Recent Articles

Nashville Councilwoman Patricia Rogers surprised other council members last Wednesday night when she announced her resignation from the board at the end of the meeting.
Rogers told council members she was resigning due to personal reasons and later said she was moving. Her resignation was effective immediately.
Rogers was appointed in April 2013 to the board to fill the seat of her husband, Tommy, who passed away in January 2013. Rogers served until November 2013, when she was re-elected for another term.

A Nashville girl's prayers have transformed into a fund raiser for cancer.
Clara Danforth, 8, spoke to Nashville's Town Council on Tuesday night asking permission to hold a Fun Run for Cancer at Glover Park on Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m.
The event will be held just prior to the town's family movie night, which begins just as the sun goes down.
Clara told council members that she knows two people that she prays for that have cancer. She said she decided she wanted to do even more.

A barbecue chicken plate sale will benefit a newly formed organization in North Carolina.
Red Oak United Methodist Church will host the plate sale on Friday, June 5 from 11 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the church.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Alzheimer's North Carolina, a non-profit organization supporting local Alzheimer's research and Alzheimer's North Carolina, Inc.
Anna Romanus, a member of Red Oak United Methodist Church who also serves as the Eastern Area Marketing Director for Spring Arbor, said a walk is planned for November 21 in Rocky Mount and the money will help support that walk.

A former member of the Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Board of Education, who also served on the Nash County Public School Board before the two entities were merged, presented a resolution honoring Dr. Anthony Jackson on Monday night at the school board's agenda meeting.
Dr. John Avent presented the resolution on behalf of the Nash Central Senior High Alumni Association and the O.D. Moore Scholarship Foundation.
Avent said over the past four to five years, there has been significant progress made in the Nash-Rocky Mount School System.

A Nashville mom has received a full-tuition scholarship and the title of America's Most Inspirational Moms.
Sonynia Nicholson Leonard received the Most Inspirational Mom recognition by the Boys and Girls Club of America and the University of Phoenix. Leonard is one of only five moms honored nationwide for the scholarship and recognition.
With the full-tuition scholarship, Leonard will pursue her Master's Degree in Administration of Criminal Justice and Security at the University of Phoenix.

Local scout Ryan Eason took a community service project and expanded on it to recently earn his Eagle Scout Rank.
In October 2013, Eason unveiled an old postal service mailbox outside of Nashville's Police Department. The mailbox had been refurbished and turned into a collection box for retired United States Flags.
Nashville's American Legion Post 110 assisted Eason with the project and members of the post are responsible for picking up the flags and appropriately retiring them.

Former Town Commissioner and Mayor of Castalia, Owen Hale Sr., aged 75, passed away Saturday, May 30. Hale served as Town commissioner between 1986 and 1989 and later served a second term from 1992 to 1995. He served as Castalia's mayor from 2002 to 2005. During his first term as commissioner, Castalia was in the process of developing the public water system.
Born in Franklin County on October 22, 1939 to Ben T. and Doris Mosley Hale, he was preceded in death by his brother, Bennie Ray Hale.

Jerry Gray Dickerson, 63, passed away, Sunday May 31, 2015. He was born July 9, 1951 in Wilson County.

Robert Russell Trimmer, 68, of Nashville, passed away on Friday, May 29, 2015. Robert was born in Fayette County in Ohio to the late Charles G. and Margaret Speakman Trimmer.

Alvanell Martin Denton, 73, passed away May 27, 2015. She was born June 21, 1941 in Nash County to the late Marcus and Effie Lilley Martin. In addition to her parents she is preceded in death by a sister, Margie Lancaster.

Jerry Leon Taylor, age 59, of Rocky Mount, passed away on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Born in Nash County on August 30, 1955, he is the son of Jean Griffin Taylor and the late William Jake Taylor.

Harold Cromwell, 46, of Rocky Mount, died on May 30, 2015.

Lillie Gorham, 47, of Rocky Mount, died on May 30, 2015.

William Lynch, 55, of Rocky Mount, died on May 28, 2015.

Julia Ward Davis Perry, age 79, passed away on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Born in Brunswick County on November 3, 1935, she is the daughter of the late Thomas Teddy Ward and Vada Mae Jenrette Ward. She was predeceased by her husband, George Ray Davis, Sr.; her husband, Donald Allen Perry; her son, Jeffrey Jay Davis and step-mother, Inez Dutton Ward.

Carl O. Smith, Jr., of age 67, of Rocky Mount, passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. Born in Lima, OH on March 6, 1948, he is the son of Joyce Folk Smith of Austin, TX and the late Carlowen Smith.

Ronnie Wayne Drewery, age 60, of Goldsboro (formerly of Spring Hope), passed away May 22, 2015. He was one of five children born to George and Doris Drewery.

Anthony Alston, age 62, passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

Janette Vanhook Hollifield of Nashville, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2015.

HAMPTON, VIRGINIA - Henry Lee Battle, 62, of Hampton Virginia and formerly of Rocky Mount, died on June 1, 2015 at Hampton V.A. Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Nash Arts' Minor Concert Series will present Nashville's Meredith Davis on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m.
Meredith Davis found her calling when she began piano lessons in Kindergarten, which she said was her first step to falling in love with music.
Davis grew up singing in church with her family and taught herself how to play the guitar at the age of 12. Since then, her musical endeavors have included placing in the top 20 for Cary Idol, followed by auditioning for American Idol in 2011 and many performances at various local venues, fundraisers, weddings, and community events including four main stage appearances at the Nashville Blooming Festival.

Other events at Nash Arts include the Nashville Showcase, which will welcome The Carter Brothers on Thursday, June 4 at 8 p.m. General admission is $17 and $15 for Nash Arts members.
Nash Arts' African American Music Trail will present a Night of Entertainment and Cultural History featuring The Monitors, Friday June 19, 2015 at 7 p.m. General admission is $15; Senior Citizens and students 17/under - $13. Nash Arts member discounts applied according to level of membership.

The Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Board of Education revised the fee it will charge for students taking driver's education.
The board agreed last month to begin charging students $65 for taking the driver's education course, a course that was previously done at no charge to students. The decision was made in expectation of the North Carolina General Assembly changing funding for the driver's education program in the state.
The General Assembly is considering cutting funding to the program or possibly providing no funding to the program, leaving school systems to fully fund the program.

Thursday past, I penned a column for the New Bern Sun Journal comparing the new Jeep SRT, 475 horsepower, with my first new vehicle, a '69 Beetle, 50 horsepower. I observed that with two people on board, the Beetle used 25 horses per passenger; the Jeep SRT corralled 237.5 horses for each of two passengers. That's 25 HPP vs. 237.5 HPP.
With Volkswagens on my mind, I awakened Friday morning, retrieved a phone message from Dorothy Rich, and learned that one of the most remarkable people I had ever met in my entire life had passed.