Recent Articles

Spring Hope has lost one of its former commissioners.
Former Commissioner Nancy Carroll Walker, 78, passed away on August 29, 2021.
No cause of death has been presented by the family, Spring Hope Town Clerk Michele Collins said.
Walker served as a commissioner on the town's board for eight years from 2011 to 2019.

An economic development announcement is on the horizon for the Town of Nashville.
Oppie Jordan, Vice President of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, provided an update on the latest economic development efforts to Town Council last Tuesday.
"We have four active, very active, projects," Jordan told council members.

Danny Vester of Spring Hope is well known across the country for his record breaking, larger than life, pumpkins. And most people will tell you his heart is just about as large as the pumpkins he grows.
In 2014, Vester's 1,296 pound pumpkin weighed in at Cullman, Alabama as the largest pumpkin in the Southeastern United States.

Red Oak is now home to a well known antique tractor and car show.
The Red Oak Area Historic Preservation Classic Tractor and Car Show, is set for September 10-12 and will be held at Ennis Park, 4605 N. Old Carriage Road.
The event will include antique tractors, hit and miss engines, classic cars, a chainsaw carver, vintage and antique vendors, live music, food trucks, and even tethered hot air balloon rides, weather permitting. (Balloon rides are not included in admission)

NC Governor Roy Cooper stopped in Nashville Tuesday morning to visit a vaccine clinic hosted by the Nash County Health Department on the first day of administering the third-dose booster.
Cooper greeted several citizens upon their arrival to the clinic, some to receive their third vaccine. The CDC recommends people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive the third vaccination.

Nashville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Director, Koy Worrell was recognized last week as the Northern Piedmont N.C. Wildlife Resources Hunter Education Instructor of the Year for the Northern Piedmont Region.
Worrell was nominated for the award by his Hunter Education Coordinator, Casey Williams.

As the last days of summer are drawing near, the Tar-Pamlico held on to its clean-water run with all 18 sites passing the Swim Guide test this week.
There remains the threat of fish kills and algal blooms, so if water is murky, discolored or has a strange odor, avoid it. Algal blooms often thrive when heavy rains are followed by hot, still weather. Algal blooms deplete the water of oxygen, leading to fish kills, and a dead fish floating in the water is likely home to harmful bacteria.

The Mims Gallery at The Dunn Center will kick off their 2021-22 season with an opening reception featuring local artist, Ashley Fabrizio. This free, public event will take place on Thursday, September 9 from 5 - 7 p.m. Gallery receptions provide a unique opportunity to enjoy new art, socialize and meet the artist.
Already famous in local community, Fabrizio is the artist behind the 125-foot by 30-foot CSX mural on the side of Station Square in downtown Rocky Mount.

I see a lot of headlines about how we are in "unprecedented times," "unchartered waters" and "times of change."
I suppose those things could be true in a sense, but it also seems like we aren't doing a good job of learning from history.
I love history -- the good and the bad -- because it is not only interesting, it has value. Someone said the other day we can't change the past, only the present and the future and that's what we should spend our energy and resources on.

There's one thing for sure here in Nashville - we have vision.
In 2019 through early 2020, multiple visioning forums were held as part of the process of rethinking and restructuring the Municipal Service District name and mission.
A mission statement was developed, "Downtown Nashville Strong is dedicated to advocate, promote and enhance the development of downtown to preserve the historic charm while encouraging future development.

Dear Editor, It was never gonna be easy extricating ourselves from Afghanistan. Not after two decades and a couple of trillion dollars spent. Not to mention the dead and wounded. Pat Tillman lost his life fighting in Afghanistan.
Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine a more bungling withdrawal than what we're witnessing.

North Carolina Wesleyan College's 65th Founding Anniversary is October 25. The college submitted this photo of its 1964 graduating class.

Maurice William Nicholson was sentenced in Nash County Superior Court on August 5 for Felony Fleeing to Elude Arrest in a Motor Vehicle and Attempted Trafficking by Transport of Heroin. Nicholson received a minimum of 43 months and a maximum of 70 months in the North Carolina Department of Corrections.
The charges stemmed from a traffic stop on June 10, 2020 where Nicholson fled from Nash County Narcotic Deputies.

Jaheed Labega, 25, was sentenced in Nash County Superior Court for Trafficking Heroin. Labega received a minimum of 73 months and a maximum of 100 months in the North Carolina Department of Corrections.
The charges stemmed from a search warrant that was executed on Labega's storage unit on US 301 in Rocky Mount.