Archives

The beginning of what is supposed to be a four-project series of highway improvements is slated to begin on July 17 when the North Carolina Department of Transportation opens construction bids for Section C of the long-awaited four-laning of U.S. 401 in Franklin County.
Assuming the bids look good, DOT plans to award a contract soon after the bid opening with work expected to begin on the segment from the Wake-Franklin County line north to Royal in late September or early October, DOT officials say.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council quickly adopted its new budget, agreed to sell a downtown building, laid the groundwork for some future projects and decided to "punt" on a highway project after deciding it was out of their jurisdiction during a relatively short Monday night meeting.
The town's new budget, which is unchanged from an earlier version which has been reported on extensively, is "revenue neutral" with a rate of 45 cents per $100 of valuation, down from this year's 49.5 cent tax rate.

Is there an angler alive who hasn't experienced what young Cameron Lynch's face shows here? He managed to land the smallest fish during a "Take a Kid Fishing" event put on by The Northern Sportsman (aka Chris Edwards) and some of his friends who rounded up more than 50 kids and introduced them to the fun of fishing last Saturday.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners approved a $2.1 million budget that doesn't raise the tax rate.
Residents who saw their property values rise through revaluation should expect to pay a bit more in taxes, though.
"[The rate that was adopted] is higher than what the revenue neutral rate is," said Town Administrator Roe O'Donnell. "People's taxes, will on average, go up.
"But, it's not a tax rate increase."

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners denied a rezoning request that would have turned what staff said is an ideal business location into prime real estate for a subdivision.

LOUISBURG -- Jason Brown left the NFL, but he still knows if you want to win in the fall, you've got to sweat in the heat.
Two weeks ago, he and a dozen or so volunteers did just that, sewing about eight acres on his First Fruits Farms with sweet potato slips.

Franklinton's Brandon Pender

Don't look now but two weeks from today, the echoes of the Independence Day fireworks will have faded away and we'll be on that important leg of summer that will end abruptly with the Labor Day holiday in early September.
Wow. How did that happen already? Seems like spring just started and suddenly we're on the brink of summer and beginning to think about how to enjoy these few weeks before the restart of school, football season and all that goes with those activities.

We are so much better than this -- and it's time to show that we value children and have compassion for the circumstances they find themselves in through no fault of their own.
Just as importantly, we must demand that Jeff Sessions, the attorney general of these United States, stop lying about what is happening and shoulder some of the responsibility for separating migrant children from their parents.

A few days ago, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to create a Space Force.
The president didn't provide many details on what exactly the Space Force would do or who would command it, but intimated that space is a national security issue and, according to Fox News, said he didn't want "China and Russia and other countries leading us."

Success in all things begins with someone caring about those things. There comes a time in every person's life when they realize if they want something done they must do it. The value of self-reliance becomes revealed as people wait for others to act. Things simply do not get done.
Too often, self-interest is the driving force for those seeking political office. What's in it for me?

BURLINGTON--Clyde Wayne Quick, 69, died Monday, June 18, 2018 at The Hospice Home of Alamance, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

LOUISBURG - Howard Randall "Randy" Faulkner, 55, of the Alert Community, died Thursday, June 14, 2018 at his home. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

LOUISBURG - Jonathan Paul Tanner, 28, of the Alert Community, died Sunday, June 17, 2018. A funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Friday, June 22, in the chapel of Strickland Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Pernell family cemetery.

LOUISBURG--Funeral services for Priscilla Perry Williams, 79, who died Tuesday, June 19, 2018, will be held Friday, June 22, at 2 p.m. at Nelson Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg, with Pastor Micah Mason officiating. Burial will follow in the M.H. Jones Cemetery.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Bunn continues to field a successful squad in girls soccer -- and the Ladycats once again enjoyed an effective campaign this spring in the Northern Carolina Conference.
BHS, under the direction of Coach Kelly Sellars, went 11-10 overall and finished in third place in the NCC, which qualified the Ladycats for the Class 2-A State Playoffs.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Even though they are barely teenagers, five Franklin Countians will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime in the latter portion of July.
Bunn residents Emily Winstead, Madison Driver and Elizabeth Winstead, along with Louisburg residents Ragan Holloman and Alex Edwards, will take part in the annual Premier Girls Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament.

