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LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council did an abrupt about face Monday night following an hour-long secret session on personnel -- and also took the first steps toward "restructuring" the town's fire department.
In January the council voted to create a full-time position of fire chief with a salary ranging up to $103,000 but on Monday it decided that a paid, part-time chief was a better option.

LOUISBURG -- One of the first planes that Larry Peoples got his hands on quite literally had him wrapped around its finger.
And, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
It was a control line model airplane he got for Christmas.
And, by its design, control lines affixed to the plane allowing it to fly in a circle, around the pilot, as the pilot must continually turn with the airplane, controlling its pitch and angle.

ZEBULON -- Authorities are trying to determine if the deaths of two teenage friends is related -- and potentially the result of a drug overdose.
Franklin County authorities responded late Saturday afternoon to a home in the 1700 block of Old Halifax Road in the Zebulon area of the county to find Jacob Cope dead.
The 18-year-old graduated from Bunn High School last year.

BUNN -- Following a closed session and then a public discussion with county leadership, two things seemed clear:
• Bunn won't allow a tower behind the fire station;
• Franklin County leaders are prepared to consider placing a tower across the street at Bunn High School.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council took a strong stance against the proposed closing of Johnson Street west of Main Street in downtown -- and urged the North Carolina Department of Transportation to leave well enough alone.
The council unanimously passed a resolution requesting "that the North Carolina Department of Transportation cancel plans to permanently close W. Johnson Street at S. Main Street, and look for alternative means to increase safety and parking access during high utilization times."

YOUNGSVILLE -- Consultants are crafting a parks and recreation master plan, which will guide future leisure activities for the town.
The document is also vital to helping the town secure grant funding for its future parks and recreation needs.
The town hired South Carolina-based Chris Lambka & Associates to develop the plan, which will help the town plan how it builds upon its current parks and recreation offerings, as well as develop new programs and facilities in the future.

Glennwood "IT" Alston celebrates turning 70

When you've been reporting on local government as long as I have, it's surprising when you find things that just don't make logical sense -- but recently two topics have popped up that just seem entirely out of whack.
The first and most important issue is local funding for schools -- and the procedure that we use -- which makes absolutely no sense on several levels.
First, which I've written about previously, is who in the world thinks it's an acceptable idea to have the county schools' leadership go on bended knee to the county commissioners and ask for money to operate?

This photo, which may or may not have been taken in Franklin County, was loaned to us recently in the hopes that some of our readers can provide information about it. It shows seven smartly dressed men in an office that appears to be Circa 1920s or 30s. Note the arch-shaped windows, light bulbs hanging from wires and an old-fashioned telephone on the desk. The photo is from the estate of the late Linwood Gupton who once operated an automotive dealership on South Main Street in Louisburg near the site of the former Alston-Anderson Funeral Home.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a cinephile.
So, the only thing missing from Tuesday night's meeting between Bunn and Franklin County officials was a car chase ... because there was plenty of drama, humor and intrigue.
If you're not familiar, I may suggest you read our front page story on the matter first, but, here it is in a nutshell:

Dear editor:
I have been reading your paper for about one year, mostly lately.
The paper is welcome for keeping folks on top of current local issues. I believe it also helps people appreciate how life is in a small town, with so many nice rural features.

Dear editor: Noble intentions count for naught in the saying and the ruing. They only count for good in the deeds and in the doing.
In other words, pretty is as pretty does.

Jacob Cope died peacefully in his sleep at home Saturday, February 17, 2024. Jacob was born and raised in Franklin County. Whether it was hunting, fishing, or just hanging out with friends, you could always find him outside. Jacob brought joy to everyone he met.

ROCKY MOUNT, NC--Jessica Leigh Simons Lyon, 33, of Rocky Mount, died Friday evening, February 16, 2024.

YADKINVILLE - Montgomery W. (Bill) Shugart III, age 79, passed away peacefully at home on February 19th, 2024. He was born on January 13, 1945 to the late Almira Banks Shugart and Montgomery W. (Bill) Shugart Jr.

BUNN -- The third time wasn't the charm, but there is definitely hope for the future.
That was the main theme from a Bunn High School perspective at the annual Class 2-A State Individual Wrestling Championships last weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum.
For the third time in school history, Bunn had an individual reach the state title match -- and the previous two lost by just one point in the finale.

