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LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County commissioners went back to school on Monday evening, courtesy of a detailed presentation from Schools Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Schuhler, who focused on where the schools are now, what the goals for the future are and what the costs are likely to be in coming years.
Dr. Schuhler outlined four key goals:

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg's controversial Depot Hill project will be a main topic at a special town council meeting called for 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in the Karl Pernell Safety Center.
Following the public portion of that meeting, the council has announced that it will meet in executive (secret) session to discuss contract and personnel issues.

LOUISBURG -- Cliff Stephens is a roughneck kid from Stem.
He, his brother and cousins were also notorious for turning early Christmas celebrations at his aunt's house into a battle royale -- not uncommon for that roughneck kid.
And, he certainly had hot-rodding in his blood, inherited from his Dad and uncles, family said.

BUNN -- Franklin County commissioners lambasted a town decision they allege will hamper their ability to improve emergency communications across the county.
But, county officials didn't make those comments during a public hearing on the matter in Bunn.
In November, engineers and the county petitioned the town of Bunn to erect a telecommunications tower behind the Bunn Fire Station on Main Street -- which is not allowed in that C-1 district and would have required a text amendment.

LOUISBURG -- Ask almost any teacher, especially those who work with younger children, and they'll tell you it's between difficult and impossible to teach a child whose stomach is growling from hunger.
And ask almost any parent, especially those with younger children, and you'll learn just how difficult it is to drag a child out of bed early on a cold morning and get them to dress, find their books and coat and then eat breakfast before the dreaded school bus arrives.

Tonya Brodie presents her decorated cookie at the Louisburg Senior Center

The thrust of this column began as an in-office discussion and evolved -- or, you might say, degenerated -- into what you're about to read.
It began when ace reporter Carey Johnson questioned how things got so crazy in the Durham City Schools that 11 schools were closed by a teacher protest which seemingly came out of nowhere.
Carey, by the way, used to live in Durham before coming to his senses and moving to Franklin County, which may not be perfect but it certainly isn't Durham!

Okay, folks, here it is.
If your memory is better than mine, you will remember that around the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, I mentioned that a fantastic way to recognize that legacy would be to take advantage of opportunities to serve.
Well, here's my first legit entry.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC--Vicki Cash Leonard, 72, daughter of Ruth Roberts Cash and Fad Cannady Cash, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2024, at her home in Winston-Salem, surrounded by her loved ones.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- The race for the top spots in the Big East Conference basketball standings is becoming clearer heading into the final week of the regular season.
On the girls side, barring a massive upset, the red-hot Franklinton Lady Rams have all but assured themselves of at least a tie for the conference crown. FHS, under the direction of Bryan Perry, is 18-1 overall to go with a perfect 9-0 mark in the league with three contests remaining.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Just a few years ago, Northern Nash barely had enough boys to fill a team -- let alone compete for the Big East Conference team crown.
But the Fighting Knights' pool resurgence has been quick and thorough -- so much so that Northern swept every meet this season in the Big East, including the recent league championship two weeks ago at the Harrison Family YMCA.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton will make its annual appearance at The Brittany Girls Soccer Showcase on March 9 at Gillette Park in Wilson.
The Lady Rams will tangle with DASH United from Wake County at 4 p.m. on Field Seven.
Franklinton, coached by Bri Folds, returns several key standouts from last year's club, which went 12-10-1 while once again reaching the Class 3-A State Playoffs.
FHS' first regular season outing will be February 28 at home against Falls Lake Academy.

FRANKLINTON -- It's not an absolute, but the Big East's indoor track and field season often foreshadows how the outdoor campaign will go.
If that's the case, the Rocky Mount Lady Gryphons and the Northern Nash Fighting Knights will be in repeat mode this spring as they dominated the proceedings at the annual Big East Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships last Thursday at the Franklinton High School Football Field.

NASH COUNTY -- A return to Northgreen Golf Club after a brief hiatus will be one of the highlights of the Big East Conference boys golf season, which is scheduled to begin February 26 with a nine-hole match at the historic course in Rocky Mount.
Area powerhouse Roanoke Rapids will look to defend its title against some quality competition in the always-strong links league.
Action will wrap up April 24 with the annual Big East Conference Championships at Chockoyotte Country Club in Weldon.

Pianist Matthew Harrison will make his debut appearance at Cherry Hill at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, with a concert comprised of works of Sergei Rachmaninoff in remembrance of the composer's 150th birthday.
Always a favorite of piano devotees, Rachmaninoff came to the United States from Russia following the Russian Revolution in 1917.
His compositions were full of passion and melancholy, and have often been used in popular films.

TALL TALE TELLER! Author and storyteller Donna Washington will appear at the Norris Theatre in the JPAC tonight, Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. Washington is an award-winning internationally known master storyteller, artist-educator, and author who has been performing for audiences of all ages for more than 35 years.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Actual work on a prominent Youngsville intersection began toward the end of January.
Improvements to Five Points -- the intersection of Holden Road, N. College Street, W. Main Street, S. College Street and U.S. 1-A -- was slated to start in the spring of 2023, but delays hit.
It was also set to start on two different occasions in January, but work finally began on Jan. 23.

FRANKLINTON -- The Franklinton to Novozymes Rails to Trails information session that was slated for last month has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, from 6-8 p.m. at Town Hall.
It's an opportunity for residents and other interested parties to learn more about the project as the project team will be available to answer questions.

Louisburg businesswoman and well-known volunteer Linda Cottrell was surprised at a festive brunch at the Person Place on Jan. 27.
She was called forward to receive a framed print of the fanlight in the pediment of the Person Place, a print that was done by local artist Cheryl Hight.
Then, as the second part of the surprise, she was greeted by the appearance of her husband, Jimmy Cottrell and their children and their families to stand with her for the presentation.

LOUISBURG -- For more than an hour, residents urged commissioners to capitalize on pickleball, continue addressing animal welfare, make way for grassroots efforts to save an old theater, bolster efforts to save an historic school and work with Youngsville to fast track a bypass.
It was all part of a nearly standing-room only county commissioner meeting on Monday that drew folks with a range of concerns.
Lake Royale's Carole Zei asked officials to expand pickleball opportunities.