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PRELIMINARY PLANS for the controversial Depot Hill project were unveiled Tuesday by Louisburg officials and show the former warehouse converted into a multi-purpose facility including a public meeting space, town council chambers and the municipal offices for town government. The plans, not yet finalized, were released for review and local residents can comment by accessing the town's website and clicking on a hot button referring to Depot Hill. The town council is to get its first official look at the plans during its regular council meeting on May 20.

GREENVILLE -- Good officers are known for going the distance to get their man.
In, this case, it was a boy.
Last week, Louisburg Officer Hector Cruz and Capt. Travis Lincoln drove down east to Greenville to lift the spirits of a Tarboro kid with an affinity for police.
"He's just a child," Cruz said, "and if something like this will lift his spirits, I wanted to do it."

LOUISBURG -- After spending about a half hour listening to eight persons -- six of them from outside Franklin County -- argue for the retention of certified school librarians, Franklin County Schools Superintendent Rhonda Schuhler responded by redirecting their concerns to both the North Carolina General Assembly and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, citing the declining and often uncertain support for traditional public schools.
Earlier this year, the local school system decided to move its certified librarians to classrooms as teachers and replace them with instructional assistants.

BUNN -- The Bunn Board of Commissioners has begun exploring a 2024-25 spending plan that would raise taxes above the revenue neutral rate.
However, officials said they are awaiting any last-minute adjustments from the county before they commit to any budget.
During a May 6 budget session, Dottie Taylor, who was elevated from town clerk to town administrator during the meeting, presented officials with an $853,892 balanced budget.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town leaders agreed to pursue a signage and enforcement plan that would send long-haul tractor trailer traffic around the town.
The more than $100,000 option is expected to require an interlocal agreement with Wake County, Wake Forest and Franklin County.
Going back to 2019, officials have tasked management with looking for ways to reroute thru-truck traffic around heavily congested Main Street.
In January, State Department of Transportation Traffic Engineer Brian Mayhew met with Mayor Fonzie Flowers, Mayor Pro Tem Scott Brame and staff to get a ground-level look at the truck traffic on Main Street -- essentially where it clogs from the Five Points intersection to S. Cross Street.

Helen McCracken at Women in Ag Farm Tour

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion!
The takeaway was that some meetings should never happen and should never be allowed to happen ever again.
What was belatedly and incorrectly billed as a "joint" meeting between the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the county's Board of Education happened May 7 -- and the repercussions of that meeting will be felt for years, and in a bad way.

In my line of work, quite honestly, dealing with attorneys can be quite the adventure.
It can be a defense attorney whose interests clearly rest with their client -- which means they are often "careful" with the truth.
Or, it's a town or county attorney, who, again, has interests that rest with their employer -- which can often be at odds with a free press.
Or, it can be a prosecutor, who has an interest in justice and "sharing" significant details can railroad a case.

LOUISBURG, NC--Dorothy Marie Debnam Hayes, 66, of Louisburg died Thursday, May 9, 2024.

LOUISBURG, NC--JoAnn Taylor Griffin, 90, died May 12, 2024 at at Louisburg Nursing Center in Louisburg, NC.

Louisburg, NC--Michael Keith Smith, Sr., 77, of Louisburg passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

LOUISBURG, NC--Robert Allen Watkins, 79, of Louisburg, died Monday, May, 13, 2024. He was born to the late Maylon Elmo and Helen Parrish Watkins in Franklin County on August 3, 1944.

MONROE -- Save the best for last. We have all heard it. We have all said it. But how many of us have actually saved the best for last?
William Dement, a senior at Louisburg Magnet High School, did just that at the NCHSAA Class 2-A Boys State Golf Championship.
Where Dement's final high school finish goes down in the annals of Louisburg's golf history is right at the top.

BUNN -- The most memorable season in recent Bunn High School boys tennis history is now complete -- but it won't soon be forgotten.
The Wildcats enjoyed a true renaissance campaign on the court this spring, winning the Class 2-A portion of the Big East Conference while claiming a first-round victory over Princeton in the Class 2-A State Playoffs -- a first for the program in recent memory.

STANHOPE -- Fortunes changed quickly in the parity-filled Big East Conference girls soccer standings this spring -- a trend that continued into the Class 3-A State Playoffs.
Southern Nash, the defending Big East champion, found itself in contention for league supremacy heading into the final few weeks before losses to Northern Nash and Roanoke Rapids sent the Ladybirds backward in the standings.

FRANKLINTON -- Ask any long-time track and field observer about the greatest girls distance runner in Franklin County history, and the discussion usually begins and ends with one name -- Tria Metzler.
The funny thing is that, since Metzler's star-studded career ended in 2006, nobody has even dared to compare another runner to her -- and for good reason.

BUNN -- Before this season, the elite-level Boys Discus 150-Foot Club at Bunn High School was an exclusive fraternity of two -- State Champion Dexter Epps in 2005 and Jackson Leggett in 2017.
But another member has joined the list this spring as BHS junior Cannon Parrish is taking out the area's top competition in the event -- and looking for a strong finish at this Friday's Class 2-A State Track and Field Championships at Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Joel Fan, acclaimed Steinway Artist, will perform at Cherry Hill beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 with a program featuring works of Frederick Chopin.
Fan has performed over 40 different concertos with orchestras worldwide including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Odessa Philharmonic, and London Sinfonietta.

Blackberries are just one of many fruits that can be easily produced in the home garden or landscape.
One blackberry plant can easily supply 10-15 pounds of fruit over a 3-4 weeks period. Studies have shown that blackberries can help fight cancer, decrease cardiovascular disease and slow down brain aging.
There are three types of blackberry varieties: erect, semi-trailing and trailing. There are also thorny and thornless blackberry plants.

DETAILS DISCUSSED. Tentative plans for the much-discussed Depot Hill warehouse project were unveiled this week during an event held at the Karl Pernell Safety Center. In the photo above, Mayor Christopher Neal and local resident Charla Ellis discuss how the public events portion of the building will eventually look. The drawing above depicts the proposed council meeting room.

FRANKLINTON -- A utility worker was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning as crews worked to restore power.
According to authorities and witnesses, a utility truck believed to be involved with Duke Energy Progress rolled over on Green Hill Road near Shady Lane -- west of Franklinton.
According to Franklin County Emergency Services, the incident involved "a complicated extrication of the driver."

Carolina Piedmont Writers Guild has announced the 2024 Carolina Prize for Writing Contest winners.
The contest is divided into two categories: prose and poetry. Winners were named in each category. In addition, the guild sponsored a cover art competition with the winning entry being used as the cover for County Lines: A Literary Journal.