NASHVILLE - A special use permit for a heavily contested Land-Clearing and Inert Debris (LCID) landfill in Middlesex has been approved after a Quasi-Judicial public hearing and meeting of the Nash County Board of Adjustment (BOA).
Travis Felts of Spring Hope, who also owns FMC Grading, plans to put the LCID landfill on about 26 acres of larger, 54+ acre tract off NC 231 and east of the Chei Solar Farm. An LCID landfill does not accept trash, but only land-clearing debris such as organic materials and untreated or unpainted wood.

NASHVILLE - It's back to the drawing board for developers of a planned 122-lot subdivision off Wildlife Road, Castalia, after a conditional rezoning request was denied Monday in a split vote by county commissioners.
While the project was not approved for the higher-density RA-30-CZ (single-family residential conditional zoning, which permits 30,000 square foot lots), it may well reappear in the future with a site plan for larger, 40,000 square foot lots, which are permitted in its current A1 (agricultural) zoning district.

NASHVILLE - Police Chief Caleb Shockley, who hit the ground running to take the reins of NPD on March 19th, has apparently been so busy - including handling some patrol duties downtown - that he couldn't quite find the time to be officially sworn in. That was rectified at the June 3 Nashville town council meeting.
Brenda Brown, Nashville Mayor, commenting on Shockley's nearly 10 years service to the town, called him a "remarkable leader" bringing a "wealth of experience, committment and integrity to this exteemed position."

NASHVILLE- In the wake of joyous hoopla following the swearing in of Police Chief Caleb Shockley, the adoption of Nashville's FY2026 budget ordinance passed quietly and without fanfare June 3, there being no public comment and almost no comment by town council members.
As summarized by Randy Lansing, town manager, the FY26 budget, which takes hold July 1, 2025, and ends June 30, 2026, "is a balanced budget as required by NCGS 159.8 with the use of $771,732 in funding balance money from four different Funds."

SPRING HOPE- Town officials have adopted their FY 2026 budget, although the vote to do so was made at the June 2 meeting after a mayoral request to delay was overridden by several commissioners, including Brenda Lucas, who said it needed to be done that night.
The annual budget ordinance, totaling $1,857,800, has been posted on the town website for just over a month, an increase of about $123,000 over last year's $1.73 million.

NASHVILLE- There's a new Captain of the ship at the NC Cooperative Extension office at the Nash County office in Nashville: Heather Glennon of Middlesex, who is not only the County Extension Director, but also Livestock Agriculture Agent, a post that has been unfilled in Nash County for some time.

NASHVILLE - Nash County's Department of Social Services is being praised by the state for its work to improve agency practices, with a letter of commendation sent from NCDHHS to that effect May 21.
The letter, addressed to Denita DeVega, Nash County DSS Director; William Hill Jr, Nash County Health Director; Stacie Shatzer, County Manager; and Wayne Outlaw, Board of Commissioners Chair, stated the NCDSS has "successfully completed all requirements of their Intensive Transition Plan."

Chad Thompson Exec Dir of CTE and Workforce Development.

NASHVILLE- A new mobile trailer featuring a series of virtual reality career and technical education scenarios is now the pride of the Nash County Public Schools fleet, with the CTE Mobile Career Exploration Lab unveiled at a May 22 ribbon cutting.
The 10:30 a.m. event, held outside the NCPS Central Office building at 930 Eastern Avenue, attracted a small but interested mixed group of students, teachers, Nash Community College representatives and a handful of Nash County commissioners and department heads.

NASHVILLE - Nash County leaders are pushing the deadline for ironing out final wrinkles in the FY 2026 budget, after sending the county manager back to Nash County Public Schools to ask again for more information on School Resource Officer funding.
Also debated after a June 2 public hearing was the possibility of granting a one-time, $500 bonus to school classified personnel at the end of the calendar year and the potential elimination of $10,000 in outside agency funding for Casa Azul de Wilson, which is based in Wilson County.

SPRING HOPE- The unexpected resignation of a town commissioner, Brent Cone, was announced at the June 2 board of commissioners meeting, with Cone not in attendance.
Immediately prior to a lengthy closed session reported to be about personnel issue(s), a letter from Cone was read by Andrew DeIonno, town manager, who said that Cone had asked him to read it publicly to have it entered into record.

NASHVILLE - Nashville town officials have joined the opposition to multiple House and Senate Bills, penning letters to Rep. Allen Chesser and Senator Lisa Barnes in early May.
Unlike Momeyer and Red Oak, which made the decision to take a stand during town council meetings, Nashville did so in more informal fashion.
"All the council members receive the League of Municipalities' Calls for Action on proposed legislation that negatively impacts towns," Randy Lansing, town manager, said in response to questions from The Graphic.

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." Deuteronomy 30:19
You probably don't remember this 2007 story that made headlines across the country. A Nebraska state senator sued God. The senator sought a permanent injunction against God for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants".

