Registration books will close Friday for the Nov. 7 election.

Anyone who has not registered to vote in Moore County or wants to make a change in registration must visit the Board of Elections office by 5 p.m. Friday if he or she wants to vote Nov. 7.

One-stop absentee voting will begin Thursday, Oct. 19, and close Saturday, Nov. 4. For the first time this year, one-stop voting will be carried out at the Agriculture Center in the Moore County Office Park across the road from the Board of Elections offices on Pinehurst Avenue in Carthage.

FORUM -- The Democratic Women of Moore County will feature a candidates' forum at the Saturday, Oct. 14, meeting, beginning at 10 a.m. at County Democratic Headquarters at 104-A McNeill St. in Carthage.

Candidates taking part will be Terry Marquez, Democratic candidate, District 5 seat on the Moore County Board of Commissioners; Rory Blake, Democratic candidate, Congress in the 6th District; Abraham Oudeh, Democratic candidate, state Senate District 22; and Gerald Galloway, unaffiliated candidate, state House District 52.

The meeting is open to all interested persons, and reservations are not required. Additional information is available by calling Tonia Camina at 692-7866.

PLANNING -- Requests for a conditional-use permit and a conditional-use district rezoning are on the agenda for the Thursday, Oct. 12, meeting of the Moore County Planning Board.

The board will convene at 6 p.m. in the historic courthouse in Carthage.

George S. Smith requested the conditional-use permit to build a residential dwelling with existing manufactured home as an accessory dwelling unit. The site is at 377 Shady Grove Road on property zoned Rural Agricultural-40 District. The board will conduct a quasi-judicial public hearing on this request.

Peder Wilhelm McCanless requested the conditional-use district rezoning for property zoned RA at 634 N.C. 705 (the Pottery Highway).

He wants to change the zoning to Rural-Business-Conditional Use District. The board will hold a public meeting on this request.

The Thursday meeting date is a deviation from the board's usual meeting schedule. The change was made because of a conflict with a planning conference.

The board usually meets on the Thursday after the first Monday of the month.

SONNENBERG -- Kyle Sonnenberg, former Southern Pines town manager, is one of three finalists for the Fayetteville town manager's position.

The Fayetteville City Council was expected to announce its decision later this week.

Sonnenberg left Southern Pines in 2004 to become assistant manager of Fayetteville. He presently serves as acting city manager.

An estimated 55 people applied for the position, vacant since the resignation of Roger Stancil in April. Stancil has since accepted the position of Chapel Hill city manager.

ROBIN SAGE -- Congressman Howard Coble joined the Special Forces Robin Sage exercises at the Guy Troy farm in Liberty Monday.

Coble represents the 6th District, which includes Moore County.

FIRE PREVENTION -- In conjunction with the National Fire Prevention Week observance, the Board of Commissioners has adopted a resolution designating Oct. 8-14 as Fire Prevention Week in Moore County.

Commissioner Virginia Saunders read the resolution during the board's Oct. 2 meeting. Fire Marshal Carlton Cole made the acceptance.

The emphasis this year is on home cooking fires, described as the cause of 114,000 home fires each year across the country between 1999 and 2002. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires, and three in 10 reported home fires start in the kitchen -- more than any other place in the home, according to the resolution.

The 2006 theme is "Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat."

The resolution says, in part: "Fire is a serious public safety concern both locally and nationally, and homes are the locations where people are at greatest risk from fire."

Florence Gilkeson can be reached at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.