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READY FOR SANTA! Once the downtown Louisburg Christmas tree was officially lit last Sunday evening, these three cute young ladies were obviously ready for a visit from the big guy from the North Pole, even if he's not due for a couple of more weeks. All smiles -- and trying really, really hard to be patient -- are (from the left) Everleigh, 3; Elliana, 5 and Emma, 7, Johnson, all of Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners agreed to host a public hearing and work session next week, giving themselves and residents more time to communicate before selecting a new emergency radio system.
On Monday night, Tusa Consulting Services' representatives presented commissioners and the public with proposals from two companies interested in outfitting the county with a new emergency radio system.

ARE YOU AN ANGEL? Kayden Barlow, Brandon Smith, Chance and Kyndall Privette pose with a Christmas fairy during Franklinton's annual, nighttime Christmas parade.

LOUISBURG -- In October, Franklin County Health Director Scott LaVigne had some good news for commissioners and the public -- the number of new cases in the county was on the decline.
This month, the news was almost all bad.
Coronavirus cases are on the rise, including young folks.

LOUISBURG -- The sale of the first tract in Louisburg's still-not-completed industrial park took a giant step forward during a special town council meeting last Wednesday afternoon -- but the buyer also was given the option of switching direction and buying something else instead.
The council accepted the offer of Merchants Metals for a 6.25 acre tract along T. Kemp Road. The company agreed to pay $35,000 an acre or $218,750.

Abigail Tsantles waves to the crowd while she and other members of her family were part of the town of Youngsville's Christmas parade this past Saturday. The annual parade, which moved through the heart of downtown, featured hundreds of entrants, walking, riding on floats, in cars or on the back of trucks during the annual parade.

Legendary Charity Snelling and daughter, Aaliyah Neal

Well, we can't deny it any longer ... the Christmas Season is upon us and in full swing.
There is no longer any point in denying reality or trying to put it off just a little bit longer.
My cohort Carey Johnson managed to get to both the Franklinton and Youngsville festivities last week and then Donna and I made it to The Burg's Christmas parade and the tree lighting that followed it on Sunday.

As I've gotten more experienced, I find myself relying upon closed captioning or subtitles, more and more.
The benefit of that is that I don't miss blindingly fast dialogue and I'm sure to correctly pronounce unfamiliar words.
It seems that I'm not the only one who might get tongue tied by words without the proper visuals.
The U.S. Captioning Company, which captions and subtitles real-time events on TV and in courtrooms, released its list of most mispronounced words.
Honestly, this apparent list is just another opportunity to make fun of television personalities and broadcasters.

Dear editor:
As we look back at the Thanksgiving Holiday, there are many blessings to be thankful for. To be fortunate enough to live in Franklin County or anywhere in rural, small-town America is a blessing.

Sandra A. Beasley completed her earthly life journey among us on December 6, 2021. Sandra lived among us for 74 years. She is survived by her loving and deeply devoted husband, Samuel Ellis Beasley, of the home. Sammy and Sandy have been married for 53 years. Along with her husband, Sandra is survived by her daughters, Lee Beasley Loftis (and husband, Stephen) of Winston-Salem, and Amanda Beasley Cash (and husband, Stephen "Bradley") of Youngsville. Sandra's grandchildren are Matthew and Colin Loftis of Winston-Salem, Ian and Kara Cash of Youngsville, and Rhys Brock-Loftis and his wife, Liz of Greensboro. The grandchildren deeply adored their Memaw. Sandra is also survived by her brother, Jerry Lee Ayscue and wife Carolyn, of Henderson.

FRANKLINTON - Franklinton basketball legend Henry Bibby once said that, everywhere he goes, he runs into someone who knows Lester Wilder.
Of course, this is the Henry Bibby who played at UCLA under John Wooden before enjoying a long National Basketball Association career -- and later became a successful college and professional coach.

LOUISBURG -- It didn't take long for newcomer Louisburg High School to claim a signature victory in the Big East Conference boys basketball scene.
One game, in fact.
Louisburg, playing in front of an energetic home crowd, opened its Big East slate in style by edging perennial powerhouse Northern Nash by a 56-54 margin in the first meeting between the two schools in recent memory at the historic LHS Gymnasium.

FRANKLINTON -- Young and filled with potential -- that is destined to be the story of the 2021-22 Franklinton High School girls basketball squad.
FHS has boasted some underclassman-dominated teams in the past, but this one might top the charts as the Lady Rams boast just a pair of seniors.
And the club's undisputed court leader -- Kayla Wilkins -- is only a sophomore.

NASH COUNTY -- Here is the master schedule for the 2021-22 Big East Conference Basketball Season (league games only):

BUNN -- After a one-year hiatus, the Bunn Holiday Basketball Tournament will be returning at the end of December -- but with a twist.
Instead of an all-boys format, the annual event will also feature four girls teams, including the host Bunn Ladycats.
Louisburg, which hasn't participated in the tournament in several years, will be making a return trip to the Bunn Dome on the boys side.

Franklinton's Shontalae Evans (left) makes her way toward the basket during last Friday night's non-conference home matchup against the Knightdale Knights.

So many friendships were rekindled last Friday night at the Lester Wilder Court ceremony. Here is one of them as former Franklinton boys basketball coach Thurman Jordan (left) shares a moment with ex-Weldon girls hoops coach Grady Williams, who was part of a Weldon entourage that made the trip to Franklin County for the event.

Kameron Crudup (left), the grandson of Lester Wilder, performed the official ribbon cutting during last Friday's ceremony to commemorate the new Lester Wilder Court at the Franklinton High School Gymnasium. Crudup then dribbled upcourt with a basketball and made the first-ever shot on the court as the huge crowd roared its appreciation.

Louisburg's Jordan Durham delivered 31 points, 14 rebounds and made 11-of-17 free throws for the Warriors during Tuesday night's home triumph in overtime against league foe Northern Nash.

Tasha Wilder, the daughter of Lester Wilder, shares some memories of her father during the unveiling of the Lester Wilder Court last Friday night at the Franklinton HS Gymnasium.

The crowds were plentiful during the Youngsville parade.

The Yacht Club Beverage House lived up to its namesake with a pontoon float at the Youngsville parade.

For a moment, Max Moore checks out the crowd rather than the Youngsville Christmas parade attended with, from left, Tabitha, Brent and Matt Moore.

Sayid Hardaway scoots out of the way of the Franklinton parade after grabbing a handful of candy.

Rachel Perry, Spring Hope Miss Pumpkin Queen

Louisburg High band plays a Christmas tune during the Louisburg parade.

Lions Club members handing out candy during the Louisburg parade.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Elections agreed to register Kevin White as a Republican, freeing him up to run for that party's nomination this spring.
White, a long-time member of the Franklin County sheriff's office, and its current SWAT commander, said he decided to run for sheriff back in July and researched what he needed to do to be eligible.

Sharing the knowledge generated through research remains the goal of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. N.C. Cooperative Extension has a long, proud tradition of serving the citizens and communities of North Carolina. Formally established in 1914, the Extension Service is a partnership of county, state and federal governments. Throughout its history, it has focused on providing people with learning opportunities that allow them to benefit from research-based knowledge.

When asked to think of industries that utilize technology in unique ways, few people may immediately think of agriculture. But technology has left a significant footprint in every industry, and the agricultural sector is no exception.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture notes that modern farms operate a lot differently than the farms of yesteryear.