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LOUISBURG -- The spring primary and fall general election brings with it some familiar faces.
Both Patricia Chastain and Jerry Jones will be seeking to fill posts they've held before.
Chastain, who was removed from office but has since had a victory in appeals court, is seeking the Republican party nomination.

Franklin County officials and staff toured the Claude Mayo Jr. Administration Building in Nash County, getting a first-hand look at a more than 20-year-old building completed by Oakley Collier Architects. Franklin County is relying upon the Rocky Mount-based architectural firm to renovate the county's judicial complex, as well as design a new county administration complex.

LOUISBURG -- For the first time in two years or so, Franklin County's health director had good news for county commissioners: For the past several weeks, COVID-19 has been rapidly exiting the county.
"That's most welcome news for everybody," Health Director Scott LaVigne said during the board's Monday night meeting.

LOUISBURG -- As the clock inched toward 2 p.m. Tuesday, a group of Louisburg firefighters, gathered in the fire station, were anxious, maybe a bit apprehensive and, perhaps, even a little nervous.
None of those emotions are what you usually see in a fire station -- and even Chief Randy Lanham was a bit frustrated after saying, mostly tongue in cheek, that North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey nixed his offer to "proof-read" the commissioner's statement.

LOUISBURG -- The Bunn Rescue Squad shut down almost three years ago, but one of its former members wants to call on some dedicated responders and his civic organization to re-establish emergency care in the Bunn community.
On Monday night, Scott Strickland asked county commissioners to consider issuing an emergency medical responder franchise agreement through Strickland and the Bunn Community Emergency Response Team, the name of their Lion's Club organization.

On February 21, Franklin County Schools took an additional step towards a return to normalcy with a shift to a "masks optional" environment for our students.
Our Board of Education voted unanimously to take this next step as COVID-19 cases have dropped dramatically in our community. As we work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of more than 7,900 students and more than 1,000 staff, spread of the virus has been a paramount concern.

Legendary Coach Allen White

There is obviously a hint of spring in the air.
The temperatures are warming up -- although since this is North Carolina, they can seem to be on a roller coaster from one day to the next -- but that will gradually change over the next few weeks.

By no means am I an economist.
The last time I took an economics class, the most important lesson learned was how to balance a checkbook.
Checkbook?!?
If you were born around the year 2000, you're probably having to Google that.

Dear editor:
I want some answers as a simple courtesy about the abominable performance of Franklin County EMS attending my late brother, David Lee Wilder, on Saturday, Feb. 26. My sister-in-law Meredith Wilder called 911 around 11:15 p.m. when my brother suddenly suffered acute respiratory distress.

Dear editor:
I was disturbed when I read the front page article in the Feb. 24 edition of The Franklin Times concerning the actions of the Louisburg Town Council during their regular monthly meeting of Feb. 21. A number of their actions festered in my mind over the following weeks. After reading Gary Cunard's "My Turn" in the March 3 edition of the paper, I was incensed.

Dear editor: Even Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a diehard Democrat, says we need to stop relying on Russia's oil.
Yet Biden wants to continue getting oil from Putin.
A poll by Rasmussen Reports shows that over 70 percent want drilling to resume here.

Dear editor: I wanted to take time and read the 98-page voting law in Georgia. It appears to me that it is a common sense approach to making it easier to vote and harder for either party to cheat. Rest assured, both sides will cheat if given the opportunity.
I did not see where it was unlawful for individuals to provide water to anyone, specifically minorities, while waiting in line to vote

SOUTHERN PINES, NC--- Anthony "Tony" Craig Robertson, 80, of Southern Pines, died Saturday, March 5, 2022 at Quail Haven Village in Pinehurst.

HENDERSON, NC--Jamie Lee Perkinson, 54, of Henderson died March 5, 2022. Jamie was born on September 18, 1967 to Wilie Perkinson and the late Rose Marie Peace Perkinson.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Norine Annie Allen Smith, 91, died March 6, 2022. Norine was born on June 2, 1930 to the late John Roy and Josephine Haley Allen. In addition to her parents, Norine was predeceased by a son, Phil Smith; a granddaughter; a brother, Jasper Allen; sisters, Eva Mae Harris and LaRue Hardee; and a daughter-in-law, Diane Smith.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Rocky Mount High School controlled the team proceedings this winter in the Big East Conference boys basketball standings as part of yet another successful campaign for the Gryphons.
RM won the Big East regular season championship, dropping just one game along the way -- a road setback at Southern Nash.

BUNN -- Coming off a rare subpar season last spring, the Franklinton Lady Rams are bent on improvement -- and an increased number of victories -- during the 2021 campaign.
So far, so good.

BUNN -- Both teams got what they wanted out of Tuesday's Big East Conference boys tennis match between Nash Central and homestanding Bunn.
Nash Central was satisfied to earn a 5-1 victory -- a win that moved the Bulldogs closer to earning an automatic postseason berth out of the Class 2-A portion of the Big East.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Rocky Mount Lady Gryphons were a dominant force this season in the Big East Conference girls basketball standings.
RM roared through Big East competition with an unbeaten record en route to a 24-2 overall mark and a visit to the quarterfinals of the Class 3-A State Playoffs.

BUNN -- It was a historic wrestling season in the Big East Conference as a league school -- for the first-ever occasion -- won an East Regional team championship and advanced to the state finals.
That club would be the Bunn Wildcats, and Coach Parker Haake's club made the most of its initial campaign in the always-competitive Big East.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College softball took the field against Wake Technical Community College last Saturday in Region X action at home at Sheilah R. Cotten Field.
The Hurricanes swept the matchup.
The first game finished 14-1 in favor of Coach Erie Lee's Lady Hurricanes.

Penny Alston-Hunter completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on August 4, 2021. She earned a 2.3 GPA while continuing to work full-time. After completing that degree, Penny earned her certification as a Community Health Worker from Robeson Community College in Lumberton in February.

BUNN -- Town commissioners approved an ordinance they hope shuts the lid on buzzard problems.
Town staff, officials and residents have been dealing with vultures in the town for quite some time.
After using noise from propane canons and megaphones to try and disperse the buzzards, staff decided that eliminating their food supply was a good next step.

NASHVILLE -- Franklin County officials and staff took a trip across county lines and toured a 20-year-old building, hoping to get a look at their own future.
In 2019, Oakley Collier Architects conducted a facilities study that examined the county's 26 existing facilities, which house 32 departments, assessing them for location, site access, staff workflow, functionality, space utilization, security, regulatory requirements, staff capacity and clients capacity.

Franklin County was well represented at the annual Farm Bureau sales conference in Greensboro recently, as three individuals were recognized and awarded with a "Top 75" award for outstanding sales in 2021. "There are nearly 900 agents in North Carolina and it is indeed an honor to make " Top 75," said Farm Bureau Louisburg agency manager Wayne Champion.