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LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners got their first look at a budget that proposes to increase spending, raise the tax rate, hire more employees, lease more vehicles and raise some fees.
Those things are necessary, county management said, if Franklin County wants to fully fund education needs and manage growth.

LOUISBURG -- Unofficially, Franklin County commissioners seemed to sack a plan that would require residents to have decals to dump their trash.
Solid Waste Director Brian Haynesworth presented the idea to the board during a budget worksession on Tuesday.
The decals, Haynesworth said, would provide an easy way to identify and allow dumping by county users who contribute to the costs to operate solid waste through the availability fee, while keeping out outsiders who use the service without paying.

The Louisburg Senior Center recently held a Mother's Day Parade of Hats contest. Geraldine Reynolds (shown here) was the first place winner.

Crosscreek Charter School officials,with shovels in hand, broke ground on a new school site on Wednesday. School Director Robin Jackson, right, was joined by Board of Directors. from left, Treasurer Dustin Moore, Secretary Al Wheless, Mike Senter, original Board Chair Susan Sawin, Quedella Hargrove, President Mike Rowe, and Haven Allen. The school was chartered in 2000 and opened to students in mobile units the following year.

LOUISBURG -- A recent drowning has served as an opportunity for county leaders to remind people about water safety.
On May 17, emergency crews and law enforcement responded to a drowning at Riverbend Park.
More than four hours later, they retrieved the body of Octavious Jermaine "Smokey" Yarborough.

FRANKLINTON -- Management presented commissioners with a plan to put money toward seven goals they identified during work sessions and retreats, ranging from improving the town's response to crime, to better developing downtown to improving roadways.
Town Manager Gregory Bethea presented a 2019-20 budget that proposes to do those things without raising the tax rate while making it a goal to reduce the town's tax rate from 72 cents per $100 of valuation to the state average of 43 cents per $100 of valuation for like-sized towns.

Bunn HS Wildcats sports fan Dax Andrew Lewis

Just like a lot of individual Americans, Franklin County was left out of recent government efforts to "help."
Our beloved state government decreed that Franklin County is so "rich" that we don't deserve help extending broadband service while neighboring Vance County is so cash strapped that it deserved an influx of our tax money.
Perhaps in some universe that makes sense -- but when state (or federal) government starts picking winners and losers for taxpayer aid, it usually ends badly. And unfairly.

If you're reading this, you've either picked up this newspaper or called it up online.
You were free to do that -- and you are free to either agree, disagree or be indifferent to what is included in its pages.
Some will react negatively, wadding up the paper and derisively tossing it away. Others may click off the page, mumbling.

Over the past two days, I've spent a lot of time going over numbers, facts, figures and tax rates.
I was a liberal arts major so, more often than not, looking at numbers, facts, figures and tax rates for any extended period of time often makes my eyes glaze over and my eyelids heavy.

LOUISBURG--Jose A. Castanedalopez, 23, died Saturday, May 11, 2019. Funeral service was held Sataurday, May 18, at Alston-Anderson Funeral Home, Louisburg. Burial followed in the Cedar Street Cemetery in Louisburg.

NASH COUNTY-- Robert "Bob" Lee Kennedy, 86, of Nash County died Monday, May 20, 2019. The family will receive friends Friday from 1- 1:45 p.m. at Lancaster Funeral and Cremation Services, 804 N Bickett Boulevard, Louisburg, where funeral services will follow at 2 p.m., with Minister Mike Henrichs officiating. Entombment will follow in Lancaster Memorial Park.

BUNN -- Making the state quarterfinals for only the second time in the past quarter-century was quite an accomplishment for the Bunn High School baseball team.
But the Wildcats were seeking an even deeper trip last Friday as they hosted a touted Randleman club in Elite Eight action of the Class 2-A State Playoffs at the BHS Baseball Field.

FRANKLINTON -- Whispers began almost as soon as Rebekah Smith stepped on to the Franklinton High School campus as a freshman.
Without a doubt, observers felt like Smith had the talent in the Girls High Jump to eventually join the school's growing list of state track and field champions.
Smith, now a junior, was in contention at the state meet in each of her first two seasons, but was unable to break through the title barrier.

LOUISBURG -- Despite being a 1-A school in classification, the Louisburg Warriors continue to compete against some tough 2-A challengers in the split Northern Carolina Conference baseball standings.
And the Warriors continued to fare well against those foes under veteran head coach Al Bolton.

PRINCETON -- Louisburg High School entered the 2019 softball campaign with tremendous expectations -- and for good reason.
LHS advanced to the state finals one year earlier, and was slated to return all but one player from that talented group.
En route to the state championship series, the Lady Warriors showed plentyof savvy by winning a handful of close games in electrifying fashion.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Winning Middle Athletic Conference Championships has become commonplace for the Cedar Creek Middle School athletic program.
But not even Cedar Creek had ever seen what the Jaguars and Lady Jaguars were able to accomplish during the 2018-19 school year.
To put things in perspective, the MAC offers a combined 11 boys and girls team sports.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College track and field coach Josh Hayman welcomes student-athletes from across the globe -- but it never hurts to recruit a few less than one mile away.
Hayman didn't have to travel too far to sign two of his latest standouts as he journeyed up North Main Street for a few hundred yards to ink a pair of Louisburg High School track and field athletes to letters-of-intent.

