Nearly two months have gone by since Macon County Sheriff's Department first began an investigation into Christopher Lee Burk on March 11.

“We plan to continue to conduct a very thorough and in-depth investigation,” said Sheriff Robbie Holland. “There is no time limit and we plan to sift through all of the evidence.”

Burk was arrested on April 12 at the Asheville Airport and charged with six counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

“Burk works out of town as an engineer and we knew when he was landing in Atlanta and when he would be leaving Atlanta and flying to Asheville,” said Sheriff Holland on Tuesday. “We worked with Asheville officials to meet Burk when he got off the plane in Asheville.”

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At the Board of Aldermen meeting Monday night, Town Manager Warren Cabe presented the board with his budget for the 2013- 2014 fiscal year. This is the first step towards finalizing a budget for the year and the budget could see changes in the upcoming weeks before it is adopted. The fiscal year begins on July 1.

At the town retreat last month, Cabe had expressed to the board that he did not want to see any tax increases and the budget as presented reflects this sentiment. The current tax rate is $0.25 for every $100 and will remain at that rate.

Cabe's plan for town personnel calls for a two percent cost of living adjustment for all positions and for one management position in the fire department budget to be split into two entry level staff positions. He has also suggested that funds should be allocated to hire a part time employee to assist with mowing and general maintenance in the spring and summer.

A bill that recently passed the North Carolina Senate could allow municipalities in 10 counties to refrain from issuing public notices to local newspapers informing citizens of governmental meetings. The Town of Franklin's Board of Aldermen discussed this issue at its scheduled meeting Monday. Macon is one of the counties listed in the bill that provides municipalities the option to publish the notices in local newspapers.

“In North Carolina, there is about $11 million a year spent to provide public notices in print,” said Senator Jim Davis who represents Macon County. “This bill will give counties and municipalities the option to continue doing as they are currently doing, or they can put it on their website to reach the public.”

Last Thursday, school officials arrived on the Franklin High School campus to find that overnight the school had fallen victim to a senior prank.

Franklin High School Principal Dr. Chris Baldwin said school officials are continuing to investigate a senior prank at the school.