The Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education will consider a recommendation at their next meeting to build a new elementary school on the current Red Oak Elementary School property.
Cumming Corporation presented two site selection options during an ad-hoc new construction committee meeting on Tuesday evening.

Nash County Commissioners said last week that they won't fund a new elementary school until the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education agrees to include them in the process.
Commissioners made the announcement following a meeting in closed session last Tuesday.

Dr. Steve Ellis speaks to the audience following the announcement of his hiring as the new superintendent of Nash-Rocky Mount Schools.

A national search for the next leader of the Nash-Rocky Mount School System ended on Tuesday with the hiring of a candidate just one county over.
Dr. Steve Ellis was selected as the superintendent of the school system in a 6-5 vote on Tuesday evening during a special called meeting.
Ellis currently serves as a special assistant to the superintendent for Wilson County Schools.

Nashville's Town Council heard departmental wants and needs on Monday during an all-day budget retreat.
Town council meets each year to look at and discuss departmental needs before the budget is put together.
Personnel needs were expressed by public safety departments.

Nash County Commissioners last week gave approval for the county's recreation and senior services department to assume the responsibility of programming youth and adult athletics for the Town of Nashville.
The action follows approval from Nashville's Town Council earlier this month.

Nash Arts will welcome Nash County native Will West to its stage on Saturday, February 1.
West grew up on the Tar River Reservoir, attending Coopers Elementary and graduating in 1995 from Southern Nash High School.
West taught himself how to play guitar at 11 years old. Music was a big part of his life, as his father was a fiddle player.

A Nashville man was killed in a single-car accident on Highway 64 Wednesday morning.
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, 23-year-old Jeffery Tyler Coleman was traveling westbound on Highway 64, just 2.4 miles west of Nashville, when his vehicle went off the roadway to the left, hit the ditch and continued on until hitting trees and coming to a rest.

LeAnn Nease Brown, President of the NC Bar Association, has appointed attorney Mark Edwards to be Chair of the Elder & Special Needs Law Section of the association. As Chair, Edwards leads a council of 25 elder law attorneys addressing issues faced by elder law attorneys; working with state and federal public officials; and educating fellow NC attorneys about elder and special needs law.

Nashville's Community Building is truly a place for the community every third Sunday of the month.
New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church has been hosting worship services followed by lunch for the past 17 years at the community building.
Pastor Bobby Richardson said he would like to see more people come out and take advantage of the free meal.

MACIAS

Two Bailey men were arrested last week for trafficking cocaine.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit, Criminal Investigations Division and Patrol Platoon B were following up on an ongoing narcotics investigation on January 17 on Maudis Road in Bailey.

INCIDENTS
A warrant served was reported on 1/25/20
A larceny after a breaking and entering was reported on 1/20/20 at 203 Hearthstone Drive

A traffic stop was reported on 1/19/20 at US 301 and 64
A breaking and entering and damage to property was reported on 1/19/20 at 7308 Taylors Store Road
A breaking and entering was reported on 1/19/20 at 3530 Wagon Wheel Road

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from January 20 through 24.

The town board of Castalia held a special called meeting Tuesday to discuss and ultimately decide how to respond to a letter the town received from Sharon Edmunson, the Fiscal Management Director of the State and Local Government Finance Division of the NC Department of State Treasurer.

There were several visitors at the regular meeting of the town board of Red Oak this month, including Robbie Davis, Chairman of the Nash County Board of Commissioners. The meeting was brief, and toward the end, Davis gave a short update on the water system construction, which remains on schedule. There was no old business.

Nash Community College recognized 13 officers for completing the College's 60th Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) Academy on Wednesday, January 22. Larry Jason Bryant, Nash County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant, was the guest speaker.

Students in Nash Community College's Recruit Firefighter Training Academy #072919 were recognized for program completion in a ceremony held on Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
Nash Community College's fire training program is designed to provide individuals and firefighters the information and skills needed for modern firefighting through a variety of learning experiences and training scenarios. Kenneth Mullen, Rocky Mount Fire Department retired chief, addressed the graduates.

