Recent Articles

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
On January 1st, your test will arrive. I say test because there is a high degree of probability that between now and then, you will tell your spouse, child, or perhaps a friend about your New Year's resolutions.
The question is when January arrives, are you going to abandon them like you abandoned the ones you made last year, and the year before that??

Almost 1,000 locations in Nash County are earmarked to get new internet fiber connections, and another 161 are due to get broadband internet through satellite, aided by funding under the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program- that according to a December 22 announcement from Governor Josh Stein's office.
North Carolina applied for funding awards from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), receiving federal award notification in December, although the awards are contingent until contracted in 2026.

The third annual Braswell Family Farms New Year's Eve Egg Drop, held at the Nashville Junction from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 31st, was "highly successful with no reported issues" according to the Nashville Police Department, who estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 people attended.
"From a law enforcement perspective, the event provided an excellent opportunity to engage with children and families, resulting in very positive and meaningful interactions," Chief Caleb Shockley said.

NASHVILLE - A second phase of "damage control" over backflow prevention was okayed Jan. 6 at the town council meeting, with approval given to reimburse device removal costs.
Fifty-eight Nashville utility customers installed backflow prevention devices last year, only to be informed later that the town's mandate was made in error. A 2024 state law said local governments were not allowed to require them except in case of high contamination potential.

SPRING HOPE - Plans about ETJ expansion between Spring Hope and Momeyer are on hold after the board of commissioners voted to table the matter - for a second time - until next month's meeting. Planned, but not yet scheduled, is an informational "town hall" meeting to discuss and explain ETJ expansion.
Part of proposed expansion touches the current ETJ for the town of Momeyer. Spring Hope has also had several annexations into its corporate limits.

NASHVILLE- With an outbreak of flu at one long-term care facility in Nash County, and an alert issued by the CDC that North Carolina's flu activity level has changed from "high" to "very high," the Nash County Health Department is urging residents to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated as soon as possible.
Fifteen residents of one long-term care facility in the county - which was not identified - were reported as having contracted the flu, while there were 5 cases reported in the hospital.

ROCKY MOUNT - Due to continued high patient volumes across the UNC Health Nash Main Campus, temporary visitor restrictions have been put in place in both regular care areas and in the emergency department. The temporary visitor guidelines are in place to support patient safety, comfort and care delivery. Effective Jan. 5, 2026, visitation across most UNC Health Nash main campus patient care areas is limited to two visitors per patient at a time. For their safety, children under 12 will not be allowed to visit.

NASHVILLE - Conditional rezoning requests for two prospective Bailey subdivisions, both planned by developer Cecil Williams and situated near each other, met with different decisions by Nash commissioners, who postponed action on one and denied the other.
The West Hornes Church Road subdivision, totaling 43.8 acres with plans for 49 residential lots, and the Williams Run Section 2, phase 2 subdivision, totaling 71.5 acres and planned for 75 residential lots, came up for approval at the Jan. 5 commissioners' meeting.

MIDDLESEX- Economic development in the town of Middlesex continues to grow, with a $6.8 million dollar expansion planned for Eaton Aerospace and a separate $500,000 grant to fund an extension of municipal water to the Ammons Industrial Site for a North Carolina Railroad Company Build Ready project.

ROCKY MOUNT - UNC Health Nash has once again been honored as one of the nation's top hospitals. The Leapfrog Group--a national nonprofit organization that evaluates hospital performance--released its annual list of Top Hospitals December 15.
The designation is one of the most competitive and prestigious recognitions for excellence in hospital patient safety and quality of care.
According to Leapfrog, this designation reflects the organization's continued commitment to exceptional care and the highest standards of safety.

NASHVILLE - Fluctuating temperatures are being blamed for warping and then breaking steel tracks near the Nashville Junction Dec. 31st, causing two cars to derail. Both cars were full of cracked corn.
The cars have since been righted, but railway officials were still effecting track repairs as of Jan. 6.
The Nashville Fire Department got a call from Public Works at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to relate that several cars had come off the rails.

This newspaper should have hit your mailbox around Jan. 8 or so, which means that many New Year's resolutions are headed for the rocky shoals of failure.
Like any good American, I've given this a lot of thought and prioritized one key question: how can I profit from this? Also, if it's not too much trouble or inconvenient, could I help people?
I'm starting a new business. My model is this: if you've made a New Year's resolution that you can't keep -- even though you knew good and well you weren't going to work out for two hours every day -- you contact me.

Spending a little time with my oldest niece and her family recently truly offered an "aha" moment - realizing just how fragile the human attention span is - and how much (or little) it takes to catch (or divert) our attention.
My little great-niece, Lane, who is not yet crawling or walking, had a little rough start with lots and lots of crying for her first few months, as many infants do while adjusting to formulas - and all of the sudden changes of coming into this world.

This photo was taken in January, 1968. A different version of the photo published in The Graphic on Jan. 25, 1968. Barbara Strickland (now Barbara Harris) was ready to challenge anybody to a snowball fight. A light snow had fallen closing schools. Barbara, a junior at Northern Nash, and other students were out and about to play in the snow.

Local teens assisted with the hanging of holiday decorations on December 6th at Historic Stonewall Manor in Rocky Mount. Volunteers were led by Renny Taylor, Nash Central High School AP and Honors American History Teacher and tour guide of Stonewall Manor. The group researched what was used to decorate antebellum homes. All of the greenery came from the trees and bushes on the property.

More is almost always better. That is certainly the case when investigating Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. In the last couple of weeks, we have looked at the writings of Cornelius Tacitus and Flavius Josephus. Both of these first-century writers mention Jesus and His crucifixion and the early tradition of His resurrection from the dead. But there is still more. Several other non-Christian writers mention Jesus and the movement He began.
Pliny the Younger (61--c.113 AD) was a Roman senator and friend of Cornelius Tacitus.

Defining Your
"Shine" for 2026
Spiritual leaders have identified "Shine" as a guiding theme for 2026, rooted in Isaiah 60:1: "Arise, shine, for your light has come". Walking in faith this year isn't about personal striving or perfection; it is about reflecting the light of Christ through your unique identity and calling.

Karen L. Allen and Wesley Gene Allen to Thomas Daniel Allen and Jessica Saunders Allen; 2890 Spring Time Court, Nashville
Providence Bank to DBLII Properties, LLC; 4141 Capital Drive and 4161 Capital Drive, Rocky Mount
William Edwin Gilliam and Ivey Wilson Gilliam to Timothy Richardson, Herbert Richardson and Jacob Richardson; Stone Acres Subdivision, Section 1, Lot 32
Hurt, LLC to Taylor Management Services, LLC; 1286 West Raleigh Boulevard, Rocky Mount; $58,500

Happy New Year!
Red Oak Baptist Church enjoyed several special Christmas events during December. The choir gave a Christmas Cantata which also featured the youth. they also gathered to share special talents during the Family Night and followed that with refreshments.
The Nell Boone Sunday School Class of Red Oak Baptist Church once again provided Christmas gifts for two foster children this year.