NASHVILLE - Nearly two months after a Nashville Graphic reporter was barred from attending a meeting of the Nash County Public Safety Committee, with the reason then given that the committee was not a "public body," the issue of what does and does not constitute a public body- meaning that its contents are open to the public- has resulted in continued division between Nash County commissioners.
In an attempt to settle that and other issues- including whether a 'consensus' vote is the same as a regular vote- commissioners voted June 15th to invite a representative in from the UNC School of Government to make a presentation.

NASHVILLE - By a split vote of 5-2 and last minute exposition about the disparities between spending on the sheriffs office versus education, Nash County leaders have adopted the FY27 budget.
The budget, which maintains a tax rate of $0.63, totals $162,037,492, including multiple items added after it was first presented May 18th.
Added at the June 1st public hearing were $755,000 for fire departments; $325,000 for additional Sheriffs vehicles; $200,000 for capital improvement project seed funding and $50,000 for the lease or rent of EMS stations.

Tracey Jackson (left) and Taryn Edwards unveil banners promoting the Freedom Truck Arrival on July 24-25 at Momeyer Baptist Church. Graphic photo by Nancy West-Brake

MOMEYER - The town of Momeyer has officially passed and adopted its FY 26-27 budget, which shows a modest bottom-line increase to $135,330 compared to $120,510 last year. The rise is from an anticipated 12.3% jump in revenues, primarily from more sales tax money.
A public hearing conducted June 9 at the Momeyer Fire Department attracted a small crowd, with Natalie Webb questioning the need for a generator at town hall.
A March 16 estimate for ALCO Electric to install a 26KW generator along with an accompanying hardwire and startup costs was $11,855, which did not include the costs of running a gas line.

ROCKY MOUNT - There's a new "Critter Marshal" in Town- or, more precisely, a new Animal Services Director at the Pet Connection Center, Nash County's animal shelter. Ashley Howell, who took the reins and saddled up for her responsibilities June 1st, has a background that will serve her well in her new position; one of her focal areas will be to strengthen spay and neuter programs.
Howell, who was born and raised in Little Washington, still lives there with her husband, two-year-old son, and two dogs.

Nashville Graphic Reporter Nancy West-Brake was presented the Service to Agriculture award from the North Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents at their annual conference in Cherokee June 9th-11th. She was nominated by Nash County Cooperative Field Crops Extension Agent Brittany Pendleton. The nomination noted West-Brake's "outstanding contributions to agricultural journalism." Pendleton's nomination also stated, "Through her consistent, thoughtful, and community-rooted reporting, she has become a trusted voice for our farmers, youth, and rural families."

The Nash County Public Schools' Federal Programs and Migrant Education Departments partnered to host a supply drive benefiting families served through the McKinney-Vento and Migrant Education programs.
The event, held at the Migrant Center, provided essential items such as sanitation kits, toothbrushes, washcloths, heated blankets, laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, and rain jackets to help meet the basic needs of families experiencing hardship. Approximately 65 families participated in the drive.

All of us wonder from time to time whether God really cares about what's going on in our lives. Why? Because there are those occasions in life when "life" seems to be crashing down on us. We live for the Lord. But when things go awry, we seek his comfort and his guidance. We pray, but we don't feel anything changes. We wonder, "Where is he?".
But did realize that Jesus once had them, too? It happened while he was dying on the cross for our sins. Remember when he was on the cross, he said, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?". (Matthew 27:46)

Critics of theism rightly ask, "Couldn't God have created a world in which there was less evil and suffering?" Contrary to the assertion, this is not the best of all possible worlds God could have created. A world in which there was one more good angel or one more good person serving other people would certainly make the world better, wouldn't it? Better yet, what if God interceded in the affairs of everyday life to eliminate or at least reduce the world's suffering? That sounds great, but how would that work, exactly? God performing millions and millions of miracles every second, interceding constantly into people's lives so that no evil touches them. That really wouldn't be a world of free-willed beings, would it? Sounds more like the making of a cartoon to me.

A great time was had at Rainforest Falls Vacation Bible School at Red Oak Baptist Church last week! Children learned Bible scripture and Bible stories, played games, experienced imagination station, and enjoyed refreshments.
The youth and chaperones from Red Oak Baptist Church left for Mfuge at James Madison University in Virginia on Monday. They will be returning home Friday. Pray for safe travels.
The Baptist Men will have their monthly breakfast meeting on Sunday, June 21 at 8:30 a.m.

Unless you've been in a cave in Afghanistan, you know the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup Sunday night.
My wife Kristi and I went to a lot of games back when the team won its first Cup in 2006. We were there for Game 7, the craziest sports event I've ever been a part of.
My daughter Holly grew up loving the sport and the team. She posted a photograph of her and her brother Kent posing with the Stanley Cup when it visited what was then RBC Bank headquarters in Rocky Mount and is now the N.C. DMV headquarters.

Nashville Graphic ace reporter Nancy West-Brake was honored with the Service to Agriculture Award by the North Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents at their annual conference last week. Such an honor was not to my surprise. Nancy loves covering anything agriculture related!
The nomination, submitted by Nash County Cooperative Field Crops Extension Agent Brittany Pendleton, included a quote regarding Nancy's journalistic trust and dedication, "she has become a trusted voice for our farmers, youth, and rural families." This statement certainly reflects Nancy's passion for community journalism.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on August 10, 1976. The Peoples Bank of Nashville softball team were to compete in the women's softball state tournament. Peoples turned in an 18-2 season in Nashville league play to claim the regular season championship and was runner-up in the league tournament.