Nash County Commissioner Lou Richardson's service to Nash County will be remembered in many ways.
Her quiet yet effective leadership.
Her wisdom.
Her patience.
Her friendship.

The Town of Castalia is being put on notice by the Local Government Commission (LGC).
The Commission met on Tuesday afternoon and unanimously voted to adopt an enforcement resolution that requires Castalia to hire an outside entity to get its finances in order.
The town has reportedly not filed its annual audit report for the last three fiscal years.

Former Nashville Recreation Director Jim Glover passed away last week at the age of 63. Glover is pictured above coaching a local youth during a Nashville Hornets football game.

NASHVILLE -- Sometimes, it can be difficult to streamline a complex, fulfilled life into a few sentences -- but that is not necessarily the case with long-time Town of Nashville Parks and Recreation Director Jim Glover.
Simply put, Jim Glover loved Nashville. The people. The community. The sense of being. The feeling of making a positive impact. The desire to plant a seed and watch it blossom.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday that the state's indoor mass gathering limit will be lowered to 10 people for the next three weeks.
The announcement was made, according to Cooper, as an effort to drive down North Carolina's key COVID-19 metrics.
"This reduction in our indoor gathering limit aims to slow the spread and bring down our numbers," Cooper said. "It also sends a serious signal to families, friends and neighbors across our state. Success in slowing the spread will help our businesses."

Three local veterans shared their stories on Monday during a special Veterans Recognition Ceremony at Nashville's H.D. Cooley Library.
This is the first time the library has hosted an event to honor and recognize veterans. Library Aide Yvonne Thompson said the library wanted to do something special for area veterans this year.

A law enforcement dog trained in a small Nash County town is now serving with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.
Richard Price, of Southern Police Canine in Momeyer, spent a few weeks last month with Sergeant Pat Golden, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, helping prepare him for life with his new pup, Chucky.

The following Deed Transfers were reported in Nash County October 30 through November 5

A warrant service was reported on 11/5/20
A disclosure of private images and assault on a law enforcement officer was reported on 11/2/20 and 11/5/20 at 100 N Boddie Street, Nashville
A cruelty to animals and abandonment of animals was reported on 11/6/20 at 1150 Lindsay Road, Nashville
An identity fraud was reported on 11/2/20 at 1424 Fountain Branch Road, Rocky Mount

Building Permit
(Commercial)
Nash Rocky Mount Schools; 1234 C Old Carriage Road S; new construction; $25,000
David Evans; 6251 Main Street; renovation/alteration; $25,000

"But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
The Bible teaches that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air." (Ephesians 2:2) But the problem with Satan is we don't recognize him when we see him.

The following is a reprint of an article I wrote in September 2016, which was published in The Graphic, it feels timely again today.
Hundreds of years ago in Germany, settled a group of Moravian believers, looking for a new home on a beautiful hillside in the eastern corner of Germany. Just north of the Czech Republic border, the land belonged to Count Zinzendorf, a fellow believer in Jesus.

Peachtree Baptist Church is now collecting donations for its N.C. State Missions fundraiser.
Peachtree Baptist Church's annual collard sale is planned from Nov. 9 through 20. Collards are cleaned, cooked and seasoned and are $8 per quart. They can be picked up from 3 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 9, 11, 13, 16, 18 and 20 at the church, 3523 N.C. 581 N., Spring Hope. Collards must be reserved in advance.

Mrs. Gallagher and her art students at Southern Nash Middle School have been busy making all kinds of art projects this past week. Each creation was unique and can be viewed on the school's Facebook page. The Southern Nash High School "Celebrations Committee" created a "Wall of Awesome" where the staff can give other staff members a shout out during the school year! The Firebird Family appreciates the hard work of all of the staff members.

When Hailee Griffin first reported to Nash General Hospital in May, she was working under a provisional license in an effort to get more respiratory therapy graduates in the field to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was like a ghost town," Griffin says of the Rocky Mount hospital's COVID-19 wing. "No family; no visitors; just the sound of ventilators.

Expect to see or hear more coyotes in the coming weeks as young coyotes -- those born this past spring -- begin leaving their parents' territory to find and establish a territory of their own.
Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission say there's an annual peak of reported sightings in October and November, typically from people who are concerned about the dangers resident coyotes could pose; but these secretive canines are not generally a threat to humans and the chances are very good that they have been in the area for some time.

Franki Joyner, at left, was recently elected vice chair of the Red Oak Planning Board. Joyner has been a member of the board since 2017. He was elected vice chair by planning board members. Joyner is construction administrator with Oakley Collier Architects in Rocky Mount. Shown presiding at the swearing-in ceremony is Tracy Shearin, Red Oak Town Clerk, at right, who delivered the oath of office.

At their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the town board of Castalia voted to replace the two existing heating and ac units at the town hall. The units are over ten years old, and the cost to repair them would be almost equal to their replacement cost of $6,582.62. The age of the units presents a safety issue and the potential for carbon monoxide exposure and they will be replaced as soon as possible. After voting to approve the purchase, the board then voted to amend the budget to cover the expense.

An owner of a tire shop in Spring Hope would like to see more businesses come to the town.
Stanley Drewery, Pitt County resident and owner of Drewery's Tires in Spring Hope, said in the past, the town had more businesses that were valuable to customers' specific needs such as buying seeds for their garden or getting a key made. He brought a baseball glove he had purchased 50 years ago with him to Monday night's meeting to emphasize to the Board of Commissioners there is a need for similar businesses.

The irony was not lost on me that many states voted to legalize marijuana last week.
With the circus that has been the 2020 election cycle, COVID-19, the non-stop political noise and -- for the first time in my life -- businesses boarding up in many cities, nothing should surprise us.
Shop owners were worried that in our tantrum prone society, there could have been violence in the street depending on the outcome.

Last week brought a lot of tension and stress waiting for the election outcome.
But I think a more shocking and emotional event was that of a local legend passing away.
Jim Glover, former Recreation Director for the Town of Nashville, passed away last Wednesday at the young age of 63.
In the highlight of Jim's career, I was, as many small town newspaper publishers do, helping out with photography at local sports events when we were spread thin between games.

What a wild and crazy year this has been!
I think we'll all be ready to say goodbye to 2020 and ring in a new, hopefully much brighter 2021. We can all hope, at least!
I've spent way too much of the past eight months at home but it has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and my family.
The first lesson I've learned is that being a stay-at-home working mom is not for the faint of heart.

Comfort Ye - comfort Ye My people
On Saturday afternoon I heard these words in response to my question concerning the election, "What now Holy Spirit." Immediately I heard "comfort ye - comfort ye My people, saith the Lord of Host" (Isaiah 40:1). My next question was, How? The answer was swift and clear "Encourage My people to keep praying."

This photo originally published in The Nashville Graphic on October 31, 1963. Members of the Nashville Garden Club were pictured landscaping the community center grounds. Women at work, from left to right, were: Mrs. Cephus Joyner, Mrs. C.R. Cherry, Mrs. Ronald Braswell, Mrs. P.D. Mullen, and Mrs. J.N. Sills.

Local voices will fill the Imperial Centre with the sounds of Christmas at 6 p.m. on Friday, December 4 during "An Imperial Centre Christmas" celebration.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will take place virtually but will give the community a chance to hear their favorite seasonal songs from the voices of local talent.
The show will be an homage to the 1970s and 1980s Christmas specials of well-known acts such as Andy Williams and Sonny & Cher.