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LOUISBURG -- Following a more than one hour and 15-minute closed session, Franklin County commissioners tabbed Kim Denton to follow Angela Harris as their next county manager.
The unanimous decision was made Monday night Denton, the county's current assistant manager, will assume her duties as the top administrator on Nov. 1.
"We have a jewel leaving and a jewel coming," Commission Chair Sidney Dunston said following the vote. "We're excited."

LOUISBURG -- Patricia Chastain has 30 days to notify the courts if she'll continue to fight for her job.
On Oct. 16, Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Lock issued an order that permanently removed Chastain from her position as superior court clerk of court -- a decision he reached two weeks after attorneys argued for her removal.
It was a hearing that became necessary when Louisburg attorney Jeffrey Scott Thompson petitioned the courts for her removal.

LOUISBURG -- Already, more than 10,000 voters have cast a ballot during early voting, which began Oct. 15.
Early voting for the general election began on Thursday, Oct. 15, and runs through Oct. 31, with voting hours from 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m, Monday through Friday.
The county's plan also includes one day of Sunday voting, Oct. 25, from 1-5 p.m.

LOUISBURG -- Town officials got some good news about the long awaited Depot Hill project Monday night during a meeting that may have set a new record for its shortest ever -- just about eight minutes.
Town officials learned from Administrator Jonathan Franklin that the Tobacco Trust Fund has awarded the town $125,000 for the Depot Hill project that has been much discussed but long delayed.

LOUISBURG -- Town officials got some good news about the long awaited Depot Hill project Monday night during a meeting that may have set a new record for its shortest ever -- just about eight minutes.
Town officials learned from Administrator Jonathan Franklin that the Tobacco Trust Fund has awarded the town $125,000 for the Depot Hill project that has been much discussed but long delayed.

County resident Dorene Upchurch

You've heard that the devil is in the details, right?
That certainly proved true for me last week as we were putting together the Oct. 15 edition of this newspaper.
I've been supportive of Franklin County's effort to upgrade its office space -- and especially if those upgrades make it easier for citizens to find and utilize county services.

Look, I already know that this is going to sound like an indictment of the county's newly named county manager.
I can assure you, it is not.
But, the process by which we have our newly named county manager reminds of an old Cosby Show episode.
In that episode, Vanessa, the Cosby's third oldest daughter, shows up with a fiancé in tow -- she had been engaged for six months but did not tell her parents.

Dear editor:
With Friday's announcement that elected Clerk of Court Patricia Burnette Chastain has been ousted from her seat on the grounds of "willful misconduct," a dark and angry cloud now hangs over the Franklin County Courthouse, and it brings not only an injustice to the people of Franklin County, but it undermines the foundations of American Democracy.

FRANKLINTON -- Cross country is a sport that requires intense discipline and dedication during training -- especially on a competitive level.
Thanks to COVID-19, those challenges have been made increasingly difficult for area high school distance coaches.
At Franklinton, cross country head coach Clennie Wilkins was unable to officially train his runners until workouts began this Monday.

EVENT POSTPONED. We will update when a new date is provided.

FRANKLINTON -- A huge crowd is expected Saturday for a Get Well Drive-By Parade for Franklinton legend Lester Wilder.
Wilder, one of Franklin County's most beloved people, is currently battling a serious medical condition. He was the long-time multi-sport coach at Franklinton High School before retiring three years ago -- and immediately getting back into coaching at Franklinton Middle School.

GREENSBORO -- The Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN have announced kickoff times and the broadcast information for Week 8.
Wake Forest will play host to Virginia Tech at Truist Field on Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Regional Sports Networks.
Here is the full television schedule for ACC games scheduled for Week 8:

RALEIGH -- Area stars Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. continued to excel for the North Carolina State University Wolfpack during last Saturday's 31-20 home victory against Duke University in Atlantic Coast Conference football action.
With the win, NC State improved to 4-1 heading into this Saturday's key road showdown at rival North Carolina.

BRINKLEYVILLE -- Halifax County Motor Speedway will return to racing this Saturday as the Speedway presents the "Support Divisions Special".
Saturday's race program will include Limited Sportsman, Pure Stock V8, Super Stock 4 Cylinder, Pure Stock 4 Cylinder, and U-Car.
Pit gates will open at 3 p.m.

Franklinton High School cross country coach Clennie Wilkins is excited about his team's prospects in the competitive Big East Conference during the coming season.

102 YEARS OLD AND COUNTING -- Maggie Kearney of Franklinton was born Oct. 24, 1918 in Kittrell. Due to COVID-19, this year's birthday celebration will be confined to celebrating with family at home,which includes her two children, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Her secrets to a long life are to drink lots of water, eat three meals a day, eat lots of vegetables and be outside as much as possible.

Here are the personnel decisions made last week by the Franklin County Board of Education. The board:

LOUISBURG -- COVID-19 cases in Franklin County continue to go up, but the county has not registered a coronavirus-related death in weeks.
And, while two charter schools and Louisburg College are open to face-to-face learning, and teachers have been back in the classroom, there have been no cluster of cases reported in the county, Health Director Scott LaVigne told commissioners on Monday night.

Louisburg's Dr. Phillip Stover is now a Kentucky Colonel granted by that state's Governor Andy Beshear. Dr. Stover, his family and friends gathered outside his Louisburg Family Practice 7 Pain Management Clinic recently to watch him receive the award. Kentucky Colonel celebrates the ideal that we all can live in the service of those around us, be they in the local community or the global community.

LOUISBURG -- A resident has brought a complaint to the attention of local elections brass, county management and state elections staff, but no resolution appeared evident.
Jo Scott Dorsett served as a volunteer observer during an Oct. 6 elections meeting dealing with absentee ballots when she said board member Angela Pearce was not wearing a mask and not adhering to social distancing practices -- endangering fellow board members, staff and members of the public serving as witnesses during the process.

LOUISBURG -- A man who was sentenced to spend decades in jail for assaulting, robbing and kidnapping an elderly woman in the spring of 1990 will have to finish out that sentence.
A three-judge panel ruled Oct. 12 that Kenneth Evans did not provide enough evidence to prove his innocence.
"... Mr. Evans was disappointed, and maintains his innocence," said his attorney, Mary Jude Darrow. "It was a tough case."

FRANKLINTON -- Police Chief James Davis informed commissioners and the public that some schedules have shifted to better cover the town.
On the evening of Oct. 7, officer J. Wilson responded to a domestic disturbance at 23 W. Green Street.
After speaking with both parties and conducting an investigation, Wilson began to arrest a man at the scene when the suspect began fighting.

LOUISBURG -- By the end of this month, visitors to Franklin County's Owens Park could be treated to WiFi hotspot access.
Then, by Thanksgiving, residents around White Level Road could be feasting on broadband access.
"The projection is, by the end of the year, to have, our estimate, is to get about 100 people signed up before the end of the year," said Alan Helias, area manager for Open Broadband, the company the county hired last year to bring broadband to Franklin County -- targeting unserved and underserved communities.

Triangle Risk Advisors has retained its Best Practices status, once again becoming a part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States. This status comes by participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big "I") Best Practices Study group. The annual survey and study of leading independent insurance agencies documents the business practices of the "best" agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices.