Archaeological study ordered at site of new rec park.

During a recessed meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners on Monday night, county officials voted to allow an additional 60 days to complete the due diligence phase of determining whether or not the Parker Meadows Property can be used to build a recreation facility for the community.

As clarified by Commissioner Chairman Kevin Corbin on Monday, the board has already voted to enter into a purchase agreement to move forward with acquiring the property.

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In light of the recent Sandy Hook tragedies in Newtown, Conn., Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland recently gave presentations to both the Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners regarding the district's school safety plans.

As Holland explained during both presentations, his concern is not a “knee-jerk” reaction in the wake of the killing of 26 individuals, but that school safety has always remained a constant priority for him and his department.

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Newsmakers and Top Headlines of the Year - Part Two

May

Senior services center named for Macon couple

Macon County officials gathered in Franklin in May to recognize two individuals who have dedicated the better part of their lives to serving Maconians.

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Two criminal summonses filed against MCSO detective.

The Macon County Sheriff's Office has launched an internal investigation into allegations brought against Detective Amy Stewart. On Sunday Jan. 6, the Sheriff’s Office served two criminal summonses on a Macon County Sheriff’s Office employee for communicating threats.

“Detective Amy Stewart was officially served the summonses on Sunday morning by Sheriff Holland,” reads a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “The summonses were issued by Magistrate Bob Rovegno. It is alleged that two separate incidents took place between Stewart and the two complainants named in the summonses; one taking place during a Franklin High School basketball game on the evening before and another via social media in the previous days.

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Resolution will be passed on to N.C. legislature.

The Town of Franklin has joined municipalities and individuals from across the state who are speaking out against a potential state takeover of local water systems. At its first meeting of the new year, the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to pass a resolution voicing Franklin’s opposition to legislation that would set the precedent for the state to forcefully take control of local water systems.

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During Monday night's meeting, The Franklin Board of Aldermen received an update from Town Manager Sam Greenwood regarding the transition process that will ultimately result in Warren Cabe assuming the role as Franklin's manager.

According to a letter given by Greenwood before the start of the meeting, Greenwood's last day on the job will be March 29. “Warren Cabe and I have reached the conclusion that Warren will be ready to assume the duties of Town Manager effective April 1, 2013. Accordingly, I am giving notice under my contract that effectively my last day with the Town will be March 29, 2013.”

Greenwood came out of retirement in 2008 to lead the town as manager, and has since guided the town through a transition phase that found Franklin's government directed as a managerial government. After his contract expired on March 1, 2010 and an agreement was made to continue working with Greenwood until Feb. 28, 2012, he began searching for a replacement, and at the request of the board, searched from within current employees in the town to select his successor.

Macon County Department of Social Services has received additional money for CareNet to administer crisis funds for the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP). Households that are eligible for CIP must meet income guidelines including crisis guidelines posted at CareNet. The Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) will provide payment to the vendors for eligible households. Funds are limited and no appointments will be made for the Energy Programs.

Additional money has been approved for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. LIEAP funds are available to households containing an elderly person age 60 and above. Also persons who are receiving SSI, SSA, or VA disability and receiving services through the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) are eligible to potentially receive benefits through Jan. 31 or until funds are exhausted. All eligibility requirements must be met which includes income and asset guidelines.

Since its inception four years ago, Operation Think Twice has been making the streets of Macon County a little safer on New Year's Eve. With the end of the year holiday being one of the year's highest for Driving while intoxicated (D.W.I.) arrests and D.W.I. related accidents, Sheriff Holland and his department vowed to do what they can to make it safer for the community.

With no questions asked, anyone wanting a safe ride home on New Year's Eve was able to call the Sheriff's Department. “This year we transported 52 individuals,” said Holland.

Newsmakers and Top Headlines of the Year - Part One

National news headlines affected us all in 2012, whether it was nail biting down-to-the-minute news when President Barack Obama put another stamp on history when he defeated challenger Mitt Romney and was elected to a second term; or watching the Powerball lottery figures hit $550 million, the highest figure ever; or news that devastated the nation as Superstorm Sandy pounded the East Coast in October, leaving ruins that are still being cleaned up; or senseless tragedies such as the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida or most recently, the unfathomable mass murder of 26 in Newtown, Conn.

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The traditions of the Christmas season gets passed down from generation to generation, sometimes without any thought at all. Each year, we deck the halls with lights, bake cookies for Santa, hang our stockings and erect a holiday masterpiece of pine draped in ornaments, but do we know how these traditions were formed?

Arguably the most recognized Christmas tradition, Christmas trees have become a staple of the holiday season, from the individual trees in our homes, to the annual lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York. We all do it, but why?