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LOUISBURG -- Sheriff Kevin White called for the county manager's job on Monday morning social media post, calling apparent acts to hamper hurricane relief a grotesque lack of leadership.
And, it came four days after a cryptic post alleging that any official throwing up roadblocks to hurricane relief aid was abdicating their fundamental responsibility to serve the people they represent.

Franklin County desperately needs a breath of fresh air -- and strong dose of transparency, especially in its county government.
The most recent example of why is the social media diatribe unleashed this week by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White who demanded the resignation of county manager Kim Denton -- but gave no concrete reason for his demand other than, apparently, he didn't like being questioned or following the rules.
But it gets worse.

LOUISBURG -- For farmers, this past growing season has been about too much of one thing, or not enough of something else.
Early this summer, it was too much heat and drought, which laid waste to corn -- and damaged other crops as well.
Then, a few weeks later, it was too much rain, which washed out farmland and swamped some tobacco fields.
Pictured (Above): from left, Steve Nelms, third from left, accepts the Franklin County Enduring Farmer Award. He's pictured with, from left, family member Travis Nelms and wife Jackie Nelms, and Voluntary Ag Board Members Shawn Journigan, Ed Wheeler, Tonya Pearce, Natalie Farmer, Brent Strickland and Cooperative Extension Director Charles Mitchell.

BUNN -- Town commissioners approved changes to its food truck ordinance to keep vendors from essentially squatting around town.
Also, during the brief meeting, they heard about steps to onboard a new police chief and they changed their decision about fencing at a new basketball/pickleball venue.
Town Administrator Dottie Taylor told commissioners that one particular food truck has been parked at a gravel lot in town every weekend, but has not secured the proper permitting from the town.

Franklin County School System Chief of Auxiliary Services Larry Webb, center, helps lead county commissioners and school board members on a tour of Louisburg Elementary School on Oct. 1. So far, officials have visited six of the system's 16 schools in an effort to better understand facility and budgeting needs.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council sent back a $300,000 Parks and Recreation grant to the state during action Monday night, and also took a possible first step toward closing West Johnson Street downtown to clear the way for the county's proposed courtroom expansion project.
The grant was to have been used to help develop a greenway through the town's Commerce Park that would have been part of the planned link between Joyner Park and the bikeway along NC 56 West.

Louisburg Elementary Principal Trenace Gilmore

Finally, it's starting to actually feel like October -- the October most of us really enjoy. Nights where the temperatures dip to chilly levels, the humidity seems to mostly go away and the days are sunny and warm, but not scorching.
The only downside, and I'm sure you've all noticed, is that darkness is arriving much earlier each evening and the time change the first weekend of November will make that even more apparent!

It goes without saying that our neighbors to the west are dealing with a level of devastation and tragedy that I wish I could say is unfathomable.
The thing is, though, Mother Nature has a wrath and a punch that's unquestionable, unmistakable and unmatched.
And, if you've lived in North Carolina or along the Atlantic Coast long enough, you've probably witnessed it first hand.
It makes it no less heartbreaking, though.

Dear editor: Was driving through Louisburg, yesterday, on the way to church, when lo and behold, I spied a huge billboard for the health department advertising family planning services.
After over 50 years of medical and public health practice and education, I was, both, amazed and disheartened that public health has become so woke that it is willing to spent $2K-$3K of taxpayer monies on such an advertisement, when there are so many real public health issues that, after all this time, still need to be addressed.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Bettie Jean "Boot" Fleming, age 72, who died on Tuesday, August 1, 2024, were held 2 p.m., Sunday, October 6, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Reginald Powell officiating. Burial followed in the Shiloh Church Cemetery in Arcola.

RALEIGH, NC--Edith Owen McKinne, age 95, passed away October 2, 2024 at Transitions Hospice House in Raleigh, NC.

SPRING HOPE, NC--Jimmy Clifton Wilder, 85 of Spring Hope passed away Thursday, October 3, 2024. Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 6, 2024, at Pine Ridge Baptist Church, 874 Pine Ridge Road, Zebulon. Interment followed in Oakdale Cemetery, E Branch Street, Spring Hope. Rev. Butch Gordon will officiated.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Judy Silver, age 74, who died on Friday, October 4, 2024, will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, October 12, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. John Williams officiating.

