NASHVILLE - Lily Urieta, Nashville's new HR Director, has qualifications as long as your arm, with 10 years HR experience and 13 years in local government. But you might say that she began learning to manage interpersonal relations at home, as the middle child and only girl, with five brothers, in the family.
Urieta, whose first day on the job here was officially Dec. 9, told The Graphic that she is impressed with the level of family activities that Nashville has, and is looking forward to having her two-year-old son and husband become a part of those.

NASHVILLE - Some residents of the Regency subdivision and Essex Road neighborhoods, possibly waiting for Santa to bring them town sewer hookups, will have until next fall until they get that item on their Christmas lists answered.
Mike Tolson, a town engineer with Mac Gay and Associates, updated council members at their Dec. 9 meeting on design specs for the two separate sewer extension projects, estimating an October completion date once everything is done.

Hunter Winstead, 3, of Spring Hope works cookie decoration with Nashville Police Officer Timothy Bell during Nashville Police Department's Cookie with a Cop event last week.

The North Carolina League of Municipalities recently recognized the Town of Castalia for their participation in a program designed to help smaller towns promote better financial responsibility and reliability.
Castalia converted their financial software over in June 2024, becoming the 15th town to convert through the league's Municipal Accounting Services (MAS) program.

Each year, the officers of the Nashville Police Department vote to recognize one of their own who consistently goes above the call of service, lives our core values of P.R.I.D.E., and serves as a mentor, leader, and trusted asset to both the department and the citizens of Nashville, on and off duty.
This year, that honor belongs to Sergeant J. Gwaltney.

NASHVILLE - Conditional rezoning for an 825-acre, leased land solar farm between Nashville and Red Oak has been granted by split vote by Nash County commissioners, with the multi-year project subject to 15 imposed conditions.
The Castalian Spring Solar Farm, a subsidiary of Hexagon Development LLC, was approved for a rezoning change from A1 to A1-CZ at the Dec. 9 board of commissioners meeting after a lengthy public hearing.

The property at 106 S. Boddie will be yet another memory of historic Nashville with demolition beginning Wednesday morning. The building housed The Nashville Graphic in the early 1900s. The property was owned by Larry Hyde for many years until purchased by Adam Williams who is restoring 112 S. Boddie Street but will remove 106 S. Boddie due to structure issues. The property will be converted to private parking for his tenants of 112 and 108 S. Boddie Street.

NASHVILLE- The 3rd annual New Year's Eve Egg Drop, hosted by Braswell Family Farms, is set at the Nashville Junction, 723 S. Barnes Street, on Dec. 31 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event itself is free and family-friendly, but food, drink and apparel purchase opportunities will be available.
"Bringing people together is at the heart of what we do, and the Egg Drop is a chance to celebrate joy, connection, and the promise of a new year," said Trey Braswell, President and CEO of Braswell Family Farms, adding that his family and company are looking forward to "welcoming families back back for another evening of fellowship, fun, and celebration."

NASHVILLE - The funeral for a 25-year-old local man, killed in a one-car accident on Taylors Store Road Thursday night, was scheduled Wednesday, Dec. 17, in Warrenton.
Evan "Mikey" Mills was reported killed when he was ejected from his SUV at around 11:42 p.m. Thursday, according to NC Highway Patrol. The crash occurred near Winterberry Lane after Mills' 2014 GMC Acadia Denali, which had been travelling south, ran off the road to the right, colliding with several trees and overturning. Mill's vehicle ended up off the right shoulder of the road facing north.

The Coopers Ruritan Club recently gathered for a holiday celebration to honor its volunteers and swear in new officers.
President Mike Glover began the evening by expressing appreciation to the volunteers who contribute to the organization's success.
"We are all here tonight because you helped us in some way," Glover said.
Glover singled out the eight-person team who handles the cooking each year.

