Recent Articles

Sunday was a perfect summer day as Peachtree folks gathered for worship. The sanctuary flowers were given by Jane May in memory of her husband, Perry May. Special music was a solo by Fay Vick who sang a beautiful arrangement of "Beulah Land".
The sermon was brought by the Rev. Larry Williams of Louisburg. {Pastor Whitehouse was attending the graduation of his grandson, Ryan Whitehouse, from Apex Senior High School.} Jerry Hobgood introduced the speaker who chose as his sermon topic "Something Lacking in Life".

The sons of Korah had a wonderful job. They served in the worship center of ancient Israel, the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 9:19). Their job was not one of high level. They were doorkeepers. Like modern day valets, they stood at the entrance to the tent erected for worship.
These doorkeepers composed a song. One stanza typifies their attitude. "A day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Psalm 84:10).

Friday, June 12 from 1:30 until 6 p.m. at Golden East Crossing Mall, 1100 North Wesleyan Boulevard, Rocky Mount
Sunday, June 14 from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at Word Tabernacle Church, 821 Word Plaza, Rocky Mount
Tuesday, June 16 from 1:15 until 4:15 p.m. at Spring Arbor of Rocky Mount, 1251 South Winstead, Rocky Mount

Something amazing happened in Red Oak recently. A group of 127 volunteers came together to help feed a little over 30,000 people! The 2nd annual ROUMC hosted Stop Hunger Now meal packing event took place Saturday, May 30. This is an increase over last year's project which involved 96 volunteers and over 20,000 meals to help feed our brothers and sisters locally and around the world. Next year they hope to do even more!

Stoney Creek Volunteer Fire-Rescue in Rocky Mount has been chosen as a NC Hero of the Month by Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q in conjunction with the North Carolina News Network.
Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q, along with NCNN, are honoring different First Responder groups across the state by asking citizens to nominate Fire, Rescue, Police, EMS and others in their community who make an impact to the people they serve.

Slinging mud took on a whole new meaning for the Rocky Mount-Nash County Area Service Unit (Girl Scouts NC Coastal Pines) Saturday as they hosted their first annual Family Partnership Mud Run at Coopers Fire Department with 56 registered participants. The total attendance of the event was estimated around 100 people.
The purpose of the event was to raise funds for the Family Partnership, which helps girls across 41 counties.

School will be out soon and summer time fun will begin. People are planning vacations, but not me. I did my little going this past spring and I don't have any plans, don't want to make any plans, and that's exactly the way I plan to keep it. I don't mind day trips, but come night, I want to be on Ricks Farm. I am like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz "there's no place like home, there's no place like home" in Aventon.
Sue Shearin and JoJo Ricks went visiting on Thursday afternoon late.

STANHOPE -- Coach Kurt Bienias had just one regret about the season Laura Garcia spent on his Southern Nash High School girls soccer squad.
And that was the fact that it was Garcia's lone one at Southern Nash.
The talented midfielder transferred to SNHS from Oregon and joined the Ladybirds' program for her senior campaign.
Garcia's effective work for Southern Nash caught the eye of area college scouts, despite the fact that she was not involved in travel soccer.

STANHOPE -- Before her senior track and field season, Southern Nash's Amanda Johnson came up with a singular goal -- to break the 60-second mark in the Girls 400 event.
Johnson was able to reach that elusive number -- but didn't stop there until she had place fifth at the Class 3-A State Track and Field Championships in May in Greensboro.

STANHOPE -- In the not-too-distant past, the thought of a Southern Nash High School boys soccer player inking a college scholarship -- let alone on the Division I level -- was almost unheard of.
But SN suddenly developed into an area powerhouse almost overnight three years ago, and the Firebirds haven't stopped fielding high-octane squads since then.
So it's no surprise that Southern Nash is starting to place standouts in next-level programs -- a trend that began with the recent signings of Will Liles (Gardner-Webb) and Moises Gonzalez (UNC-Greensboro) following the 2014 campaign.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The 2015 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region baseball teams have been announced, and for the first time in his stellar career, North Carolina Wesleyan College shortstop Ciro Norzagaray was honored as a Second Team All-South performer at shortstop.
A junior who hails from Mexico City, Mexico, Norzagaray led the Battling Bishops in nearly every offensive category this spring, including batting average, hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage.

