm School started four years ago as the Piedmont Farm School, utilizing Cooperative Extension agents from Davidson, Forsyth, Randolph, Montgomery, and Iredell counties. It has now grown to four schools held annually across the state and has even crossed state lines, working with Virginia Cooperative Extension agents. In 2016, the first Eastern Piedmont Farm School will be held, a collaboration of extension agents in Nash, Warren, Franklin, and Wake counties.

A/B Honor Roll
Taylor King

Spreading holiday cheer through gifts, service and fellowship are just a few of the many activities members of the Tar River Chapter of Les Gemmes, Inc. enjoy during the holiday season.
In 2015, Les Gemmes members prepared a Thanksgiving meal for residents of United Community Ministries. Members said residents were appreciative for the food, thoughtfulness and fellowship that was extended to them during the Thanksgiving season.

Christmas is over and the New Year has already begun...ready or not. I have really been busy the last few months and haven't been able to devote as much time to my news as I would like, but I will try to do better.
I have written about "thread for the future" several times in my news. What is this thread? It's memories that hold us together in the future with each stage of life's changes.

Thursday, January 7 from 12 until 6 p.m. at Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive, Rocky Mount
Friday, January 8 from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive, Rocky Mount
Monday, January 11 from 3 until 7 p.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 305 South Halifax Road, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, January 12 from 2:30 until 7 p.m. at Petsmart, 1462 Jeffries Road, Rocky Mount

A Honor Roll
Rachel Acker, Hannah Adcox, Zena Ali, Jasmine Alvarez, Sophia Atkins, Teneshia Avent, Dnya Awamleh, Tajheuar Basemore, Robert Bass, Izie Battle, Brandon Bent, Jacob Bernat, Natalie Bernat, Marc Bertolino, Kassandra Bild, Kaila Boulden, Samantha Bowyer, Ashlee Brackett, Jade Brake, Joseph Brake, Tamiyah Braswell, Ariel Bridgers, Olivia Bunn, Gabrielle Carter, Caleb Carwell, Jacob Chappell, Miguel Chavez, Stephen Cherry,

A Honor Roll
Crucita Adams, Jose Aguayo, Jeffrey Alvarado, Bianey Antunez, Brian Arellano Ayala, Kevin Austin, Joshlyn Barnes, Caitlin Batchelor, Carly Batchelor, Brittany Battle, Michaela Blanchard, Dylan Bottoms, Paul Braswell, Cameron Bunn, Leonardo Cabral De Leon, Francisco Cazares, Danielle Champagne, Griffin Chapman, Juanita Chavez, Zachary Coble, Dyamond Coe, Raven Colbert, Brittany Coley, Elizabeth Cowart, Jacob Cox,

A Honor Roll
James Asbell, Lanaya Atkinson, Jason Avent, Kadeem Barnes, Anisti Barrett, Brittany Beckford, Felix Belcher, Forrest Bell, Dania Benners, Taehja Bennett-Spell, Erin Binkley, Alysha Boone, Tanner Boone, Katherine Boyette, Mary Broderick, Barkley Browder, Deangelo Brown, Naudia Brown, Savon Brown, Selena Brown, Aaron Buenrostro, Kanovis Bullock, Lane Butler, Michael Chamberlain, Zhenbang Chen, Zhenjia Chen,

It is January and the holidays have passed, so that can mean only one thing: gyms all across America are swamped with folks lining up to join. It also means it is time for the Soapbox Predictions for 2016.
Because we are so accurate year after year, many folks clip and save this column on their refrigerators until the newsprint becomes brittle, escapes the magnet, and slides under the device, causing a major fire hazard.

Nash County recently received some sad news, as Sue Yerkes, the county's Parks and Recreation Director, announced she was leaving to take on a similar position in Missouri.
Sue came to Nash County in 2006 and has basically built the county's parks and recreation department from the ground up.
Now it's hard to even imagine the county not having parks and recreation.

Winter is tough on our pets, especially when they are outside. Wind can cut thru any winter coat and they need shelter, protection from the elements, be they a dog or a cat. The dog houses (that can also be used for cats) need to have straw (not hay) or chips to help hold the warmth. If you have them in a dog kennel, consider putting up tarps on the sides where the wind mostly blows. Remember too, that water is essential to life and ice isn't good for hydration!

