A story in today’s edition recaps the Arts and Crafts Fair in Knightdale that took place last weekend.

Our new feature, Daybook, is filled with events going on throughout the region.

And, in Wendell next week, State Rep. Darren Jackson will host the second of his Town Hall meetings.

The meetings are a good way to ask folks for their comments without forcing them to buy the services of a high-priced mouthpiece (lobbyist) to walk the halls of the General Assembly on their behalf.

Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen conducts a similar meeting with local businesspeople.

The sessions have the potential to become gripe sessions. And while complaints and concerns likely make up a lot of the comments elected leaders get, that can be a good thing.

For the most part, people are respectful when they voice their concerns in a setting like a town hall meeting. The meetings allow elected leaders to hear from regular folks who worry about the basic problems many of us face to one degree or another.

Jackson, who is on the committee negotiating the budget differences between the House and the Senate, may hear from some folks who would like to see the legislature wrap up its business quickly and get out of Raleigh before they do something to draw the ire of the voters who sent them to Raleigh.

He is also likely to hear from local lawmakers who want to protect their authority to annex land into the corporate limits. That’s a particularly important issue in Wendell where the land between Wendell proper and Wendell Falls is currently under county planning control.

The town would like to control growth in that area because they figure it will eventually be part of the town’s corporate limits.

To achieve that, they’ve asked the General Assembly to approve a request to allow the town to expand its planning jurisdiction.

That request is making its way through the General Assembly now.