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Members of Franklinton Elementary School's choir carried the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration banner from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to First Baptist Church as part of the community's 18th celebration of the slain civil rights leader. The choir later performed two songs at the service inside the church.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg Town Administrator Sean Medlin has been charged with doing an in-depth study about creating a "white flag" shelter following a split vote of the town council Monday night.
A white flag shelter is a place where people can find shelter during times of extreme weather -- usually bitter cold or extreme heat -- which can be life-threatening.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A woman that officers allege ran a kennel that put dogs' lives in danger is slated to appear in court next month.
Animal Services Officer Joseph Williams charged Anne Marie Green, 31, misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
According to the case file, Green is alleged to have tormented and deprived of necessary sustenance more than 20 dogs at her Green Meadow Kennels -- which was apparently being operated out of her Tarboro Road home.

YOUNGSVILLE -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Pruitt visited Long Mill Elementary School last week and got a lesson in what makes the school special.
"Thanks for allowing us to see your authentic selves," Truitt told Principal Pachette Dunn, Superintendent Rhonda Schuhler and a group of teachers who took part in an open-ended panel discussion following the tour on Thursday morning.

BUNN -- Against the wishes of Franklin County leadership, Bunn's planning board recommended an action that would essentially keep telecommunication towers out of downtown.
In alignment with the town's vision statement, Town Planner Frank Frazier presented the planning and zoning board with language that would prevent towers from being permitted in the C-2 and C-3 districts -- the only zoning districts downtown where towers could be built with the aid of a special use permit.

FRANKLINTON -- Town commissioners amended how it regulates food trucks, hoping to reach a compromise between brick and mortar investors and temporary operations.
Before the Jan. 16 meeting, there were no limits to the number of days that a property owner could have a food truck set up for operation on their property within the downtown business district.

County Chamber of Commerce 2024 Chairman of the Board Zach Coyle

By the time you read this -- and making the assumption that the weather prognosticators are even partially correct -- you'll have ample proof that indeed we do live in North Carolina.
As this column was being started, the temperature was hovering in the low 20-degree range and by the time you read this, it's supposed to be nearly 70.
Yep, that's North Carolina weather. If you don't like it, just wait a little while and it will change!

If you read last week's edition of The Franklin Times, then you are probably familiar with, not so much a challenge that I issued, but more of an opportunity to get active in the name and spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
Those opportunities are still out there and, as space and opportunities present themselves, I will share them in this column.
Today, though, I want to share one of the challenges that was issued by the Rev. Wayne Wilhelm during his keynote speech/sermon during Franklinton's 18th annual MLK celebration, an opportunity to remember the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader.

Dear editor: I don't know Robert Strickland but his letter to the editor last week was outstanding.
I agree with everything he said, especially the comment that the only people he had a lower opinion of than Trump himself are the people who vote for him.
I am with him on that one hundred percent.

Dear editor: In Louisburg, we have a rich tradition of compassion, community and helping our fellow man.
We have a lot of shared values in a community like ours, the same common values you find in many small towns and rural communities across the entire great state of North Carolina.

Louisburg, NC--Doris Dell Murphy Aycock, 100, of Louisburg went home to be with the Lord on Friday, January 19, 2024. She was born on October 26, 1923, to the late R. Hoke and Annie Cooke Murphy. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband John Daniel Aycock and sons, Donnie Ray Aycock and Michael Jay Aycock.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for James "Boot" Bobbitt, age 67, who died on Sunday, January 21, 2024, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 27, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Bernard Allen officiating.

CARRBORO -- Putting together four quarters of solid basketball is one of the greatest challenges a young basketball team faces -- and it was evident last Friday when the underclassmen-dominated Louisburg Warriors traveled to tangle with Carrboro High School in a key Northern Lakes Conference boys basketball showdown.
For one half, the Warriors lived up to their lofty potential with a brilliant 16-minute performance.

CARRBORO -- For one quarter, Louisburg High School found the formula for cutting a taller Carrboro team down to size during last Friday night's Northern Lakes Athletic Conference girls basketball showdown at the CHS Gymnasium.
But the homestanding Lady Jags were able to use their extreme height advantage to pull away in the second half en route to securing a 61-38 decision over the Lady Warriors.

RED OAK -- Girls wrestling is still in its infancy in the Big East Conference, but there's already an established team to beat.
And that would be the Bunn Ladycats.
Bunn rolled to the Big East Conference Individual Championship last Saturday at the historic Northern Nash High School Gymnasium.
The Ladycats dominated with a whopping six golds to go with two silvers at the annual event.

ZEBULON -- In advance of the upcoming 2024 season at Five County Stadium, the Carolina Mudcats are now hiring part-time game day staff and seasonal full-time trainees across various departments including stadium operations, video operations, promotions, marketing, ticketing, merchandise and concessions.
Available seasonal full-time openings include inside sales trainee, box office assistant, stadium operations trainee, concessions manager. food and beverage trainee and promotions assistant.

RED OAK -- Bunn may still be the three-year king of the Big East Conference Dual results, but another club was coronated last Saturday at the league's annual
Individual Tournament.
And that squad would be Southern Nash, which claimed the title at the Northern Nash High School Gymnasium.
The Firebirds led the way with 210 total points, followed by Bunn at 195 tallies.

BRING THE NOISE. The 66th Allen de Hart Concert Series at Louisburg College season rolls into 2024 on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. with DRUMline Live. This show is an international tour based on the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching band tradition. With riveting rhythms, bold beats and ear-grabbing energy, this stage show is a synchronized musical showcase of the HBCU experience. DRUMline Live incorporates original compositions and soul-infused interpretations of top 40 hits.

Growing your own transplants from seeds can give you a head start on planting or the opportunity to plant whenever you would like. In many cases, it gives you the opportunity to grow a special cultivar (variety) of a plant or vegetable that you cannot purchase at garden centers.
When purchasing seeds make sure you purchase only enough for one year, or have plans on how you will store those leftover seeds. A seed's germination percentage decreases with age.

LET THE MUSIC BEGIN. This year's winner of a Christmas violin was Emmy Whitmore of Raleigh. Her friend Jacob DeBlois, also of Raleigh, wrote the winning essay on her behalf. The Christmas violin is given away annually by Louisburg craftsman Mike Anderson who has been exhibiting his skills in the Village of Yesteryear at the North Carolina State Fair for the last eight years and that's where the trio met.

Above, Long Mill Elementary School Pre-K teacher Carrie Diaz, right, goes over literacy drills with students while State Superintendent for Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, seated, left, enjoys the lesson.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council had barely gotten organized and begun the meeting Monday night when "battle lines" were drawn over a relatively minor issue.
That issue was the possible creation of a "white flag shelter" that would be used very occasionally to provide safe shelter for the homeless or others facing dangers from bad weather, either frigid cold like what just blanketed the area or searing heat in the summertime.