STANHOPE -- If only for a fleeting moment, the Franklinton Lady Rams found themselves in an unfamiliar position during last Friday's regular season girls basketball finale against the homestanding Southern Nash Ladybirds.
Franklinton carried an unbeaten record in the Big East Conference into the showdown, and the Lady Rams had already clinched the league title outright three days earlier with a decision over former champ Rocky Mount High School.

FRANKLINTON -- In his role as head coach for the Franklinton High School track and field team, Clennie Wilkins has a good idea of what his roster will look like from year to year.
But even Wilkins wasn't sure quite what to expect when Gisele Dulnuan-Kersey showed up for tryouts before the indoor season back in 2021.
Wilkins had heard that Dulnuan-Kersey, then a sophomore, possessed athletic ability, and she had posted some quality stats during her middle school days.

LOUISBURG -- Teaching a team to play with patience is one of the most difficult challenges a high school basketball coach faces -- and it's a strategy that paid off Tuesday night for the Louisburg Warriors.
While milking a lead in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ran their motion offense with ease while never settling for a low-percentage shot.

STANHOPE -- Two teams looking to play league tournament spoiler roles met last Friday in the regular season finale for Franklinton and homestanding Southern Nash.
The event proved to be a turnaround time for the Firebirds, who had lost earlier in the season on the road against the Red Rams.
But Southern Nash returned the favor as part of its Senior Night, winning by a score of 70-52 at the historic SNHS Gymnasium.

Two Franklinton High School graduates, Logan Hinton Bullock and Austin Bullock exchanged wedding vows at 1 p.m., Jan. 27, 2024 at Revive Church of God in Kittrell, NC with Minister Eston Bailey officiating.
The bride is the daughter of Leslie Wilson and Spencer Hinton, both of Franklinton.
The groom's parents are Brandy Holden Newman and Jeremy Bullock, both of Louisburg.

Shade trees require pruning for the same reasons as other landscape plants: Prune to conform to a specified size and shape, prune out excess branches to prevent rubbing together, removal of broken or damaged branches, double leaders or narrow V-shaped crotches.
Most homeowners should limit their tree pruning to small branches, which can be reached from the ground. The pruning of large branches and work off the ground should involve professional tree experts with proper equipment.

NASHVILLE -- A 39-year old Franklinton man, in jail on a reduced secured bond of $1.2 million, is charged with trafficking one of the largest amounts of Fentanyl ever seized in Nash County -- nearly eight pounds -- discovered during a traffic stop and K-9 search in Nashville.
Joshua Jamaar Vines, of 150 Kimberling Drive, along with Omar Concepcion Cardenas, was stopped by members of the Nashville Police Department on U.S. 64 W on Oct. 25, 2023.

LOUISBURG -- It just got more expensive to live in Louisburg -- or to get things done in town -- following action taken by the town council on Monday night.
Most of the town's fees for services are going up, some for the first time in many years.
"It is time to bring up-to-date the town's fees," explained Philip Slayter, the town's former planning and zoning administrator who now works part-time as a consultant to the town.

BUNN -- A Rocky Mount woman was killed in a wreck with a suspected drunken driver.
Authorities said Jessica Lyon was killed late in the afternoon of Feb. 16 in a near head-on collision on N.C. 39 near Bunn Lake.
The driver of the other vehicle, Justin Ray Bevins, 40, of Zebulon, was charged with driving while impaired.
More charges are pending, said Trooper R.M. Goodacre.

Children shouldn't have to use garbage bags for luggage was just one of the important messages the Gamma Kappa Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., heard recently as it celebrated the 110th anniversary of the fraternity and 70th anniversary of the chapter.
The celebration was held at Olive Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Littleton, where Rev. Bro. Charles Walton, chapter president serves as pastor.

Leigh Ann O'Neal with her horse, Skipper, participated in the annual EIA and vaccination clinic at the Farmers Market in Louisburg recently. Dr. Cole Younger of Full Circle Mobile Veterinary Clinic of Nashville provided the services, testing for EIA and health checks. Horse owners were able to save money by attending the clinic at a central location with no farm call fee.

Senior Airman, Taylor Michelle Avila, who is currently serving at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam at the Andersen AFB Dental Clinic, was selected as Airman of the Quarter (October - December 2023) for the entire base (8,000 workers) with official notice recently awarded. Taylor graduated from Bunn High School in 2018, where she met her husband of almost five years, Fabian Avila, who also graduated from Bunn High.