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FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton Commissioners agreed to be like their neighbors to the south.
The board agreed to hire Chapel Hill-based Development Associates to guide them through the hiring process for its next town manager.
Back in September, the Youngsville Board of Commissioners hired the same company to help them fill their full-time vacancy.

LOUISBURG -- Like a lot of people, last week, Heather Gwin was heading to the post office.
But, she wasn't sending out Christmas presents. She was sending hope.
Gwin's soon-to-be sister-in-law lives in Paradise, Calif., and like thousands of people who found themselves and their property in the path of devastating summer wildfires, she lost her home and the salon in which she worked in the blaze.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- To brew a good beer, you need water, a fermented sugar, some hops and yeast ... and some patience.
For those in Franklin County looking for a place to enjoy an adult beverage, and a good time, patience has paid off because, in the last handful of years, the number of bars, bottle shops, breweries or however you refer to a local watering hole has more than doubled.

Brittney, Kendall, Kyle & Kaylee Perkins

Whew! Survived Santa Claus's visit and all that it always entails.
Hope you and yours had a happy, safe and enjoyable Christmas holiday and are headed for a prosperous and happy new year.
Christmas is always a nice break around our house following a hectic holiday season that begins well before Thanksgiving and seems to race by, leaving us all exhausted and ready for a little break, although we don't get too much of a break because deadlines beckon and publication times are inflexible.

As a hectic 2018 winds to a close, it's time to reflect on what has happened during the previous 12 months -- and maybe draw some conclusions about what may happen in 2019.
But first, let's go back to the waning days of 2017 and review an editorial that ran in this newspaper almost exactly a year ago today.

Like most people the past few days, the only thing I worried about shutting down was my appetite or my Internet.
But after the extended holiday break for a lot of us, it's back to work as usual.
That is, unless you're a federal government employee or rely upon them for some sort of service.

LOUISBURG--Charles Thomas Goswick, 69, of Louisburg, left us to be with the Lord on Friday, December 21, 2018. He was born on July 20, 1949 to Mary Grey Perry Goswick and the late William Thomas Goswick. Charles had served in the National Guard, was a successful grain farmer and a member of Perry's Chapel Baptist Church, where he had served as a deacon. Charles was a pillar of the community; he was a leader, as well as caring and kind, who had many friends.

FRANKLINTON--Funeral services for Charlie T. Lawrence, 88, who died on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, will be held today, Thursday, Dec. 27, at 1 p.m. at Pope's Chapel Christian Church in Franklinton with the Rev. Leroy Dukes officiating. Burial will follow in the Pope's Chapel Church cemetery.

CASTALIA--Funeral services for Earnest R. Richardson, 69, who died on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, will be held Sunday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Hollister, with the Rev. Thomas Richardson officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church cemetery.

LOUISBURG--Holly Marie Woolfrey, 35, died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 at Wake Medical Center. She was born in Fairfax County, Va., to Dorothy Debnam Hayes and the late Karoly Meszaros.

CHARLOTTE--On December 20, 2018, William Melville Browning, beloved son and brother, passed suddenly at the age of 37. Will was born in Charlotte, NC on October 8, 1981 to Mel and Georgia Browning. He grew up attending Providence Baptist Church, a source of many close friends and mentors over the years. As a child and teen, Will excelled in soccer and baseball and was a top student. His academic strength was rooted in a quest for knowledge. Will had an inquisitive, agile mind and a lightning fast wit. He could make others laugh in the most unexpected ways.

FRANKLINTON -- Shea Seward is pulling off the ultimate multi-sport tasking this year at Franklinton High School as the senior standout is expecting to letter in a whopping five sports -- cross country, girls basketball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and softball.
Juggling so many sports along with academics can be quite the challenge, but it's something Seward seems to excel at.

BUNN -- Coach Parker Haake and the Bunn Wildcats invited nine of their closest mat friends to the Bunn Dome last Friday for a little pre-Christmas party.
The festivities, which also included Franklinton and Louisburg, were part of the annual Wildcat Invitational Wrestling Tournament.
An individual format was utilized, but team scores were also kept, and Franklinton was crowned as the champion, followed by North Pitt and Bunn.

LOUISBURG -- The evidence was there back when Taylor Ferguson was a youngster -- and made headlines by competing for the Louisburg Lions Youth Football Program.
Not only did Ferguson compete, but she was also the standout -- setting the tone for a career that would continue to reach great heights once she eventually arrived at Louisburg High School.

LOUISBURG -- When you have the last name of Bolton, athletic expectations are inevitably going to be lofty at Louisburg High School.
Boltons have been synonymous with success at LHS, going back to when Ivey Bolton guided the Warriors' football program almost 50 years ago.
Ivey's sons, Bill and Al, became star athletes at Louisburg, and Al is still around as the school's long-time baseball skipper.

FRANKLINTON -- Heroics were plentiful this fall on the Big East Conference football stage, but nobody dished them out in more prolific fashion than the high-scoring Southern Nash Firebirds.
Southern, under the direction of veteran head coach Brian Foster, went undefeated in the regular season and won the Big East crown for the third consecutive campaign.

RALEIGH -- Following a strong 2018 season in which the North Carolina State University baseball team matched the program record with 19 ACC wins, the Wolfpack will begin its 2019 campaign ranked No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll, announced last Tuesday by the organization.
The selection marks the 17th consecutive year that NC State has either started the year or finished the season ranked in the polls.

Franklinton High School's Shea Seward poses with a banner to commemorate her state track long jump championship. The banner will be unveiled during a ceremony at a basketball game in January and will be on permanent display at the FHS Gymnasium.

A lifetime of working compels many people to look forward to their retirement. Some people even work to retire early. But what are the advantages of early retirement beyond starting a life of leisure? And are there any detriments to this plan?
A 2014 survey by the financial services provider TIAA-CREF found that 37 percent of Americans plan to retire before age 65. However, many of them will not have control over the matter. Those who do may want to consider the pros and cons of early retirement.

The Franklin County Board of Education handled a number of personnel items during its December meeting during which it:

Vance-Granville Community College's Mobile Food Truck Entrepreneurship classes return to the college's Main Campus in Vance County starting in January with four new seminars on food service.
Students can take all or as many of the classes they choose. Each of the free classes is scheduled in Building 7 on Main Campus on a Monday evening from January through April.

FRANKLINTON -- The turnover in town continues.
Town Administrator Gregory Bethea dismissed Streets Department Supervisor Tim Jacobs on Dec. 21.
The move comes two months after Bethea shifted Jacobs' duties, placing him in charge of handling code enforcement for the town, along with his street department duties.

The Franklin County Firefighters Association donated toys to help the Franklin County Department of Social Services provide Christmas for those in need in the area. Above, Franklin County Firefighters Association members Johnny Hight, left, Tommy Lloyd, second from left, Kelly Harris, third from right and Ray Patterson, right, were joined by DSS workers Jamie Pearce, second from left, and Megan Wilson, second from right.

Corporal Becky Thompson helps Lyzaria Hockaday, 7, fulfill her Christmas wish list during the annual Shop with a Sheriff event last week. The sheriff's office helped 70 kids through the program this year.

FRANKLINTON -- Town and Creedmoor investigators are looking for suspects in a series of business break-ins.
Franklinton police allege that during the early morning hours of Dec. 15, two suspects used prying devices to gain entry into Romas Pizza and the Franklinton Community Health office in Franklinton Square along U.S. 1.