This photo originally published in The Graphic on February 24, 1981. Nashville residents were required to have town license stickers on their automobiles. Police Chief bill Sirginson is pictured giving a ticket to a driver who failed to place the sticker on his windshield as required. The fine was $1.

ON THE FIELD AT CARTER-FINLEY. Nash County resident Todd Brewer (third from right) was part of the officiating crew at the Class 2-AA State Football Championship, which was held in December at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

RALEIGH -- Todd Brewer toiled 11 years for the opportunity to work on the state's most important football stage -- and it definitely proved to be worth the wait.
Brewer, who coaches baseball at Southern Nash High School, served as the head linesman for the Class 2-AA State Football Championship last month between Monroe and Bunn at Carter-Finley Stadium.
"It's a goal that you set to end up (officiating at the state finals),'' Brewer said. "It was an honor to do it. It's great to be able to do it once, though I would love to be able to do it again.

SMOOTH DRIVING. Nash Central High School\'s Robbi Allen (right) drives toward the basket while being defended by Bunn\'s Keira Gallatin during Monday night\'s non-conference girls basketball showdown at the NCHS Gymnasium.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Basketball coaches often find out more about the heart of their team when facing a deficit, as opposed to leading in convincing fashion.
Using that logic, Nash Central's Terri Cash certainly gained a knowledge of the Lady Bulldogs during the furious fourth quarter of Monday's comeback decision over backyard rival Bunn.
The Lady Bulldogs showed some savvy by rallying from an 11-point deficit with 7:38 remaining to stun the Ladycats by a 53-49 margin in a non-conference hoops event at the NCHS Gymnasium.

INSIDE CHALLENGE. Bunn's Tray Terrell (left) controls the ball as Nash Central's Wrayshon Battle defends during Monday's non-conference boys basketball meeting at the NCHS Gymnasium in Rocky Mount.

ROCKY MOUNT -- When Nash Central's boys basketball starting lineup is introduced at home games, each player is designated as a guard by the public-address announcer.
And there's a good reason for that, because the Bulldogs' shortish lineup is loaded with performers under 6-feet tall.
"The announcer asks me about it, and I just say that we are small and we get after it,'' said NCHS veteran head coach Renny Taylor. "We have a lot of guys who just want to be guards. Some of them might not be able to handle the ball like a guard, but they can all play defense like a guard.''

RED OAK -- Northern Nash High School will kick off its 2016 girls soccer campaign on Feb. 23 with a home matchup against North Pitt.
Northern, coached by Joe McCarthy, will take part in the annual The Brittany Soccer Showcase on March 12 with a 4 p.m. meeting with Northside Jacksonville.
The Lady Knights' complete ledger is as follows, with home matches listed in CAPS:

CLEVELAND -- Both Nash Central's boys and girls squads put together effective performances last week at the annual Cleveland Classic Christmas Basketball Tournament.
The event was held at Cleveland High School in Johnston County, and the Nash Central boys stopped West Johnston and Fuquay-Varina to reach the championship matchup.

ABINGTON, PA. / MEDIA, PA. -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College men's basketball team returned to action last weekend with a pair of road victories at PSU-Abington and PSU-Brandywine in Pennsylvania.
The Bishops (7-4) have now won six of their last seven contests.
At Abington on Saturday, the Bishops were able to secure a hard-fought 84-75 win.

WILSON -- Once again, Nash County will be well-represented at the 2016 Brittany XII Girls Soccer Tournament.
The annual event will be staged March 11-12 at the Gillette Soccer Complex in Wilson.
Tickets will be available at the gate, with proceeds going to The Brittany Willis Memorial Scholarship Fund. Donations will also be accepted.
Nash County's competitors will be Southern Nash, Rocky Mount, Nash Central, Northern Nash, Faith Christian and Rocky Mount Academy.

CLEVELAND -- Here is the completed list of players on the 2015 Cleveland Classic All-Tournament Team.
The annual basketball extravaganza was held last week at Cleveland High School in Johnston County.

Bunn's Quenten Wright (right) tries to drive past Nash Central's Josh Mullins during Monday night's boys basketball event at the NCHS Gymnasium.

Nash Central's Myia Spivey (with ball) converted a key 3-pointer late in the contest to help the Lady Bulldogs secure a comeback triumph against the Bunn Ladycats.

Nash Central's Rebecca Speight had a huge performance off the bench for the Lady Bulldogs during Monday's home decision against Bunn.