Recent Articles

A manager of a tax return preparation business was sentenced to prison last week in federal court.
Senior United States District Judge W. Earl Britt sentenced Crystal D. Dickens, 25, of Rocky Mount to 35 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Dickens was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $652,413.

I almost forgot that it was time for me to write my yearly column in place of my Dad this week. I have a lot going on, and I actually had to put my book on hold to write this.
The plot of my book is very complicated, as it has dinosaurs, paleontology, Greek gods, and a bunch of traps. Dad should be able to tell you all about it, because I have talked to him about it every week for about six months.

Recently, a teenager took his life because of bullying.
This particular teenager was a student at North Pitt High School, where I graduated. The school is a rural school and is a typical high school.
I didn’t know the young boy. I didn’t know his family either. But nonetheless, the issue hit home.

The Duke Energy coal ash saga reminds us of the old poem, “For Wont of a Nail.” No doubt you remember that because of a missing horseshoe nail a horse, a rider, a message, a battle, a war and a kingdom were lost. In our modern-day proverb we would suggest beginning by saying that for wont of doing the right thing the public trust was lost.

This photo was found in the Graphic’s 1955 archives. It looks as thought it may have been taken at an event, possibly in a school auditorium. If you recognize anyone, call us at 459-7101.

Nash Democrats met on Thursday. March 27, for their annual Spring Rally held at the Momeyer Ruritan Club. Chairman Jan Mills led the ceremonies which were attended by roughly 100 people, including candidates presenting their claims for public office.
Several of those who spoke were candidates for non-partisan judicial races.

Castalia Commissioners are planning to have a special budget meeting to discuss the town’s financial affairs for the coming fiscal year. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 19 at 6:30 at the town hall. Castalia must adopt a new budget before the next fiscal year begins in July.
In the meantime, Mayor Ellene Leonard updated the public on the current plans for the Castalia Park.

A Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools bus driver was charged with failure to maintain lane control after an accident last week.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Domenick Terrell Battle, 24, was driving school bus  306  west on Boddie Mill Pond Road when he ran off the right shoulder of the road. The bus overturned and came to rest upside down in a ditch. Bus 306 serves Nashville Elementary School.

With Easter just over a week away, several Easter Egg Hunts are scheduled in area towns.
Nash County Parks and Recreation will be hosting its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 12 at Ennis Park in Red Oak. The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. for ages 10 and under.
The event will include door prizes, face painting and pictures with the Easter Bunny.

Stanley “Big Grif” Griffin will be a guest speaker at the Park Avenue Community Watch meeting this Thursday night, April 10.
The Park Avenue Community Watch is hosting all three candidates for Nash County Sheriff. Last month, Gene Braswell spoke to the community watch group.

Church Street Grill will host Nashville Police Department’s next Coffee with a Cop event on April 17.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Coffee with a Cop is a community outreach program that allows citizens and others in the community to sit down and meet Police Chief Tom Bashore and Nashville Police Officers, ask questions and voice concerns.

A reception was recently held for Coach David Cooke, former coach and teacher at Coopers High School. Around 40 former students and ball players greeted and reminisced about the days at Coopers High School during the 1950’s. In 1952, Cooke coached the Coopers Girl’s Basketball Team, winning the Nash County Championship and advanced to the State Playoffs.

Nash Community College nursing student Angelica Williams of Spring Hope has been awarded the Jean Wynne Memorial Scholarship funded by the Rocky Mount Luncheon Pilot Club. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student with academic merit. Since its charter in March 1975, the Rocky Mount Luncheon Pilot Club, Inc. has served community organizations in the Rocky Mount area by raising awareness of brain disorders.

Ricky and Lisa West, of Nashville, and Michael and Barb Anthony, of Cary, announce the engagement of their daughter, Meredith Leigh Anthony, of Wilmington, to Gabriel Norris Branch, of Wilmington. He is the son of Frank and Cissy Branch, of Red Oak. A June 7, 2014 wedding is planned at Emerald Isle.

A total of 108 North Carolinians lost their lives in domestic violence murders in 2013, a decrease of 14 from the previous year, Attorney General Roy Cooper recently announced.
“Any drop in murders is a hopeful sign, but for every abusive relationship that ends with a tragic death, many more victims continue to suffer,” Cooper said. “We must continue to fight this dangerous crime and help victims escape abuse.”

Over 175 youth will be participating in the 77th annual Eastern Carolina 4-H Livestock Show and Sale, set for April 15 and 16.
The event will be held at the East Carolina Agriculture and Education Center in Rocky Mount.
Youth from Nash, Halifax and Edgecombe Counties will exhibiting market steers, hogs, lambs and goats during the event.

What began as a simple preservation project has now escalated into a full scale face-lift for Red Oak’s historic community building. The log building was slated to undergo restoration and preservation of the exterior logs during the month of January. However, Red Mayor Alfred Wester said that once the exterior was completed and looked so good, he and other members of the town board felt that the interior logs needed to be treated as well.

The Grass Cats provided the entertainment for Nash Arts’ annual Denim and Diamonds Gala, which was held on March 21 at Nash Arts. The sold out event, “A Night of Bluegrass and Barbecue,” featured food, entertainment and a silent auction.

The annual Relay for Life Flower Sale has begun offering a variety of flowers, baskets and bedding plants. Deadline to order and pay for flowers is Sunday, April 20. Delivery of flowers in Nashville at Ebenezer PHC on Thursday, April 24. Please pay in cash or make checks payable to Ebenezer PHC Relay for Life. Proceeds support Relay for Life of Nash County. Call Michael 252-903-6813 or Liz at 252-469-1120 to place your order.

Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools, recently joined educators nationwide for the second annual Future@Now: Roadmap to the Digital Transition, a forum focused on a critical issue in education today – implementing effective, district-level digital transitions that prepare students for citizenship, college and careers.

The Nash Community College Foundation 2014 Campaign began on March 25th under the leadership of the Board of Directors to help meet the needs of the College and to provide support for students continuing their education.
“Generations of students have depended on Nash Community College as they pursue a degree or develop a skill-set to better themselves and improve the quality of life for their families.

The April concert of the 2014 season at Warren County’s historic Cherry Hill will feature Ang Li, a Steinway artist/pianist, who will perform works by Bach, Hayden, Debussey, Wagner, Glass and Albeniz. Her performance is slated to begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at Cherry Hill. Ang Li is an internationally acclaimed piano virtuoso who is considered one of the rising classical piano stars.

Allen Hinnant of Photography by Allen Hinnant, attended a Professional Photographers of America affiliate school in March. Hinnant attended the East Coast School with instructor Richard Sturdevant of Garland, Texas. Richard Sturdevant is a leading expert in photographic artistry and creative composites. He is one of two photographers to go “double diamond” in PPA’s international print competition.

Wednesday, April 9 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m at Honeywell Corporation, 3475 Wesleyan Boulevard, Rocky Mount
Thursday, April 10 from 12 until 6 p.m. at Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive, Rocky Mount
Friday, April 11 from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Englewood Presbyterian Church, 100 South Englewood Drive, Rocky Mount

Over 500 youth and adults from churches all over attended the Matt Papa “Look and Live Tour” on Friday, April 4 at Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.
The event was sponsored by the North Roanoke Baptist Association.
The band Cloverton performed first with inspirational songs of worship and praise.