Local News

RALEIGH- Over 5,000 households in Nash County will be connected to high-speed internet, thanks to part of a $31 million dollar state award.
Governor Josh Stein announced the Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program project results earlier this month, with Robbie Davis, Nash commissioner, carrying the news to the Red Oak town council April 14.

RED OAK - Two new business ventures are planned for Red Oak: a mobile coffee shop and a trailer sales business.

Fugitive from justice; 100 N. Boddie St., Nashville; 3/18/25
Call for service; 10322 Smith Rd., Middlesex; 3/21/25
Obtain property by false pretense; 105 Drake St., Nashville; 3/21/25

Liquor - open container in passenger area (broken seal); fail maintain lane control; DWI; N. Clarendon Dr./E Washington ST., Nashville; 4/6/25
Child abuse - misdemeanor; 1105 Eastern Ave., Nashville; 4/7/25
Habitual larceny; larceny from merchant, remove/dest/deact anti-theft; larceny, misdemeanor; 700 E. Washington St., Nashville; 4/7/25

NASHVILLE- A new online system that will allow users to access court information 24/7 is about to go live in Nash County April 28, although court officials say it may take a while to get it up to complete speed.
"eCourts", already in use by the NC Judicial branch in some counties, is designed to transition the court system from paper to digital using "Enterprise Justice," a digital integrated case management system.

Nash County Public Schools has announced its 2025 Educator of the Year nominees, honoring exceptional educators and support staff throughout the district. Finalists for Teacher of the Year, First-Year Teacher of the Year, and Teacher Assistant of the Year will be announced in the coming weeks. Winners will be recognized during the Educator of the Year Celebration on Tuesday, May 20, at Benvenue Country Club.

SPRING HOPE- A plan to renovate and put into use the old "Boy Scout Hut" on McLean Street is on hold, with needed state permission hung up unless and until proof can be found that the building was physically present in 1979.
Dicky Bass, American Legion Post 91 Commander, first made the request to town leaders in January, citing a need for a meeting place and the desire by Legion members to renovate the structure.

SPRING HOPE- A request to add a drive-through window at a Spring Hope Rose Mart has been approved by town leaders, with a few conditions required.
Mark Cohen, appearing on behalf of the business owners of the Rose Mart #333, located at 109 W. Nash Street, made the request at the April 7 meeting of the Spring Hope Board of Adjustment, which held a public hearing on the matter.

CASTALIA - Town of Castalia officials are hard at work on plans for the annual Fourth of July celebration and several changes are in the works.
Mayor James Alston provided an update to commissioners at the board's April meeting.
"Ninety days and it's going to happen," Alston said of the event.
Alston said changes to the parade time were discussed.

The Master's Golf Tournament was just held April 10-13. My wife asked me if the Master's was like the Super Bowl of Golf. I told her that over 4 million people tuned in to watch it!
It's always a great tournament to watch. But this year was so up and down, the game had a tie breaker at the end! Rory McIlroy played so well and won the elusive Green Jacket. He has played in the tournament 16 times before. However, he had never won it until this year!!

Does Church Membership Matter?
In a world increasingly characterized by individualism and personal spirituality, the question of church membership poses significant implications for both individuals and faith communities. While some may argue that formal membership is obsolete in a modern, diverse society, others maintain that being part of a church offers valuable benefits, fostering spiritual growth, community engagement, and a shared sense of purpose.

The North Roanoke Baptist Association Spring Meeting will be Thursday, May 1 at 7-8 p.m. at Sunset Avenue Baptist Church fellowship hall. Rev. Paul Langston will be the featured speaker and will share about Hurricane Helene recovery work There will also be a tour of the Baptist on Mission Dental Bus This would be a great opportunity for churches to come and learn ways they can work with the Dental Bus ministry and the continued recovery work in western NC.

Hubert Vester Auto Group in Wilson, owned by Nashville resident Hubert Vester, received the Champion of Education Award at the North Carolina School Boards Association awards ceremony in November.
Wilson County Schools stated, "The Wilson County Board of Education nominated Hubert Vester Auto Group because of its incredible commitment and support of our students and staff for the past 16 years. What an amazing recognition at the state level."

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Dalton Brown, a native of Rocky Mount, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, which operates the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet, nicknamed the "Rhino."
Brown is a 2016 graduate of Northern Nash High School.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Rocky Mount.

ZEBULON - A shortage of homeless shelters and the needs of the homeless, particularly families and children, are driving factors for a Food Pantry located in Zebulon. Operating out of the Hand of God Church Ministries at 1300 Mack Todd Road, on the Nash County side of Zebulon, the organization's actual name is Progressive Team Works Outreach Food Pantry.

ROCKY MOUNT- The 12th annual "Scripture Run," held April 12th by the Shenandoah Baptist Church, attracted more than 50 motorcycle riders along with cars, raising an all-time grand total of $12,500 to send 18 church youth to camp.
Starting with a prayer circle at 9 a.m. at the church, located on Shenandoah Drive off highway 97 south of Rocky Mount, the event involved a ride lasting about an hour and a half, with stops to hear scripture read by youth members at Twin County Honda, Harpers Nursery, and Cycle Max in Wilson.

NASHVILLE- A new, 24-lot subdivision proposed outside Whitakers has been approved by the Nash County Planning Board, with the next step the preparation of construction plans including the creation of one new road and a partial conversion of a private roadway into a public one.
The property, consisting of eight adjacent tracts of land on 35 acres owned by Jerry Packer, Donna Packer and Worth Packer on the west side of Straight Gate Road, northeast of the town of Red Oak, already has a private access easement named John Wadford Lane providing access to several manufactured homes on adjacent lots.

The Nash County 4-H Sew What Club recently made chemo bags for cancer patients. The club donated the bags to Sally Jones, COSS County Administrative Assistant for Nash County Cooperative Extension. Jones serves on the NC Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association and the organization wanted to do a community service project. Jones suggested a project that helped cancer patients because that cause is special to her. Jones reached out to Jane Tyson, Sew What Club Leader, to see if they could help with anything and it was decided to make chemo bags.