Recent Articles

Murder charges against a Middlesex man have been dropped.
Law enforcement officers in Johnston County found that Jerome Bernard Neal, 29, of Barnes Lake Road in Middlesex, was acting in self-defense when he shot Darrick Hagans, 18, and Kwami Jones, 19, both of Spring Hope on the evening of January 11. Hagans was killed.

Nash Health Care welcomed a new era in local state-of-the-art medicine during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony and open houses for the new Emergency Department and Nash Heart Center. The facility is scheduled to receive its first patients in late March. Nash Health Care held five open houses to introduce the facility to the community. These events welcomed Foundation contributors, Chamber of Commerce members, employees, and local officials.

The Town of Spring Hope’s auditor applauded staff for their conservative efforts over the past year.
John Pollard, CPA, presented the audit report to Spring Hope board members on Monday night during the board’s regular meeting.
Pollard said the audit report he was presented was a “clean opinion” and no findings were reported.

The first annual Valentine’s Day Gala Fundraiser is set for Saturday, February 15 at Birchwood Country Club in Nashville.
The event, “Have a Heart for the Park,” will raise money for the Bailey Middlesex Community Park.
The semi-formal event will feature dinner at 7 p.m., followed by entertainment by the East Coast Rhythm and Blues Band.

The family of slain Trooper Bobby “Gene” DeMuth addressed Christopher McCoy Rodgers in Nash County Court Monday morning, after McCoy pled guilty to DeMuth’s death.
DeMuth’s sister, Kathy Marshall, and wife, Michelle DeMuth, both spoke to Rodgers in front of a packed courtroom on Monday morning.

A Rocky Mount man was killed in a head-on collision after driving his car in the wrong direction on Highway 64 on Monday afternoon.
According to Trooper Brandon Jones, of the NC Highway Patrol, 71-year-old Glenn Lancaster, of Rocky Mount, was driving east in the westbound lane on Highway 64.

Nashville’s Business and Professional Women (BPW) hosted its 36th annual Elsie Clark Memorial Opry on Saturday at Nash Arts. Several musicians took to the stage to perform a mix of country and  bluegrass music. The annual event is a fundraiser for scholarships the BPW gives each  year. Pictured above (L-R), Larry Taylor and Kevin Lamm perform with Carolina Grass at the Opry Saturday night.

The Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Board of Education selected a Red Oak man to fill the District 7 vacancy.
The board met on Monday night in a special called meeting to interview the four candidates who had shown interest in the seat, which was left vacant when Bob Jenkins resigned earlier this month.
Board members selected Michael Grover to fill the vacancy. He will serve through the November 2014 election and will have the option to run for re-election if he chooses.

The campus of Nash Health Care Systems is expanding, as the hospital plans to unveil its new emergency department and heart center on Thursday afternoon.
The new emergency department and heart center are part of a  $57 million project, which represents the largest expansion in the hospital’s history.

Nashville’s Police Department is encouraging residents to become involved in its Nextdoor program, which the department will officially launch next month.
Citizens have been able to use the social network since October of last year but Chief Tom Bashore said the launch date is scheduled for February 25.

The Nashville Graphic is introducing officers of the Nashville Police Department each month as part of an “Officer Spotlight” series.  The articles are featured the last Wednesday of each month  to help Nashville residents get to know the officers who protect and serve their communities.

BLACK CREEK –– Bryan Keith “Jim” Waters, 44, passed away Monday, January 20, 2014. He was born September 5, 1969 in Nash County to the late Charles and Fannie Jane Whitley Waters. Jim was preceded in death by a brother, Carlton Waters.

HOLLISTER - Funeral services for Bettie Mae Harrison, 84, who died Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, were held at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, with the Rev. Linda Taybron officiating. Burial followed in the Harrison family cemetery.

NASHVILLE - Funeral services for Rubylean B. Whitaker, 77, who died on Sunday, Jan. 19, were held Saturday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. at Fellowship Church with Rev. Robert Griffin officiating. Burial followed at Oakland Cemetery.

Rocky Mount -   Shuntesia Deyonna Battle, 28, of Rocky Mount, died on Sunday, January 19, 2014 in Rocky Mount.

NASHVILLE - Ellis Bunn, 87, passed away on Saturday, January 25, 2014. He was born September 2, 1926 in Nash County to the late Roney and Lola Finch Bunn. Ellis was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lola Mae Vaughn; three sisters, Mae Taylor, Lucille Wilder, and Ruby Hopkins; and one brother, Jake Bunn.

ROCKY MOUNT –– Roy Phate Greene, Jr., 48, of Rocky Mount, died on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at Nash General Hospital in Rocky Mount.

F. Richard Edwards, Jr., age 89, passed away Thursday, January 23, 2014. Born in Edgecombe County on October 2, 1924, he was the son of the late Fernie Richard Edwards, Sr. and Ruth Jackson Edwards. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Elsie Mildred Harrell Edwards in 2008.

Kathy Watson Perry, 63, of Bailey passed away on January 23, 2014. She was born November 6, 1951.

The Nashville community is mourning the loss of Ralph Batchelor, who passed away on Sunday, January 19 at the age of 62.
Batchelor was a well known farmer in the Sandy Cross area who farmed sweet potatoes and tobacco. 
Charlie Tyson said Batchelor and his wife, Sylvia, were in business with the propagation of sweet potato plants.

Plots, plans and conspiracies have become so commonplace at our house, my wife and I don’t even flinch anymore when the boys make plans. While there may be some occasional anxiety when the mike is passed during the children’s sermon, we’ve come to accept anything not resulting in an ER visit is an acceptable risk.
So, it didn’t draw any ideas out of the ordinary when our six-year-old made his Christmas list: rope, duct tape, batteries, flashlight, string, pvc pipe, case of water and scotch tape.