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NASHVILLE - A man and a woman are dead, the victims of flash flooding Wednesday in Spring Hope.
While the victims' identities have not yet been officially released by the Nash County Sheriff's Office, the two were reportedly from Louisburg: 55-year-old Raymond Evans Jr. and 24-year-old Lottie Alston, a 2020 graduate of Franklin County Early College High. They were driving a silver 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan around 2:15 Wednesday afternoon in the area of 687 North NC-581 when the vehicle was swept off the right side of the road about 35 yards into a ravine during flash flooding.

RED OAK- Rough grading of the land surface at the Old Red Oak Landfill, a "Superfund" contamination site, is presently underway, the seventh of ten remediation steps required by NCDEQ.
'Superfund" is the nickname for a federal act created in 1980 to allow EPA to clean up contaminated sites presenting unique risks to the environment and to human health, requiring specialized equipment and training to safely remediate.

NASHVILLE - The old Swift Creek Elementary School, sold off by Nash County Public Schools last year, is going back up on the auction block now that the buyer has backed out of the deal.
Angie Miller, NCPS Special Assistant of Auxiliary Services, Operations and Athletics, first shared the news at a July 28 board of education committee meeting, relaying that the property would be put back up for sale.

ROCKY MOUNT - Nash County's Pet Connection Center re-opened this week to offer adoptions, with August 4th as its first day with open doors. It is, however, still paused on owner surrenders.
The shelter will be also open one Saturday each month for adoptions, beginning with its first Adoption Saturday this weekend, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Adoptions come with a standard $50 fee.

NASHVILLE - A special ceremony to mark the 25-year retirement of Sgt. Stanley "Stan" Ricks of the Nash County Sheriff's Office was held Thursday, July 31st, at the historic Nash County courthouse, followed by a caravan of law enforcement to Ricks' home outside Nashville for him to do a radio check off-duty.
Ricks, whose partner, K-9 Pebbles, retired earlier this month, was the subject of multiple speeches of praise, also receiving multiple plaques for his service from Sheriff Keith Stone, from Capt. Bryant from the Civil division, from Capt. Costa from the K-9 Team and from Chief Deputy Alan Wilson for the special response team.

NASH COUNTY- Nash County Commissioner Gwen Wilkins was elected Director of District 7 for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) during the district's caucus meeting on July 31, 2025.
As District Director, Wilkins and her planning team will host upcoming district meetings where county commissioners and other county officials meet to share challenges, successes, and issues impacting counties within the region.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - One of Nash County's Cooperative Extension Agents, Colby Griffin, has another prize to add to his wall: this one for Distinguished Service. It is awarded by both state and national associations of county agricultural agents, recognizing Extension professionals for outstanding service, program excellence and high regard among peers. Only extension agents who have served ten or more years are eligible.
Griffin was awarded the prize at the state level in Concord, NC, on June 11th, proceeding to Billings, MT, July 1 to collect the national award.

RALEIGH- Longtime Nash County 4-H competitor Page Strickland has been inducted into the 4-H Honor Club, achieving the organization's highest honor at the state level.
Strickland, inducted July 21, 2025 during the NC 4-H Congress event in Raleigh, was awarded four scholarships at the Youth and Donor Event two days later: the Edward Gore/General Hugh Shelton 4-H Leadership Scholarship for $2,500; the Edmund & Elizabeth Aycock 4-H Scholarship for $2,000; the LR Harrill 4-H Scholarship for $2,000; and the Robert N. Wood Collegiate 4-H Scholarship for $1,000.