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FRANKLINTON -- Following a surprise closed session Tuesday night that wasn't on the agenda, Franklinton commissioners fired Town Manager Tammy Ray.
The move may have cost the town its attorney, as well.
Following the board's vote on Tuesday night, town staff and officials said Mitch Styers tendered his resignation. Immediate attempts to contact Styers prior to press time were not successful.

LOUISBURG -- Public utilities staff notified commissioners on Monday night that the state approved two projects for funding that will help bolster the county's sewer treatment capabilities.
In April, commissioners, agreed to request $8.1 million in Clean Water State Revolving Funds to repair its wastewater treatment plant and $1.8 million to replace three sewer lift stations in Franklinton.

YOUNGSVILLE -- It's been 11 months since Devin Bilodeau was killed inside a Youngsville home.
While law enforcement say they are "getting closer" to lodging charges in the case, the 21-year-old's mother said she doesn't feel like Sheriff Kent Winstead has made neither the case nor her feelings a priority.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College helps fall-season, student-athletes acclimatize to the rigors of the academic and athletic year during its early check-in process.
Jason Modlin, vice president for student life with Louisburg College, said a total of 225 student-athletes reported to campus Aug. 10 and 13. There were also 22 resident advisors who checked in.

Louisburg firefighters responded to this home on Southwood Drive to find smoke billowing from the top at about 1:40 p.m. on Aug. 20. The occupants were able to get out of the home and no injuries were reported. Above, Assistant Fire Chief Russell Bottoms, right, directs efforts to control and extinguish the fire. The single-wide mobile home was a total loss. The cause of the blaze was still being investigated.

LOUISBURG -- Local and federal authorities combined to arrest a Franklinton man on child sex charges.
Mitchell Franklin Louws, 23, was arrested Aug. 15 and charged with five counts of first degree exploitation of a minor, and five counts of second degree exploitation of a minor.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners followed through on their commitment to restock some of the county's vehicle fleet -- the majority of which went to the sheriff's office.
The decision, though, came after one resident's plea that commissioners exercise more oversight on their use and necessity and one commissioner's plea that staff craft a blueprint for how it will purchase vehicles in the future.

Bunn HS football coach Dale Murphy

Ever notice how sometimes you just stumble across facts that somehow tie into something else?
Such was the case recently and it came after writing and editing several stories about efforts to create local farmers markets -- and the stats are not optimistic.
Recently the county spent several thousand dollars studying the feasibility of a farmers market and the final report said it could work, but suggested it be built in Youngsville.

We have to do something and do it now because inaction is costing precious lives right here in Franklin County.
As you know, the heroin, opioid, fentanyl epidemic is sweeping the county and continuing to wait for either the state or the federal government to deal with the crisis is a waste of time and lives.

What I have found most often during my career spent in reporting, which is essentially, a form of communications, when we're yelling at each other, no one really listens.
And, when I say yelling, I don't just mean raised voices, because, it goes without saying that people jabbering back and forth -- often times, over top of each other -- makes it really hard to understand one another.

On Aug. 4, 2014, the Franklin County commissioners voted 6-1 to purchase Bull Creek Golf and Country Club. Commissioner Harry Foy was the dissenting vote.
This action resulted in an unnecessary, major unfunded liability that will burden the Franklin County taxpayer for generations into the future.
Why was this done? On the surface, you are told it was to create a recreational park to honor Edgar H. Owens's parents, V.E. and Lydia H. Owens.

ALEXANDRIA, VA - On August 18, 2018, another angel gained her wings. Ossie Lynn, 65, will truly be missed by her many loved ones: son, Sean Wright; grandson, Dejon Wright; two sisters; two brothers; two aunts; and a host of other relatives, family and friends.

LOUISBURG--Funeral services for Timothy "Tim" Allen Green, 56, who died Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, will be held Sunday, Aug. 26, at 3 p.m. in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, with the Rev. Marcus Dunston Johnson officiating.

FRANKLINTON -- It's still only August, but the important volleyball matches have already started in the always-competitive Northern Carolina Conference.
And no early-season match held more implications than Louisburg's meeting Tuesday night at South Granville.
Louisburg was the NCC's regular season champ last fall and South Granville won the league's annual postseason tournament.

FRANKLINTON -- History was made on both sidelines last Friday when Vance County traveled to Franklinton to open the 2018 high school football campaign.
It was the first-ever regular season contest for Vance County, which is a new school formed by the consolidation of Northern Vance and Southern Vance.
Franklinton also had a history lesson on display as this was the initial game in the tenure of new coach Jimmy Williams, whose storied career includes successful stops at East Wake and West Johnston.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School celebrated the one-year anniversary of its last football victory -- against the same opponent, no less.
Last year, the Warriors opened their campaign with an impressive decision at KIPP Pride, but were unable to collect another conquest the rest of the way.
Almost one year to the day, homestanding LHS kick off its 2018 schedule by stopping KIPP by a 36-20 margin last Friday night at historic Patterson Field.