Mu Chapter, North Carolina (NC) Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Society International members (left to right) Pat Taylor, NC DKG Past President; Tobey Worthington, NC DKG First Vice President; and Margie Parker Brantley, Mu Chapter President attended the NC DKG Executive Board meeting in Burlington. The Society collected over $2,000 in gift cards for the Ocracoke Island teachers, to replace classroom school items destroyed during Hurricane Dorian.

Sandra Livermon, local retired contractor, was the guest speaker at the the Micajah Pettaway-Halifax Resolves Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her topic was "THIS OLD HOUSE". She talked about her adventures with buying an Old house in Red Oak and moving it to Enfield. It took her 3 years to completely restore it.

TO DO LIST: I will NOT let my female dogs or cats have babies, because I will have her spayed. Not only will she keep her girly shape, she will be healthier and we will not have to find homes for the babies. I will NOT have my male dogs or cats go looking for love in all the wrong places, where they may get in fights, never come home or get killed in the roads, because I will have him neutered.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
Most of us know him. He is often referred to as a Charles Dickens and Mark Twain all wrapped up in one package. He is a masterful writer who has capitalized on America's fascination with the law. In fact, he's written 40 novels that have sold over 300 million copies in 40 different languages.

After spending his inheritance to the point of poverty, the Prodigal Son found himself in the lowest place a Jewish man could end up--in a hog pen feeding pigs. He was so hungry even the pods he gave to the pigs started to look good to him. Sometimes it takes the direst of circumstances to open blinded eyes. No matter how many people may have warned him of the dangers of heading down this destructive path, he couldn't see the foolishness of his choices until he came to the end of the road.

The youth of Red Oak Baptist Church will have a Super Bowl Party on Sunday, February 2 at the Aycock home.
Mother/Daughter Overnight Camp registration is due February 5. There is still time to register. The missions camp theme is "Fixer Upper" and will be held on April 3-4, 2020 at Camp Mundo Vista near Asheboro.

January greetings fellow followers and saints! For the next few weeks, leading up to lent, we are going to be looking at healing in the ministry of Jesus. The reason for this is that healing was, and is, a foundational part of Jesus' ministry (Matthew 4:23; 9:35). While teaching and preaching get much attention, as they should, the healing ministry of Jesus should get just as much. Now, I'm well aware, many of you might disagree with this, and as always, that is perfectly fine.

Staff and students of Coopers Elementary School attended the "Elementary School Appreciation Day" on Saturday 1/25 at Wesleyan College. They were treated to a basketball game, fun and prizes.
At Christian Fellowship Church on 1/26, Pastor Daniel Parker gave the morning message "Everybody Wants To Rule Their World - Part 4". Shannon Frye gave a song special.

Peachtree members welcomed a beautiful day Sunday always praising our God. God Is Good.
The sanctuary flower arrangement Sunday was presented to glorify God by Fran and Bob Bunn in loving honor of their son Robby's 53 birthday.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Nash Central High School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Nash Central Middle School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Middlesex Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools has released its Honor Roll lists for the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year.
The following students at Coopers Elementary School made the A or A/B Honor Roll.

I hope you're okay taking a break from the impeachment reality show to think about something else for a few minutes.
Let's consider the English for a bit.
We've heard endlessly about Brexit since 2016, even though it seems longer. That's Great Britain choosing either autonomy or economic suicide by leaving the European Union.