MIDDLESEX- The discovery of a submerged vehicle near Middlesex has re-opened a missing person's case from 2003.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office reported locating and recovering a white 1992 Pontiac Grand Am belonging to Travis Lamont Lynch of Glendale Drive, Wilson, from 8-10 feet of water in Turkey Creek near Old Middlesex Road. The recovery, executed Dec. 11, was done after a citizen contacted authorities to report seeing a submerged vehicle in the creek.

A Nash County youth has been promoted as Interim Vice Chair of the High School Republican National Federation (HSREPS).
Fenner Parker, who previously served as National Communications Director for the group from May to October 2025, was promoted in October to the Interim position, which places him in the #2 position behind David Sharyan of Oregon, who serves as Chairman.
Parker is the only North Carolinian to serve on the group's board, which has other members from Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, New Jersey and Florida.

NASHVILLE - A memorial to one of Nash County's fallen sons - Deputy Jared Michael Allison- will take the form of naming the Old Carriage Road bridge over US 64 near Nash Community College in his honor.
Allison's parents, Angela and Scott, were present when all those present at the Dec. 8 Nash County commissioners' meeting stood and applauded to show their respect.

NASHVILLE- Conditional rezoning that would permit development of two new Bailey subdivisions in close proximity will be up for Nash Board of Commissioner review in January, following split vote approval by the Nash County Planning Board.
The two land parcels of 43 and 71 acres, both owned by Joan Joyner Taylor and one co-owned by the C.T. Williams Corporations, are located on the west side of W. Hornes Church Road and on the north side of Strickland Road, respectively, near Bailey.

Citing his reasons as relating to changed congressional district maps, Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson has suspended his campaign to run for NC's 1st Congressional District.
Roberson announced Dec. 11 that "the newly drawn maps have changed the landscape of this race, and this is no longer the district I signed up to run in." He added that his commitment "has always been to serve the people I asked to serve- the great people of Rocky Mount, North Carolina."

NASHVILLE- "Giving is not a seasonal thing," said Jason Knapp of the Kitchen Goat Feeds, a non-profit organization that raises money primarily for food gift cards for cancer patients. Nonetheless, Knapp rolled up to the Nash County Sheriff's Office on Thankgiving Day with a cooked meal, enough to give a touch of home cooking to local law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders who had to miss the holiday at home.

Kimberley Cofield, My Sister's House Executive Director, far right, receives a check for $350 from Raymond Goodwin, President of the Rocky Mount Evening Optimists' Club. The donation will be used to pay for catering a Christmas dinner for families currently at a domestic violence shelter. Pictured left in the photo are Tabita Vega, Latino Outreach Coordinator for My Sister's House and Brenda Goodwin, Rocky Mount Evening Optimists' Club Secretary.

My wife told me a story recently about a young woman who was in need of serious surgery only to see it delayed due to circumstances beyond her control. But when I saw her, I was astonished! You would never know that she was facing a life-threatening illness.
It was then that I realized my wife's friend enjoys a special kind of peace that the Bible calls "the peace of God."It's a gift that only comes through faith and prayer.
The Apostle Paul talked about the peace of God in his letter to the Philippian Church. He told us that it could not be understood, but he promised that it could be seen.

A very familiar hymn among Christians especially this time of year is Joy to the World. Written by Isaac Watts and inspired by Psalm 98, it delivers a powerful message about the coming of Christ, His impact on the world, and His ultimate return. There are three considerations for every christian and every church.
In the first verse, we see the entrance of the King: Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing.

Throughout history, critics of Jesus have questioned who He was and whether He ever existed. Over the next few weeks, we will examine several independent, reliable, non-biblical sources from the first century AD to argue for the historicity of the existence of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. These sources stand as reliable accounts in rebuttal to the claim that there is insufficient independent evidence to substantiate His existence.

