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LOUISBURG -- County officials committed to bolster education funding, exploring a joint governmental effort to bring an aquatics center to the county, and address issues of homelessness, among other issues raised during a community-originated town hall.
Those commitments were made by County Commissioner Mark Speed, school board member Paige Sayles and Franklinton Commissioner Pro Tem John Allers.
They were the only officials, though, who responded to Down Home North Carolina's invite to take part in a community meeting about Franklin County issues the evening of Oct. 17.

NC AgVentures, a North Carolina State Extension program provides grants to North Carolina farmers and non-profit community groups that work with family farms, for agricultural project ideas that will increase farm profits.
Sponsored by the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the program will award a minimum of 50 grants to independent family farms providing an opportunity for any producer who is thinking of diversifying, improving, or expanding their farm operation.

What started with the hope of drawing maybe 35 people to a "No Kings" rally in Louisburg just kept growing, organizers said, until the official attendance was set at about 250 participants although by some estimates, attendance grew by several dozen as the rally moved from Bickett Boulevard to the downtown courthouse where parking was more convenient.
"We have overcome paranoia, we have overcome hate. There is no violence at this rally," said No Kings organizer Gary Evans as he addressed the downtown crowd.

LOUISBURG -- Weekend water woes exposed internal and external communications issues for Louisburg staff.
The town's water was never unsafe, though, said Town Administrator Sean Medlin, and normal water operations were restored by Monday at 4:30 p.m.
"At no point in time," he said, "was there contaminated water out there."
According to town staff, construction crews were working in the area of the courthouse on W. Johnson Street when they hit a water line at about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday on Oct. 18.

Editor's note: This is the 10th in a series related to the origination of the Louisburg Fire-Police-Rescue Departments Museum and its artifacts. The museum, located at 121 Davis Street in Louisburg, is open the third Sunday of each month from 2 until 4 p.m. No admission charge; however, a small donation would be greatly appreciated. Kids are welcome!

Tania Kelly at town hall event

Although my Saturday morning began with an ominous warning, it ended like a breath of fresh air and a renewed faith in the strength of the American people -- and in this great experiment we call Democracy.
First off, I read a warning from a national news organization about coverage of the No Kings Rallies that were planned across the nation -- and which later came off as a huge success.

Dear editor: A recent letter here explained that evangelicals champion Trump because his policies are moral, even if he personally is not. The writer then nonetheless compares Trump to Jesus, suggesting that his presidency is like Jesus' healing a man on the Sabbath, which put Jesus at odds with the Pharisees.
That might be funny if it wasn't so disgusting.
I've yet to witness Trump healing anyone, miraculously or otherwise, and I don't think the nearly two-thirds of Americans who are aghast at his actions bear any resemblance to the Pharisees.

BUNN -- Town commissioners held a special-called meeting on Monday to discuss personnel.
The closed-session discussion came three weeks after Dottie Taylor resigned her post as town administrator, effective immediately.
Taylor, who had been with the town since December 2022, confirmed that she resigned on Sept. 29 for personal reasons.
"I only hope I served the town of Bunn and the commissioners that appointed me, well," Taylor said.

Name: Sherry Mercer
Age: 57
Occupation: Industrial Construction Management
Previous public service/community service:

Name: Don Mitchell
Age: 59
Occupation: Self-employed; Machine shop that caters to the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries
Previous public service/community service:

Name:
Ebony Hartsfield Thorne
Age: 35
Occupation: Victim Witness Legal Assistant for the Franklin County District Attorney's Office
Previous public service/community service:

A unique combination of instruments can be heard at Cherry Hill on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Astralis Chamber Ensemble is made up of flutist Angela Massey, harpist Jane Yoo, and violist Christine Wu.
The aptly named program is titled "Meditations" and will consist of compositions of Debussy, Bach, Dubois, Saint-Saens, and Genzmer.
This innovative and dynamic ensemble has performed with much acclaim across the United States.The three musicians represent decades of experience performing at many of the world's major venues and notable concert series.

Name: B.J. Ayscue
Age: 40
Occupation: Owner of Oak City Logistics LLC,
Previous public service/community service:

Name: Corey Pursche
Age: 34
Occupation: Service Technician
Previous public service/community service:

Name: William (Willi) Stolz
Age: 64
Occupation: Self Employed Corporate Learning & Development Leader
Previous public service/community service:

Name: Stephen Lee Warner Jr.
Age: 34
Occupation: Onsite wastewater and public utilities contractor
Previous public service/community service:

Looking for a fun new addition to your farm or garden next summer? Try the Purple Tomato!
The Purple Tomato is an eye-catching variety of the beloved summer staple. The rich color seen in both the skin and flesh of this fruit is made possible by introducing two genes originally found in snapdragons.
These genes allow the tomato to express purple pigments through the production of anthocyanins.

Carrying flags and signs, ralliers march along both sides of Johnson Street to courthouse

Two messages from just one rally participant

No crowns or thrones but one king

A key to keeping democracy alive

Rally was multi-generational

In the fall of 2023, there were 7,404 voters in Franklin County who were registered to vote for municipal offices in Bunn, Franklinton, Louisburg, Youngsville and Wake Forest.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that municipal populations have grown since then.
So, here we are in the fall of 2025, and it's the next time that voters within Franklin County's municipalities have a chance to vote.