GREENVILLE -- Fifth-year head coach Cliff Godwin has been named American Athletic Conference Baseball Coach-of-the-Year, while East Carolina University junior Jake Agnos was tabbed Pitcher-of-the-Year according to an announcement by the league office Monday afternoon.
The Pirates also had six first-team all-conference selections in Agnos, DH Spencer Brickhouse, OF Alec Burleson, LHP Jake Kuchmaner, OF Bryant Packard (unanimous) and C Jake Washer, while Brickhouse (1B), SS Turner Brown and Burleson (UTIL) garnered second-team All-AAC accolades.

CCMS GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

CCMS GIRLS SOCCER CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

Louisburg High School's Taylor Branch (front, center) signs a letter-of-intent to continue her track and field career at Louisburg College. Also pictured are (back, l to r) Tristen Branch (sister), LHS track and field coach Steven Gupton and LHS Athletic Director Erica Wammock; (front, l to r) Traci Cox (mother) and Sinorris M. Branch (grandmother).

Louisburg High School's Alex Roa (front, center) signs a letter-of-intent to continue his track and field career at Louisburg College.

Bunn's Jaylen Perry lays down a sacrifice bunt for the Wildcats during last Friday's meeting with Randleman in the Elite Eight of the Class 2-A State Baseball Playoffs.

Franklinton senior Lauren Esselborn (right) capped off her exceptional career by taking part in the Girls 800 at the Class 3-A State Track Championships.

The Kerr-Vance Academy Spartans took the best two out of three series against Albemarle Academy on May 18- 19 at Boyd Field in Henderson. This completed the Spartans' run for a third straight North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association state title. The score for game two was 15-2. Prior to the championship round, the team defeated The Burlington School and Lawrence Academy. Several Franklin County standouts were on the Spartans' roster.

Bunn High School's Aaron Simmons prepares to meet his teammates at home plater after smashing a home run during last Friday's playoff game versus Randleman.

Franklinton's Rebekah Smith poses atop the winner's podium.

In 2017, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a Historic Preservation Ordinance for Franklin County. Since that time, the seven-member Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) has been working diligently to establish procedures and to plan meaningful activities designed to promote the preservation of the county's rich architectural heritage.

Corrella Holiday

The Louisburg Senior Center showed off their beautiful hats during the Mother's Day Parade of Hats contest. Pictured above are Janice Vick and Olivia Gupton.

Jessie Baynard, third place winner of the Parade of Hats.

Doris Etheridge at the Franklinton Senior Center

Franklinton Senior Center hosted a Matter of Balance Class, discussing fall prevention. Receiving their certificate of completion, left to right, Ada Pittman, Tina LaFlamme, Freda Anderson, Mary Dimaio, Conerd Frederickson, Don Appleford and Elaine Appleford.

A number of school personnel changes were approved by the Franklin County Board of Education. The board:

The Franklin Bots Team Hydra was recently honored by the Franklin County Board of Education for their showing in the North Carolina State Championship this year. The competition was entitled "Destination: Deep Space" and the team's robot, Millie Falco 2.0, performed well, earning a 29th place ranking among the 71 teams from across the state who were competing. Advisors said the team worked many evenings and even Saturdays, twice with Caterpillar engineers from the Research Triangle Park, to prepare for the competition.

LOUISBURG -- The Town Council enjoyed a "clean" audit report, quickly rezoned a piece of property and put its stamp of approval on another major sidewalk construction project during a short meeting Monday night.
Early in the meeting the council unanimously approved the rezoning of a lot at 106 North Elm Street from Office and Institutional to B-1, central business.

In light of a recent drowning in Franklin County, emergency services staff offered the following safety tips:

WAKE FOREST -- The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will open Holding Park Aquatic Center (HPAC) for the 2019 season on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Located at 133 W. Owen Ave., the HPAC features a six-lane, 25-yard lap pool, two water slides with plunge pool and children's pool with water play.

The Four Bridges ECA Club were guests for the Louisburg Fire Department's recent monthly supper meeting.
The club presented Randy Lanham, fire chief, with 117 stuffed animals to be given to children and others as a comfort item after a fire.
This was the club's community project. The firemen were very thankful for the gifts.

These area women were recently honored for their community service, including (from left to right) Muriel Rice, Granville County; Margaret Ellis, Vance County; Jacquelyn Wilson, Chapter President; Kelli London, Janice Crump Award recipient; Monica Kearney, Franklin County; Janice Crump, keynote speaker

HENDERSON -- Franklin County's leading advocate against domestic violence, along with leading women from four other counties, was honored recently.
Another Franklin County resident was recognized for her work within the Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc -- which hosted the recognition breakfast.