NASH COUNTY -- Here are updated Nash County Parks & Recreation Spring Baseball & Softball League Scores:

ROCKY MOUNT -- Listed are the honorees from the recent Nash Central High School Spring Sports Athletic Awards Ceremony:

ZEBULON -- Wilmington designated hitter Ty Stubbs hit a two-run home run in the first, doubled and scored a run in the fourth and was a triple shy of the cycle as he helped lead the Blue Rocks to a 4-1 win over the host Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium on Monday night.
The loss snapped Carolina's winning streak at four straight games in the Class A Carolina League.
Subbs hit his first-inning home run off Carolina (23-25) starter Brandon Barker.

The champions from the O.D. Moore Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament were, in no particular order, Jim Feaster, Billy Dickens, Braxton Speller and Alvin Hyman.

The second-place finishers from the O.D. Moore Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament were (l to r) Charles Whitfield, John Joyner, Lester Spivey and Richard Noel.

The third-place finishers from the O.D. Moore Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament were (l to r) James Hartfield, Rosa Sherk and Grady Davis. Not pictured is John Sharp.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Isaih Strickland powered a huge 3-run homer in the fifth inning to pace the Pizza Inn Marlins over the Wesley Men Yankees 6-4 in a rare Friday night game in Rocky Mount Baseball League action at the RCMT Sports Complex.
The see-saw contest between league leaders went back and forth until Strickland's big blow and was capped by left fielder Desean Mayo's defensive gem in the same 5th inning.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS -- Chasing its third Super Regional appearance in the last four years, North Carolina State University's baseball team allowed fourth-ranked TCU to escape with a 9-8, 10th inning victory on Monday night in the championship game of the NCAA's Fort Worth Regional.
The Wolfpack (36-23) built an 8-1 lead through the top eighth behind a sterling effort from Johnny Piedmonte, who worked the first 3 2/3, holding the Frogs (47-12) to one earned on four hits with five strikeouts.

Nash County Commissioners made two changes to the budget last week during a work session before moving forward with setting a public hearing.
Typically, the board meets on the first Monday of the month at 10 a.m. but due to scheduling conflicts among board members, the meeting was moved to Monday, June 8 at 10 a.m. A public hearing on the proposed 2015-2016 budget is set for that meeting.
The budget is proposed at just under $92 million dollars and includes no increase in property taxes.

Spring Hope commissioners continued to debate a tax increase Monday night in order to balance the 2015-2016 budget. The final result was a 3-1 vote to implement a 3 cent increase which brings the general fund budget to $1,063,597 and the town's tax rate to 63 cents per $100 valuation.
Spring Hope's tax rate of 76 cents in 2002 had been reduced to 57 cents until a tax increase was necessary last year. Last year, Spring Hope's board initially rejected a tax increase recommended by Town Manager John Holpe but later found it necessary to add 3 cents to its tax rate.

Spring Hope's first 5-K Race attracted approximately 500 people to its downtown. Planners report that 154 runners participated in the 5-K and 75 participated in the one-mile run.

Nashville Town Manager Preston Mitchell was asked to trim the proposed 2015-2016 budget even more to include a two percent cost of living increase for employees.
Council members held a budget work session on May 28 to review the proposed $8 million budget. At the work session, Mayor Donald Street said council members needed to go over the town's insurance program and go over a cost of living increase.
Council member Louise Hinton and Charles Taylor, along with Mayor Street, attended the meeting.

In just four hours, over 100 volunteers put together 30,000 meals as part of Stop Hunger Now.
This is the second year Red Oak United Methodist Church has hosted the event, which provides meals to crisis-burdened areas around the world.
This year, Rev. David Joyner said the meals will target school aged children who drop out of school to help provide for their families.
"We think they will be going to Africa but that's not a guarantee," he said. "They are targeting those school aged kids specifically. We'll know the exact location in three to four weeks."

The main topic of discussion during the Town of Castalia's second budget workshop, held Monday night, was an increase to the current water rate. Mayor Ellene Leonard said that even with the increase the town would be "still short money [in its budget]"
The water rate increase, put forth in a motion made by Town Commissioner Sylvia Mann, was approved unanimously by the board. The base fee water rate will increase $2.26, bringing it to $15 per month, while the above rate will increase 2 cents, bringing the cost for every 1000 gallons of water used to $5.