MOMEYER- In the interests of protecting the town of Momeyer from encroachment by other municipalities, Momeyer town officials are going on record to oppose two current Senate bills that would eliminate ETJs (extra territorial jurisdictions).
An ETJ, which usually extends for a perimeter mile outside city limits, allows a municipality to control planning, zoning and thereby land use to some degree.
Will Funderburg, Mayor, told council members at their April 14th meeting about Senate Bill 314 and Senate Bill 493, which eliminate ETJs "to prevent regulatory overlap and streamline land use decisions" or "remove ETJ authority."

NASHVILLE - An armed felon took his own life near a Castalia home Tuesday morning after telling a Nash County Sheriff's Deputy that he was not going to be taken into custody.
Donald Fields, age 40, killed himself with a gunshot to the head on wooded property near 4892 Crabtree Lane, a brick ranch house less than a mile outside of Castalia and not far from the solar farm.

MATT STELL

NASHVILLE - Nashville's signature event, the 27th Blooming Festival, sponsored by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, is getting ready for its takeover of downtown on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10.
Cliff Joyner, Chamber president, said the Blooming Festival allows visitors to see firsthand the benefits of small town living at its very best.
"With activities for all ages, the Blooming Festival has something for everyone," Joyner said.

MOMEYER- Momeyer town officials are taking a hard look at some non-adherences to code, with a dog kennel, shipping containers and chicken plate sales without permits now falling under the microscope.
Representatives from Mid-East Commission met with council members at their April 14 meeting to lay out guidelines for a model ordinance review. Momeyer has not revised or updated its ordinances or zoning since 1987. Part of what's driving the work is the need to align with state statutes.

The Town of Castalia is ready to present its 25-26 Fiscal Year budget.
Commissioners met last week to receive information on the upcoming budget and to offer input. The end result was a budget around 10 percent less than last year's budget.
The proposed budget is $225,010 while last year's proposed budget was $255,738.29.

ROCKY MOUNT - Nash County officials are powering up to produce the 2026 fiscal year budget, meeting April 16th for a budget work session at the MedPark building on the grounds of UNC Nash for more than six hours.
Five budget focus areas as identified by Stacie Shatzer, county manager, were:

RALEIGH- Over 5,000 households in Nash County will be connected to high-speed internet, thanks to part of a $31 million dollar state award.
Governor Josh Stein announced the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program project results earlier this month, with Robbie Davis, Nash commissioner, carrying the news to the Red Oak town council April 14.

RED OAK - Two new business ventures are planned for Red Oak: a mobile coffee shop and a trailer sales business.

Fugitive from justice; 100 N. Boddie St., Nashville; 3/18/25
Call for service; 10322 Smith Rd., Middlesex; 3/21/25
Obtain property by false pretense; 105 Drake St., Nashville; 3/21/25

Liquor - open container in passenger area (broken seal); fail maintain lane control; DWI; N. Clarendon Dr./E Washington ST., Nashville; 4/6/25
Child abuse - misdemeanor; 1105 Eastern Ave., Nashville; 4/7/25
Habitual larceny; larceny from merchant, remove/dest/deact anti-theft; larceny, misdemeanor; 700 E. Washington St., Nashville; 4/7/25

NASHVILLE- A new online system that will allow users to access court information 24/7 is about to go live in Nash County April 28, although court officials say it may take a while to get it up to complete speed.
"eCourts", already in use by the NC Judicial branch in some counties, is designed to transition the court system from paper to digital using "Enterprise Justice," a digital integrated case management system.

Nash County Public Schools has announced its 2025 Educator of the Year nominees, honoring exceptional educators and support staff throughout the district. Finalists for Teacher of the Year, First-Year Teacher of the Year, and Teacher Assistant of the Year will be announced in the coming weeks. Winners will be recognized during the Educator of the Year Celebration on Tuesday, May 20, at Benvenue Country Club.

SPRING HOPE- A plan to renovate and put into use the old "Boy Scout Hut" on McLean Street is on hold, with needed state permission hung up unless and until proof can be found that the building was physically present in 1979.
Dicky Bass, American Legion Post 91 Commander, first made the request to town leaders in January, citing a need for a meeting place and the desire by Legion members to renovate the structure.

SPRING HOPE- A request to add a drive-through window at a Spring Hope Rose Mart has been approved by town leaders, with a few conditions required.
Mark Cohen, appearing on behalf of the business owners of the Rose Mart #333, located at 109 W. Nash Street, made the request at the April 7 meeting of the Spring Hope Board of Adjustment, which held a public hearing on the matter.

CASTALIA - Town of Castalia officials are hard at work on plans for the annual Fourth of July celebration and several changes are in the works.
Mayor James Alston provided an update to commissioners at the board's April meeting.
"Ninety days and it's going to happen," Alston said of the event.
Alston said changes to the parade time were discussed.

