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LOUISBURG -- Franklin County has paid Maria Parham $1 million as part of a lease extension and funding agreement signed last fall and brought to light during the county's budget process months later -- and the hospital is due to receive another million soon.
In late 2017, Franklin County entered into an up-to-10-year lease agreement with Maria Parham/Duke Lifepoint to operate comprehensive health care at the hospital just off Bickett Boulevard.

BUNN -- A three-car wreck just as school was letting out on the first day of school highlights the traffic congestion growing in and around Bunn, law enforcement and town officials said.
During his report to the Bunn Board of Commissioners on Monday night, Police Chief Steve Massey shared details of a three-vehicle wreck at the Bunn Elementary School Road entrance to Bunn High School.

CSX helped clear the path for utility work and other construction taking place as part of Youngsville's Main Street Improvement Project. A waterline was being put in under the railroad tracks, putting a drilling machine to work. Traffic has been shifted near the railroad as work continued through the middle of this week. Overall, the goal is to improve utility lines along the roadway, while also improving the roadway, making a safer and more efficient thoroughfare for vehicle, bike and pedestrian traffic.

LOUISBURG -- A few years ago, a close-knit group of residents started a mission -- revitalize northeastern Franklin County.
Recently, they saw that goal get closer to fruition as the first class of entrepreneurs receive certifications for completing a Vance-Ganville Community College business course designed to help them start or grow a business targeting northeastern Franklin County and surrounding communities.

LOUISBURG - High-speed fiber Internet will soon be available to almost 2,000 homes in unserved areas throughout Franklin County.
Through a $3.9 million Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant, Lumen -- the parent company of CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber -- will be providing high-speed fiber Internet to 1,978 homes in Franklin County.

BUNN -- Health officials have confirmed three cases of rabies in this southern Franklin County town.
Last week, Franklin County Animal Services received information about deceased skunks with confirmed rabies cases.
Franklin County Animal Services will continue to monitor this situation, county staff noted.

Destiny Adams, Danny and Ashley Escamilla

When I started this column, it seemed strange to date it to run on Sept. 1.
Then I glanced at the calendar and realized, believe it or not, the Labor Day Weekend is at hand!
You know what that means, right?
Summer is over! Unofficially over, of course, if you believe the calendar, but if you have kids or are a teacher, you KNOW that summer is over.

By next week, it will have been 20 years that I've called The Franklin Times and this area home.
And, one of the things that always makes small-town America stand out is the ways it celebrates and has a good time.
For the past two years, the folks in Bunn hadn't been as fortunate as COVID-19 prompted organizers to cancel the community fun fest.

Dear editor:
On Wednesday last week President Biden announced a sweeping effort to forgive up to $20,000 of federal student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients, and up to $10,000 for other qualifying borrowers. The President also extended the federal student loan payment pause through Dec. 31, 2022. With the mid-term elections in November, that is not a shock.

LOUISBURG -- It's two weeks into the football regular season, and the Louisburg Warriors have yet to play a game -- a fact that worries LHS veteran head coach Dontae Lassiter.
"I feel like we're behind the eight-ball a bit,'' Lassiter said. "Right now, we don't really know what we have. Most teams have already had the opportunity to fine-tune some things, and we have been unable to do that.

FRANKLINTON -- There's something about the Northern Durham Knights that brings out the heartbreak for the Franklinton High School football team.
FHS' nail-biting loss at Northern Durham last year was bad enough, but not even that outcome could match this season's rematch, which was staged last Friday at the FHS Football Field.

BUNN -- So far so good for the Dennis Burton Era at Bunn High School.
For the second consecutive week, the Wildcats delivered a lopsided victory at home, rolling to a 49-6 decision over Granville Central last Friday in non-conference football action.
Through his two games as Bunn's head coach, Burton has seen his club outscore a pair of overmatched foes by a 101-6 count.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Barring any last-minute changes, former Southern Nash High School superstar Zonovan Knight will suit up for the New York Jets in their regular season opener in the National Football League.
Knight, a running who prepped at SN before going on to enjoy an outstanding career at North Carolina State University, survived Tuesday's final round of player cuts as the Jets trimmed their roster to the mandatory 53-man limit.

NASH COUNTY -- The Big East Conference has released its girls golf schedule for the 2022 campaign.
Matches will be held at Northgreen GC in Rocky Mount, The River Golf and Country Club near Bunn and Brevofield Golf Links in Wake Forest.
Action started tuesday with a nine-hole event at Brevofield. The next match will be September 6, also at Brevofield.

KANNAPOLIS - Jesus Chirinos went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the fifth, Alex Hall hit a two-run home run in the sixth and reliever Cameron Wagoner struck out seven over three scoreless innings as the visiting Carolina Mudcats took Sunday's baseball series finale 5-2 versus the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Atrium Health Ballpark.
The Mudcats (30-24, 64-56) finished with a series split as both teams took three games in the six-game set.

ROME, GA. -- The USA South Athletic Conference's football coaches have released their 2022 preseason poll.
Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

Bunn High School's Wesley Evans gains ground for the Wildcats during last Friday night's home decision over Granville Central in non-conference gridiron action at the BHS Football Field.

Franklinton High School's Parrish Rushing speeds upfield for the Red Rams during last Friday night's double-overtime setback against the Northern Durham Knights.

Franklinton High School veteran running back Jalen Ibrahim had a huge night on the ground last Friday, but the Red Rams were still edged by Northern Durham in Double OT.

CELEBRATE. Willie C. Ruffin will observe his 100th birthday with a celebration at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, at 200 Shore Pine Drive, Youngsville. Ruffin was born Sept. 12, 1922. He is married to Nora Alston Ruffin. They had five children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

The Tar River Center for History and Culture has announced its lineup of events for 2022-2023.
This year's programs start at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, a repertory tap dance company comprised of a group of young dancers who are between the ages of 8-18.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Wake Preparatory Academy has again delayed the start to its school year.
The charter school was slated to open for students on Aug. 22, however, efforts to improve a traffic signal at the entrance to the school along U.S. 1 was not completed in time.

LOUISBURG -- A legal battle challenging a 600-home, mixed use development continues on appeal, while a settlement remains a possibility.
In December, attorneys representing residents of a north Franklinton subdivision filed a lawsuit, alleging that the development approved by Franklinton commissioners in October would have a detrimental impact on their nearby homes -- disrupting their quality of life and damaging the environment.

LOUISBURG -- Two New Jersey men are slated to appear in court in two weeks on drug and fraud charges.
During an Aug. 16 traffic stop on U.S. 64, Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Blancsun Altidor and Wayne Burton, both 28, charging them with dozens of counts of possessing and transporting counterfeit instruments, financial transaction card theft, identity theft and chose in action -- a bank charge.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested a man on kidnapping charges.
Louisburg police allege Joshua Clanton Macon was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend the evening of Aug. 19 at the Days Inn.
The woman alleged that the 58-year-old held her against her will in a vehicle inside the motel parking lot.

Eight Franklin County 4-H members attended the 2022 Northeast District Activity Day, held in Currituck County.
The Franklin County 4-H'ers returned home from public speaking presentations and demonstrations with first, second, and third place medals. More than 100 youth representing 22 counties across the district gathered to present from multiple categories.