SPRING HOPE - Johnny Barnes, President of Barnes Farming Corporation, passed away Saturday, July 12, following complications from an illness.
Barnes, 61, recognized as a forward-thinking innovator within the state's agribusiness community, dedicated his life to advancing the sweetpotato industry. Barnes Farming Corporation became one of the largest sweetpotato producers in the United States.

MOMEYER - In order to better 'toe the line' about capital reserve fund allocations, Momeyer town officials are coming up with "wish lists" for potential future projects, beginning with six possibilities.
Based on discussion by council members at their July 14 meeting, initial interests lie in adding a sidewalk, street lights, an internet 'hot spot,' a veterans' memorial, and a park with pavilion.

Farm workers work on a transplanter machine at the Melton Manning & Sons Farm dropping sweet potato plants in the ground. Graphic photo by Larry Matthews

NASHVILLE - Most everybody knows that Nash County is famous for its sweetpotatoes; we grow accustomed to seeing people setting them in the fields in June, picking in the fall, then a lot of trucks rolling by laden with crates and crates. Even with the otherwise unusual presence of a Sweet Potato mascot riding in a Blooming Festival float and Bailey hosting the North Carolina Sweetpotato Festival, unless you're a farmer, you probably don't think about what's involved in making this happen or the sheer volume involved.

SPRING HOPE- One of two blighted properties in Spring Hope carrying over $10,000 in code violation fines has been foreclosed on, with the new owner promising to care for it.
An unoccupied house on 409 West Main Street, formerly owned by Old North Capital Investments of Tucson, AZ, has been eyed by town officials since a tree fell onto and through a shed in its back yard, according to Shawn Lucas, Code Enforcement Officer. To date, it has racked up $10,600 in penalties.

NASHVILLE - Close to 50 thronged the Ag Center Monday night for the first Twin County Cattlemen's Association meeting, the event designed to assess interest in forming a local group of cattle producers for the purposes of networking and better representation at the state level.
Spearheaded by Marina Strickland of Old Rudera Farm of Middlesex, a breeder of Piedmontese cattle, with assistance from Heather Glennon, Nash Cooperative Extension Director and Livestock Agent...

ROCKY MOUNT - Relocating her long-time established business wasn't on her radar, but something many independent business owners are familiar with is the art of dealing with change.
An Everlasting Memory Monument Company, founded and owned by Michelle Viverette-Strickland of Sandy Cross, has been in operation since 2006. The operation recently moved from Winstead Avenue to 3670 Sunset Avenue, Rocky Mount (across from Harris Teeter.)

NASHVILLE - An equipment malfunction at one of Braswell Family Farm's grain bin elevators June 12th has led to replacement of a corn receiving elevator leg and the installation of monitoring sensors within the bin.
The repair and replacement process caused a section of S. Alston Street to be closed off for a week.

NASHVILLE- A rising Senior at Southern Nash High School, 4-H activist Taryn Reams of Spring Hope, has been chosen to represent Nash County at the upcoming YouthVoice 2025 North Carolina Association of County commissioners conference in Greenville.
Reams was introduced to Nash commissioners by Heather Glennon, County Extension Director, at their July 7 meeting, with the 17-year-old taking the opportunity to speak about her background and hopes for the future.

MOMEYER - Before Momeyer town officials sign on the dotted line to begin trash pickup for town residents, they need to know who is opting in and who is opting out - and whether they want trash service, recycling service, or both.
Sheila Alford, town clerk, said at the July 14 meeting that she would be sending out letters to the 140 homes within town limits to ask those questions, with the info needed to set contract terms and prices with GFL.

NASHVILLE - The first ever Community Service Appreciation Day by Union Hill Baptist Church, targeted towards first responders, law enforcement and Nashville town government, took the form of a fried chicken luncheon Tuesday, July 8.
Sidney E. Dunston, Pastor, said he came up with the idea to offer lunch to the Nash County Sheriff's Department, Nashville Police Department, Nashville Fire Department, Nash County EMS, Nash County 9-1-1 Telecommunicators and to Nashville town administrators in order to make the church's appreciation visible.

NASHVILLE- The second annual county-sponsored Juneteenth celebration took place June 19th in the Nash Administration building, adding to last year's event with a guest speaker, colorful balloon arch, and a sign-coloring opportunity.
Planned by the Nash Engagement Committee and conducted for Nash county employees, the small but festive celebration packed most of the building's third floor corridor.

KINGS BAY, Ga. - Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Alston, a native of Rocky Mount, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Commander, Submarine Group (CSG) 10 at Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay.
Alston graduated from Northern Nash Senior High School in 2003.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Rocky Mount.

When I was in graduate school, I took a course in organization theory. In the early weeks of the semester, I realized that I did not have so much as a clue as to what that course was about. The readings made no sense, and the lectures were even more confusing.
Finally, I worked up the courage to go see my professor. I was embarrassed to admit that I was lost, but I decided to just come out with it. "Don't worry", he said, "you're right where we want you".

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We all make a multitude of them just in a single day. Granted, some are seemingly mundane (regular or decaf?), while others are certainly much more life-impacting (Which college shall I attend? Shall I accept this job opportunity? Who shall I choose for my marriage partner?). In all of these, believers want God's help and guidance. Though not an exhaustive list, here are three things every Christian should consider in making biblically sound decisions.
1. Biblical decision-making is based on the Bible.

Women in Action missions group of Red Oak Baptist Church met on Tuesday, July 8. The group collected lots of items for Vinson-Bynum Elementary School in Wilson for the exceptional students and for the Coastal Plain Hospital Initiative where patients can earn tokens to "shop" for items. Plans were discussed about future missions projects and events. They also studied about missionaries serving in the Caribbean and had special prayer emphasis for missionaries with birthdays that day. The next Women in Action meeting will be Tuesday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the main church building.

