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YOUNGSVILLE -- An iconic downtown building crumbled a day before work to stabilize the structure was set to begin.
Youngsville police cordoned off a block of Main Street on Monday morning when the roof collapsed at the former Griffin's Restaurant -- 132 E. Main Street.
No injuries were reported in the Labor Day incident.

RALEIGH -- The State Court of Appeals issued a ruling that would keep the former clerk of court off the ballot and prevent her from holding the office.
However, attorneys for Patricia Chastain plan to continue their battle to get her back in office.
In April, Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Lock entered an order that permanently disqualified Chastain from holding the office of clerk of court.

The first day of school at Wake Preparatory Academy overwhelmed traffic at the Capital Boulevard campus, causing more than an hour-long wait in traffic for some parents dropping off their kids or waiting to pick them up on Tuesday. The congestion also caused delays for commuters along the highway, as well as those trying to access U.S. 1 from surrounding roads. County emergency staff issued notices about traffic delays near the campus, which is the former CenturyLink building.

If you thought our two-year battle with COVID-19 and its variants was over, consider these facts:
•Franklin County Schools, back in session for most students only since Aug. 29 was reporting 45 cases of the virus by Friday, Sept. 2.
Of that total, 14 cases were staff members and 31 were students. Eleven of those cases were at Franklinton High School and seven were at Royal Elementary with the rest sprinkled around several schools.

LOUISBURG -- In a consent agenda item, Franklin County commissioners confirmed that the purchase of a former movie theater is part of their judicial complex project.
During the board's Aug. 1 meeting, commissioners added a last-minute agenda item to purchase a piece of property only referenced by its parcel number. There was no discussion regarding the location of the property or its price.

Greg & Makayla McDonald

Next stop Halloween on the fast track toward Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Hardly seems possible, but that is Labor Day in your rear-view mirror -- and for all practical purposes, the summer of 2022 is over.
September and October are two of the prettiest months of the year, usually, and are filled with lots of events that lure folks outside.

When I would visit my grandmother, we would have one particular interaction, without fail.
She'd be sitting on the couch and tell me someone had died.
No doubt, it was someone she knew really well.

Dear editor: A cartoon in the Aug. 26 edition of The Franklin Times implies that people who believe that 9-11 was an inside job are conspiracy theory kooks. If 9-11 was not an inside job, then only two other possibilities remain: 1)High-ranking governmental officials knew that the attack was going to happen and let it happen; 2) the United States have the most incompetent intelligence agencies that have ever existed throughout history.

Louisburg, NC--Carlin June Parker Barrett, 76 of Louisburg, formerly of Franklinton passed away Saturday, September 3, 2022. She was born on July 1, 1946, to the late Wallace and Wanda Morgan Parker. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, James Barrett and a son, Travis Lee Hayes.

Louisburg, NC--Ellen Anne Ball Kearney, 74 of Louisburg died Tuesday, September 6, 2022. She was born on December 24, 1947, to the late James Allen and Hilda Aiken Ball. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Larry "Spike" Kearney.

ZEBULON, NC--George Arthur Willette transitioned peacefully to his place in heaven on Sunday, 8/28/22 at 1 a.m. eastern time. He was born on 7/21/1932 in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he worked in dairy farming before serving in the United States Army during the Korean War. Educated as a chemist, he worked for Bristol Meyers in Syracuse, New York, where he met Doris, his wife of fifty-eight years.

SPRING HOPE, NC--Lola Marie Goodwin Hodge, 94, of Spring Hope and formerly of Franklinton passed away on September 5, 2022. She was born on February 16, 1928, to the late Everette and Alice Godfrey Goodwin. In addition to her parents, Lola was predeceased by her siblings; Lucille Ray, John R. "Bud" Goodwin, Herbert Godwin, Frank Goodwin, Eddie Lee Goodwin, and Dollie Murray.

LOUISBURG -- After a bye week and a postponed matchup to begin the season, Louisburg entered Week Three of the high school football campaign without having played a game -- a fact that concerned LHS veteran head coach Dontae Lassiter.
Lassiter's uneasiness was quickly alleviated last Thursday as Louisburg kicked off its schedule -- finally -- with an impressive 72-6 decision over the South Wake Home School Crusaders at the LHS Football Field.

