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WILSON -- The fake punt, which was such an important play during last year's surge to the state finals, is alive and well at Bunn High School.
Trailing midway through the fourth period and faced with the proposition of giving the ball back to the homestanding Wilson Fike Golden Demons, the Wildcats opted for a fake, and Quenten Wright raced for 10 yards and a crucial first down that kept the ball in Bunn's hands.
Moments later, D.J. Jones rumbled in from four yards out to cap the Wildcats' 24-20 decision over Fike on Monday at Bedgood Stadium in the regular season opener for both clubs.

LOUISBURG - Open visitation for Norman Junior Gupton, 87, who died Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, will be held Wednesday, Aug. 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Cemetery on the Hill.

LOUISBURG - Richard Beron Shearin, 92, of Louisburg, died Saturday morning.

KITTRELL- Mrs. Hilma Askew Smith, age 90, a resident of 1956 Walter Grissom Road, Kittrell died Monday, August 22, 2016 at her home. Born May 14, 1926 in Vance County, she was the daughter of the late Edgar Wellons Askew and Lou Eddie Lowery Askew. She was a retired teacher's assistant, having worked in the Vance County school system. Mrs. Smith was a member of Plank Chapel United Methodist Church where she was active in their Senior Circle and served as the church historian.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Weather issues forced two Franklin County football games that were scheduled for Friday to be pushed back to this coming Monday.
Franklinton almost got through the first half of its road contest at South Johnston before the event was delayed due to storms. The clubs tried to wait through the storm, but the decision was eventually made to finish the outing Monday at 6 p.m. at the SJHS Football Field in Four Oaks.
When play was suspended, the visting Red Rams were leading 22-19 with 3:50 remaining in the first half.

KENLY -- Louisburg's strong opening drive wouldn't translate into long-term success during Friday's regular season football opener at North Johnston.
After taking the initial kickoff, LHS marched deep into NJ territory and held the ball for over eight minutes before giving up possession on downs.
Six plays later, the Panthers were in the end zone and would never trail the rest of the way en route to claiming a 42-21 decision over the Warriors in non-conference gridiron action.

KITTRELL-Robert Earl Perry, 69, of Kittrell, died August 16, 2016. He was born on August 16, 1947 to the late Gladys Winstead and Buck Perry. In addition to his parents, Robert was preceded in death by two sisters, a niece, and a nephew.

LOUISBURG -- Commissioners set the county down a path Monday night that could have them selecting a new healthcare provider by October.
First, the board adopted a resolution declaring their intent to lease or sell all or part of Franklin Medical Center.
They then authorized county management to solicit proposals from at least five targeted entities who would be interested in providing health care in Franklin County.

LOUISBURG -- Could Louisburg support a type of mass transit, say limited bus service, between important points in town?
According to a year-long study by consultants, the answer is a qualified yes.
But the operating cost for the system would be high -- running at least $122,400 a year not counting the cost of buses or of other related infrastructure like bus stop shelters.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Clicking through Youngsville firefighter Justin Lloyd's Facebook page tells a lot about him.
His grandfather, Youngsville Fire Chief Tommie Lloyd (and grandmother, Jennie), raised Justin after his mother, Jennifer Lloyd, died and there's a picture of Justin, in full gear, fighting a fire with the text, "Just Breathe" adorning the shot.
One of his last posts said: Count your blessings, not your problems.

LOUISBURG -- The town can support another hotel. That's the word presented to the town council Monday night in the form of a report from Hotel & Club, an appraisal and consulting firm from Norfolk, Va., which has looked carefully at the local market.
That group suggests that a limited-service hotel "best represents the type, cost, amenities and price point most suited to the current and anticipated lodging demand identified in the market."

LOUISBURG -- The town council went to bat for a local business this week, submitting an economic development resolution in an effort to create as many as 41 new jobs in town.
Cal-Maine Foods, which is an egg distributor and processor, is seeking a $410,000 building reuse grant through the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
That grant requires the sponsorship of the town -- and the council unanimously agreed to do that.

LOUISBURG -- The county's Board of Elections approved an early voting plan that some allege restricts the ability to vote, but the matter might not be a done deal.
In July, a federal appeals court overturned elections laws in North Carolina, including one that limited the time for early voting.
As a result, counties had to redevelop and re-approve early voting plans.

Lacey Medlin, Mallory Allen

Louisburg Town Councilman Bill Williamson has been involved in his share of town budget discussions over the years, most of which involved the fire department budget.
Unfortunately, he discovered just how critical those discussions are.
Recently, he explained to fellow board members, he was in his kitchen at home when he heard a loud "bang" followed by a second loud "bang."

The Kid's Corner in Louisburg recently held its graduation at the center. Amy Merritt is owner, daycare director is Joni Peoples, the lead instructor of the class is Tina Holden and assistant instructor is Barbara Coons.

LOUISBURG -- Meeting for the first time in almost a year, the Louisburg Planning Board unanimously agreed to recommend four changes to the Louisburg Subdivision Ordinance last Thursday evening.
The recommendation will go before the town council at its October meeting for a final vote.
The changes come, according to town planner Tony King, as the town tries to "jump start" residential construction, especially higher-level starter homes for young professionals.

LOUISBURG -- The operator of an assisted living facility rocked by a stabbing death last year and a civil lawsuit this month said she's not defeated.
"I plan to re-open real soon," said Carolyn Newell, who operates The Jordan, a care facility on E.F. Cottrell Road that she said she closed down recently to remodel, not because of any pressure from state regulators.
"Regardless of what happened, I will still do my best to serve Franklin County," she said. "I'm not going to let this stop me.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news -- and there is ample evidence that the next message is factually incorrect -- but fall begins tomorrow.
Not the fall that meteorologists calculate will begin in September.
This is the "true" fall -- meaning it's the beginning of high school football season in Franklin County.
For pigskin fanciers, nothing means fall like football.

There is something sad, troubling and even a little frightening going on right here in our home state.
It's a bizarre situation that pits the public health against drastically opposing views of scientists and politicians -- and since this is happening in the 21st Century, it's more than a little frustrating since the science is relatively easy.
The administration of Gov. Pat McCrory has lined up to battle some of the state's top experts in toxicology and water quality.

Well, I guess this is one approach.
After Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton got hemmed up regarding a secret server and her alleged penchant for hiding top secret emails, a story from WRAL reveals that Democratic governor candidate Roy Cooper has a much different regard for the electronic service.
Whereas Clinton has been accused of hiding enough emails that, if printed, could probably wallpaper the White House, as Attorney General, Cooper has produced just enough emails to produce a paper cut, if you try real, real hard.

If you averaged wasting almost $1.7 million a year for your employer and your contract was up for renewal in November, do you think it would be renewed?
The Republicans in Raleigh have spent $9,320,619 on outside legal counsel between 2011 and the end of June of this year.
Keep in mind that is to supplement the office of the State Attorney General, for which you, as a taxpayer, pay the entire cost.
The vast bulk of the money has been spent defending controversial legislation, almost all of which has ended up being declared unconstitutional at some point.

The recent revelations of a long-standing dispute with a tenant at the Triangle Executive Airport has me wondering if many of our county executives and elected leadership even suspect what they are doing.
The gist of the dispute is a tenant at the airport owes thousands of dollars of back rent and our leadership is trying to find a way to get him to pay it.
To me this is a problem looking for another problem. Facility space at the airport is the subject of contracts.

Dear editor: Calling all climate leaders in business, faith, agriculture and youth.
Do you feel like efforts to address climate change are being overpowered by the special interests?
Have you ever wondered how to make your voice be heard in this politically divided realm?