I had every intention of writing about my recent experience coaching basketball this week.
But then Sunday happened and suddenly, my experiences don't seem important anymore.
On Sunday, our nation lost a pretty amazing basketball player. Kobe Bryant was killed, along with his daughter and 7 others, in a helicopter crash in California. It was devastating news for the basketball community.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on April 30, 1970. These members of the Southern Nash FFA organization won top honors in record book judging at the 33rd annual Meat Animal Show and Sale held in Rocky Mount.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL EPC BOYS AND GIRLS SWIM CHAMPIONS

ROCKY MOUNT -- Nash Central High School swim coach Kyle Bain isn't exactly sure how things will transpire this Saturday when the Bulldogs head to Cary to take part in the Class 2-A East Regional Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center.
When Central moved down from the Class 3-A level to Class 2-A three years ago, Bain discovered that, once his club got to the regional and state events, qualifying times were actually better in Class 2-A.

NASH CENTRAL'S AUBREY PITTMAN

RED OAK -- Red Oak Middle School's Lady Tigers have done their part -- but now had to sit back and wait a bit to see the outcome of their full playoff fate in the always-competitive Tri-County Conference girls basketball standings.
Red Oak clinched a playoff spot with a victory Monday, but there is still a possibly of a three-way tie for first place in the North Division -- so the Lady Tigers could participate in a play-in game Friday in order to qualify for next Monday's semifinals.

NASH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S LANCE NORRIS

ROCKY MOUNT -- Of all the sports that a Nash County resident would be in the Top 100 in the world, swimming doesn't necessarily come to mind among the first choices.
But Nash Central High School sophomore Lance Norris has bucked the odds of growing up in a non-traditional swimming area to become one of the world's best competitors.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Last Friday night proved to be a frustrating two contests for Northern Nash fans, as both their girls and boys basketball teams were sent back to Green Hills Road with losses to arch-rival Rocky Mount in .
With the girls taking the floor first in front of an anxious sold-out crowd, the Lady Gryphons used a fast start to gain an early advantage over the Knights.

NASH CENTRAL'S STEPHEN HOWARD

RED OAK -- Red Oak Middle School's boys basketball program is one victory away from creating a bit of history.
The Tigers need to win today's home outing against rival Parker Middle School to wrap up their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season -- an almost unheard-of accomplishment given the extreme competitive level of the tough Tri-County Conference.

NASH COUNTY -- Here are recent 2020 Nash County Recreation & Senior Services Youth Basketball League scores:

ROCKY MOUNT -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College men's basketball team used their offense to put away their rival, William Peace, 99-84 at home last Saturday afternoon.
Wesleyan gets back to .500 with its 3rd straight win improving to 9-9 overall and 5-5 in the conference.

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated Nash County Recreation & Senior Services Youth Futsal League Scores:

WILSON -- Five Nash County schools will be in action at the annual Brittany Girls Soccer Showcase, which will be held March 13 and 14 at Gillette Park in Wilson.
Wilson Fike High School and Rotary Park will also host some matches, but the majority of events will be at the Gillette Park Soccer Complex.
Tickets will be available at the gate, and all proceeds will benefit the Brittany Willis Scholarship Fund.

RED OAK -- Red Oak Middle School's 2020 baseball and softball seasons will open on March 9 with road games in Wilson against Springfield Middle.
All contests will begin at 4 p.m. Admission for home events will be $5 for adults and $3 for students.
Red Oak's complete worksheet is as follows, with home outings listed in CAPS:

NASH CENTRAL'S COLIN JOHNSON

NASH CENTRAL'S KWAME SOREY

NASH CENTRAL'S GRAHSON WILLIAMS

(L to R) Nash Central HIgh School's Lance Norris and Damien Wozniak have been friends and teammates since they were children -- going back to their days with the Nash Rec Swim Team. Norris and Wozniak helped Central win the EPC Championship.

(L to R) Nash Central's Nataiya Lane and Red Oak's Hope Lee try to gain possession of a loose ball.

Nash Central's Aubrey Pittman drives against Red Oak's Hope Lee during last Thursday afternoon's Tri-County Conference girls basketball rival meeting at the historic ROMS Gymnasium.

The City of Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual Mother-Son Dance in February.
Registration is ongoing for the annual "A King's First Queen" mother-son dance that will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, February 21 at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences.