Plans for building a new elementary school in Red Oak are underway and construction could begin as early as March 2021.
The Nash County Public Schools Board of Education were given an update on the new elementary at their regular board meeting last Monday, October 5.
The new elementary will be constructed behind the current Red Oak Elementary School and will consolidate students from Red Oak Elementary, Cedar Grove Elementary and Swift Creek Elementary Schools into the one, larger elementary school.

Nashville's Town Council wants more questions answered before making a decision on the best way to alleviate flooding in a Nashville subdivision.
The town contracted with Stocks Engineer at a cost of $12,400 to study the drainage in the area of Windy Oak Drive and Lauren Spring Drive.
The flood study was done to identify drainage system improvements that would reduce the frequency and severity of flooding in the subdivision without causing adverse flooding downstream.

Trey Braswell, President of Braswell Family Farms in Nashville, was recently recognized as a 2020 "Trailblazer of North Carolina" by Business North Carolina.
The annual feature recognizes thriving business owners and professionals under the age of 40 who work in N.C. cities and towns that have fewer than 100,000 residents.
Nominations are received from all across the state for the honor.

The Nash County Health Department has announced several more COVID-19 related deaths since last week.
As of Tuesday, October 13, the health department was reporting 56 deaths.
Two of the deaths, which were announced on Monday, actually occurred in September but had not been reported to the county until recently.
One of those was a male patient in his early 60's with underlying health conditions. That person passed away on September 24.

Nashville's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department is hosting a Pumpkin Carving Party for area youth.
The event is scheduled for Friday, October 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the green space beside Harold D. Cooley Library.
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director Koy Worrell said the event will be limited to 15 youth due to social distancing guidelines. A $5 registration fee is also required.

Cameron Flora was able to return home for his last semester of college to serve as an intern with a local law enforcement agency.
Flora will wrap up his internship with the Nash County Sheriff's Office next month but Flora said he hopes to be able to one day work for the agency.
Flora is a 2016 graduate of Nash Central High School. He went on to attend East Carolina University and plans to graduate in December.
"I just have my internship and I'm done," Flora said. "I graduate in December."

The Downtown Nashville Strong Advisory Board, formerly the Municipal Service District Advisory Board, is eyeing the back portions of property along Washington Street for public parking.
The board began discussions last month on whether the back portions of properties along Washington Street, which is located behind downtown businesses and often referred to as the "alley," could be redesigned and worked in a way to offer more parking and also allow for better access to the storefronts...

A Wilson man was arrested last week after a high speed pursuit on I-95.
Members of the Nash County Sheriff's Office were working a joint interdiction operation last Wednesday, October 7 around 6:15 p.m. when a Nash County Sheriff's deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on a silver Chevrolet Malibu for a traffic violation.

Rocky Mount Police have apprehended three of the four suspects involved in a shooting incident that occurred on Friday, October 9 at Wal-Mart.
According to a press release, police were called just before 5 p.m. in reference to a shooting inside Wal-Mart, located at 1511 Benvenue Road in Rocky Mount.
Two sets of individuals, who had previous interactions, were involved in an altercation inside the store, which resulted in a shooting.

Finances were the focus of the recent Castalia Town Board meeting.
The board voted to adopt a money acceptance/daily deposit resolution to better clarify procedures of how the town should handle payments. The board also voted for an ordinance to establish a petty cash fund.

The Nash County Sherriff's Office spent its summer combatting the sales of illegal guns, drugs and violence brought on by gangs.
The Sheriff's Office conducted Operation Summer Heat, making numerous arrests over the summer months.
In July, information was received about Janoz Jordan selling heroin in the community. On July 8, Jordan was located on Nashville Road at the Food Mart selling heroin. Jordan led officers on a vehicle chase, striking other vehicles and a Nash County patrol vehicle.

A warrant service was reported on 10/4/20
A sell/deliver a schedule II controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia (not marijuana) and sell schedule VI controlled substance was reported on 10/9/20 at 12284 Anderson Road, Spring Hope

INCIDENTS
A larceny was reported on 10/6/20 at 501 Barnes Street
A damage to property was reported on 10/8/20 at 1847 S First Street
A driving while intoxicated was reported on 10/4/20 at Ward and First Street

A Rocky Mount man has been sentenced to 92 months in prison for a 2018 bank robbery, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced.
According to court documents, David Marshall Viverette, 29, was charged with one count of bank robbery. Viverette pled guilty on November 8, 2019.

An extension for data collection for the 2020 Census had been extended through the end of the month but will now end on Thursday.
The United States Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump Administration could end data collection early and will be stopping all data collection at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 15.

After more than 28 years of service to the citizens of Rocky Mount, Chief George Robinson is set to retire from the Rocky Mount Police Department, effective, December 1.
The retirement ends a distinguished career for Robinson, who began as a Patrol Services Officer in 1992 before working his way through the ranks, was named the department's Interim Police Chief on Jan. 1, 2019, and promoted to the position permanently in March 2019.

The Farm Credit Associations of NC have announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2021 Innovative Young Farmer of the Year Award given by the Tobacco Farm Life Museum and sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina.
Eligible nominees must be between the ages of 18 and 40 as of January 1, 2021. Nominees are to either be in school for agriculture/agribusiness or have worked in the agriculture industry for less than ten years.

In July, North Carolina Wesleyan College and the USA South Athletic Conference announced the postponement of the College's conference football games for fall 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Homecoming will also not happen in an official capacity this fall.
The College's Student Activities may plan some events for students on campus with appropriate guidelines in place and alumni groups may get together, but there is no "official" Homecoming event planned.

Nash Community College has been awarded $50,000 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina Firefighter Stipend and Scholarship Program. The funds will provide stipends of $500 per term or scholarships of up to $1,000 per term for eligible community college students. The students must be enrolled in NC Firefighter Certification courses or courses leading to an eligible associate degree.

The Nash Community College Foundation has announced the establishment of the Sally E. Leonetti Unsung Hero Scholarship.
Established by her family, the scholarship serves as a tribute to the memory of Mrs. Leonetti who passed away in 2020 after losing her battle with cancer.
College representatives said the scholarship honors Mrs. Leonetti's ability to see the good in every person and her unwavering desire to help those in need in a quiet and unassuming manner.

Fidelis Properties, LLC to Brian L Burnett; 223 West Bassett Street; $50,000
Farouk A. Hamad to Brian L. Burnett; 1187 West Raleigh Boulevard; $69,000
Capel Properties, LLC to Brian L Burnett; 1179 West Raleigh Boulevard; $6,000

Building Permit
(Commercial)
Claude Vaughan; 108 S Boddie Street; renovation/alteration; $20,000

The Annie Armstrong fundraiser drive has reached its goal.
Peachtree Baptist Church is now collecting donations for its N.C. State Missions fundraiser.
Peachtree Baptist Church is collecting for NC Children's Homes.
Peachtree will hold its annual collard sale this year. Look for the announcement with all the details coming later.

My wife and I try to walk most days in our large neighborhood. There are plenty of sidewalks, so it is easier to walk a greater distance. There's something different about the early morning crowd I see out walking. They walk slower than the evening crowd. Why?
The obvious answer is that the morning crowd is older and just can't maintain the faster pace set by the younger walkers who walk after work during the evening hours.

Unity in local churches reflects a people who love Jesus
In Psalm 133:1, King David wrote, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" God desires His children to dwell together in peace and unity. How accurate are the famous lines, "To live above with saints we love, that will be glory. To live below, with the saints we know, that's a different story." Whether it be your family, friendships, or church, the Word of God can guide you to peace and unity.

Everyone has a story. This very moment, your story is being written, you are making history. Now, whether people will know the history or not is a whole other ballgame. What I want to stress in our time today is the importance of considering the question, "What am I doing with my life?"
Years from now, Lord willing, COVID-19 will not be an issue in our lives (please note I say "Lord Willing" as this thing just keeps on lingering). Let's live in some hope that years from now it will be all over - in fact, let's look even further in the future, let's look decades into the future, say 10-20 years.

Sandy Cross United Methodist Church enjoyed morning service with message being given by Pastor Eric Packard.
SCUMC will hold a Fall Festival on October 31 at 4 p.m. This is an outdoor event. In the event of inclement weather, families will be invited to do a drive-thru goody bag pick-up.
SCUMC will be sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive at the church on October 26 from 3 - 7 p.m. Appointments are necessary.

