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LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Education changed course Monday night in the wake of a growing COVID-19 pandemic and decided that local schools will open virtually this year, for at least the first nine weeks of the year which begins on Monday, Aug. 17.
The decision came after a presentation by School Superintendent Rhonda Schuhler that ended with her recommendation to begin school virtually, joining at least 45 other school districts across the state which will offer remote-learning only for at least part of the year.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County has reported 25 deaths from COVID-19 and more than 730 cases of the novel coronavirus.
While the county has outbreaks and clusters reported at Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and ABC Adventures Preschool and Child Care, the two most recent deaths come from the general community.

This chart shows the breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Franklin County as of Friday, July 24. Interestingly, the majority of the confirmed cases fall in the 25 to 49 year-old age group and 68 percent of the cases are in people under the age of 49. According to the latest figures available, Franklin County now has 720 confirmed cases of the virus and the total is growing steadily. At least 25 deaths have been attributed to the virus locally.

LOUISBURG -- As expected, the Louisburg Town Council, meeting in a special noon-time session on Monday, agreed to make an offer to purchase a downtown historic landmark, but it appears the deal may be in trouble already.
At the meeting, the town agreed to pay $78,500 for the Egerton House in downtown with town officials believing they had an option to buy the property for that amount.

FRANKLINTON -- In a split vote that required Mayor Art Wright to break the tie, commissioners chose a lifelong resident of the town as its next commissioner.
The board voted 3-2 to have Judy McArn finish out the unexpired term of Brad Kearney.
During Tuesday's special called meeting, Kearney resigned the post he's held since 2015 to become head of the town's streets and public works department.

RALEIGH -- Another developer is expressing concern about the county's refusal to allocate water.
This complaint is being taken up in federal court, though.
PEM Entities LLC, which owns land and has developed phases within the Olde Liberty subdivision -- a Youngsville-area development that dates back to 2005 -- filed a lawsuit on July 24, alleging, among other things, that the development predates a 2019 county ordinance that restricts water allocation...

YOUNGSVILLE -- The Miracle League's spring season got scuttled due to COVID-19, but there was an opening day of sorts in the past few weeks.
The Miracle League of Franklin County and its partners unveiled its baseball field in the fall of 2013 -- a rubberized field at Long Mill Elementary School that accommodates players with special needs, including wheelchairs.

Birthday boy Greyson Ricks Lee, 2 Years

For a minute last week, walking into a face-to-face meeting of the Louisburg town council was like barging into a movie audition for actors wanting to play the parts of bank robbers.
It's a little disconcerting, at first anyway, to suddenly confront about 50 people wearing masks.

As a parent, your children reach certain benchmarks and milestones for which you take great pride.
Obviously, there's birth, for which parents hope and pray comes without complications.
Usually, around the 12-month mark, kids take their first steps and we're all so happy until we realize it means that they can get into EVERYTHING, now.

Dear editor: Regarding "College trustees address monument issue" under letters to the editor in a recent Franklin Times, it appears select Louisburg College Board Members attempt to respond with an approval of action taken illegally on the Confederate Monument. I do agree the Monument is not owned by the college. As I understand it, when the monument was erected in 1913, the college was on one side of Main Street.

LOUISBURG - Mavis Nash Burnette, 94, of Louisburg, died Sunday morning.

RALEIGH--Milton Ernest Hobbs, III of Raleigh passed away at the age of 76 to his eternal rest. He was born July 17 to the late Milton Ernest Hobbs, Jr. and Ethyleen Bryson Hobbs. He attended North Carolina State University.

LOUISBURG -- Alex Edwards was an impact player from the moment she first stepped on to the softball field for Louisburg High School as a freshman.
Her presence, along with that of fellow ninth-grader Ragan Holloman, could not have been more welcomed -- or have come at a better time.
Back then, in 2018, Louisburg had a lineup worthy of state title contest -- but there were a few holes on the roster that needed to be filled.

FRANKLINTON - Nehemiah Judkins might be one of the best under-the-radar athletes in recent Franklin County history.
Some of his Franklinton High School track and field teammates may have accumulated more accolades than Judkins over the past four years, but none have the collection of Big East Conference Championships that he has piled up.

ELM CITY -- Grandstands are still closed at Elm City's County Line Raceway, but that did not deter fans from coming out in droves two Saturdays ago as the 3/8-mile clay oval played host to six races, including a 30-lap FUEL Series I-95 Late Model Challenge feature.
It didn't take long for the excitement to start, either.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Because of the fluidity of the COVID-19 health situation, the NC Wesleyan College Women's Soccer program have decided to postpone their upcoming ID camp that was scheduled for August 9 to a date to be announced later.
For more info on women's ID camps, contact head coach Beverly Biancur at bbiancur@ncwc.edu or assistant coach Kohl Orner at korner@ncwc.edu.
They can also be reached at (252) 985-5215 or 985-5447.

FAYETTEVILLE -- With the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and athletics staffs as their priority, the Presidents of the USA South Athletic Conference have voted unanimously to postpone all fall sport conference competition until the spring 2021 semester.
The sports impacted are football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, and women's cross country.

Nehemiah Judkins (left) has been effective in several sports during his time as a track and field standout at Franklinton High School -- including the 110 Hurdles.

Sarah Foster sorts items to give away while she volunteers at the Louisburg Senior Center.

Volunteers (from left) Elaina Jones and Angela Williams pose with the produce boxes from the North Carolina Baptists on Missions.

LOUISBURG -- A hearing to determine the fate of the clerk of court is slated for next week.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge John Dunlow suspended Patricia Chastain from her position on July 13 after a Louisburg attorney petitioned for the move, alleging, among other things, that Chastain overstepped her authority on a number of occasions, ran an office that had questionable financial accountability and suggested her erratic behavior might be attributed to substance abuse.

RALEIGH - North Carolina residents who have received seed shipments that they did not order from China or other foreign sources are advised not to plant these seeds because they could be a pathway for introduction of invasive species, insects and plant diseases.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has been contacted by numerous people who have received the seeds, which are likely the product of an international internet scam known as "brushing."