Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent

A nearly decade-long dream to build an inpatient hospice house for the terminally ill and their families in Franklin is closer to becoming a reality.

Despite a crowded field in the Franklin election — a dozen candidates in all — a handful of victors emerged as clear frontrunners ahead of the pack.

Most of the winning candidates for aldermen and mayor reflect a public desire for change.

Ninety seconds. 

It’s shorter than the average YouTube video and less time (theoretically) than it takes to brush your teeth, but if you can squeeze enough charm and tenacity and business acumen into that space, you may just be on the receiving end of $1,000.  

October, of course, is the month for haunting, when lawns become littered with skeletons and witches fly in through branches of trees shedding their leaves. Store shelves are stocked with masks and makeup and an array of costumes, all designed to terrify. But on “Where Shadows Walk,” Franklin’s haunted history tour, you won’t find any of that. No masked hatchet men will jump from behind gravestones; black-eyed zombie undertakers will not be your guides, because, said Gregg Clark, the tour’s owner and guide, you won’t need them. The stories themselves elicit enough scare power on their own. 

The 17th annual “Pumpkin Fest” will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, in downtown Franklin. A wide array of events and activities in the spirit of Halloween — including the ever-popular Pumpkin Roll — will be offered throughout the weekend.

Festivities kick off Friday evening with the game “Find the Black Cat” from 5 to 8 p.m. Several merchants in Franklin will each have a black cat hidden in plain view in their business. For each black cat patrons locate, they’ll receive a card. Prizes will be awarded depending on the number of cards collected. An extra prize may be given out if costumes are worn. Special shopping deals will also be available at participating businesses. Winners will be announced at 8:15 p.m. at Books Unlimited. For more information, call 828.369.7942.

Franklin’s mayoral candidates are offering voters distinctly different visions of leadership as they square off for the town’s top political position.

Sissy Pattillo, who is completing her second term as a town alderman, used the word “collaboration” at least four times while answering questions during a recent forum sponsored by the Macon County League of Women Voters.

This year’s election in Franklin is shaping up to be one of the most interesting — and crowded — the town has seen in a decade, or more.

The saga of Nikwasi Mound in Franklin being sprayed with potent weed killer more than a year ago continues to unfold.

When it comes to a high-speed chase, law enforcement must constantly ask the question: is it worth it?

A 23-year-old Franklin man took police on a chase through Macon County in August reaching speeds of nearly 125 miles per hour. The chase took off after a deputy tried to pull David Ridao over for going 74 miles per hour in a 55-mile zone on U.S. 64. 

The chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians wants the town of Franklin to relinquish ownership of the historic Nikwasi Mound, but town leaders may not let it go.