Recent Articles

Mary Frances Brown Burgess, age 84, passed away Monday, August 25, 2014. Born in Northampton County on September 21, 1929 she was the daughter of the late Garland Edison Brown and Flaura Pritchette Brown. She was also predeceased in death by her husband, Joseph Norman Burgess and by one brother-in-law, Richard Tabb.

Marjorie Page Tanner, age 81, passed away Sunday, August 24, 2014. She was preceded in death by her parents Jack and Pauline Page, husband H.M., sisters Lois, Patricia Ann and Jean, brothers Sonny Boy and Harold. She was the first of twelve children born to Jack and Pauline Page on August 30, 1932 in Nash County.

Samuel Austin, Jr., 71, of Wilson, passed away August 20, 2014.  Funeral services were held on Sunday, August 24, 2014, at St. Paul Church of Christ Disciples of Christ in Wilson. Arrangements by H.D. Pope Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.

RALEIGH - George Carter, 68, died on Wednesday, August 20, 2014.

Steve Gupton, 71, passed away Wednesday, August 20, 2014.   Funeral services were held on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 in the chapel of H.D. Pope Funeral Home with Pastor Reginald Silver officiating.

BATTLEBORO  - Mary Helen McClellan, 75 of Battleboro, died on Saturday, August 25, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT –– Carrie Lee Pittman, 90, of Pinetops, died on August 16, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT -–Lena Patricia Whitaker-Johnson, 48, of Rocky Mount, died on August 18, 2014.

Don Baker, age 59, of Spring Hope, passed away Saturday, August 23, 2014.

Nash County Parks and Recreation is moving forward with receiving input from residents about its recreation program and has two community input meetings planned for September 8th and 9th.
The meetings are a chance for residents of areas in the county to express their opinions and ideas on the recreation needs in the county.

Nash County Commissioners decided last week to withdraw from the NCEast Alliance, an economic development agency that serves Eastern North Carolina.
NCEast Alliance was formed after the General Assembly did away with funding for the NC Eastern Region. The law ended all state financing of all the regional economic development groups.

A cooking accident was the cause of an early morning fire on Lumber Street in Nashville.
According to Captain Chris Joyner, Nashville’s Fire Department was dispatched to 216 North Lumber Street around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
A Nashville police officer made contact with firefighters shortly after the call was dispatched confirming everyone was out of the home.

Don’t get me wrong. Being a parent is really great. I’m apparently not great at it, though. But it is not for lack of trying. Or at least being in the right place.
I feel like after this summer at home with the kids, I have fulfilled all the training obligations to be a Mixed Martial Arts referee, or at the very least a WCW wrestling official (yes, the ‘80s-style professional wrestling. Not the stuff that passes as wrestling today).

The Nash-Rocky Mount School System held an “active shooter drill” on the Southern Nash Middle School campus last Thursday morning.
We did receive some information about the event from the public relations office but it was straight from the school system, as the media were not “allowed” to cover the event.

Recent events in Ferguson, MO are in stark contrast to my experiences 35 years ago when I first wrote feature stories for the Nashville Graphic.    It is dangerous to observe from a distance, especially when one is not Bette Midler, but I’m doing it anyway
Mama always said, “What goes around, comes around.”   I am beginning to believe this refers to a cycle of Dark Ages and Renaissance.

PRIMING TOBACCO –– This photo was taken of Castalia residents while priming tobacco sometime between 1968 and 1972. Pictured on the front row, left to right, are: Rose Ann Height, Ben Hale, May Moore. Back row: Tony Moore, Carl (Bimbo) Moore, Dust Moore, Alice Pernell, Mrs. Pendergrass, Debbie Ann Moore.

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division dismantled a sophisticated indoor marijuana growing operation last week and arrested the home’s residents.
Investigators seized 40 marijuana plants, which were found in the basement of the home at 6017 Olde Bay Court, Rocky Mount.

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from August 11 through August 22.

INCIDENTS
A larceny was reported on 8/18/14 at 211 Thorne Street
A possession of counterfeit money and obtaining money/property by false pretense was reported on 8/19/14 at L&L Food Stores,1001 E Washington Street

A missing person was reported on 8/18/14 at 8561 Strickland Road
A cruelty to animals was reported on 8/18/14 on Spring Mill Trail Road
A narcotics violation was reported on 8/18/14 at Webbs Mill Road and Barbee Street
A breaking, entering and larceny of a residence was reported on 8/18/14 at 914 NC 231

A Rocky Mount man has  written a book inspired by his granddaughter.
Arthur L. Ellis recently published “My Little Girl Abigail” and said the book is read like his granddaughter is talking.
“She says everything through me,” he said.
Ellis said the book became something he was interested in immediately after Abigail was born 15 months ago.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has provided $687,929 in scholarships, fellowships and program support to 155 undergraduates for study abroad during 2014 and 2015. Funded by private gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences, the awards enable students to study in other countries for a semester, summer or year.
 More than one-third of UNC undergraduates study in other countries before they graduate  one of the highest study abroad rates among public universities nationwide.

Bobby Brannan was awarded the Outstanding Neighbor Award recently from the  Birchwood/Fairfield Community Watch. He is the first winner of the  award. The group hopes to select a new outstanding neighbor at every meeting. Pictured with Brannan is Debbie Batchelor (left) and Dee Battle (right).

The Momeyer Ruritan Club recently presented academic scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year. Pictured (L-R) is: Stuart Parker, committee chair, with scholarship recipients Devon Carter, Valerie Brooks and Annie Jackson. Carter is a rising freshman at North Carolina State University and Brooks and Jackson are attending Nash Community College.

The Lions of NC are going through a redistricting of their clubs. The newly formed district that will cover from the Capital to the coast is called 31S. Lion Mary Boehm (at right) of the Nashville Lions Club was elected Governor of the Newly formed district 31S. Standing with Mary is Lion Barbara Beltran from Raleigh (at left).  She was elected as 1st Vice District Governor of the newly formed district 31S.