The Master's Golf Tournament was just held April 10-13. My wife asked me if the Master's was like the Super Bowl of Golf. I told her that over 4 million people tuned in to watch it!
It's always a great tournament to watch. But this year was so up and down, the game had a tie breaker at the end! Rory McIlroy played so well and won the elusive Green Jacket. He has played in the tournament 16 times before. However, he had never won it until this year!!

Does Church Membership Matter?
In a world increasingly characterized by individualism and personal spirituality, the question of church membership poses significant implications for both individuals and faith communities. While some may argue that formal membership is obsolete in a modern, diverse society, others maintain that being part of a church offers valuable benefits, fostering spiritual growth, community engagement, and a shared sense of purpose.

The North Roanoke Baptist Association Spring Meeting will be Thursday, May 1 at 7-8 p.m. at Sunset Avenue Baptist Church fellowship hall. Rev. Paul Langston will be the featured speaker and will share about Hurricane Helene recovery work There will also be a tour of the Baptist on Mission Dental Bus This would be a great opportunity for churches to come and learn ways they can work with the Dental Bus ministry and the continued recovery work in western NC.

Hubert Vester Auto Group in Wilson, owned by Nashville resident Hubert Vester, received the Champion of Education Award at the North Carolina School Boards Association awards ceremony in November.
Wilson County Schools stated, "The Wilson County Board of Education nominated Hubert Vester Auto Group because of its incredible commitment and support of our students and staff for the past 16 years. What an amazing recognition at the state level."

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Dalton Brown, a native of Rocky Mount, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, which operates the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet, nicknamed the "Rhino."
Brown is a 2016 graduate of Northern Nash High School.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Rocky Mount.

ZEBULON - A shortage of homeless shelters and the needs of the homeless, particularly families and children, are driving factors for a Food Pantry located in Zebulon. Operating out of the Hand of God Church Ministries at 1300 Mack Todd Road, on the Nash County side of Zebulon, the organization's actual name is Progressive Team Works Outreach Food Pantry.

Shenandoah Baptist Church held its 12th annual Scripture Run on Saturday, April 12th. Contributed photo

ROCKY MOUNT- The 12th annual "Scripture Run," held April 12th by the Shenandoah Baptist Church, attracted more than 50 motorcycle riders along with cars, raising an all-time grand total of $12,500 to send 18 church youth to camp.
Starting with a prayer circle at 9 a.m. at the church, located on Shenandoah Drive off highway 97 south of Rocky Mount, the event involved a ride lasting about an hour and a half, with stops to hear scripture read by youth members at Twin County Honda, Harpers Nursery, and Cycle Max in Wilson.

NASHVILLE- A new, 24-lot subdivision proposed outside Whitakers has been approved by the Nash County Planning Board, with the next step the preparation of construction plans including the creation of one new road and a partial conversion of a private roadway into a public one.
The property, consisting of eight adjacent tracts of land on 35 acres owned by Jerry Packer, Donna Packer and Worth Packer on the west side of Straight Gate Road, northeast of the town of Red Oak, already has a private access easement named John Wadford Lane providing access to several manufactured homes on adjacent lots.

The Nash County 4-H Sew What Club recently made chemo bags for cancer patients. The club donated the bags to Sally Jones, COSS County Administrative Assistant for Nash County Cooperative Extension. Jones serves on the NC Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association and the organization wanted to do a community service project. Jones suggested a project that helped cancer patients because that cause is special to her. Jones reached out to Jane Tyson, Sew What Club Leader, to see if they could help with anything and it was decided to make chemo bags.

There was a full moon week before last, so I'm going to blame that for the total anarchy that broke out in one of my writing classes.
We were talking about food writing and barbecue came up and a student asked, "Are you talking about that stuff with too much vinegar?"
There were a couple of gasps, and if I'd have had pearls, they would have been clutched. I assumed she'd been to a chain restaurant and tried to remember that not everyone is fortunate enough to have grown up in Eastern North Carolina.

This week's edition, as always, is packed full of local news - but also includes a lot more!
You'll find tucked inside an all-inclusive guide to the Nashville Blooming Festival and the new Nashville Chamber of Commerce directory.
These two publications alone display the enormous role Nashville's chamber plays in our community. The chamber has no paid staff. Every single event or community program is carried out by volunteers. That's pretty amazing this day in time!

HISTORIC MOMENT - This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on May 14, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) visited Rocky Mount. The estimated crowd gathering to see the president ranged from 50,000 to 200,000.

Jonathan Levin

The Cherry Hill Board of Directors will present a program of piano and vocal music on Sunday, April 27th. The performance will begin at 3 p.m. in the Inez plantation home of the George Alston family.
Operatic tenor Tyrone Chambers and pianist Jonathan Levin will join forces for an exciting afternoon celebrating the rich diversity of American music. From the sweeping melodies of Gershwin to beloved classics of the American Songbook, spirituals, and original arrangements and compositions, their program weaves together a powerful and personal musical experience.