Nashville Baptist Church (NBC) recently raised over $2,000 for My Sister's House through a fundraiser organized by the NBC Mission Team. Church members collaborated to prepare, freeze, and sell over 90 casseroles between mid-October and mid-November. This initiative underscores NBC's continued support and appreciation for the mission of My Sister's House to aid victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

While the holidays provide opportunities for get togethers with family or friends, one particular part of the population- seniors- may be battling loneliness and/or depression.
According to the U.S. Census, as many as 27% of adults 65 and older live alone, but "a person doesn't have to live alone to feel lonely. Loneliness can affect anyone who doesn't feel meaningful connections with other people," according to the website for the National Council on Aging (NCOA).

Kadence Midrowsky, Caydance Harrelson, and Ruby Allsbrook are pictured with Dan and Robert while volunteering at A Touch of the Father's Love. Contributed photo

RALEIGH - Large animal veterinarians in North Carolina are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funds to help support their large animal practice.
The funding opportunity is available to veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and that spend 30% or more of their patient care involved in large animal veterinary care.

A HONOR ROLL
NINTH GRADE
Avery Bass, Addison Spivey, Caleb Sykes, Brooklyn Rice, Robert Melle, Noah Gibson, Samuel Hardy, Evan Tibbs, Christopher Ford, Kaleb Mills, William Brantley, Matthew Cottrell, Grace Leake, Lauren Renfrow, Landon Liles, Julian Cano, Zoe Comerford and Camden Fraser

A HONOR ROLL
SIXTH GRADE
Joshua Minchew, Angel Campos-Carreron, Scarlet Waller, Bentley Russell, Elia Taifeh, Akilys Perez, Katherine Comelli, Francis Vicente Franco and Cade Morris,

A HONOR ROLL
NINTH GRADE
M Jubayer Hossain, Zion McKnight, Camila Villagomez-Perez, Asiyah Barnes, Sariya Qassm, Maliya Kennedo, Lauryn Petteway, Parker Beamon, Jonatan Cantu-Yanez, Ahtziri Ordonez-Jimenez, Seth Hall, Laurin Rudd, Justis Jones, Matthew Hall, Avalynn Coleman, Braylen Fox, Dezmeria Hardee and Nejean Salmon

A HONOR ROLL
FOURTH GRADE
Wyatt Wood and Jeremiah Marrow

A HONOR ROLL
NINTH GRADE
Siobhan Holder-Cook

A few weeks ago, I thought I was being setup for some kind of hit by two of my most brilliant Barton students, who I'll refer to just as B. and E. We are working on a journal project together and this was the text exchange:
Them: Which of these fonts do you like the least [question emoji and a spreadsheet with Gils Sans, Optima and Avenir listed]
Me: Seems like a trap
Them: Maybe not a trap ... potentially a judge of character ...

Pictured, Nashville Graphic Publisher Jo Anne Cooper holds a picture of M.W. Lincke, the newspaper's founder, in front of 106 S. Boddie Street. This was the second location of The Graphic.

I am one who doesn't deal well with good-byes, especially when watching a historic building crumbling down by the claws of an excavator.
The buildings on South Boddie Street (106 and 112) have long sat empty with little maintenance. The building in the center of the two, which is much younger, was purchased by Adam Williams several years ago. Adam brought breath back into the building which housed Nashville's Parks and Recreation for a few years. The older structures were eventually condemned due the owner not complying to bring the structures back up to a safe level.
I don't know how he did it, but Adam found a way to purchase the two structures when others had tried to buy them in the past.

While the trend to have artificial trees for Christmas is on the rise, with 83% of households nationally planning to purchase or put up fake trees for the holidays, North Carolinians continue to buck the trend, partly because the state ranks second in the state for Christmas tree production behind Oregon. In fact, over 20% of Christmas trees in country come from our state.

Dear Santa,
I have been good this year. I aim for straight A's and always try to spread kindness. This year I am asking for many things like clothing and jewelry, but mainly a straightener and a new pair of shoes. I hope you consider and enjoy our cookies and milk and the reindeer enjoy the carrots. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!