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LOUISBURG -- Hunting season comes around every year.
And, as is often the case, so does the chafing between landowners and hunters, particularly dog hunters.
This year, though, county commissioners have at least pledged to do some follow-up on the issue.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A Franklin County company announced a $1.65 million expansion that will create new jobs.
Atlantic Corporation of Wilmington Inc. is one of the most technically advanced packaging resources in North America, with capabilities in manufacturing, distribution, consulting and technical service, county economic development staff said.

A distinct chill in the air, brightly colored lights suddenly appearing, decorations popping up and parades in every Franklin County community can mean only one thing, the Christmas Season is upon us!
In the photo above, the Christmas tree in front of the county courthouse was lighted last week amid musical presentations from the Knox Family and the South Main Street Baptist Church's Mass Choir just before Jolly Old Saint Nick made his appearance for the younger set. Several hundred people attended the event, the first of its kind in Louisburg.

Franklin County has hired a new solid waste director.
Brian Haynesworth will start on January 2.
He takes over for Jon Faulkner, who retired this month after 30 years in Franklin County, 25 as director of the department.

LOUISBURG -- It appears a man accused of killing his father will have legal representation after all.
Franklinton police arrested John Lawrence Morgan on Nov. 26, charging him with the murder of Richard Morgan Jr.
Morgan reported to authorities that three black men broke into the father and son's North Main Street home in Franklinton and attacked the 83-year-old man.

Patricia Burnette Chastain and Kent Winstead

Okay, I'm not really sure exactly what happened, but it sure was fun and a great beginning to the Christmas season!
And I hope whatever magic happened will happen again and again.
The event was the Christmas tree lighting ceremony -- and much more -- last Thursday night in downtown Louisburg.
Arriving late -- as usual -- we actually had to look for a place to park, something that's not usually the case in downtown except when court is in session.

You're going to notice something a bit different on this week's Op-Ed pages -- and it's being presented in an effort to be pro-active about an issue that is proving difficult for towns, counties and institutions across the South.
The issue focuses on Confederate statues and other monuments that have become the focus of controversy in so many communities.

In the coming days or weeks, Franklin County's newly elected or re-elected municipal leaders will take their oath of office.
They'll either place their hand on a Bible or affirm that they will: ... "support and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States, and the Constitution and laws of North Carolina not inconsistent therewith, and that [they] will faithfully discharge the duties of [their] office ..., so help [them] God."

Dear editor:
Are we headed towards another 'Saturday Night Massacre'?
We may soon see a replay of the so-called "Saturday Night Massacre" of October 20, 1973. Then, during the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon refused to release tape recordings to Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, knowing that some of the recordings would implicate him (Nixon).

Dear editor:
I have attended Louisburg College since 2016 and I will be graduating in the spring of 2018. I have had the opportunity to see this Confederate Monument every day. I have read what is engraved in the stone and I've touched this stone.

Dear editor:
I'm a sophomore student at Louisburg College and I totally agree with Will Hinton that the Confederate monument should be removed off the college campus of Louisburg.

Dear editor:
I stand by Professor William Hinton's claims in his latest editorial Thoughts on our monument.
As a current sophomore at Louisburg College, identifying as a Mexican-American, I feel as if the statue promotes the wrong ideals and thoughts of the college.

Dear editor:
As a student at Louisburg College, I believe the Confederate statue at our school should be relocated or destroyed.
Professor Will Hinton, suggests it should be relocated to a more suitable environment, for which it can be more appreciated.

Dear editor:
I'm a current student at Louisburg College and I strongly agree with Professor Hinton and his purpose for removing the Confederate statue. This Confederate monument can serve more of a purpose if it was moved to where Confederate dead soldiers were buried.

Dear editor:
I was moved by Will Hinton's editorial to The Franklin Times entitled "Thoughts On Our Monument."
I am an African American student and currently enrolled as a full time commuter at Louisburg College. I have also been a resident of Franklin County for 20 years.

Dear editor:
As a student at Louisburg College, I concur with professor Hinton's suggestion to relocate the Confederate monument because it could potentially cause chaos within the community, it does not represent the history of the college properly, and lastly, we do not need so many Confederate monuments in the United States.

Dear editor:
As a student at Louisburg College, I strongly agree with professor Will Hinton's suggestion to relocate the Confederate monument because it represents racism, hatred, and fear.

Dear editor:
I strongly agree with Professor Will Hinton's position on the Confederate monument issue. The Confederate monument should be taken down and moved to a cemetery. I believe that this is the proper way to honor the Confederate dead.

Dear editor:
My name is Hunter Franks and I am a student at Louisburg College. Personally, I would have to say I agree with Professor Will Hinton about the removal of the Confederate statue and placing it elsewhere.

Dear editor:
I am an African American, honor roll student of Louisburg College. These opinions are mine and do not represent those of Louisburg College.
Although I agree with the creativity in The Franklin Times editorial by Will Hinton - "Thoughts on Our Monument" to address the Confederate monument controversy, we have bigger issues. We need to fix the 2nd Amendment.

Dear editor:
As a student at Louisburg College, I agree with Professor Will Hinton's suggestion to relocate the Confederate monument because it causes a lot of controversy among the students that attend Louisburg College and among the people that live in Louisburg, North Carolina.

Dear editor:
As a student at Louisburg College I feel that the whole Confederate Monument crisis is out of hand because of the way people have been causing riots and acting in a way that I feel is ignorant over something that shows significance in history.

