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LOUISBURG -- A man who rushed into a blazing fire to save his parents died this week.
Cameron Burnette sustained burns to about 80 percent of his body during the midnight fire on Jan. 15, family said.
His sister, Daffy Shearin, confirmed that he passed away Tuesday night.
Shearin said Burnette was at the Laurel Mill Centerville Road home with her mother, Thursa Burnette Lopez and stepfather, Salvador Lopez, when he left and came back to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

LOUISBURG -- Commissioners agreed to discuss a resolution that could commit them to help speed up the Youngsville bypass.
But, not before Commission Chair Michael Schriver warned that such a circumvention could become litigious or cause unforeseen consequences.
At its November 11 meeting, Youngsville commissioners adopted a resolution essentially asking that Franklin County use its authority to expedite the approval of a water and sewer allocation for the proposed Rolling Meadows subdivision.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Youngsville recognized two officers who went above and beyond the call.
During the town's Jan. 12 meeting, Chief Greg Whitley recognized officers Barrington Simpson and Gabriel Fanara, who both came across a resident in distress on Dec. 9.
What they did, as a result, was more than the job calls for.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council has invited those interested in Depot Hill to share their ideas for what was expected to be a key cog on southside development.
Town officials set a special called meeting for Jan. 25 to solicit public input on the development of the property at the corner of S. Main and Seaboard streets, just south of the Tar River.

Louisburg High School's Tymar Kearney

Several years ago when son, Nick, was in about third grade -- he's 18 now and about to graduate from high school -- he and a group of his buddies were driving their teacher nuts by constantly talking and whispering when they should have been listening.
Frustrated that nothing would silence this group for long, his teacher told Nick to write down why he was getting into trouble.
Nick's brain works a little differently than most so he drew a sketch of himself sitting at a school desk.

So, if you read my last column, you probably know how I feel about the public comments portion of the meeting, or at least how it should be conducted.
I figured I'd use the most recent meeting of the Louisburg Town Council as an example of what to do.
During that meeting, Town Administrator Sean Medlin informed the board that they had received a request to erect a four-way stop at the intersection of West Noble, East Noble and Spring streets.

FRANKLINTON -- Both clubs emphatically got their respective points across last Friday when Rocky Mount traveled to Franklinton with first place at stake in the Big East Conference girls basketball standings.
Favored Rocky Mount showed why it is considered the team to beat in the Big East -- and a possible state championship contender -- with a 66-50 decision over the Lady Rams at the FHS Gymnasium.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- While it may not boast the elite-level star power of the Class 3-A portion of the Big East Conference, the race for the top spot in the league's Class 2-A quadrant is proving interesting in its own right.
The No. 1 finisher in each classification of the Big East receives an automatic playoff spot, so that highlights the importance of the four-team standings on the Class 2-A level.

FRANKLINTON -- The Big East Conference boys basketball schedule is only at its midpoint, but chances are pretty high that the Game of the Year in the always-competitive league has already been determined.
That event occurred last Friday night as long-time powerhouse Rocky Mount traveled to upstart Franklinton with pecking order at stake in the upper echelon of the Big East standings.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- The automatic playoff berth out of the Big East Conference for the Class 2-A Girls Basketball State Playoffs is still up for grabs at the league's schedule midpoint, but Roanoke Rapids took a huge step toward gaining that position Tuesday with a clutch home victory over Nash Central.
With first place in the Big East portion of the league standings at stake, the Lady Jackets took a seven-point lead after one quarter and went on to defeat the Bulldogs by a 55-43 margin at the historic RRHS Gymnasium.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County's Board of Education is looking to be proactive rather than reactive with a proposed change to its school bus drop-off policy.
They've posted the proposed change on their website -- www.fcschools.net -- and have given interested parties until prior to their February meeting to offer feedback.
In December, Superintendent Rhonda Schuhler and the board discussed proposed changes to the policy which, as it stands, allows students as young as kindergarten to get off the bus without having an older sibling or adult visible at the stop.

LOUISBURG -- Safe Space, a non-profit organization committed to reducing relationship violence and sexual assault in Franklin County, North Carolina, in partnership with the Franklin County Prevention and Thrive Team and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) will host a training on the "Essentials for Making Steps Toward Actualizing and Advancing Racial Equity."

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners have scheduled a special called meeting next week to begin their budget process.
The public forum will provide commissioners with their first chance to start planning the county's 2022-23 spending plan.
The meeting is scheduled for January 26, from 5-7 p.m., in the Franklin Plaza Training Room, 279 South Bickett Boulevard.

FRANKLNTON -- The town of Franklinton will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an event this Saturday.
The MLK event is set to begin at 11 a.m. at The First Baptist Church -- 307 S. Main Street.
A ceremonial march will begin at Franklinton Elementary School.

LOUISBURG -- With more than 20 years of experience in managing organizations in the private sector, local and federal government, Ryan Preble has been selected to fill the newly created Franklin County assistant county manager position.
He will begin serving on January 25.

LOUISBURG -- Police made one arrest, but continue to look for a second suspect who stole items from two stores.
Officers arrested Michael Vincent Porter on Jan. 14, charging the 46-year-old with shoplifting and simple possession of illegal drugs.
Apparently, Porter and 31-year-old woman were identified as suspects in Jan. 14 thefts reported at Walmart and Tractor Supply -- within six minutes of each other.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg police continue to investigate a shooting that critically injured a 74-year-old woman.
Mary Ann Hight, augthorities said, remains in the hospital, more than a week after she sustained a gunshot wound.
Louisburg police officers responded to the 100 block of Halifax Street just after 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 10 to find Hight suffering from a gunshot wound.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) recently presented Wayne Champion, agent with Farm Bureau Insurance in Louisburg, the Life Insurance and Annuities 2022 NAIFA Quality Award, in recognition of commitment to exceptional client service, professional education, industry volunteerism, and adherence to the NAIFA code of ethics. The award represents eight years of excellence in serving clients and industry.