Recent Articles

George Leeford “Booney” Boone, Jr. passed away on February 11, 2015 in Rocky Mount,   at the age of 71.

John Robert Carstens Jr., age 77, passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. He was born in Portsmouth, VA on March 11, 1937 to the late John Robert Carstens, Sr. and Elsie Irene See Carstens. Preceding him in death was his  wife of 30 years, Thelma Gray Holloman Carstens and two brothers, Arthur B. Carstens and Theodore “Teddy” Carstens.

Ophelia Horne, 93, of Rocky Mount, passed away February 10, 2015.

Solomon Douglas, Sr. 98, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, died on February 11, 2015.

Shirley M. Alexander, 69, of Oak City, passed away on February 4, 2015.

Ida Ruth Harris, 72, of Rocky Mount, passed away on February 15, 2015.

Linda Faye Mitchell, 70, passed away Sunday, February 15, 2015. She was born in Nash County to the late Velburn and Rose Higson. She is also preceded in death by a sister, Bobbie Perdue.

Fate Pittman, Jr., 78, of Washington, D.C., and formerly of Enfield, passed away February 9, 2015.

Erma Louise Braswell Wilkins, age 94, passed away on Thursday, February 12, 2015. She was born on November 14, 1920. A private graveside service will be held at Elmwood Cemetery in Enfield.

Carolyn J. Smith Coley, 67, passed away Friday, Feb. 13, 2015. Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 1 p.m. from the Union Hill Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Gardens of Gethsemane Cemetery. A visitation will be held Friday, February 20, 2015 at Richardson Funeral Home, Nashville from 6-7 p.m.

I going to put out a disclaimer here and come clean: I did not read all of Fifty Shades of Grey when the book came out. I have a policy that no matter how right or wrong you might think the commentary is, it comes from firsthand study.
However, I glanced at enough passages, heard enough readers talking about it, heard enough read and discussed on various outlets to know I didn’t want the book in my house, around my family.

The mail room staff and I  jokingly noted last week that we were almost out of the woods for the 2015 winter season. But as I write this column –– there is an inch or more of ice on the ground and the forecast predicts temperatures to fall to historical lows over the next few days and possibly more snow Wednesday night!
I don’t know about most folks, but this is more than enough winter for me! I typically don’t mind snow and I enjoy venturing out to take pictures of kids on sleds and folks playing in the snow –– but this stuff was nasty!

One of the great things about North Carolina is that we are a state full of determined people.
Everywhere the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation goes across the State, we find people who are unwavering in their resolve to improve their communities by, for example, creating a better path for young children; revitalizing their local economies and expanding economic opportunities; enabling public schools to serve each child well; or building strong leadership for the future.

EASTERN STAR OFFICERS –– This photo originally published in The Graphic March 31, 1977. Officers for 1977-78 of Nashville Chamber 332, Order of the Eastern Star, were installed at a special ceremonies held at the Masonic Hall in Nashville.

An essay contest, launched Monday by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), asks local public high school students to reflect on the region’s past and write about how it will influence the future. Prizes include iPad minis, publication in area newspapers, and money for the winner’s school.    

A nineteen year old suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of break-ins in the Sandy Cross area of Nash County. Alex Braswell, reportedly from Elm City, was arrested on January 30 and was incarcerated in the Nash County Detention Cented under a $9000 bond while he awaits trial.

A Rocky Mount tax service owner was sentenced last week to 30 months in prison for tax fraud.
United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced Tina Luretha Tyree Johnson, 46, in federal court last Wednesday to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
On July 18, 2013, Johnson pled guilty to tax fraud and aiding and abetting.

An assault with deadly weapon/malicious conduct was reported at 222 W. Washington Street on 2/9/15
A larceny of a firearm was reported at 2892 Bones Acres Ct. on 2/9/15
An unlawful obtaining credit card was reported at 1673 Mt. Zion Church Road on 2/9/15
A felony larceny was reported at 5808 Red Oak Road on 2/9/15

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from Feb. 9 through Feb. 13.

Angela Blankenship of AB Photography in Nashville was named a Bronze Medalist during Professional Photographers of America’s 2014 International Photographic Competition. Blankenship’s work was on display at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 1-3, 2015.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell Cotton of Red Oak announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Deans Cotton, of Chapel Hill, to John Randolph Deans, also of Chapel Hill. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. William R. Deans of Rocky Mount. The wedding is planned for June, 2015 in Rocky Mount.

Boy Scout Tanner Rhodes of Troop 7 recently dedicated his Eagle Scout Project for Red Oak Middle School. Tanner built two pitching mounds, landscaped the dugouts and installed a flag pole in left field. Woodmen of the World representatives were on hand for the dedication and presented the school with an American Flag. Woodman also helped Tanner with the purchase of the flag pole.

Phil Valentine’s movie, An Inconsistent Truth, has been picked up by NewsmaxTV. Valentine’s film production company, ExtryGood Productions, has entered into a two-year deal with the network to air the documentary. NewsmaxTV is currently carried by Dish Network, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and several cable outlets across the country and is in negotiations with Comcast.

Physical therapists (PT) and Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) at Nash Day Hospital were recently trained and certified in an evidence-based treatment approach for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Attendance was funded by a grant from the National Parkinson’s Foundation.