RED OAK -- There's a new kid(s) looking to become a major player in the Big East Conference volleyball standings -- and it's a club nobody expected to be in the mix given its results over the past several seasons.
But the Northern Nash Lady Knights are making major strides within their program under first-year coach Emily Engelking -- and the progress is showing in the early portion of the 2022 campaign.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- As wild as the 2021 Big East Conference volleyball season one, this year's version might become even crazier -- if the opening week of action is any indication of things to come.
Certainly, Week One of the Big East spike schedule brought plenty of surprises -- along with an upward shift from the Nash Central Lady Bulldogs.

OXFORD -- Make it three in a row to begin the season for the Bunn Wildcats under first-year head football coach Dennis Burton -- and each triumph has come in resounding fashion.
After two blowout wins at home to kick off the campaign, the Wildcats hit the road for the first time last Friday -- and came back from Oxford Webb with a lopsided 49-0 victory over the Warriors in non-conference gridiron action.

FRANKLINTON -- A bye week probably couldn't have come at a better time for the Franklinton High School football team.
Certainly, the Red Rams needed some time to regroup following their crushing Week Two loss to Northern Durham -- a game that saw Franklinton carry a substantial lead into the second half, only to see the Knights rally and eventually claim a victory in double overtime.

ZEBULON -- Jace Avina went 2-for-4 with a home run in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh, Eduarqui Fernandez hit a two-run home run in the fourth, Robert Moore scored twice and pitchers Logan Henderson and Fernando Olguin combined on a five-hit shutout as the Carolina Mudcats defeated the Columbia Fireflies 6-0 in what was the final home game of the 2022 season at Five County Stadium.

Shamir Sheppard was a touchdown machine for the Louisburg Warriors during last Friday's grid contest.

Bunn High School outside hitter Lenita Bryson (right) elevates over a pair of Northern Nash defenders for a kill during last Thursday's Big East Conference volleyball match in Red Oak.

Louisburg High School's (l to r) Jhamier Bland and Shamir Sheppard try to track down South Wake Home School's Corbin Tew during last Thurday's non-conference football meeting on the LHS campus.

Artist Katheryn "Kat" Launey is teaching a new series of classes titled Art & Art History and sponsored by the Franklin County Arts Council.
Launey is a contemporary surrealist by approach, but the resulting artwork is symbolic. She has been creating artwork since she was two years old. She has an AFA degree from Wake Tech Community College.

Most people have heard the adage that "laughter is the best medicine." There are many indications that laughter can be beneficial to the mind and body, and that the perks of laughter and humor are far-reaching.
Various professionals have studied the clinical benefits of laughter, including Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan at Loma Linda University in California.

Individuals diagnosed with celiac disease recognize they must avoid gluten. That's become easier over the last couple decades as manufacturers have recognized the growing number of consumers on gluten-free diets. However, the Celiac Disease Foundation® notes that various foods may contain gluten in hidden or unexpected ways. That underscores how important it is that individuals with celiac disease read labels prior to purchasing foods and beverages for the first time.

Franklin County 4-H'ers received honors during the recent State 4-H Congress.
This year's 4-H Congress, held in Raleigh, attracted more than 300 young people and their adult leaders for activities, including presentations on a variety of subjects: leadership and citizenship training, service opportunities, officer elections and more.

ROCKY MOUNT -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has excluded three more North Carolina counties from requiring yearly vehicle emissions tests, but Franklin County vehicles still need to pass the test.
Beginning Nov. 1, vehicle owners in Lee, Onslow and Rockingham counties will join 78 other counties that are not required to conduct emissions tests.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are investigating an incident where an elementary school student brought a knife to school.
The incident was reported the morning of Sept. 2.
According to authorities, a student brought a folding knife with a four-inch blade to Louisburg Elementary School.

HENDERSON -- Maria Parham Health announced that Colleen Truax has joined its staff and will be offering GI services to patients throughout Henderson, Vance County, and the surrounding area.
"We are pleased to welcome Colleen Truax to our Maria Parham family as part of our growing GI practice," said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health.