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LOUISBURG -- A proposed annexation of about 67 acres that seemed headed for a quick approval by the Louisburg Town Council Monday night has been delayed, at least temporarily, after local residents raised serious questions about the project.
The tract is owned by Michael and Paulette Woods, who petitioned the town to annex the property on NC 56 West at the intersection of May Road. The tract wraps around the historic home, Portridge, and the site of the former All Year Nursery. One portion of it fronts on NC 56.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- The county grew by more than 13 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Similar stats for towns with less than 5,000 people have not been released in an easily discernible format, yet.
However, numbers published by the News and Observer, with the aid of staff who served as enumerator with the U.S. Census Bureau, show population decreases for the towns of Louisburg and Bunn.

LOUISBURG -- Congressman David Price took a trip back in time with Louisburg leaders to help determine if more funding for Depot Hill is in the future.
In the spring of 2018, the Dickens family donated the old depot building and surrounding 1.5 acres to the town, sending officials and staff on a journey to determine how to best use the 16,000-square foot building at the corner of South Main and Seaboard streets, just south of the Tar River.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners agreed to rezone a major corridor between Franklinton and Louisburg.
The decision, staff and officials said, allows a majority of property owners to build, maintain or expand houses on their property, while also allowing established industry along the corridor to do the same.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners have chosen their newest town administrator.
Following a series of interviews and a selection process, the board is scheduled to approve the appointment of Nathan Page and swear him in during the board's Aug. 19 (Thursday) meeting.

Bunn HS coach/teacher Morgan LaRoque

As much as I hate to admit it, I made a major error of omission in a recent column.
In a list of all the events that have come and gone in Franklin County, I forgot about a major one that once was a pretty big deal -- and a great subject for column fodder.
The event was the Cow Pie Bingo contest every year that was a big fundraiser.

Late last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 population numbers.
And, to be honest, unless you navigate data for a living, crunch numbers with the dexterity of an olympic gymnast or surf websites like a native Hawaiian, anything other than the surface figures will be tough to decipher.

Dear editor: I would hope that many of us had an opportunity to watch the "Field of Dreams" baseball game in Iowa last week. To remember that great movie from over 30 years ago was neat. The performances of Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones were memorable.

Doris Roberts Denton, age 77, passed away at WakeMed on August 3, 2021, after having been very ill for several years. Doris was born on June 15, 1944, to the late Lillian and Clark Roberts and had two older sisters and one younger brother, all of whom grew up on a farm in Youngsville. After marrying, Doris lived most of her life in Louisburg.

FRANKLIN COUNTY - High school football in North Carolina will begin this Friday, but only one Franklin County squad will be in action -- the Franklinton Red Rams.
Franklinton, coached by Jimmy Williams, will begin their campaign with an expected tough home game against Class 4-A squad Corinth Holders.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the FHS Football Field.

LOUISBURG -- No matter when the season, Louisburg College baseball coach Blake Herring is always on the recruiting trail -- there is no time off, especially when the chance of nabbing a high-quality performer is at stake.
So with the start of classes at LC just one week away, Herring didn't hesitate to travel down NC 39 to Kenly, where the LC veteran skipper signed a pair of recent North Johnston High School graduates to letters-of-intent to join the Hurricanes' storied diamond program.

MOREHEAD CITY -- Summertime in Eastern North Carolina means Coastal Plain League Baseball takes over as one of the main athletic outlets, and the 2021 season was one of the best the CPL has offered in recent memory.
After a limited schedule with few teams taking the field in 2020, all 15 organizations took part in this year's season, ending with the Savannah Bananas as the champions.

ZEBULON -- Sal Frelick went 5-for-6 with a RBI, Ashton McGee hit a three-run home run in the sixth, Ethan Murray and Freddy Zamora hit back-to-back triples in the second and Micah Bello had three hits as the homestanding Carolina Mudcats defeated the Augusta GreenJackets 10-4 in Tuesday's baseball series opener at historic Five County Stadium in Zebulon.

LOUISBURG -- Daniel Schulte has been announced as the head women's volleyball coach at Louisburg College. He comes to Louisburg from Columbus, Ohio where he had been the head coach at Elite Volleyball Training Center since 2019.
Schulte brings a highly competitive, hardworking, and goal-oriented mindset to the college. He is a team leading professional with a clear track record of producing winning programs that are successful both in the classroom and the athletic arena.

RALEIGH -- A Franklinton girl was recently named a Noble Miss Carolina State Queen.
Teagan Dunston, 5, earned the title on June 25 after competing in four areas -- community service involvement, beauty, interview and casual wear.
Dunston was chosen to be a part of the Noble Miss Carolina Queens Court out of several other young ladies in her age division.

The Franklin County Board of Education has hired new assistant principal for Franklinton Middle School, Jennifer Giandenoto-Romano.
"I believe that making and keeping strong relationships is the foundation for all the work we do at school," said Giandenoto-Romano, shortly after stepping into her new role.

Allyson Caldwell graduated May 2021 Cum Laude from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Allyson was a scholar in the Meyerhoff and Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement Scholarship Programs. She participated in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program.

LOUISBURG -- Edith Anderson spent more than four decades teaching, making history as the first African American teacher in the county's integrated school system.
To make sure her legacy didn't end with her tenure and her death in March, the community came together to establish the Edith Anderson Memorial Scholarship Award.

LOUISBURG -- Responding first, restoring the peace and helping others are jobs that can overwhelm.
And, overwhelmingly, the job can take an emotional and mental toll.
As a way of helping, a tight-knit group of veteran law enforcement officers, first responders and Gold Star mothers have started a group to feed the body and spirit of their fellow officers through peer support.

ZEBULON -- A southern Franklin County man died in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend.
According to the State Highway Patrol, Christian Fuentes-Olmedo was found inside an overturned Jeep in the 8600 block of N.C. 39 South the morning of Aug. 15.
According to Trooper D.J. Ball, it appeared that the 37-year-old was heading north on the two-lane highway when he ran off the road to the right, hit an embankment, went airborne and overturned.

LOUISBURG -- Maria Parham Franklin will host a COVID-19 vaccinations clinic this Friday during one of the town's signature events.
The shots will be performed during Louisburg's upcoming Friday Nights on the Tar -- a summer concert series that takes place on the third Friday of each month from late spring, through the summer and early fall.

HENDERSON -- Maria Parham Health announced that family nurse practitioner Kristie White has joined its staff.
White will offer primary care services to patients in Louisburg and the surrounding region from her office at the Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic.
White, from Wendell, is the eighth physician to join Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic, as Maria Parham Health continues to grow its primary care and other services in the Louisburg area.