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RALEIGH -- The State Democratic Party named its new chair, concluding Black History Month by naming its first African American as leader -- Franklin County resident Dr. Bobbie Richardson.
Richardson, a former state legislator and previous vice chair of the state party, was selected to lead the party as chair on Feb. 27.

Lester Wilder -- often referred to as "Mr. Franklinton" -- passed away this week at 71 following a long illness. Wilder, who was a popular coach, mentor and community leader was a Franklinton native who came home to teach, coach and play a huge rule in the lives of countless students, both athletes and those who didn't play sports. Funeral services are slated for Sunday, March 7, at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners issued a special use permit that will allow a boat and recreational vehicle storage site that's bounded by residential neighborhoods on three sides.
The county's planning board recommended denying the permit and a handful of residents opposed the project.

LOUISBURG -- Family, friends and the law enforcement community lifted a local state trooper in prayer as he battles COVID-19.
James "Brent" Montgomery has battled coronavirus for weeks.
Most recently, his wife, Heather, posted via social media that he remains stable.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Elections agreed to move their offices into the county's newly renovated office space.
Last summer, the county agreed to a $10,937.50 per month lease for 35,909 square feet of the old Walmart building on Bickett Boulevard, using it for office space.
In December, commissioners awarded Apex-based MLB Construction Services a $2.2 million contract to upfit the space for county use.

LOUISBURG -- When the United Way needed a place to operate a community garden, MAE Farm set aside some space at their Franklin County farm.
When the Cooperative Extension or other agriculture groups needed to show off some of the best farming techniques, the Jones family farm was often a tour stop.
When a school or anyone needed aid with a fundraiser, MAE Farm often lent a hand or a hoof.

Louisburg High Special Ed teacher Michelle Patterson Jones

Thirty years!
Seems impossible to believe, but it was 30 years ago Monday, March 1, when I took a deep breath, clicked the ballpoint pen in my hand and signed on the line where the lawyers said I was supposed to sign.
In seconds, I became the new publisher/owner of The Franklin Times -- and completed my escape from "Corporate America" that had been my newspaper career for two decades.

Last year at this, time, this was the headline on the front page of The Franklin Times: "As Coronavirus Spreads, is Franklin County Ready?"
The subheads noted that county health officials were relying upon previous efforts to help them navigate COVID-19.
The other said the school system was vigilant and ready to act if necessary.
Man, if we only had a crystal ball.

Dear editor:
As you know, our mission is to revitalize northeastern Franklin County, especially economically. In doing so, we hope our efforts will ripple throughout the entire county. In recent years, the need for more water in the county has been well documented, studied, written about and discussed many times.

FRANKLINTON, NC- Brandon A. White, 38, of Franklinton passed away on Monday March 1, 2021. He was born in Wake County the son of Donna McIntyre White and Joe Elvis White.

WAKE FOREST, NC-Christy Renee Lancaster Williams, 46, of Wake Forest, passed away on February 26, 2021. She was the daughter of Bobbie Rigsbee Lancaster and the late Matt Lancaster.

FRANKLINTON, NC-Mary Frances Harris Piper, 78, of Franklinton, passed away on February 28, 2021. She was born in Nash county on October 23, 1942 to the late Thurston G. and Hazel Wood Harris. In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her brother, Thurston G. Harris, Jr.

WARRENTON, NC -- Funeral services for Milton Alston, age 63, who died on Monday, March 1, 2021, will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2021 from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Elder J. Joyner officiating.

LOUISBURG - Louisburg High School's first game at its new football field proved to be one to remember -- in so many ways.
Not only does LHS now boast a modern, shiny facility, but the Warriors also possess a potential-rich, on-the-rise gridiron program to go with it.
Certainly, Louisburg's football future looks every bit as bright as the state-of-the-art lights at the new stadium -- as evidenced by the Warriors' season-opening performance last Thursday against backyard rival Bunn.

FRANKLINTON -- According to the latest census, the Town of Franklinton's population is 2,260.
Chances are that Lester Wilder, in some way or another, has impacted the lives of each of those people.
Franklinton lost perhaps its most beloved citizen Sunday when Wilder, a long-time coach at Franklinton High School, passed away at the age of 71.

FRANKLINTON -- Despite once again boasting a wealth of talent, the Franklinton Red Rams have displayed one glaring issue during the 2021 boys soccer campaign to date.
The Red Rams, even with all of their skill, seem to have trouble finding the back of the net.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton High School's offense was in full-throttle mode during last Friday night's regular season football opener against Southern Lee -- and the defense wasn't too shabby, either.
The Red Rams piled up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball on their way to registering a 61-14 rout over the Cavaliers in non-conference action at the FHS Football Field.

RALEIGH -- It's not often that two coaches who attended the same high school face off against one another while performing their managerial duties at the collegiate level.
But that was the case last Tuesday when Billy Godwin's UNC-Greensboro Spartans traveled to Raleigh to take on Elliott Avent's North Carolina State Wolfpack on the baseball diamond at Doak Field at Dail Park.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats have announced the retirement of longtime Vice President & General Manager Joe Kremer.
Kremer concludes a near four-decade run as one of the top executives in Minor League Baseball, including 30 seasons as the only general manager in Mudcats history.

The first-ever coin flip in the history of the new Louisburg High School Football Field takes place, with the homestanding Warriors winning the toss last Thursday night against rival Bunn.

The first-ever play in the history of the new Louisburg High School Football Field was this kickoff courtesy of Louisburg's Victor Flores-Nino.

GREENVILLE -- Vance-Granville Community College student Rolando Rosado of Louisburg was recently accepted into the Honors College at East Carolina University, starting in the fall of 2021.
Rosado is one of just 10 students who are the first ever admitted into the competitive honors program while transferring into the university.

North Carolina State University released the Dean's list for the Fall 2020 semester. Below are the Franklin County students making the list.

NASHVILLE -- A 6-year-old Nash County boy was apparently accidentally shot by a teenager showing off a gun on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Nash County Sheriff's Office, a 16-year-old boy and his 6-year-old brother were outside a home in the 5900 block of Maggie Road talking with some friends of the teenager. One of the friends, another 16-year-old, was reportedly showing off a gun when it went off and the shot struck the youngster.

ZEBULON -- Johnston County authorities arrested a Raleigh man whom Franklin County investigators have linked to a shooting that was believed to have been sparked by a domestic assault involving a knife.
Hassan Sean Carlos, 40, was arrested over the weekend.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A Youngsville-area resident was in the market for better home security when an incident involving a stabbing, an officer-related shooting and a naked suspect ended on his front porch -- literally.
The afternoon of Feb. 19, Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Andrew Cates, charging him with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.