HENDERSON -- After five successful seasons at Southern Vance High School, Gregory Ackles has long since proven himself as one of the area's top prep basketball coaches.
But Ackles is headed on a different career trajectory as he is joining the college ranks. Last Thursday, Ackles was named as the new men's hoops skipper at Vance-Granville Community College in Henderson.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Louisburg and Bunn both enjoyed strong seasons this spring in Northern Carolina Conference baseball action -- and as a result boast several standouts on the 2018 All-NCC Team.
Bunn's Davie Morgan, Andrew Smith, Malakai Morrow and Trent Simmons were selected, as were Loiusburg's Jaheim Brown, Cale Bolton and Christian Allen.

BUNN -- Dale Murphy had a front-row seat for one of the most successful periods in Bunn High School football history as he was a long-time assistant skipper under the legendary David Howle.
Now Bunn's first-year head coach, Murphy hopes to incorporate some of the lessons he learned from Howle -- while also leaving his own mark on the tradition-rich program.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Three players from Louisburg and one standout from Bunn have been selected to the 2018 All-Northern Carolina Conference Boys Tennis Team.
Louisburg, in its first season in the NCC, was represented by Chandler Griffin, Destin Hendrix and Cole Jones. Bunn's selection was Blake Conner.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Cooper Hummel went 2-for-4 with a RBI, Dallas Carroll doubled and scored a run, Conor Harber earned a quality start and Luke Barker picked up the save as the Carolina Mudcats defeated the host Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3-2 in their first-half and series finale in Myrtle Beach on Sunday night in a Class A Carolina League baseball outing.

GREENSBORO -- The postseason honors continue to file in for the North Carolina State University baseball team, as six players were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/ Rawlings All-Region Team last Wednesday.
Brett Kinneman led the way for the Wolfpack with his selection to the All-Atlantic Region First Team, while Patrick Bailey, Brian Brown, Brock Deatherage, Josh McLain and Joe O'Donnell were each named to the second team.

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Two Youngsville residents made the Dean's List at a South Carolina university.
Jacquelyn Donahue and April Moore made the Deans's List at Anderson University the spring semester, according to a news release.
A student must maintain a 3.5 grade point average or higher for the semester to make the Dean's List.

It's the time of the year when schools begin gearing up and aligning staff for the next school year -- and the following changes kept the Franklin County Board of Education busy at its June meeting.
The following actions were approved when the board:

LOUISBURG -- More than 80 percent of residents in a Youngsville subdivision are in favor of paying a special assessment to cover the costs of improving their neighborhood streets to the point that the state can take over their maintenance.
On Monday night, residents who oppose that prospect asked county commissioners to stop such a development.

Sophia Clark gets a ride in her very own fishing boat -- which she won!

Jamas Morgan is all smiles as he shows off his prize catch

Payton Stephens proudly displays her prize catch of the day

WHAT IN TARNATION? Louisburg police cited a hauler for failing to secure a load in an incident that sprayed tar along 100 feet of South Bickett Boulevard near Wade Avenue on Monday morning. Authorities allege the driver, James H. Mullins Jr., was at the Sheetz station when he accidently hit the spray button on his WhiteHurst Paving Co. truck. The truck then proceeded to its destination where he advised his supervisor. Louisburg police and fire units responded to block traffic before more motorists drove through the tar. Above, motorists could travel north on the town's main thoroughfare, but southbound traffic was rerouted as authorities performed the cleanup. Mullins, 53, is next slated to appear in court on July 16.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A Youngsville teen intent on making the voices and actions of youth heard and felt in town made his second pitch to begin a youth advisory council.
In April, Logan Harrison appeared before commissioners to share his idea of creating such a council.
That board, Harrison said, would serve two purposes:

YOUNGSVILLE -- Two months ago, the operator of a local establishment, town commissioners and staff talked about how noise was impacting nearby residents.
During the board's most recent meeting, nearly a dozen residents signed up to speak out about the positive impact that Wine and Beer 101 -- and other businesses -- were having on the town.