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LOUISBURG -- Authorities arrested a Youngsville man, alleging he shot and killed a Bunn High School student.
Franklin County sheriff's investigators, on Tuesday, charged Darryl Lamont Jones with first degree murder, alleging he shot Mariano Palacios-Hortelano following an altercation the evening of Oct. 27.

LOUISBURG -- Everyone at the Franklin County jail was tested this week after a COVID-19 outbreak was reported at the facility.
Sheriff Kent Winstead said that an inmate exhibited symptoms last week and, ultimately, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The county health department was notified and additional tests were conducted of inmates and staff working that pod or section of the jail.
Two staff members and a total of 30 inmates tested positive.

LOUISBURG -- "I didn't know who y'all were talking about," quipped retiring Louisburg attorney Johnny Williamson toward the end of a ceremony to unveil his formal portrait in the Franklin County Superior Courtroom.
Williamson, who is retiring after 51 years as an attorney in Louisburg, was the focus of attention -- and some good-natured ribbing -- from fellow attorneys and friends who attended the brief session in the courtroom presided over by Superior Court Judge Cindy Sturges.

Nov. 11 is the day set aside to remember and thank America's military veterans. Charles Smith and Mitch Godfrey (above) were among members of Louisburg American Legion Post 105 carefully placing flags on graves at Oakwood Cemetery.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A long simmering project that's expected to boost mobility in and around town will be delayed for about a month.
But, town officials said it's best to have the delay at the beginning of the process, rather than having the potential to rip up newly constructed sidewalks and paved roads after the fact.
Youngsville is coordinating its Main Street Improvements Project with a sewer rehabilitation project by the county.

Photographer Michael McCray

Whew! Sure am glad THAT'S over.
Bet you are, too.
The THAT, of course, is the recent election which, like so much in this chaotic year of 2020, showed just how abnormal -- many would say screwed up -- this entire year has been.

I've often said that I never quite understand why anyone would run for public office.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that there are people who feel strongly enough about public service to run for office and fill elected posts.
But I don't think I'll ever quite understand why people would open themselves up for so many levels of public scrutiny.

As our nation struggles to come together after a very difficult election and a controversial transition to a new administration -- and as the balance of power shifts in Franklin County's government -- perhaps it's time for everyone to be reminded of who we American are and what we should expect from our government.

A simple reminder of who we are!

As our nation struggles to come together after a very difficult election and a controversial transition to a new administration -- and as the balance of power shifts in Franklin County's government -- perhaps it's time for everyone to be reminded of who we American are and what we should expect from our government.

With that in mind, we are reprinting this proposed prayer for good government in the hopes that these transitions will pass peacefully and in the spirit of American democracy. This simple prayer and the spirit behind it offers a great starting place for local government boards and commissions -- and is equally applicable to those in Washington, D. C. as well.

LOUISBURG--Joyce Barkman McDonald, age 93, of Louisburg, passed away Monday, November 9, 2020.

LOUISBURG -- Making the most of a difficult situation has been the main theme of the Louisburg College Hurricanes during their fall baseball workouts.
LC, coached by Blake Herring, wrapped up its autumn slate last week by hosting its annual World Series intrasquad scrimmages at picturesque Frazier Field.
The Red Team swept the series over the Blue Team by a three games to none margin.

STANHOPE -- This isn't necessarily the greatest year to have a young, inexperienced volleyball team -- but that's the challenge Melanie Davis Hicks faces as she enters her fifth campaign in charge of the Southern Nash High School spike program.
Thanks to an influx of talent from the middle school level, Hicks, a Franklin County native who prepped at Bunn High School, is blessed with a whopping 10 ninth-graders in her program this season.

NASHVILLE -- Sometimes, it can be difficult to streamline a complex, fulfilled life into a few sentences -- but that is not necessarily the case with long-time Town of Nashville Parks and Recreation Director Jim Glover.
Simply put, Jim Glover loved Nashville. The people. The community. The sense of being. The feeling of making a positive impact. The desire to plant a seed and watch it blossom.

GREENSBORO -- The Atlantic Coast Conference and its television partners announced the following football game times and networks for the games of Nov. 14.
ESPN has exercised a six-day hold for the start times and networks for Notre Dame at Boston College and Miami at Virginia Tech.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Here is the complete Northern Carolina Conference master schedule for the 2020-21 prep volleyball season:

RALEIGH -- Area standouts Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person both put together strong performances in the backfield, but North Carolina State could not hold a late lead during last Friday night's key Atlantic Coast Conference football showdown against the Miami (Florida) Hurricanes.
Homestanding NC State led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but the 11th-ranked Hurricanes would deliver 13 unanswered markers the rest of the way en route to securing a wild 44-41 victory over the Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium.

MARTINSVILLE, VA. -- The Louisburg College men's and women's cross country competed at the Region X DI Cross Country Championship recently at Patrick Henry Community College.
The men won the event finishing ahead of Spartanburg Methodist College with a score of 23 points to SMC's 32.

Louisburg College's Matt Cotter takes a big swing during last week's baseball intrasquad scrimmage World Series at historic Frazier Field on the LC campus.

The annual 4-H Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit provides youth ages five to 19 an opportunity to compete against other youth from across the region.
This year, due to COVID-19, our circuit went virtual with participating youth from the following counties: Randolph, Guilford, Stanly, Montgomery, Cumberland, Richmond, Lee, Chatham, Union, Anson, Moore, Rockingham, Person, Cabarrus, Franklin, Hoke, and Robeson counties. Points are accumulated at each show, and placings are determined by total points received.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The Youngsville ABC board sold its store and property, realizing revenue it plans to use to open a new store on Capital Boulevard.
The board also agreed to continue its lease at the current Five Points location, even if it meant taking on a potential sewer liability.
By unanimous decision, the board sold the N. College Street store and nearly two acres to WW Properties and Rentals -- whose $395,000 offer survived the upset bid process.

Authorities arrested a Fuquay-Varina man they allege sped past the Franklin County sheriff. Deputies and Louisburg police combined to arrest Justin Lamar McNeil Tuesday morning without incident. Sheriff Kent Winstead said he was in the area of N.C. 39 and Bickett Boulevard at about 7:15 a.m. when the driver, later identified as McNeil, drove through the stop light at a high rate of speed. "He blew between me and another car," Winstead said.

PREP WORK. Franklin County Veteran Services held a drive-thru Veterans Day event on Wednesday at Crosscreek Charter School. Prior to that, though, Veterans Services Director Brenda Wilkins shows the flags that were to greet veterans at the drive-thru event.

LOUISBURG -- Police arrested a Louisburg woman they allege started a fight, nearly struck two officers with her car, rammed a patrol vehicle that had a K-9 officer inside and then tried to turn a gas station into a drive-thru.
Destiny T. Yarborough, 25, was arrested Nov. 7 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault on a government official, reckless driving to endanger, simple assault, destruction of property, disorderly conduct, trespassing and having an open container.

NEW YORK -- A national weekly magazine ranked a Wake Forest health care facility as one of the top ambulatory surgery centers in the country. Newsweek partnered with global research firm Statista to name America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers for 2021 -- listing Wake Forest Endoscopy Center as the 8th best in North Carolina. It's gastroenterologist hepatologist, Dr. Ghassan Al-Sabbagh, also operates a practice in Louisburg.