OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

Do you ever wake up on a spring morning and find yourself wondering -- even after a couple of cups of strong coffee -- if we're living in a Bizzaro World where things don't make much sense?
Consider this:
A few years ago, a group of us were standing just outside the Louisburg Town Hall, looking at the aging Louisburg Theater, remarking about all its potential uses, especially in light of the award-winning Orpheum Theater in downtown Oxford, which brings so much to that community.

If you're familiar with this column, then you know it's important to highlight folks taking the extra effort to clean up their communities.
This past Saturday proved to be a veritable cornucopia of cleanup opportunities.
The town of Franklinton hosted its annual and long-running Arbor Day celebration -- allowing folks to take part in planting activities at the Albion Academy Marker, at Town Hall and around town.

Dear editor: In this Easter Season I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, "We walk by faith and not by sight."
Grace is an offering of unconditional love and kindness from God, bestowed upon us even when we do not deserve it. God usually uses folks in our lives to make this gesture, but one of the most important presences of Grace in my life was not offered by a person, but instead was offered to me in a form of a simple moss and algae covered wooden ladder.

Dear editor: It's budget time again! At their April meeting, the Board of Education approved the school system's budget request with a 6-1 vote. Now, the future of that budget lies in the hands of our county leadership.
Over the past three years, our commissioners initially tried to slash the school system's operating budget, only to reverse course after overwhelming public pushback. Thanks to the voices of our community, they ultimately gave in -- but not without a fight.