NASHVILLE - In ongoing attempts to rectify issues at the Pet Connection Center, Nash commissioners have voted to add two part-time kennel staff, with an eye towards possibly hiring more in the future.
Chris Cary, safety and security director, came before the board of commissioners at their July 7 meeting to make the staffing request and to give an update on the animal shelter, which came under fire last month by the state for animal care violations.

NASHVILLE - Braswell Family Farms of Nashville, a fourth-generation egg and feed producer, is buying a shell building in the Nashville Business Center near Highway 64 to use as a cooler and warehouse.
Described by Braswell Family Farms as "a strategic investment to support continued growth of its egg processing operations," the sale of Nash county property, consisting of a shell building and five acres, was approved July 7 by Nash County commissioners.

The Town of Castalia hosted its traditional July 4th Celebration featuring a parade, food, crafts, amusement rides and live music. Pictured above, members of Castalia Church of God ride in the parade.

NASHVILLE - Following an epic four and a half-hour meeting Monday, Nash Board Chair Wayne Outlaw announced that he would not be seeking re-election as District 5 county commissioner when his term ends in 2026.
"After nearly two decades of service as county commissioner, I believe it's time for fresh eyes and new ideas to help lead Nash County into its next chapter," Outlaw said.

NASHVILLE - A Nashville woman and two-times graduate of Fayetteville State University is looking to give back to her alma mater by raising money for student scholarships. Shamica Dawes, a proud Bronco, is already an active member of the Edgecombe-Nash Alumni chapter and FSU National Alumni Association (NAA). She is competing for the title of Ms. Fayetteville State University.

MOMEYER - In what appeared to be an unexpected move, Momeyer town officials voted at a June 30 special meeting to delay budget adoption until the town council's regularly scheduled July 14 meeting. That will push the town past the July 1 budget adoption deadline as set by the North Carolina General Assembly. An interim budget ordinance was passed to authorize needed spending until the budget is approved.

SPRING HOPE - A parade route for this year's Pumpkin Festival has been conditionally approved by town commissioners, but not without reservations about pending water main work, which officials say may force an alternate route.
Cindy Ridgeway, festival parade coordinator, appealed to the board at their July 7 meeting, noting that the event permit has been on the agenda as a continued item several months.

NASHVILLE- A gas company operating at the edge of a Bailey residential development is currently a "use in violation," but its application for a Special Use Permit has been postponed until August, following the June 23 meeting of the Nash County Board of Adjustment.
Gas Pro, LLC, is currently operating on two adjacent lots at 5105-A Chris Road, and 11011 Pace Road, Bailey; the 2 lots, which total a little over 2 acres, sit at the entrance to the Pearson Acres Subdivision, which is zoned R-40.

RALEIGH- The memory of a local Army helicopter pilot shot down in 1966 over Vietnam was refreshed last month on the floor of the North Carolina House Chamber: the life and sacrifice of Captain Hugh R. Nelson, Jr., of Rocky Mount, was applauded through the efforts of Representative Allen Chesser.
Chesser made a representative statement in Raleigh June 18 as Nelson's family- his children Debbie McKnight and Tripp Nelson, as well as grandson Duncan Dees Nelson, attended.

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce presents its Summer Business of the Season Award to the Nashville Exchange. Pictured above, left to right, are: Chamber Board member Diane Taylor, Nashville Exchange staff Kate Parker, Lauren Crawley, Chamber President Cliff Joyner, staff member Katina Stallings, owner Lisa Hattaway, staff members Storm Murray, Joan Bailey, Hannah Breheim, Taylor Weaver, Valerie Winstead, Sandy Moore, and Nashville Town Council Member Larry Taylor.

Members of the Leggett family received a flag on March 15 at the Veterans Memorial at Jack Laughery Park in honor of James Lewis Leggett, Spec. 5, U.S. Army. Leggett, who passed away March 10, 2024, was drafted into the Army in 1966, then serving his country in Vietnam. A flag to pay respect to Leggett's service was raised in February at the Veterans memorial by the Joint Veterans Committee of Nash and Edgecombe counties and was retired at the March ceremony to the playing of "taps."

JOHNSON

NASHVILLE- Nashville's newest K-9 officer, Jade, with assistance from the Nashville Police Department, executed her first narcotics seizure operation this past weekend on US 64, resulting in the arrest of two men and the seizure of dangerous narcotics and illegal firearms.
A July 8 NPD press release said the incident, codenamed "Operation Firecracker" by the Governor's Highway Safety Program, occurred at about 1 a.m. at mile marker 459 of US 64 East during a traffic stop.

