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LOUISBURG -- Next month, Franklin County plans to go live with radio system upgrades designed to address growth.
It's also expected to alleviate communication issues that sprung up when the county overhauled its entire system nearly seven years ago.
In the fall of 2012, Franklin County switched over to a roughly $11 million emergency radio system intended to address the county's notorious issue with radio dead spots experienced by first responders and law enforcement officers.

As a 14-year-old teenager, Carol Seal went on a mission trip to Arizona and discovered a great deal about herself. She also began a journey that shaped her life and the lives of countless others.
Last Thursday night, Carol Seal -- now Carol Forrest -- was named Franklin County's Teacher of the Year for 2019 during a dinner presentation at First Fruits Farm in the Margaret Community.

FRANKLINTON -- When billionaire Robert Smith pledged $40 million to wipe out student loans for every Morehouse graduate, he raised the bar for all commencement speakers who came behind him.
Since its inception nine years ago, the Franklin County Early College High School has raised the bar for its students, offering a high school diploma, college-transferable credits and the chance to earn associates degrees and professional certifications in five years -- for free.

LOUISBURG -- County commissioners will get their next in-depth look at the budget on Monday and, based on comments during the last budget session, the bottom line could look a bit different.
County Manager Angela Harris on May 20 presented commissioners with a budget that proposed to increase spending, raise the tax rate, hire more employees, lease more vehicles and raise some fees.

Softball fans AnnaGrace and Eric Lee

There is a standing joke among newspaper reporters who routinely cover government budgets that the only things that change from year-to-year are the names of the people involved.
The issues stay the same and, perhaps a comma gets moved or zero or two added, but the overall budget document stays relatively static.

First, a prediction: Over the next few weeks, your Franklin Times will feature dozens of photos and stories about local students and their scholastic accomplishments.
There will be stories and photos of scholarship award winners, stories of those who have achieved various academic and service honors and, of course, the annual graduation edition with photos of those local young people who have earned their high school diplomas and are off to make their mark on the world.

Before I decided to write this column, I knew what the response would be: Well, why don't you just learn to swim?!?
Well, I tried it once as a kid. It didn't go well, at all. I never tried again.
Because of that, I have a healthy appreciation and fear of water.

Dear editor:
As most already know, the opiate epidemic has been worsening, each year claiming more lives than the last. What is less known by the general public is the problem with Methamphetamines has been growing over the last several years as well.

BUNN -- Another year, another successful all-sports season for the Bunn High School athletic program.
That was the theme for last Thursday's annual BHS Athletic Awards Ceremony at the school's auditorium.
Bunn celebrated Northern Carolina Conference team championships in baseball and wrestling (for the first time in school history), along with several outstanding individual accomplishments.

FRANKLINTON -- Kendall Harris running behind Michael Rogers and Michael Sawyer has proven to be an effective, high-scoring combination the past few years for the Franklinton High School football squad.
So it was quite fitting that all of the FHS gridiron standouts came together last Wednesday to sign letters-of-intent to continue their careers at four-year schools.

FRANKLINTON -- Nobody is quite certain if Franklinton High School has ever boasted a player in the annual North Carolina East-West All-Star Football Game.
But this much is for certain -- the Red Rams have never had two participants in the same campaign.
That will change this summer as FHS standouts Steve Green and Kendall Harris have been chosen to the East roster for the much-anticipated contest.

CLINTON, MISS. -- There is no such thing as a disappointing performance in a national collegiate tournament, regardless of the sport -- especially when considering how difficult it is to reach that stage in the first place.
That's the message Louisburg College softball coach Eric Lee has been preaching to his club ever since the Lady Hurricanes returned home after posting a 2-2 overall record at last week's National Junior College Athletic Association Division II World Series at Traceway Park in Mississippi.

GREENVILLE -- The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced 16 regional sites for the 73rd annual NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Sunday evening, and for the second-straight year and third time in facility history, East Carolina University's Clark-LeClair Stadium will serve as a site for the opening round of The Road To Omaha.

RALEIGH -- Kennedy Capps' amazing girls soccer career at Franklin Academy came to an end last Saturday as she participated in the Class 1-A State Championship Match on the campus of North Carolina State University.
The Patriots dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime decision to Union Academy in overtime in the title matchup.