Hollister, NC--Funeral services for Robert R. Lynch, age 75, who died on Thursday, October 3, 2024, were held 1 p.m., Tuesday, October 8, from the Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister with Pastor Robert Hedgepeth officiating. Burial will follow in the Pine Chapel Church Cemetery.

ROCKY MOUNT -- While several prep volleyball programs are trending upward this fall in the Big East Conference, one tradition-rich entity is attempting to maintain its lofty standing while facing a myriad ofunique challenges.
That program would reside at Franklinton, and the defending league champions are being tested this season -- both by their improving opponents and a series of unlikely in-house trials.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Both Nash Central and Franklinton have made upward moves in the Big East Conference girls tennis standings this fall, but there was only going to be one team winner when the clubs squared off on September 23 at the NCHS Courts.
And that squad was the homestanding Lady Bulldogs, who maintained their hold on third place in the tough league with an 8-1 victory.
Central is now 7-4-1 overall and carried a four-match winning streak into this week's Big East Tournament.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Two teams with much different ambition levels for the 2024 boys soccer season met on September 23 when Nash Central hosted Bunn for a Big East Conference showdown.
For Bunn, the goal is simple -- make it back to the Class 2-A State Playoffs and equal or eclipse last year's historic run, which saw the Wildcats reach the third round for only the third time in school history.

RALEIGH -- Long-awaited changes are coming to Raleigh's sports and entertainment district that houses the NC State Wolfpack and Carolina Hurricanes, as renovations unofficially began with the renaming of what was previously known as PNC Arena to the Lenovo Center on Sept. 19.
Located just off of Wade Avenue, the Lenovo Center is the home of NC State's Men's Basketball program and the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Carolina Hurricanes.

Flutist Tadeu Coelho and pianist Dmitri Vorobiev will present their program, "Music of the Americas" at Cherry Hill on Sunday, Oct. 13 with a performance beginning at 3 p.m. It will include music by Aaron Copland, Katherine Hoover, Eduardo Gamboa, and other 20th century composers.
Both artists are professors of music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Dr. Coelho is a native of Brazil and regularly performs across the Americas. He is a soloist and clinician, and is an advocate for contemporary music.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners added more than $563,000 to its plans to bolster employee pay.
That's on top of the $1.4 million they set aside in their current budget to cover salary increases they expected from a classification and compensation study they commissioned in 2023.
Monday night's decision comes less than a month after the board agreed to bolster sheriff's office pay by $1,074,000 -- instead of the roughly $500,000 the study initially proposed.

HENDERSON -- Franklinton is in the midst of a development renaissance and one of its primary stewards was named Outstanding City Manager by the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.
During its annual banquet awards ceremony recently, Franklinton Town Manager Zachary Steffey received the Council of Government's Outstanding Manager award.
The COG, which provides management, planning and technical services to local governments, made the presentation, and others, during its annual awards banquet.

FRANKLINTON -- Town officials issued a special use permit that helps pave the way for a recreational venture in downtown.
On Sept. 17, Joe Farrell and his Franklinton Development LLC petitioned the town's Board of Adjustment to develop an indoor sports facility at 12 Water Street.
The .62-acre property is zoned Downtown Commercial, which does not allow recreational uses -- necessitating the need to ask that it be specially permitted.

WHITE LEVEL -- A Louisburg police officer escaped injury when he wrecked his patrol car on the way into work.
Immediate attempts to view the State Highway Patrol report were not successful, but Louisburg Police Chief Jason Abbott confirmed that Det. Elliott Coker was on his way to work during the early morning hours of Oct. 4 when he was involved in a single-vehicle wreck on Brewer Road near White Level Road.
There were no injuries, Abbott noted.

LOUISBURG -- The search for a man alleged to have jumped from the Tar River Bridge proved fruitless.
At about noon on Oct. 2, Louisburg police and other emergency crews responded to Bickett Boulevard, where someone reported seeing a white man jump from the bridge to the river below.
Crews searched the area, using air and underwater drones, but to no avail.

Extension Agents William Landis and Martha Mobley, far left and second from left, present the Agriculture Volunteer of the Year Award to MAE Farm, including Suzanne and Mike Jones, front row, second from right and far right, with their family

Franklin County Assistant Library Director Wayne Hunt and Library Director and Franklin County Library Director Michelle Hildreth accept the Family & Consumer Sciences Volunteer of the Year Award.