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Citing his reasons as relating to changed congressional district maps, Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson has suspended his campaign to run for NC's 1st Congressional District.
Roberson announced Dec. 11 that "the newly drawn maps have changed the landscape of this race, and this is no longer the district I signed up to run in." He added that his commitment "has always been to serve the people I asked to serve- the great people of Rocky Mount, North Carolina."

NASHVILLE- "Giving is not a seasonal thing," said Jason Knapp of the Kitchen Goat Feeds, a non-profit organization that raises money primarily for food gift cards for cancer patients. Nonetheless, Knapp rolled up to the Nash County Sheriff's Office on Thankgiving Day with a cooked meal, enough to give a touch of home cooking to local law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders who had to miss the holiday at home.

Kimberley Cofield, My Sister's House Executive Director, far right, receives a check for $350 from Raymond Goodwin, President of the Rocky Mount Evening Optimists' Club. The donation will be used to pay for catering a Christmas dinner for families currently at a domestic violence shelter. Pictured left in the photo are Tabita Vega, Latino Outreach Coordinator for My Sister's House and Brenda Goodwin, Rocky Mount Evening Optimists' Club Secretary.

NASHVILLE - The funeral for a 25-year-old local man, killed in a one-car accident on Taylors Store Road Thursday night, was scheduled Wednesday, Dec. 17, in Warrenton.
Evan "Mikey" Mills was reported killed when he was ejected from his SUV at around 11:42 p.m. Thursday, according to NC Highway Patrol. The crash occurred near Winterberry Lane after Mills' 2014 GMC Acadia Denali, which had been travelling south, ran off the road to the right, colliding with several trees and overturning. Mill's vehicle ended up off the right shoulder of the road facing north.

The Coopers Ruritan Club recently gathered for a holiday celebration to honor its volunteers and swear in new officers.
President Mike Glover began the evening by expressing appreciation to the volunteers who contribute to the organization's success.
"We are all here tonight because you helped us in some way," Glover said.
Glover singled out the eight-person team who handles the cooking each year.

A few weeks ago, I thought I was being setup for some kind of hit by two of my most brilliant Barton students, who I'll refer to just as B. and E. We are working on a journal project together and this was the text exchange:
Them: Which of these fonts do you like the least [question emoji and a spreadsheet with Gils Sans, Optima and Avenir listed]
Me: Seems like a trap
Them: Maybe not a trap ... potentially a judge of character ...

I am one who doesn't deal well with good-byes, especially when watching a historic building crumbling down by the claws of an excavator.
The buildings on South Boddie Street (106 and 112) have long sat empty with little maintenance. The building in the center of the two, which is much younger, was purchased by Adam Williams several years ago. Adam brought breath back into the building which housed Nashville's Parks and Recreation for a few years. The older structures were eventually condemned due the owner not complying to bring the structures back up to a safe level.
I don't know how he did it, but Adam found a way to purchase the two structures when others had tried to buy them in the past.

My wife told me a story recently about a young woman who was in need of serious surgery only to see it delayed due to circumstances beyond her control. But when I saw her, I was astonished! You would never know that she was facing a life-threatening illness.
It was then that I realized my wife's friend enjoys a special kind of peace that the Bible calls "the peace of God."It's a gift that only comes through faith and prayer.
The Apostle Paul talked about the peace of God in his letter to the Philippian Church. He told us that it could not be understood, but he promised that it could be seen.

Nashville Baptist Church (NBC) recently raised over $2,000 for My Sister's House through a fundraiser organized by the NBC Mission Team. Church members collaborated to prepare, freeze, and sell over 90 casseroles between mid-October and mid-November. This initiative underscores NBC's continued support and appreciation for the mission of My Sister's House to aid victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Kadence Midrowsky, Caydance Harrelson, and Ruby Allsbrook are pictured with Dan and Robert while volunteering at A Touch of the Father's Love. Contributed photo

RALEIGH - Large animal veterinarians in North Carolina are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funds to help support their large animal practice.
The funding opportunity is available to veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and that spend 30% or more of their patient care involved in large animal veterinary care.

While the trend to have artificial trees for Christmas is on the rise, with 83% of households nationally planning to purchase or put up fake trees for the holidays, North Carolinians continue to buck the trend, partly because the state ranks second in the state for Christmas tree production behind Oregon. In fact, over 20% of Christmas trees in country come from our state.

A HONOR ROLL
SIXTH GRADE
Joshua Minchew, Angel Campos-Carreron, Scarlet Waller, Bentley Russell, Elia Taifeh, Akilys Perez, Katherine Comelli, Francis Vicente Franco and Cade Morris,

A HONOR ROLL
NINTH GRADE
M Jubayer Hossain, Zion McKnight, Camila Villagomez-Perez, Asiyah Barnes, Sariya Qassm, Maliya Kennedo, Lauryn Petteway, Parker Beamon, Jonatan Cantu-Yanez, Ahtziri Ordonez-Jimenez, Seth Hall, Laurin Rudd, Justis Jones, Matthew Hall, Avalynn Coleman, Braylen Fox, Dezmeria Hardee and Nejean Salmon

A HONOR ROLL
FOURTH GRADE
Wyatt Wood and Jeremiah Marrow

A HONOR ROLL
NINTH GRADE
Siobhan Holder-Cook

A very familiar hymn among Christians especially this time of year is Joy to the World. Written by Isaac Watts and inspired by Psalm 98, it delivers a powerful message about the coming of Christ, His impact on the world, and His ultimate return. There are three considerations for every christian and every church.
In the first verse, we see the entrance of the King: Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing.

Throughout history, critics of Jesus have questioned who He was and whether He ever existed. Over the next few weeks, we will examine several independent, reliable, non-biblical sources from the first century AD to argue for the historicity of the existence of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. These sources stand as reliable accounts in rebuttal to the claim that there is insufficient independent evidence to substantiate His existence.

Dear Santa,
I have been good this year. I aim for straight A's and always try to spread kindness. This year I am asking for many things like clothing and jewelry, but mainly a straightener and a new pair of shoes. I hope you consider and enjoy our cookies and milk and the reindeer enjoy the carrots. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!