LOUISBURG -- Now comes the next step for the fledgling Louisburg College track and field program.
At only two years old, the Hurricanes' tracksters are still in a developmental phase -- and one important piece of that puzzle is being able to send student-athletes to the next level to continue and complete their collegiate careers.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College has promoted from within to cap off a search for the school's new head football coach.
Accepting the position is Chris Tolbert, who has spent the past four years with the Hurricanes as a defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
Tolbert succeeds former boss Trevor Highfield, who guided LC through five successful campaigns before recently accepting a coaching position at Forks High School in the state of Washington.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats rallied back from a five-run first inning deficit to eventually take a one-run lead in the fifth, but the Down East Wood Ducks came back with two in the sixth before defeating the Mudcats 9-7 in the finale of a four-game series on Monday afternoon at Five County Stadium in Class A Carolina League baseball action.

Franklinton's Michael Sawyer (front, second from right) signs a letter-of-intent to join the football program at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. Also pictured are (back, l to r) FHS head coach Jimmy Williams, FHS assistant coach Darrin Stinson and FHS assistant coach Elerod Morris; (front, l to r) Ashley Sawyer (sister) and parents Charles and Denise Sawyer.

Franklinton's Michael Rogers (front, center) signs a letter-of-intent to join the football program at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Also pictured are (back, l to r) FHS assistant coach Elerod Morris, FHS assistant coach Darrin Stinson and FHS head coach Jimmy Williams; (front, l to r) parents Reggie and Deborah Rogers.

Franklinton's Kendall Harris (front, center) signs a letter-of-intent to join the football program at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Also pictured are (back, l to r) FHS assistant coach Darrin Stinson, FHS assistant coach Elerod Morris, Lincoln Lyons (cousin), Elijah Green (cousin), Dreshon Blacknall (cousin) and FHS head coach Jimmy Williams; (front, l to r) parents Larry and Portia Harris.

Louisburg College outfielder Mason Hedgecock signs autographs for young fans at the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series in Mississippi.

(L to R) Jackson Anderson and Alex Husinko have been saluted as the 2018-19 Athletes of the Year at Bunn High School.

Fire blight can be a devastating disease on trees and shrubs within the Roseaceae (Rose) family. This includes plants such as quince, cherry, pear, apple, and roses. All of these are susceptible to the bacterium Erwinia amylovora or fire blight.
Fire blight attacks the blossoms, leaves, shoots, branches, fruits, and roots of plants.

Teacher of the Year, Carol Forrest, (second from right) celebrates with part of her "team" at the school, including (left to right) Carrie Diaz, Ashley McRae, Rachel Smyth, Carrla Perry, and Renee Bell, along with student KaShaun Crudup-Johnson. Fellow teachers decorated Forrest's classroom after she was named TOY.

Fellow teachers at Long Mill Elementary School decorated Carol Forrest's class area after she was named the Franklin County School System's Teacher of the Year. Above, she is joined by students, from left, KaShaun Crudup-Johnson, Logan Ouber and Christina DeBuhr.

RALEIGH -- Bunn High school nabbed second place in a competition that's gaining traction across the state.
Bunn High School had two teams competing against 15 other teams, all from Wake County, proving to be the first team outside of Wake county to compete.
It was Bunn High's first year in the competition and Team One was rewarded for its second place finish.

HENDERSON -- About 500 graduates, including a Youngsville resident who received the Academic Excellence Award, were honored at Vance-Granville Community College's 50th annual commencement exercises.
Dr. Rachel Desmarais, who became the seventh president of the community college earlier this year, served as the principal commencement speaker for the May 10 outdoor ceremony, held in front of the gazebo on the college's Main Campus.

LOUISBURG -- A man accused of initiating a domestic violence disturbance -- and was shot for his trouble -- got his bond reduced earlier this month.
But not as much as Willie Jiggetts wanted.
Jiggetts, 38, was arrested last June and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, communicating threats, first degree burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for storage of a controlled substance.

LOUISBURG -- A series of community meetings to gauge input on the county's future is slated to wrap up today.
Franklin County staff and planners with McGill Associates already held sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday where residents were allowed to ask questions and provide comments about how they'd like to see the county grow -- from its parks and recreation resources, to their plans to meet agricultural needs to bolstering the county's infrastructure.

The Skin Spa of Louisburg recently held a ribbon cutting sponsored by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. The business, located at 103 Market Street, is a full-service day spa, specializing in aesthetic skin care and massage therapy.