SPRING HOPE - Eight days after a vote taken in closed session, the town of Spring Hope has announced that Town Manager Andrew DeIonno is being suspended with pay until the end of his contract in April; DeIonno's last day on the job will be this Friday, Jan. 16.
A press release issued Jan. 13 from the law offices of Fields & Cooper, PLLC, the town's legal firm, stated that the board of commissioners voted 3-2 to take action to remove DeIonno from his position during the closed session held during their Jan. 5 meeting.

NASHVILLE - Determined to smooth the way for the receipt of contractor bids this month for construction of the Regency Estate sewer extension project, town council members are pursuing ownership of a lot on Regency Drive via eminent domain. The undeveloped lot, owned by a now defunct corporation, is needed for placement of a small pump station in order to connect 19 homes on Regency Drive with the town's sewer system.
The owner of record for the vacant property, located at 228 Regency Drive, is Clark Langley, which shut down in 2012, according to Randy Lansing, town manager.

Phase two of courthouse complex renovations, particularly on the 1986 addition between the two courthouses, began the week of Dec. 15. Starting with the roof, exterior repairs extended to masonry and windows, where poor construction quality and water intrusion caused vertical cracks up several outside building corners. All brick masonry on affected building sides had to be removed, while decayed windows are also being repaired. Work is underway now on buildings closest to Drake street.

SPRING HOPE - The issues of unapproved shipping containers, blighted properties and zoning violation fines go hand-in-hand for the town of Spring Hope, with residents so afflicted appearing at the Jan. 5 board of commissioners meeting to ask for help- or forgiveness- for their fines. Their answer about fines was the same: to waive them not possible - because of state statute - but it is possible for the town not to pursue the debt, with one option an enforceable lien on the property.

MOMEYER - After holding their last public meeting at an undisclosed location Jan. 8, apparently to avoid being videotaped for the town's You Tube channel, members of the Momeyer Outreach Committee are being called out for that action as illegal.
Will Funderburg, Mayor, brought up the topic at the Jan. 12 town council meeting, stating that "there seems to be confusion" about the committee's status as a public body, which means that their meetings have to be public.

The Nashville Graphic learned of the unexpected passing of a long-time Nashville family physician, Dr. Broderwick Bello, however there were no details nor an obituary available at press time.
Out of respect for Dr. Bello's family during this unsettled time due to his sudden death, The Graphic will pause to await accurate details of his passing and his obituary.

SPRING HOPE- A potential extension of the "grace period" for Spring Hope water users was the topic of some pointed conversation at the Jan. 6 town meeting, but the billing policy ended up being left "as is" by unanimous vote.
Requested as an agenda item by new commissioner Antonio "Danny" Toney, the discussion centered on the town's current water billing system. Its bills are mailed out the first of the month, reflecting service given the prior month, with payment due on the 20th.

NASHVILLE- The annual Martin Luther King Day Service in Nashville, planned by the Nashville Willing Workers and the Nash County Democratic Precinct Cluster, is planned at noon on Martin Luther King Day, Monday Jan. 19.
The free event will be held at the O.D. Moore building at 808 S. Alston Street and includes lunch. Guest speaker will be Pastor James Gailliard of Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount. Galliard is also a former Representative from the North Carolina House 25th district, serving from 2019 to 2023.

NASHVILLE - The holidays can be a special time spent with family and friends, but for 33 Nash County children looking placement in foster homes, that kind of security is still lacking.
"Since COVID, the community has been hesitant to participate in the foster program in Nash County," said Jeffrey Wilson, Social Work Program Administrator at Nash County Social Services.

SPRING HOPE - The Spring Hope Downtown Development Board, now down to five members after the election of its chairman, Pam Brantley, and Steve Brumfield as town commissioners, could potentially be cut to four should a pending DDB ordinance be adopted that includes attendance requirements.
The board of commissioners took no formal action after reviewing a DDB resolution at their Jan. 5 meeting, agreeing to send the three-page document to the DDB to review at their upcoming Jan. 19 meeting.

MOMEYER - A long-running project to create a town seal for Momeyer is close to completion, with a seal design approved along with the planned creation of promotional items okayed via budget amendment.
The town council approved the design, which features a train with a farmer and mule in the background, at their Jan. 12 meeting. There was one tweak, however: the design showed the date for the town's establishment as 1900, and council members said that had to be changed to the more accurate 1906.

Sarah Hinton of Nashville wins $500 from the Nashville Chamber of Commerce "It Pays to SHOP LOCAL" contest. Presenting the contest winnings is Nashville Chamber of Commerce President Cliff Joyner. The chamber hosts the contest each year to encourage shoppers to support local businesses. Shoppers submit receipts to the chamber when shopping with chamber members.

NASHVILLE - The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) has selected Erica Puente, a fifth-grade teacher at Bailey Elementary School, as a finalist for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.
Puente, who also serves as Nash County Public Schools' Beginning Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year, is one of a select group of educators from across North Carolina chosen for this prestigious honor.

