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LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Health Department began expanding its reach in an effort to ramp up vaccinations.
Last week, the department began its coordinated effort to inoculate residents 75 and older.
On Jan. 7, more than 320 people received a vaccination during a two-hour clinic.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County public school students returned to the classrooms this week under Plan B -- and will continue under that plan for the foreseeable future, according to school officials.
Plan B involves two days a week of face-to-face classes and three days of virtual work from home.

CENTERVILLE -- Wanted: A dedicated physician's assistant.
The retirement of long-time health care provider and former Beckford Centerville Medical Center Clinic physician's assistant Sandi Reed prompted the closure of the northeastern Franklin County facility at the end of December.

LOUISBURG -- After zipping through a brief, very routine agenda and tabling three items for future consideration, the Louisburg Town Council meeting Monday night veered into current events at the national level.
Long-time Council member Christopher Neal told fellow members and about a half dozen in the audience that this is a "frightening time for our country."

Franklinton High School spiker McKenzie Hill

We have to be SO-O-O much better than this!
Where is the urgency?
Where is the planning?
Where is the effort to build community support and assistance?

I'm going to make a full admission: For my own sanity and well-being, I have severely limited my social media consumption and have carefully filtered my news media intake.
But, whether directly or through osmosis, I'm not breaking news here by telling you that a WHOLE LOT has been going on the past few days and weeks.

Dear editor:
Over the weekend, I read an article in the News and Observer outlining what the counties in our area are doing with regard to the vaccination and COVID response for their citizens.

LOUISBURG - Gregg Randolph Williams, 59, of Louisburg, died Saturday morning, January 9, 2021 at his home.

LOUISBURG - Linda Joyner Whitley, 75, of Louisburg, died Monday evening at her home.

BUNN -- Rosalie J. Moody, age 92, passed away January 12, 2021 at her home.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg's young roster experienced an instant lesson in playoff volleyball on Tuesday -- and proved to be quick learners.
The favored Lady Warriors came out a little tense and flat in the first set of their Class 1-A State Playoff opener at home against South Creek -- and the visiting Lady Cougars made them pay for it.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School's most improbable journey ever toward a conference championship had two final destinations last week -- the Oxford Webb Gymnasium on Wednesday and the LHS Gymnasium on Thursday to close out the regular season.
A victory in each of those matches would send Louisburg into a share of the Northern Carolina Conference Spike Championship to close out a regular season filled with inexperience, lack of practice time and COVID schedule disruptions.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College's second semester promises to be a busy one from an athletics standpoint.
Nine different LC sports plan to take part in some semblance of a schedule this coming semester, which will begin next Wednesday. The effects of COVID-19 have pushed back several fall sports to the second semester, and will undoubtedly provide a challenge to filling out a full slate for each of the sports.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College's 2021 baseball season will begin on February 9 with a road contest at Souteastern Community College in Whiteville.
A decision on fan attendance at games had not been made at press time.
LC's complete ledger is as follows, with home events listed in CAPS:

RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes will open their 2021 shortened National Hockey League season on January 14 with a road game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Carolina's first home event will be January 21 versus the Florida Panthers at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
Fans will not be able to attend the Hurricanes' home games.

Louisburg's Breanna Holliday (center) and Chloe Webster (right) elevate for a block attempt during Tuesday's spike matchup.

Louisburg High School's Chloe Webster (right) goes up for a kill during Tuesday's home match versus South Creek in the first round of the Class 1-A State Volleyball Playoffs.

RALEIGH -- Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines (GS-NCCP) is kicking off the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie Program on Saturday.
Girl Scouts are selling in creative, socially distant, and contact-free ways to keep themselves and their customers safe.
Even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, girls are adapting their sales methods to share Girl Scout cookies through the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program.

LOUISBURG -- County planners are soliciting input to update their bicycle and pedestrian plan.
The county's current plan dates back to 2014 and staff admit it's not incredibly specific and note that the county's trails and greenways are lacking.
The creation of a bicycle and pedestrian master plan would seek to rectify those two issues.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg woman was charged with death by motor vehicle for her role in a crash that killed a Rolesville man.
According to a report by Trooper C.R. Lanham, William Joseph Fightmaster, 18, was riding a Suzuki motorcycle south on U.S. 401 when Alayne Sheresa Joyner, 45, attempted to make a left turn onto Fox Ridge Road.

LAKE ROYALE -- Police arrested a resident on out-of-county and an out-of-state warrant.
According to authorities, officers were investigating and clearing a scene prior to Christmas and a few days later discovered that one of the parties involved had an active warrant out of Carteret County.