Forever it seems (over 10 years), we have been hoping that Nash County would initiate Saturday adoption hours at the Shelter. It should be an easy scheduling situation, since the AC Officers go in on the weekend anyway to clean, water and feed the pets. It would be a huge convenience to working families. With their Adoption First policy, it would pay dividends. I challenge our Shelter to become more people friendly so they can adopt a new family member!

North Carolina Wesleyan College has announced Drs. Carl and Jackie Lewis, as well as Dr. Brittany Bass for being the first recipients of its Wesleyan Service Award. Any full-time employee may be nominated in recognition for consistently demonstrating outstanding service to the College or community that is above and beyond their job responsibilities.

I keep hearing people say -- at least in political ads -- that we can come out on the better side when this COVID-19 stuff is over.
I don't really know what they mean, but with all this extra thinking time created by not being able to get out, I've been inspired.
If someone has COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone who has it, they are sent to isolation for 14 days. Gone -- out of sight, locked down, isolated.
It's like time out or the penalty box for society to keep bad things from spreading. We might have a great opportunity set before us.

More than 25 years ago I was part of a committee, parented by the local chamber, whose mission was to develop new ideas for downtown.
At that time several long-time businesses had long closed due to retiring owners.
Prior to all of the retirements, downtown boasted a wide range of retail including three department type stores offering apparel, shoes and accessories, a dollar store, jewelry store, hardware store, drug store, flower shop, gift shop, two furniture stores, an appliance store just to name a few.

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on April 4, 1963. The New Farmers of America Chapter at Nash Central High School were observing National New Farmers of America Week.

NO FUMBLES HERE. Faith Christian School's Shaikey Hardy (with ball) holds on while gaining yardage during last Friday night's home football triumph against Grace Christian School out of Wake County.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Imagine scoring 88 points in a high school football contest. And getting buried under by an opponent's unbelievable fourth-quarter explosion.
Such was the scenario last Friday for the Grace Christian Eagles during their eight-man gridiron showdown against homestanding Faith Christian.
The Patriots were seemingly in catch-up mode for most of the contest, but saved their best for last while rallying for an amazing 112-88 decision over Grace Christian at the FCS Football Field.

SOUTHERN NASH ALUM AND LOUISBURG COLLEGE FRESHMAN FIREBALLER CARRIGAN EWERS

LOUISBURG -- To truly display Carrigan Ewers' mound excellence, Louisburg College softball coach Eric Lee encourages a visitor to watch Ewers pitch from the protective side of a backstop just behind home plate.
"Look at that movement!,'' Lee shouts as an offering tails away from a right-handed hitter at a recent intrasquad scrimmage at Sheilah R. Cotten Field on the LC campus.

TAMPA, FLA. -- East Carolina University stiffened defensively in the second half last Saturday night on the way to a 44-24 American Athletic Conference road football victory over USF at Raymond James Stadium.
The Pirates notched their first league win of the campaign while keeping the Bulls winless in conference play.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Southern Nash alum Zonovan 'Bam' Knight enjoyed a strong performance for the North Carolina State University Wolfpack during their 38-21 road victory last Saturday at Virginia in an Atlantic Coast Conference football showdown.
NC State upped its mark to 3-1 overall on the campaign, and the Wolfpack have won two straight games -- both on the road.

NASH COUNTY -- The 31st Annual Nash Community College Foundation Student Scholarship Golf Classic was held at Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount on October 1-2 with 84 golfers participating.
The tournament raised more than $20,000 in support of scholarships for students attending Nash Community College.

Former Southern Nash High School softball pitching standout Carrigan Ewers fires a heater for the Louisburg College Lady Hurricanes during last week's intrasquad scrimmage at historic Sheilah R. Cotten Field on the LC campus.

Faith Christian School's Deanthony Joyner (right) picks up some yardage for the Patriots during last Friday night's home football conquest against the Grace Christian Eagles.

Faith Christian School defender Bernard Grant chases Grace Christian School quarterback Britton Kilby during last Friday's gridiron thriller on the FCS campus.