January is not a great month for a lot of Americans. Ultimately, the excesses of Christmas catch up with all of us, especially those of us who "charged" our way into the hearts of others by using credit cards instead of paying cash for those gifts. It's payback time!
According to USA Facts, the average American spent $1,766 on Christmas in 2024. That adds up to $600 BILLION DOLLARS! I don't know about you, but I finally finished above average in something, although I probably shouldn't be very proud of it.

The last few weeks have been spent presenting non-biblical sources that speak to one or more of the three minimal bedrock facts concerning what happened to Jesus after His crucifixion. We spent a lot of time looking at the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus and the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Both historians wrote in the mid-first century, and both wrote about Jesus. But there is more to mention. Lucian of Samosata is another non-Christian source that provides independent testimony to the fact that Jesus was a real person and that He died by crucifixion.

In an age marked by constant motion--endless notifications, shifting expectations, and the pressure to produce more and rest less--the ancient Christian invitation to "abide in Christ" feels almost countercultural. Yet for many believers, this simple phrase from John 15 remains one of the most profound descriptions of what it means to live a life rooted in faith rather than frenzy.
At its core, abiding in Christ is not about achieving spiritual perfection or performing religious tasks.

LifeWise Academy began on Monday, Jan. 12 in Red Oak! Approximately 80 Red Oak Elementary students were enrolled with parental permission to participate in LifeWise Academy which is held at Red Oak Baptist Church. This is a release time Bible education ministry that takes place during school hours.
The Baptist Men's breakfast will be Sunday, Jan. 18 at 8:30 a.m.
The youth and children of Red Oak Baptist Church will have a Biscuit Fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 9:15 a.m - 9:45 a.m. Cost is $6 each.

MANCHESTER, NH - Natahja Mayfield of Nashville (27856) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Fall 2025 Dean's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

MANCHESTER, NH- Dominique Jones of Nashville has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU) Fall 2025 President's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

NASHVILLE- Nash County has 426 family cemeteries listed on the website Find-A-Grave- but there are likely to be more, forgotten in woods or overgrown fields. The Nash County, NC GenWeb estimated that about 50% of known cemeteries have not been surveyed. But who regulates cemeteries, and what are the rules for maintenance? And if someone wants to bury 'Uncle Henry' in the backyard- or choose their land as their final resting place- is it legal to do so?
The terms "cemetery" and "graveyard," incidentally, do not refer to the same thing.

NASHVILLE - While cases of flu have skyrocketed across North Carolina, and there has been one flu-related death in Edgecombe county, a new concern- Measles- has surfaced, with five cases diagnosed in the state since late December.
NCDHHS shared information in a Jan. 9 press release that a new case had been diagnosed in Rutherford County, with potential exposure locations at the Mission Hospital Emergency Department waiting room in Asheville Jan. 4; at Constantine's Restaurant in Gastonia and at Christmas Town USA in McAdenville

RALEIGH - A backyard flock in Franklin County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI). The positive sample was identified Jan. 5 by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh.
This is the first confirmed positive in Franklin County and the ninth confirmed positive in North Carolina since Oct. 1. A list of domestic bird cases of HPAI in North Carolina is online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/AvianInfluenza.

SPRING HOPE- The Spring Hope Museum is hosting a special traveling exhibit, "The People of Colonial North Carolina," beginning Jan. 14th and lasting until Feb. 2.
The exhibit, entitled "America 250 NC" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the USA, is on loan from the NC archives Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Many of you know my wife and I operated a photography studio in Nashville for nearly 20 years.
What you may not know is that we did thousands of immigration and passport photographs.
Now, most people go to a post office where they get their paperwork and photos done, and write a check. Back then, people often got their photos done and then went to the courthouse and later the library to do the paperwork.

This week brings sad news of the passing of Dr. Broderick Bello, a long-time family physician at Boice-Willis here in Nashville.
As noted on the front page today, we have paused waiting for the family to release details and his obituary.
The Graphic will certainly share any additional news and the obituary as soon it is released.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Bello's family and his Boice-Willis family this week as they mourn the loss of a father, husband and friend.

To the Editor: I must admit that it was exciting to receive a recent phone call from Cliff Joyner, President of Nashville's Chamber of Commerce, informing me that I was the grand prize winner of the Shop Local Contest. Why did I enter the contest? The grand prize was very enticing, the entry process was simple, and I had already made a conscious decision to support local businesses. Nashville has some great retail stores and restaurants on Washington Street and throughout the town.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on Feb. 1, 1968. M.C. Gulley is shown working on a fishing reel at the workshop in his store. M.C. Gulley was Nashville's oldest merchant and a fisherman of note according the 1968 article. M.C. Gulley was born Jan. 7, 1886. Gulley's store opened in January of 1925. Gulley served as the Fire Chief of the Nashville Volunteer Fire Department for more than 15 years.