Archives

With virtually no discussion and no opposition, the Franklin County commissioners unanimously approved the long-awaited Louisburg High School athletic complex Monday night -- and affirmed that the construction firm of Daniels and Daniels of Goldsboro will be the contractor.
The approval by commissioners came as the Board of Education was holding its regular July meeting on West River Road -- but Chief of Auxiliary Services Dr. Larry Webb was the schools' representative to the county commission.

PERFECT weather, a parade, fireworks and lots of fun marked the Fourth of July in Franklin County. Above, three young ladies were all about celebrating while awaiting the county's fireworks display at Louisburg High School. The girls are (from the left) Allison Farmer, Elizabeth Cowan and Riley Romero. Great weather and a mid-week holiday combined to draw lots of people to celebrations this year.

LOUISBURG -- The county's solid waste staff has committed to better educating residents about what does and does not belong in a recycling bin.
Their success could mean a better bottom line for the county after commissioners agreed to negotiate a new recycling contract with Goldsboro-based Sonoco Recycling LLC.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County Sheriff's Det. Wayne Daniels paced a bit inside the Terrell Lane Middle School gymnasium, engaging a group of residents on how to protect themselves.
While keeping an eye on your surroundings and being wary of dangerous people are all important safety measures, Daniels' tips weren't all about the physical dangers for which older adults have to guard against.

FRANKLINTON -- Hundreds of volunteers swooped through the region last month, making repairs for residents in need.
One of those was at Deborah Moody's Oak Circle residence.
Rebuilding Hope Inc., a Henderson-based ministry organization that coordinates home repair projects in the region, set out on 22 projects in June, including 13 roofs, six handicapped ramps, deck flooring repairs, ramp repairs and an installation of handrails.

Madilyn Medlin, Six Months Old

As kids of all ages watched the fireworks light the night skies over the Independence Day holiday -- and others enjoyed grilling outdoors or maybe a beach trip -- I'm hoping that someone, somewhere felt a twinge of conscience.
And that twinge will lead them to help ease the pain of family and friends of Robert Wade "Kojack" Ayscue who has been missing for a decade.

This week, Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law an act that puts a lot more bite into the phrase: Peddling poison.
Realizing that opioid-related deaths have "drastically increased" over the past 20 years, the General Assembly introduced bills referred to as the Death by Distribution Act.

PILOT COMMUNTY--Nell Stallings Williams, 92, of Pilot, passed away peacefully at her home Tuesday, July 9, 2019.

WENDELL--Risa Babeck, 55, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at her home in Wendell after a long battle with breast cancer. Funeral service will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Calvary's Cross Baptist Church, 1807 NC Hwy 98, Louisburg, with Pastor Martin Pinnell officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

LOUISBURG - Coach Blake Herring continues to make progress in his quest to turn the Louisburg College Hurricanes into a perennial national baseball contender.
Fresh off a campaign that saw the Hurricanes go 26-19 overall, Herring is upping the ante even more for 2020 as he believes his incoming recruiting class ranks among the best of his tenure at LC.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School's Cale Bolton began to experience buyer's remorse almost immediately after signing a baseball letter-of-intent last December to join the program at Barton College.
Throw in some coaching changes, along with the exploration of his full options, and Bolton eventually opted out of his commitment.

LOUISBURG -- Post 105's first playoff game in over 20 years didn't exactly go as planned Tuesday night at Frazier Field on the campus of Louisburg College.
After two decades, Post 105 resurrected its American Legion program this summer in Franklin County -- and Coach Larry McKeithan's club opened some area eyes by qualifying for the postseason.

LOUISBURG -- Bryan Bagwell checked all of the search committee's boxes to become the new men's basketball coach at Louisburg College.
Bagwell boasts plenty of experience -- 16 years worth -- and he also has served as a head coach for two years at Lenoir Community College in Kinston.

LOUISBURG -- Just because the softball season ended in May at Louisburg High School doesn't mean that the Lady Warriors will be taking the summer off.
Instead, a trio of LHS standouts starred for the Region 1 Team that claimed the championship last month at the annual Powerade North Carolina State Games in Charlotte.

RALEIGH -- The National Hockey League has released the 2019-20 regular-season schedules for its 31 member clubs.
The Carolina Hurricanes will open the season at PNC Arena on Thursday, Oct. 3, against the Montreal Canadiens.
For the third consecutive season, the Hurricanes will begin the season on home ice.

ZEBULON -- Mario Feliciano went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI, Wes Rogers scored four runs while going 2-for-3, Ryan Aguilar went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the eighth and Noah Zavolas earned the win the as Carolina Mudcats held on to win their fifth straight game 6-5 on Monday night versus Lynchburg in a Class A Carolina League baseball showdown.

Louisburg College has an impressive list of players who have gone on to play professional baseball -- and each of those performers are part of a banner at Frazier Field. Recent draftees Seth Johnson and Jason Parker and now listed after being selected in the 2019 Major League Draft.

Louisburg High School softball players (l to r) Laine Barefoot, Chelsea Roberson and Ragan Holloman display their first-place medals from the Powerade North Carolina State Games.

The David Esleck Trio will perform jazz music at Cherry Hill on Sunday, July 14.
Dr. Esleck performed solo at the piano in 2018 and is returning with his trio by popular demand. The program will begin at 3 p.m., and admission will be taken at the door.

AMERICAN RIDE. Matt and Lilly Perry pose beside a custom-built hot rod they rode in during Alert's annual Fourth of July parade.

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM. Above, Terry Pearce fires a ball at the lever controlling the dunking booth where Franklinton Police Chief John Green Jr. spent much of his day during the town and American Legion Post 52's Stand up for America event on June 29.

Brooklynn Fuller, Katie Lynn Allen, Sharon Fuller and Olivia Fuller ride in the Alert Pentecostal Holiness Church float, which won the parade's best float contest.

ALL SMILES. Little Heaven Hardy, 3, greeted the county's 4th of July festivities at Louisburg High School with a big smile -- and a little fence-sitting help from Elijah Thomas.

LOUISBURG -- The Perry's School Alumni Association presented its annual scholarship award recently.
The $500 scholarship is available to deserving students who are descendents of someone who attended Perry's High School in Centerville and, this year, the award was presented to recipient Bunn High graduate Jalen Isaiah Perry, the son of Wandia Perry and the grandson of Deacon Douglas Gupton and wife, Dorothy Gupton.

District Court Judge Benjamin Hunter administered the Guardian ad Litem oath to, from left, Christy Doi, Nancy Stephens, Emily Farrington and Yolanda Jackson at the Franklin County courthouse. These individuals have stepped up to be a voice for children who have abuse and neglect cases in court.

FRANKLINTON -- A Franklin County youngster was the first runner-up in the Little Miss Jabberwock scholarship pageant.
A senior at Franklinton High earned second runner-up status, completing the Jabberwock Court.
"A Night to Remember" was the theme of the 65th Jabberwock Extravaganza hosted by the Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and held at the Franklinton High School auditorium on June 22.

Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc. Head Start staff, students, and parents recently celebrated the end of a successful school year. FVW serves 427 children and families within Franklin, Vance, Warren and Granville counties. All nine Head Start centers are "Five Star" rated sites, where children 3 to 5 years of age receive the highest quality of preschool education.