Recent Articles

Many of you know my wife and I operated a photography studio in Nashville for nearly 20 years.
What you may not know is that we did thousands of immigration and passport photographs.
Now, most people go to a post office where they get their paperwork and photos done, and write a check. Back then, people often got their photos done and then went to the courthouse and later the library to do the paperwork.

This week brings sad news of the passing of Dr. Broderick Bello, a long-time family physician at Boice-Willis here in Nashville.
As noted on the front page today, we have paused waiting for the family to release details and his obituary.
The Graphic will certainly share any additional news and the obituary as soon it is released.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Bello's family and his Boice-Willis family this week as they mourn the loss of a father, husband and friend.

To the Editor: I must admit that it was exciting to receive a recent phone call from Cliff Joyner, President of Nashville's Chamber of Commerce, informing me that I was the grand prize winner of the Shop Local Contest. Why did I enter the contest? The grand prize was very enticing, the entry process was simple, and I had already made a conscious decision to support local businesses. Nashville has some great retail stores and restaurants on Washington Street and throughout the town.

This photo published in The Nashville Graphic on Feb. 1, 1968. M.C. Gulley is shown working on a fishing reel at the workshop in his store. M.C. Gulley was Nashville's oldest merchant and a fisherman of note according the 1968 article. M.C. Gulley was born Jan. 7, 1886. Gulley's store opened in January of 1925. Gulley served as the Fire Chief of the Nashville Volunteer Fire Department for more than 15 years.

NASHVILLE - The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) has selected Erica Puente, a fifth-grade teacher at Bailey Elementary School, as a finalist for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.
Puente, who also serves as Nash County Public Schools' Beginning Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year, is one of a select group of educators from across North Carolina chosen for this prestigious honor.

January is not a great month for a lot of Americans. Ultimately, the excesses of Christmas catch up with all of us, especially those of us who "charged" our way into the hearts of others by using credit cards instead of paying cash for those gifts. It's payback time!
According to USA Facts, the average American spent $1,766 on Christmas in 2024. That adds up to $600 BILLION DOLLARS! I don't know about you, but I finally finished above average in something, although I probably shouldn't be very proud of it.

The last few weeks have been spent presenting non-biblical sources that speak to one or more of the three minimal bedrock facts concerning what happened to Jesus after His crucifixion. We spent a lot of time looking at the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus and the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Both historians wrote in the mid-first century, and both wrote about Jesus. But there is more to mention. Lucian of Samosata is another non-Christian source that provides independent testimony to the fact that Jesus was a real person and that He died by crucifixion.

In an age marked by constant motion--endless notifications, shifting expectations, and the pressure to produce more and rest less--the ancient Christian invitation to "abide in Christ" feels almost countercultural. Yet for many believers, this simple phrase from John 15 remains one of the most profound descriptions of what it means to live a life rooted in faith rather than frenzy.
At its core, abiding in Christ is not about achieving spiritual perfection or performing religious tasks.

LifeWise Academy began on Monday, Jan. 12 in Red Oak! Approximately 80 Red Oak Elementary students were enrolled with parental permission to participate in LifeWise Academy which is held at Red Oak Baptist Church. This is a release time Bible education ministry that takes place during school hours.
The Baptist Men's breakfast will be Sunday, Jan. 18 at 8:30 a.m.
The youth and children of Red Oak Baptist Church will have a Biscuit Fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 9:15 a.m - 9:45 a.m. Cost is $6 each.

MANCHESTER, NH - Natahja Mayfield of Nashville (27856) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Fall 2025 Dean's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

MANCHESTER, NH- Dominique Jones of Nashville has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU) Fall 2025 President's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

NASHVILLE- Nash County has 426 family cemeteries listed on the website Find-A-Grave- but there are likely to be more, forgotten in woods or overgrown fields. The Nash County, NC GenWeb estimated that about 50% of known cemeteries have not been surveyed. But who regulates cemeteries, and what are the rules for maintenance? And if someone wants to bury 'Uncle Henry' in the backyard- or choose their land as their final resting place- is it legal to do so?
The terms "cemetery" and "graveyard," incidentally, do not refer to the same thing.

NASHVILLE - While cases of flu have skyrocketed across North Carolina, and there has been one flu-related death in Edgecombe county, a new concern- Measles- has surfaced, with five cases diagnosed in the state since late December.
NCDHHS shared information in a Jan. 9 press release that a new case had been diagnosed in Rutherford County, with potential exposure locations at the Mission Hospital Emergency Department waiting room in Asheville Jan. 4; at Constantine's Restaurant in Gastonia and at Christmas Town USA in McAdenville

RALEIGH - A backyard flock in Franklin County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI). The positive sample was identified Jan. 5 by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh.
This is the first confirmed positive in Franklin County and the ninth confirmed positive in North Carolina since Oct. 1. A list of domestic bird cases of HPAI in North Carolina is online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/AvianInfluenza.

SPRING HOPE- The Spring Hope Museum is hosting a special traveling exhibit, "The People of Colonial North Carolina," beginning Jan. 14th and lasting until Feb. 2.
The exhibit, entitled "America 250 NC" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the USA, is on loan from the NC archives Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The Nashville Graphic learned of the unexpected passing of a long-time Nashville family physician, Dr. Broderwick Bello, however there were no details nor an obituary available at press time.
Out of respect for Dr. Bello's family during this unsettled time due to his sudden death, The Graphic will pause to await accurate details of his passing and his obituary.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
On January 1st, your test will arrive. I say test because there is a high degree of probability that between now and then, you will tell your spouse, child, or perhaps a friend about your New Year's resolutions.
The question is when January arrives, are you going to abandon them like you abandoned the ones you made last year, and the year before that??

Almost 1,000 locations in Nash County are earmarked to get new internet fiber connections, and another 161 are due to get broadband internet through satellite, aided by funding under the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program- that according to a December 22 announcement from Governor Josh Stein's office.
North Carolina applied for funding awards from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), receiving federal award notification in December, although the awards are contingent until contracted in 2026.