ZEBULON -- Carolina's Bowden Francis pitched through a quality start and Ryan Aguilar had a RBI triple, but the Potomac Nationals homered twice in the fifth while taking the rubber game of a three-game series 4-2 over the host Mudcats at Five County Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a Class A Carolina League baseball meeting.

LAGRANGE -- Dale Murphy's career as Bunn High School's football coach got off to a quality start Friday in a faraway land.
Murphy traveled all the way to North Lenoir near Kinston to help his Wildcats deliver a convincing 34-7 decision over the host Hawks in the regular season opener for both squads.

LOUISBURG -- Three new head coaches will make their respective debuts when Louisburg College kicks off its fall sports schedule.
LC's newest skippers are Ted Awana (men's soccer), Jonathan Paulk (volleyball) and Sierrah Soto (women's soccer).
"Even though these coaches are new, we feel like they are quality coaches,'' said LC Athletic Director Mike Holloman.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Huntingdon College, under the direction of 15th-year Head Coach Mike Turk, was atop the 2018 USA South Athletic Conference Preseason Football Coaches Poll.
The Hawks are the three-time defending USA South champions after producing a perfect 7-0 League record to go along with a 9-2 overall mark in 2017.

FRANKLINTON -- The Franklinton Lady Rams kicked off their 2018 volleyball regular season on Monday with a three-set sweep over Vance County in non-conference action at the FHS Gymnasium.
Scores were 25-17, 25-13 and 25-11 in favor of Coach Crystal Barnes' Lady Rams.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College Head Softball Coach Eric Lee has announced the signing of 19 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to join the Hurricanes for the 2018-19 school year.
Among those 19 student-athletes are 14 freshmen and five transfers from four-year institutions.

Louisburg's defenders try to track down KIPP Pride quarterback Jamauri Baker during last Friday night's prep football meeting at Patterson Field on the LHS campus.

Franklinton's Kendrick Holt rushes toward the football for the Red Rams during last Friday's season-opening football trumph at home against the Vance County Vipers.

Louisburg High School's Ti'Ashia Frazier (right) comes up with a clutch kill for the Lady Warriors as part of Tuesday night's three-set sweep against South Granville.

Many people take their vision for granted until a problem arises that affects their ability to see. While certain conditions may occur suddenly, others develop more gradually and may not even be noticeable until the problem has progressed significantly.
Cataracts is a common vision problem that is often associated with aging. The National Eye Institute says that, by age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

The Franklin County Department of Aging will hold its 28th annual Senior Fun Day in the Park on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Riverbend Park in Louisburg. This is an annual community event for Franklin County senior citizens ages 60 and up only. This event will feature entertainment, games, information and lots of fun. There will be vendor tables and door prizes.

SENIOR CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE! The Louisburg Senior Center and the Franklinton Senior Center recently passed certification during the SCOPE (Senior Center Operations and Program Evaluation) review. The "Center of Excellence" certification will be valid for the next five years. This certification means the facility offers exemplary services and opportunities for their communities and serve as mentors and models to developing centers.

Seniors took a trip to the Barn Dinner Theatre in June.

Mary Dimaio participated in the "Can You Hear Me Now?" advocacy letter writing event held in July at the Franklinton Senior Center.

The Franklin County Education Foundation recently received a gift of $60,000 from the state that is to be awarded to public school teachers in Franklin County to help them purchase school supplies for their classroom. The gift, which the foundation said it hopes to "leverage" with discounts and other benefits from local businesses, amounts to about $100 each for the county school district's 600 teachers.

Steve Briggs, launch director for the Plant Sciences Initiative, will be the featured speaker at the Aug. 27 meeting of the Northeastern Franklin County Revitalization Committee to be held at 6:30 p.m. at Red Bud Baptist Church, 832 NC HWY 58 Castalia. The public is invited.
The Plant Sciences Initiative, now in the planning stages, is a partnership of North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service, and private funding, that is building a $160 million facility at NCSU. It is backed by an $85 million State of North Carolina bond issue.

LOUISBURG -- A former Lake Royale police officer is suing the gated community's property owner's association and general manager alleging wrongful termination.
Attorneys on behalf of Herbert Lee Williams filed the complaint in Franklin County Civil Superior Court in July, alleging that Lake Royale POA General Manager Tracy Clay fired him in June 2017 for failing to enforce what he called a violation of a Lake regulation -- an act plaintiffs allege would have been beyond his statutory authority.