Since we began our journey several months ago, it seems to me a good time to take stock of where we are. Friedrich Nietzsche, the nineteenth-century German philosopher, first coined the bold phrase, "God is Dead" in 1883. In 1966, Time magazine, in startling fashion, asked the question directly: "Is God Dead?" After all, it's an important question! And it is an important question because everyone who is alive, or who has ever lived has given an answer to the question in the way they choose to live their lives. Our Bible skeptic, Michael, it seems, has also made a decision.

"Hurricane season" in North Carolina officially begins in June, running to November 30, but forecasters within NOAA's National Weather Service are predicting a 60% chance of above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year.
"This agency is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher.). Of those, 6-10 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph-plus), including 3-5 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher," states a May 22, 2025 article posted at the website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

R D G Real Estate LLC to Word Tabernacle Church; .79 acres and .64 acres
Brent A. Glover to Andrew T. Glover; 1.05 acres and 1.66 acres
Rohit Khanna and Saguna Khanna to The Rohit and Saguna Khanna Trust, Rohit Khanna, Saguna Khanna; R.S. Strickland, Block A, Lot 9
Virginia Stevens Godwin to Mary Elizabeth Kelly; Lots 1-3, property of Harvey E. Thornell

Bobby Smallwood

Two Edgecombe County brothers are in jail after a major interagency law enforcement collaboration to crack down on the flow of Fentanyl into Nash and Edgecombe Counties.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit, in conjunction with the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, and two federal partners- the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives- worked together for ten months to investigate the trafficking and distribution of Fentanyl into both counties.

DORTCHES- A Maryland man who reportedly rammed a pickup truck into the New Dixie Mart in Dortches has been extradited to Nash County to answer for crimes here.
Nico Eddie Williams, 35, of Silver Spring Maryland is charged with Burglary, Safecracking, Breaking and Entering of a Currency Machine and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle in connection with the February 2025 incident. He is being held in the Nash County Detention Facility under $125,000 secured bond.

Financial Transaction Card Fraud at 100 N. Church Street, Rocky Mount, on 06/16/25
Obtain Property by False Pretense; Larceny Felony at 1984 S. Halifax Road, Rocky Mount, on 06/19/25
Possess Cocaine; possess drug paraphernalia (not marijuana) at 209 Adamsville Ct., Rocky Mount, on 06/19/25
Possess Marijuana ½ to 1 ½ oz; Larceny Misdemeanor; Breaking/entering in or breaking out of motor vehicles at 3635 N. Halifax Rd, Rocky Mount, on 06/21/25

RALEIGH - If you have ever dreamed of winning a ribbon at the N.C. State Fair now is the time to figure out what you want to enter and sign up! The State Fair is now accepting entries for the 2025 fair, Oct. 16-26. If winning a ribbon at the fair is on your bucket list, now is the time to enter this year's fair competitions.
The State Fair offers many competition categories such as arts and photography, culinary, livestock, fruit and vegetable production, hobbies and handicrafts, flowers, LEGOS and more.

It's that time of year I become the Forrest Gump of blueberries.
I talk abou blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberry pie, blueberry jelly, blueberry smoothies, blueberry cobbler and blueberries with anything that involves cream cheese.
I dream of making my mama's glazed blueberry bread but haven't been bold enough to try her sourdough recipe.

This week's Backward Glance photo sure brings back childhood memories watching my mother assemble a quilting rack which reached from one corner to the other of our living room. I recall being so fascinated watching her work around that frame stitching the squares together which would evolve into an incredible design, somewhat like a puzzle.
To this day, I hate I didn't take more interest in her incredible skill as a seamstress.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on September 15, 1977. Ladies of the Momeyer Senior Citizens group participated in a quilting party completing four quilts which were sold at a flea market and bake sale held in October at the Momeyer Ruritan Clubhouse for the benefit of Momeyer Baptist Church.

NASH COUNTY -- It was an amazing softball season in Nash County this spring, mainly because of the elite-level exploits of the Southern Nash Ladybirds. Southern Nash, which has built itself into one of the East Region's top programs over the past decade, enjoyed yet another banner year, going undefeated in the regular season for the second consecutive campaign.
SN's perfect ride didn't end until the fourth round of the Class 3-A State Playoffs. By then, the Ladybirds had accumulated 24 wins in a row to go with (again) Big East Conference regular season and tournament championships.

NASH COUNY -- A new chapter is set to begin in the history book of Nash County high school sports this fall, with Girls Flag Football officially coming to the area's athletic scene in September.
All four of the county's public high schools -- Northern Nash, Nash Central, Southern Nash and Rocky Mount -- will be taking the gridiron this fall, with games set to take place on Monday nights rather than Tackle Football's traditional Friday Night Lights.

STANHOPE -- Southern Nash's league slate won't be the only thing different about the Firebirds' schedule when the school embarks in football competition this fall in the rearranged Big East Conference.
Southern is a long-time member of the Big East, but not in its current form, which will include the likes of Southern Wayne and CB Aycock for the first time -- along with former entrants Wilson Hunt and Wilson Fike, both of which have been gone from the Big East for the past four campaigns.

NASHVILLE -- Jeremiah Jones has been a key piece of Nash Central's Track & Field and Cross Country programs over recent years, a feat that has been noticed by collegiate programs around the area.
After an outstanding career, Jones will now be taking his talents to the Division I level, enrolling at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro beginning this fall where he will be a part of the Spartans' Track & Field program.