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LOUISBURG -- Attorneys are slated to continue calling witnesses on Monday morning in the defense of a man accused of killing his estranged girlfriend.
Prosecutors rested their case against Garry Yarborough on July 19 -- concluding four days of arguments and witness testimony they allege proves Yarborough is guilty of shooting and killing Tracy Williams the afternoon of July 26, 2015.

One of the five bids for improvements to U.S. 401 in Franklin County opened last week came in just below engineering estimates.
Construction bids for Section C, which runs from the Franklin-Wake County line north to the Royal intersection, were opened by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The Barred Owl is considered relatively common across North America but is rarely seen or photographed by the casual observer. This Barred Owl was spotted along a golf course recently by Franklin Times sports guru Geoff Neville and his wife, Lisa, who quickly grabbed her camera and made this bird's perfect portrait. The Barred Owl, more commonly called the Hoot Owl or an Eight Hooter, is scientifically known as a Strix varia.

CASTALIA -- Assistant County Manager Kim Denton told members of the Northeast Franklin Revitalization Committee that the region is close to sending Internet service companies the information they'll need to determine if they want to improve or provide new services in the area.
Committee members said they're ready to play a hands-on role in choosing which provider could best bring the service to a long-neglected section of the county.

FRANKLINTON -- The town's governing board decided they didn't want to be hypocritical.
New development is taking place in Franklinton and the county is working on an infrastructure project to facilitate current and future growth in town.
And town staff has taken proactive steps to encourage property owner improvements, either through citations or more informal methods. All the while, a property essentially gifted to the town in 2010 has been falling in on itself.

Recent Bunn HS graduate Dylan Timberlake

Pardon me while I bask in the glow of being correct -- for once, at least.
I have long contended that men wearing neckties is not only dumb but also runs the risk of slowing blood flow to the brain making them, if not stupid, at least not as smart as they might have been without the necktie.

One important highway project took a step toward reality last week and a second project began the complex journey that may result in reality in several years.
Sadly, although that second project is one of the most important ones for the future of Franklin County, especially central Franklin County, most of our local officials, elected or hired, couldn't be bothered to attend or support it.
Amazing, isn't it?

For $2,133, Franklinton leaders could have bought 2,133 hamburgers from some restaurant's dollar menu.
And, basically, the governing board for the town of Louisburg could have taken each of its 3,200 residents to a dollar store and let them grab any item they wanted from the 99-cent bin.

Again I have read of a child being killed in what was called an accident caused by someone under the influence of alcohol. Angry does not begin to cover how I was left feeling reading this.
An accident by definition is an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause.

LOUISBURG--Marilyn Maye McKinzie Swift, 78, died Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at Wake Medical Center in Cary. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

WENDELL - Roy Lee Overton, 83, died Monday. He was born in Franklin County to the late Roy James and Hallie Ayscue Overton. Roy served his country in the United States Air Force. After his service, he worked for and retired from Dupont. He was a quiet man who deeply loved his grandchildren, avidly watched NCSU football and basketball, and spent many days hunting deer and quail with his brother. He was preceded in death by his wife of over 50 years, Pansy Swanson Overton.

BUNN -- When the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League announced plans to cut its participating teams to 24, that left several area squads -- including all three of Franklin County's high schools -- without an affiliation.
So six of those groups came together to form a summer league program with junior varsity and varsity teams from Franklinton, Bunn, Louisburg, Oxford Webb, Roxboro Community School and Oxford Prep.

BUNN -- Dale Murphy won't be afforded a honeymoon period during his first season as the Bunn High School head football coach.
Mainly because there won't be much of a honeymoon.
A long-time fixture at BHS and Bunn Middle, Murphy was a defensive coach for last year's varsity squad before accepting the head coaching position several months ago.

LOUISBURG -- When the Tar Heel District Coach-Pitch Tournament ended earlier this month, that didn't mean the conclusion of the summer season for the Louisburg All-Stars.
Instead, Louisburg's roster stayed intact and competed in the South Granville Athletic Association Round-Robin Tournament on July 14 in Butner.

ZEBULON -- Devin Hairston hit a walk-off single in the eighth to lift the host Carolina Mudcats to a 5-4 victory in game one, but Conor Harber suffered a tough luck loss in game two as Erick Leal and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans shut out the Mudcats 2-0 in game two in Tuesday's doubleheader split at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton High School's 2018 boys soccer schedule will kick off Aug. 14 with a road matchup in Creedmoor against Falls Lake Academy. FHS' Big East Conference opener will be September 17 at Rocky Mount.
The Red Rams' complete ledger is as follows, with home matches listed in CAPS:

Franklinton's J.P. Salati (left) beats a throw to home plate during Tuesday evening's summer league baseball doubleheader on the road against Bunn.

9-10 SOFTBALL ALL-STARS

COACH-PITCH BASEBALL ALL-STARS

(L to R) Key performers this season for the Louisburg Coach-Pitch All Stars included (l to r) Brayden Ingraham, Ravin Pickrel, Troy Aycock, Carson Champion, Bryant Nelms and Benji Inscoe.

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges approved the appointment of Dr. Gordon Burns as interim president of Vance-Granville Community College.
The former leader of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro was the longest serving president in the history of the western North Carolina college, retiring in 2014 after 18 years at WCC and 46 years in education.

HENDERSON -- Dr. Stelfanie Williams, Vance-Granville Community College's president, was recognized recently for her honor as the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges President of the Year for 2018.
Jim Rose, vice chair of the state board, presented Dr. Williams with a plaque at a July 16 dinner held in the Civic Center on Main Campus prior to the regular bimonthly meeting of the VGCC Board of Trustees.

FRANKLINTON -- Police arrested a Kittrell man on charges of trafficking heroin.
According to a report by Sgt. A.T. Carlson, he was patrolling the area of U.S. 1 and N.C. 56 the afternoon of July 21 when he spotted a Toyota with heavily tinted windows -- believed to be darker than the legal limit.

RALEIGH -- Residents in need of home repairs could receive a boost.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is providing $2 million across the state to help low-income residents with home repairs.
Of that $2 million, $108,000 is expected to be funneled through Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity Inc. to help about 40 households in those areas.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are investigating allegations of a hate crime.
Tommy Richardson told authorities the morning of July 21 that he was driving along N.C. 56 East in the Edward Best community when his vehicle broke down in the 4000 block of the roadway.

HENDERSON -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are looking for a suspect in a shooting.
A lack of a description is making the task tough, though, investigators said.
Marcus Hayes reported the morning of July 21 that he heard a knock at the back door of his Gooch Road home just before 2 a.m.