It seems to me that since we have established that human beings are made up of both a physical body and an immaterial soul, then just as the body needs hamburgers, the soul needs its nourishment as well. For the Christian soul, food comes in two forms: from the Word of God in Scripture and from the study of the things that have been created (Rom 1:19ff). After all, the apostle Paul encourages us to think on things that are lovely, excellent, and beautiful (Phil 4:8). In a very real sense, beauty is essential to a fulfilled life because it is soul food.

Graduate Recognition Sunday was June 1 at Red Oak Baptist Church. Several high school graduates were recognized during the morning worship service. Graduates included Luke Acker, Ayden Baker, Taylor McIntyre, Tristan Murray, and Braxton Sykes. Congratulations!
Join in the fun at Family Fun Day at Wollett Mill Pond Venue on Friday, June 6 at 3:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m. There will be food trucks, bounce houses, games, fishing, and activities! A Story Time will be held at 3:30 p.m. with Suzy Pearce reading one of her recent books with the children.

Western Carolina University announced more than 2,900 students named to the Chancellor's List for Spring 2025. To qualify for this honor, students must achieve a GPA of 3.8 or higher. Students named to the Chancellor's list are also named to the Dean's List.
Nash County students include Ava Moore and William Daughtridge, both of Nashville.

Ryan Grossfuss of Nashville, a Trine University student, was named to the President's List for the Spring 2025 term. Grossfuss is majoring in Accounting.
To earn President's List honors, Trine University students must complete a minimum of 12 hours and have a grade point average of 3.750-4.000.

Urban Design Studio LLC to Kemoy Holiday; 614 Henry Street, Rocky Mount; $130,000
ARC LWRMTNCoo1, LLC to AFN ABSPROP001, LLC; 700 Wesleyan Boulevard, Rocky Mount
Linda L. Thorne to James Robert Hazlitt; 1.368 acres
Nathaniel Styles to Living Trust of Nathaniel Styles, Sr. and Nathaniel Styles Sr.; 105 South Vance Street, Whitakers

Damage to personal property; assault inflicting serious injury reported at 100 N. Boddie St., Nashville on 5/21/25
Larceny after breaking and entering; felony breaking and/or entering reported at 10299 Watson Seed Farm Rd., Whitakers on 5/22/25
Obtain property by false pretense reported at 105 Drake St., Nashville on 5/22/25
Communicate threats reported at 11814 US 64A, Spring Hope on 5/20/25

Carrying concealed weapon (no insurance reported at Western Ave./Westview Ct., Nashville on 5/21/25
Common law robbery; assault with deadly weapon, serious injury reported at 713 Smith St., Nashville on 5/20/25
Larceny misdemeanor reported at 100 East Evans Dr., Nashville on 5/22/25
Trespass-second degree; DWI reported at 205 S. First St., Nashville on 5/22/25

SPRING HOPE - A second "Business After Hours" event for Spring Hope area businesses is planned June 12th at MarZyLo's, 522 E. Nash Street, beginning at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
The brainchild of the Downtown Development Board and also sponsored by the Spring Hope Chamber of Commerce, the event is open to all businesses in the Spring Hope vicinity, with the primary goal to offer networking and to expand awareness of what local businesses can offer each other and the general public.

An article in the May 29 edition of The Graphic entitled "Nashville industry files bankruptcy; Atlantic Natural Foods owes town over $280,000" had an error.
It was reported that David Williams and his company, Mid Atlantic Warehouse & Storage LLC, owned Atlantic Natural Foods.
David Wilson, the purchasing manager at Mid Atlantic, owns the lot and its building on Industry Court but does not own the business, Atlantic Natural Foods; Wilson was renting out the building to Doug Hines, owner of Atlantic Natural Foods.

It's a crazy time in our country right now with tariff nonsense changing every day and we still don't have peach milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A.
But those are out of our reach problems. We have something much closer to home that affects us daily and is literally ruining our lives.
It is that $%^@#& space between the seats in our vehicles and our furniture.
There has been an epidemic of things in my life literally falling between the cracks of my couch, which is quickly losing the title loveseat because of it. Ditto for my car seat.

Summertime is creeping in slowly this year with longer lasting spring-like temperatures. This year's slow climb towards warmer days reminds me of my youthful days in the early 70s playing outdoors all day - even after dark until Mama would give the last call to come indoors for the night.
Long summer nights were always filled with lots to do even though we really had nothing to do.
I recall my nephew and I calling the local radio stations, WRMT or WEED, requesting a special song then running outdoors to sit in one of the cars to listen to the radio. It didn't matter if we had to wait for hours to hear the song we asked for!

This photo was taken by The Nashville Graphic for use in a September 1964 advertisement for BEL AIR Chevrolet Company located at 119 South Church St. Rocky Mount. The ad offered up to $500 discounts on 1964 closeout models.

WILSON- Three local DOT workers from will be advancing to statewide competition after winning first place in their respective divisions April 30 at the annual North Carolina Department of Transportation Division 4 Equipment Operator Safety Training Conference in Wilson.
Dan Evans, Benjamin Wilson, and Marcus Joyner, all NCDOT Highway Division 4 employees, were among about 100 taking part in the conference, which "boosts training with some friendly competition," according to Andrew Barksdale, NCDOT communications officer.