LOUISBURG -- Coming in, Louisburg High School boys basketball coach Mike Sheldon figured -- and for good reason -- that this would be a rebuilding-type campaign for his inexperienced squad.
Over the past two years, the Warriors have experienced almost a complete varsity roster turnover due to graduation and transfer.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Now in his second stint as Louisburg High School's head wrestling coach, Jason Crawford has gained a reputation as not being afraid to test his mat stars against some of the area's toughest competition.
That intangible was evident again last Saturday as Crawford took a small-but-skilled group to Nash County to take part in the annual Grant Wilder Invitational at the Rocky Mount High School Gymnasium.

BUNN -- It hasn't taken long for Ghage Kenan to make an immediate impact for the Bunn High School boys basketball program.
After a few uncharacteristic down seasons, the Wildcats are trending upward once again -- and Kenan is playing a huge role in the program's success.
A senior point guard who transferred from Crossroads Christian School, Kenan has scored over 20 points in each of the Wildcats' four outings to date.

LOUISBURG -- When a few regular standouts decided not to join the Louisburg High School girls basketball squad this season, the Lady Warriors -- and Coach Chris Baker -- immediately hit the rebuild button.
Louisburg has displayed plenty of heart in its early-campaign games, but that hard work has yet to result in a victory for a squad that is void of extensive varsity experience.

ZEBULON -- Once again, the Carolina Mudcats are offering holiday ticket and gift packages for the baseball fan on your list.
The Santa's Cap Pack costs $50 and features the following amenities:

FRANKLINTON -- Even with some new faces, success remains a constant for the Franklinton High School girls basketball squad.
The biggest off-season change for FHS came when the legendary Lester Wilder announced his retirement -- and was replaced by former Red Rams' boys hoops standout Matthew Hockaday.

HERSHEY, PA. -- Former Louisburg High School Athletic Director and assistant football coach Greg Page will be competing today for the top gridiron honor in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Page, the long-time head football coach at Homer Center High School, will lead his Wildcats into today's Class 1-A State Championship showdown against Jeannette.

CHAPEL HILL - The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has announced the game times for the 104th annual Football State Championships.
All eight games will be played this Saturday at four locations across North Carolina and be televised by a network of stations across the state put together by Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

RALEIGH -- Now in his 22nd season as head coach of the North Carolina State University baseball program and one of just 15 active coaches with 1,000 or more career wins, Elliott Avent announced the team's 2018 schedule Wednesday morning.
The Wolfpack's slate is highlighted by six games versus teams that advanced to the 2017 College World Series (CWS) and 16 games against NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago.

Louisburg High School's Jada Branch (with ball) makes a strong move toward the basket during last Wednesday's home girls basketball meeting against Northwest Halifax. Branch is making key contributions for the Lady Warriors as a ninth-grader.

Franklinton High School's Kam Brooks scores in the paint for the Red Rams during Tuesday night's home showdown against Franklin County rival Bunn at the FHS Gymnasium.

Louisburg's James Gerald works his way through the Northwest Halifax defense during last Wednesday's non-conference basketball contest.

Franklinton High School's Tavion Jefferies moved into the paint for the Red Rams during Tuesday's home meeting against the Bunn Wildcats.

In May 1914, the Joseph J. Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy brought to a successful close their diligent effort to erect a monument in Louisburg memorializing the soldiers from Franklin County who fought for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
Although their work no doubt reflected a sincere desire to honor the sacrifices made by their fathers, husbands, or other loved ones, it epitomized what has come to be known by historians as the "Lost Cause" movement.

LOUISBURG -- Since 2015, Pamela Andrejev and Everett Mayo have been exhibiting genuine mid-century modernist and abstract art ... and now can boast a gallery showroom in downtown Louisburg.
Since July, the duo has been renovating, spackling, painting, cleaning and re-cleaning to ready the four gallery and patio space.

Santa listens to Jayla Harris' wish list after the Town of Bunn's Christmas tree lighting.

Anna Amiss helps Alex Brantley and Shelby Griffin with arts and crafts set up at the Bunn Christmas Tree Lighting event last week at Town Hall.

The Epsom Fire Department rows their way through the parade.

In Youngsville, Christmas was in full swing! Above, Lillie Scott, 2017 Tiny Miss Franklin County, is all smiles.

Above, Dria and Ricky Delgado chat with Santa in Youngsville.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County auto mechanics urged commissioners to utilize a fairer way to handle vehicle fleet maintenance contracts, or perform the service in-house.
Vehicle service has been an issue for Franklin County, going back at least a decade, when commissioners changed the county's purchasing and service policy so that all service contracts were put out to bid -- placing an emphasis on the county's vehicle service contract.

LOUISBURG -- A New York man was sentenced to nearly three years in jail for crimes committed in Franklin County.
A jury found Kim Ragland guilty of breaking and entering, multiple counts of possession of stolen property, and fleeing to elude arrest.
Superior Court Judge Vinston Rozier Jr. sentenced Ragland to three consecutive sentence of between 11 to 23 months in prison.

WAKE FOREST -- A Franklinton man whom police arrested following a chase is slated to appear in Franklin County court next week on charges of larceny and interfering with an electric monitoring device.
The charges against Michael Anthony Allen are believed to be what sparked the chase the morning of Dec. 4.

SPRING HOPE -- The sheriff's office Community Action Team seized drugs and money from a residence as part of an investigation.
According to Sheriff Kent Winstead, the unit seized five grams of oxycodone, six grams of marijuana and nearly $1,200 in cash from a home on Carlyle Road on Nov. 27.

LOUISBURG -- Young students at the Child Care Center on Vance-Granville Community College's Franklin County Campus recently celebrated Fire Prevention Week.
Special guests at the five-star child day care during the week included the "Fire Pup," "Smokey the Bear," and Capt. Ramey Seal from the Louisburg Fire Department.