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LOUISBURG -- Nine months ago, area leaders and health care professionals stuck shovels into the dirt, breaking ground on a construction project that promises to bring improved mental health care to the region.
Last week, many of those same people were on hand, signing the last steel beam before it was installed at what will be Maria Parham Franklin's 20-bed behavioral health unit.

The Class of 2019 from Franklin County Schools took off a few weeks ago fueled by at least $7,231,236 in scholarships to help them further their educations.
That was the word Monday night from Dr. Lela Baldwin, chief academic officer, who told the school board that even that impressive total may be a little understated because of the way the award totals are computed.

FRANKLINTON -- The Bibby brothers were back in Franklinton ... and they brought reinforcements.
Fayetteville State Hall of Famer Fred Bibby and three-time NCAA and NBA champion Henry Bibby were on hand for their first Bibby Brothers Basketball Camp, offering kids a free chance to get tips and learn skills from legends and current coaches, including Fred's son, Doug, and area coaches, including Louisburg High's Mike Sheldon.

Moments before she helped toss out one of the first shovels-full of dirt for the new Louisburg High School Athletic Complex, School Supt. Rhonda Schuhler said the Franklin County community has a lot of pride in its educational system -- and said the new stadium was a sign of that pride.
Schools, she said, not only educate students, they do a lot more. "We are really a part of the community," she said as she thanked the community for supporting public education and projects like this long-awaited sports complex.

Legendary baseball coach Billy Godwin

The landscape in and around Louisburg is undergoing changes of a magnitude that haven't been seen in decades.
Just last week, ground was broken for a new, $6.65 million Louisburg High School Athletic Complex, a long-awaited project that will help bring that school's facilities up to par with the other two local general high schools.

I thought I would only have to write this column once this summer.
To be fair, I figured I'd only need to write it just once this year.
However, circumstances have changed.
Back in July, police officers in Youngsville and sheriff's deputies for the county began investigating a series of vehicle "break-ins."

Dear editor: You described Attorney General Barr's appearance before Congress in May as "political two-step." You stated Barr would qualify for a top spot on "Dancing with the Stars." You further stated that Barr hadn't mastered the details of the Mueller Report. You said it was a "sad commentary" on the way Barr was running that office, "not professional."

KANNAPOLIS--Cale Melloy Lewis, 52, of Kannapolis passed away July 31, 2019. He worked for Sysco Guest Supply for over 20 years. Cale graduated from Vance Senior High School in Henderson, NC and attended UNCW and was a member of Chi Phi Fraternity.

BUNN -- Cupcakes were nowhere to be found last Saturday when the Bunn Wildcats hosted a four-team football scrimmage on the BHS campus.
On the contrary -- the schedule was lined with tough opponents for the Wildcats in the form of Class 3-A powerhouse Rocky Mount, up-and-coming 3-A titan Vance County and Class 4-A school Corinth Holders.

FRANKLINTON -- Thanks in part to a long-time carousel of coaches, building a consistent winning culture has been a long-time issue within the Franklinton High School football program.
Second-year head coach Jimmy Williams is in the process of building that culture at FHS -- and it started with an overachieving 2018 campaign that saw the Red Rams reach the second round of the Class 3-A State Playoffs.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Even in the most challenging times, Billy Godwin never lost his desire to coach.
Godwin, a Nash County native and Northern Nash High School alum, has carved out an impressive career as a baseball coach, first on the high school level before getting involved in the college game in the late 1990s at Louisburg College.

BUNN -- In many instances, the previews were better than the movie last season for the Bunn High School volleyball squad.
BHS struggled through an uncharacteristic down campaign last fall, but there was always a flashing light at the end of the tunnel during the Ladycats' junior varsity matchups, which were held before the varsity event.

LOUISBURG -- Even with the loss of six senior standouts, rebuilding is never an option for the always-strong, expectation-laden volleyball program at Louisburg High School.
Louisburg has enjoyed an amazing spike stretch that is over three decades old, and veteran head coach Erica Wammock hopes that run will continue with a new-look squad this fall.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Daquan Neal's football career has taken several positive turns since he prepped as a quarterback for the Franklinton High School Red Rams under former coach Jeremy Buck.
Neal was a prolific passer at Franklinton -- so much so that he gained the attention of Elizabeth City State University, which offered him a scholarship to join the Vikings' gridiron program.

ZEBULON -- Salem's Pedro Castellanos went 3-for-3 with three RBI and starter Daniel Gonzalez pitched through six scoreless frames as the Red Sox clinched a series win with a 4-1 victory versus the host Carolina Mudcats on Sunday afternoon at Five County Stadium in a Class A Carolina League baseball showdown.
Rob Henry played in both right field and caught briefly in the game went 1-for-3 with Carolina's only run of the game.

CARY -- From humble beginnings to receiving one of the state's most prestigious awards -- that's the fulfilling soccer journey of former Franklinton High School head coach Deran Coe.
Back in June, Coe was saluted with a place in the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Field of Honor -- the top individual award a coach can receive in the Tar Heel State.

RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes will hold the 20th annual Caniac Carnival on Sept. 29 at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
The event will offer fans free admission to the Hurricanes' final game of the 2019-20 preseason against the Washington Capitals, free parking and discounts on select food and beverage items.

RALEIGH -- In-state rival East Carolina will provide the opposition for North Carolina State University's first football game of the 2019 season on Aug. 31 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
Sophomore running back Ricky Person is a Franklin County native and is currently listed atop the Wolfpack's depth chart at the running back position.

Franklinton's Carl Stephens attempts to gain extra yardage for the Red Rams during Tuesday morning's home scrimmage against the East Wake Warriors.

(L to R) Assistant coaches Dave Jennings and Donnie Ray are part of a powerhouse staff that has been built by FHS gridiron skipper Jimmy Williams.

The 1955 Class of Bunn High School gathered recently to celebrate its 64th reunion. Classmates and guests met at the home of classmate Shirley Broadway Pearce, near Pilot, for a catered meal and hours of fellowship.
Class members expressed their most memorable experiences while attending Bunn High School, in addition to enjoying conversation about the last 64 years.

Two administrative positions and two assistant principal positions with Franklin County Schools were filled by the Board of Education Monday evening.
The district hired a new head of the Secondary and Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, named a new director of alternative programs and hired two assistant principals for Franklinton High School.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County Commission Chair Sidney Dunston still has more than a year left to serve the public, but high-ranking members of the county's Democratic party are taking stock of his impact now.
Dunston announced during the board's Aug. 5 meeting that he would not be seeking re-election in the fall of 2020.

YOUNGSVILLE -- More than 16 months after commissioners decided to sell the old town hall and police department buildings, staff and officials said they're ready for a conclusion.
They hoped to have reached a disposition by the end of last year, but contract negotiations apparently hit a wall.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg man who was a veteran of three deployments was killed in a motorcycle crash.
Authorities say Joshua R. Wallace died from injuries sustained in the Aug. 12 crash near the Franklin/Granville County line.
According to Trooper D.J. Ball, the 33-year-old was heading west on N.C. 56 when he ran into the back of a vehicle that was stopped on the two-lane roadway about a mile west of Gordon Moore Road.

FRANKLINTON -- Authorities continue to look for a suspect who led police on a multi-county chase that -- when concluded -- may have also been responsible for a drive-by shooting.
Franklinton Police Chief John Green Jr. said Officer Talia Bowden was on patrol at a gas station on U.S. 1 when she heard an alarm going off at Mitchell Do It Best Hardware in the Junction Plaza shopping center at about 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 11.