Matthew Floyd, age 10, joined by his uncle, Jonathan Evans, and the family dog, Maverick, found the first cotton bloom of 2025 on the Delapine NPE Plot Evans Farm. They spotted the bloom on June 29, 2025. The Nashville Graphic has held a long-time tradition of offering a free one-year subscription for the first bloom of the season brought to the newspaper.

Nashville's Chamber of Commerce presents the Elks Lodge #1038 a donation for operating ticket booths at the Blooming Festival carnival. Pictured, left to right, are Chamber President Cliff Joyner, Cindy Puckett, festival co-chair, Elks Lodge members Tressa and Chris Bissette.

Wesley Alston of Nashville shows a freshly picked tomoto from his garden which looks to be a three-in-one harvest.

Lauris and Rebecca Joyner of the Coopers Community, who were married on June 18, 1960 in Elm City, recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. The couple has three children, Lisa Meekins, Carla Thielen and Lauris Taylor Joyner; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The couple attends Macedonia Baptist Church.

So, what is the point? That is the ultimate question, right? The ultimate worldview question: what is the point? Ultimately, there must be a point to it all rather than not. We humans possess the attributes that we do for some reason. Consider the human qualities that have nothing to do with "survival of the fittest," like the human soul and all it entails. For example, the exclusively human capacity to think abstract thoughts, especially abstract thoughts about a God that no one can directly see or hear. Even so, there is a strong argument to be made that a great Being of which one greater cannot be conceived exists necessarily. Let me explain.

The one Christian promise that I don't particularly like is the fact that Christian living includes its share of suffering. But that's exactly what Jesus promised us when He said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". (Mark 8:34)
Mature Christians cling to those words during dark times in their lives. It's not so much that misery loves company, but rather that they realize that the crosses they will be asked to bear will bring deeper spiritual growth.

The Momeyer Ruritan Club recently presented scholarships to youth members. Pictured, left to right: Stuart Parker, scholarship committee, Colin Leggett, second generation member; Jacob Cooper, second generation member; Brent Leggett, President of Momeyer Ruritan Club. Leggett is attending NC State University majoring in Agriculture Business. Cooper is a rising sophomore at Campbell University majoring in Physical Therapy.

ROCKY MOUNT- With Edgecombe County one of the two North Carolina counties with the most HIV prevalence (31 per 100,000 people), the Nash County Health Department is continuing to push the word out about free testing, as was the case with a community event for National HIV Testing Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 27 outside the train station in Rocky Mount.

Richelle Tennyson and Scott Harold Tennyson to Lauren Dilello; 224 Westview Park Drive, Rocky Mount; $305,000
Lennis B. Moody, Lennis Burnell Moody, Lenore F. Moody, Lenore Frances Moody to L&L Moody Family Trust; 25 acres
Little Bear Creek Properties B, LLC and Little Bear Creek Properties, LLC to Stallings Grove Homeowners Association, Inc.; .39 acres and 1.04 acres
Adams Homes AEC, LLC and Don Adams to Travis Arrington and Darick Alfonza Ricks; 5085 Holly Hill Court, Battleboro; $395,000

I was not hiding under an umbrella on the beach or looking for an errant golf ball or even managing my smoker on July Fourth.
Instead, I was reliving a childhood trauma that really wasn't that traumatic, maybe more so that the child at the time was dramatic.
Due to the kindness of a distant relative and old friend, I found myself with a large box of sweet corn on my kitchen floor on the most patriotic of holidays.
I was shucking. My wife was silking, there was a huge stockpot boiling and another almost as big pot with cool water and ice in it.

This week's Backward Glance sure brings back a lot of memories - especially since I spent a few of my teenage years working for Tim and Dale Thorne during tobacco season.
The photo not only reflects a family farming operation, but a time where local farmers had teenagers knocking on their doors wanting to work to earn money during summer vacation - which is indeed a thing of the past.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on July 21, 1977. Tim and Dale Thorne (kneeling) examine their bumper crop of tobacco in the Macedonia Community that had the benefit of more rainfall than many farms in the county that year. Tim and Dale farmed with their father, Bunny. They anticipated a harvest a total of 100 acres of tobacco in 1977.