Archives

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County management terminated its medical director -- 30 minutes before sending out a press release that questioned damning allegations she made about the county's emergency services department.
Dr. Stiehl said her termination was retaliation for her comments and the press release was an attempt place a "creative spin" on objective information she and former Emergency Services Director Hendrix Valenzuela repeatedly presented to County Manager Kim Denton.

LOUISBURG -- The town council approved one of the largest single annexations in town history Monday night, handled a wide variety of routine business items and then, after a nearly 90-minute secret session, emerged to tighten council's control of town business in moves some observers said appeared to be an effort to put pressure on town Administrator Jonathan Franklin.

LOUISBURG -- The town council gave final approval to the annexation of Green Hill Subdivision, formerly Green Hill Country Club, on Monday night making it one of the largest residential annexations in town history.
The 62.2 acre subdivision will eventually include up to 151 homes that will be built in three phases of about 50 homes each and each phase will take about 15 months to complete.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A set of construction projects that will solidify infrastructure, beautify roads and improve modality are set to start this spring.
All told, the town has secured more than $4 million in funds to:
• Resurface Main Street, improve the aesthetics of the corridor and make traffic crossing safer;

LOUISBURG -- Students in Franklin County Schools were in class this week -- and, for the first time in months, not required to wear masks to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Prior to Monday, students, staff and school visitors had been required to wear masks all day, with exemptions for lunch and some sports.
Students still have the option of wearing masks if they choose.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners approved a voting map that satisfied a legal challenge.
Earlier this month, Youngsville resident Doug Berger filed a lawsuit in superior court alleging that commissioners approved election maps in November that were unfair to voters in District 5.

Louisburg High School coach Chris Baker

Time to cross your fingers, hope for the best and be ready to cope with the worst, if it comes to that.
In a matter of a few weeks, we have gone with coping with COVID by relying on the science to relying on political science to tell us the virus is gone.
Instead of relying on the expertise and advice of those who have spent their lifetimes studying viruses and how to cope with them, we are now going to rely on advice from politicians, some of whom, unless I miss my guess, can't tell a virus from a gerbil.

If you've attended as many government meetings as I have in my lifetime, you've heard of the term: Public/private partnership.
During the most recent meeting of the Franklinton Board of Commissioners, it was noted twice.
One is a bit of a gamble that you might have read about in last week's edition of the paper.
The other? Well, here it is.

Dear editor:
I hope all is well. I want to submit something to the newspaper regarding recent reports about a decrease in COVID-19 testing and infection rates in our county and across the country.

CASTALIA, NC -- Kaye Preddy Dorsey, 75, of Castalia died February 18, 2022. Kaye was born August 28, 1946 to the late Robert "Bob" and Flora Worley Preddy. In addition to her parents, Kaye was predeceased by her husband, Vincent Dorsey as well as her sister, Margaret Gupton and a brother, Bobby Preddy.

LOUISBURG, NC-- Funeral services for Kenneth Lee "Moe" Williams, age 70, will be held 1 p.m., Monday, February 28, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Bishop Gordon Hammiel officiating. Burial will follow in the Cemetery on the Hill.

LOUISBURG -- Both the beginning and end were spectacular for the Louisburg Warriors during Tuesday's matchup with Princeton in the opening round of the Class 2-A Boys Basketball State Playoffs.
And what happened in between is inconsequential, especially when it comes to advancing in the postseason.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Shane Garrett grew up in Franklin County and competed in baseball for the Town of Louisburg Parks and Recreation Department.
Now, Garrett is coming home for the next two years as he has signed a letter-of-intent to continue his baseball career at Louisburg College.
Garrett, who has been a member of the Faith Christian School diamond program in Nash County for the past three years, chose Louisburg College over several different options that he had to compete on the collegiate level.

WINSTON-SALEM -- Franklinton High School is no stranger to track and field success at the elite state level -- and that trend continued two weeks ago at the Class 3-A State Indoor Track and Field Championships.
That's when the Red Rams featured a pair of silver medalist second-place finishers at the annual event, which was held at the JDL Fast Track near Winston-Salem.

LOUISBURG -- It almost goes without saying that Chris Baker has huge shoes to fill in his newest role as the Louisburg High School head softball coach.
Louisburg's fast-pitch program has produced a myriad of stars over the past several campaigns -- and even won the East Regional Championship four years ago and played in the state finals.

ZEBULON -- East Wake Academy doesn't have the most bountiful boys basketball tradition, but Nick Tabron is in the process of changing that for good.
Tabron, who prepped at Franklinton High School under the direction of the legendary Thurman Jordan, is taking some of the lessons he learned as a player and turning them into success as a coach.

ZEBULON - Exciting family fun is here as the Carolina Mudcats have announced that single-game tickets are on sale now at carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287, and at the Five County Stadium front office.
Single-game ticket availability coincides with the unveiling of the first phase of the club's promotional schedule for the upcoming 2022 season at Five County Stadium.

Louisburg's Marcus Portis elevates for a rebound during Tuesday's home playoff triumph.

Louisburg's Jordan Durham has a knack for finding his way to the basket -- like on this play during Tuesday's win over Princeton in the Class 2-A Playoffs.

Getting out and about is a vital component of many seniors' daily lives, but it's important that aging men and women recognize how much exercise is healthy for them. The Department of Health & Human Services notes that adults need a mix of physical activity to stay healthy. That mix should be a combination of moderate-intensity aerobic activities, which can include golfing, swimming and even gardening, and muscle strengthening activities like weightlifting that make the muscles work harder than usual.

Black History month was celebrated recently at the Louisburg Senior Center. Theresa Rodwell and Linda Turner are all smiles at the event.

Dr. Felecia Hardy, (left) and Commissioner Kelli London

Nidina Pee shows off her Valentine card

AUTHOR TO SPEAK. Louisburg College Professor of English Tommy Jenkins will discuss his original graphic novel "Drawing the Vote" on Thursday, March 3. His work looks at the history of voting rights in the United States and how it affects the way Americans vote today. Original artwork by Kati Lacker makes the book accessible for readers of all ages.

Nominations are being sought for a $750 scholarship offered by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association (NCCEAPA) through March 25.
The scholarship is available to North Carolina residents pursuing a college degree (Associate and/or Bachelor) in business or a business-related field of study.

The filing period for the May primary and fall general election starts today, Feb. 24.
Filing initially began on Dec. 6, but challenges to newly drawn election districts halted the process and pushed back the spring primary.
At press time, the primary election was slated to take place on May 17.

FRANKLINTON -- Two Franklinton police officers were presented with plaques for service that went above and beyond.
And, another officer was recognized for getting some dangerous suspects off the street.
Police Chief James Davis and the department brought those items to the public's attention during the town's Feb. 15 meeting.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are looking for a suspect who shot into an occupied vehicle.
No injuries were reported.
According to authorities, someone was driving past Hayes Auto in the 1500 block of U.S. 401 at about 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 when they told authorities that someone traveling in the opposite direction had a "rifle" hanging outside the driver's window.

LOUISBURG -- Town officials brought their "wish lists" to a pre-budget planning session last Thursday evening and those lists turned out to be amazingly similar.
The annual pre-budget session is designed to give the council and the mayor an opportunity to explain what they believe the town needs to be focused on in the coming budget year and give those developing the budget an idea of where the priorities lie.