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LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners agreed to improve the marketability of its business park -- using $1 million either from COVID funds, tax revenues or its enterprise fund.
On Monday night, Assistant County Manager Ryan Preble and Public Utilities Director Chris Doherty presented commissioners with an opportunity to complete a $2.85 million project to build a half mile road, and extend water and sewer to their Triangle North Franklin Business Park.

EASTER FUN. Above, Salleigh Rogers slides down an inflatable slide set up at Faith Baptist Church, the site of Youngsville's Easter festivities after rain showers forced revelers inside this past Saturday. Franklin County postponed its Easter event, pushing it back to this Saturday, April 8 at 11 a.m. at Franklinton Park, 99 Park Avenue, Franklinton.

LOUISBURG -- A murderer looking to change his conviction is slated to have a hearing in court next week.
In August 2018, Judge David Lambeth Jr. sentenced Garry Yarborough to life in prison without parole -- plus 40 years -- after a jury found him guilty of killing Tracy Williams.

LOUISBURG -- A Sanford man sentenced by a Franklin County judge to life in prison nearly 10 years ago is set to take part in an evidentiary hearing next week -- part of a process that could lead to an overturning of his conviction as an habitual offender.
A jury in April 2014 found Walter Eugene Spinks guilty of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

FRANKLINTON -- Town officials got their first look at a budget that proposes to balance spending, raise employee salaries and keep the tax rate the same.
Long term, officials and staff will start slotting in projects for its capital improvement plan. There isn't expected to be any funding in the 2023-24 budget for those big ticket items, though.

AnnMarie and Ray Arout were two of the nearly 80 volunteers who took part in the third annual Greater Youngsville Community Cleanup Day last Saturday. Armed with reflective vests, litter grabbers, bags and gloves, volunteers removed trash from the area.

Bunn HS assistant baseball coach Mark Fetky

It's barely April and already Mother Nature is proving the old adage that you "have to take the bad with the good."
So along with the good -- these beautiful spring days and nature's re-awakening -- we have to put up with some of the bad.
And the bad is really bad, especially if you dislike those nasty little fire ants as badly as I do.
But they are back and biting. Don't ask how I know that -- you can probably guess -- but rest assured that they are as mean as ever and just spoiling for a fight.

Any time I think about the plight of a town or county manager, I think about the plight of Peter Gibbons from the movie Office Space.
He had eight bosses. He lamented this fact to some consultants that visited the company, hoping to make it more efficient but, truthfully, they were there to hand out pink slips.
This is what Peter had to say to them:

Dear editor: My wife and I recently took an alternate route home from Wake Forest; we were astounded by the dense housing developments just across the county line coming into Youngsville.
To my knowledge each of those houses come with a well and septic system.

Dear editor: I always leave for church with perfect attire and hair. I park in a prominent place and am always the first to arrive there.
We all need some claim to fame to perpetuate our earthly given name.

Dear editor: The word was a few months ago that the Town of Louisburg was going to pave College Street so that visitors would have better access to the Louisburg College Athletic Fields.
But the vote by the Town Council was lacking the support to get this project completed.

Dear editor: THE PYRAMID
When you hear the word "pyramid," Egypt immediately comes to mind, and its form implies stability, power and mystery.
For me, the image conveys the essence of our Democracy. Stability originates from the people at the base, while power is relinquished to the Congress, and ultimately the President at the peak.

Knightdale, NC-- Byron Keith Harris, 68, passed away Thursday, March 30, 2023. He was born December 8, 1954, in Franklin County to the late Robert Rudd Harris and Elaine Opal Sykes Harris. He graduated from Frederick Military Academy as a Cadet Lt. Col., and was awarded an academic scholarship to Duke University, where he received a B.S. in Accounting. Byron began his North Carolina state government career with the State Auditor's Office, and then continued in the Governor's Office of State Budget and Management. After 32 years of public service, he retired from the former N.C. Department of Correction, where he oversaw a billion-dollar budget. In 2011, Byron was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his significant contributions to the state of North Carolina and its communities, through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

Louisburg, NC--James Curtis Gupton, 60, of Louisburg, passed away on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. He was born on November 13, 1962, to Grace Elizabeth May Gupton and the late Douglas F. Gupton.

Zebulon, NC--Odie Branch Perry Jr., 90, of Zebulon, passed away on Saturday, April 1, 2023. He was born on September 13, 1932, to the late Odie Branch and Stancey Pearce Perry. In addition to his parents, O.B. was predeceased by his wife, Sylvia Perry; and his brother, Zane Perry.

BUNN -- Northern Nash scored the first run of the game, but homestanding Bunn controlled the proceedings the rest of the way en route to securing a 13-1 victory on Tuesday night in Big East Conference girls soccer action.
Bunn is now 8-2 overall to go with a 6-2 mark in the Big East, which is good enough for a four-way tie for first place in the always-competitive league.

LOUISBURG -- It took awhile, but Franklinton was able to eventually pull away from Louisburg en route to earning a 5-0 victory in a duel between two much-improved girls soccer squads last Thursday at historic Patterson Field on the LHS campus.
Franklinton is now 8-4-1 overall to go with a 2-3 mark in the Big East Conference.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Considering the Big East Conference enjoyed such a banner year in boys hoops, it was no surprise when five league standouts were selected to the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association's All-District Teams for the 2022-23 campaign.
The District 3 list featured a trio of stars from Nash County, led by first-teamer Jordan Vick -- a junior point guard from Southern Nash who was also tabbed as the Big East Player of the Year.'

BUNN -- Strange as it may have sounded in the preseason, but first place in the Big East Conference was on the line this week if Bunn was able to secure a sweep against Northern Nash in league baseball action.
Certainly, Northern's current standing atop the Big East is no surprise as the Fighting Knights boast a veteran group of returnees from last year's league championship squad.

BUNN -- Bunn swept a baseball series from backyard rival Louisburg last week -- and made a huge jump up the Big East Conference standings in the process.
The Wildcats won last Tuesday's series opener at home by a 6-0 margin before wrapping up the sweep last Thursday with a 7-3 road decision at Warrior Field.
Following the series, Bunn upped its mark to 7-5 overall to go with a solid 6-2 mark in the Big East. BHS has now won four consecutive league outings.

ZEBULON -- The Milwaukee Brewers have announced the initial roster for the Carolina Mudcats in advance of the 2023 season starting on April 7 when the Mudcats travel to Fayetteville to play the Woodpeckers.
The new roster features several returnees from the 2022 team including top-ranked Brewers prospects Jacob Misiorowski, Hedbert Pérez, Jadher Areinamo and Jace Avina.Misiorowski (Milwaukee's second round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft) and Perez (the Mudcats' 2022 home run leader) rank seventh and 20th respectively

The town of Bunn welcomed hundreds of kids and parents to its Easter festivities last Sunday. Above, Jamison Moss holds the first of many eggs he hunted down at Bunn Park during the town's Easter Egg hunt last Sunday -- which was moved from Saturday because of rain.

Youngsville moved its Easter festivities inside to Faith Baptist Church last Saturday. Above, the hallway at the church was packed with festive Easter fun.

RALEIGH -- A total of 220 students, including five from Franklin County, have been named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2022 semester at William Peace University.
To be eligible for WPU Dean's List, students must earn a GPA between 3.3 and 3.69 to qualify.
Those with a GPA between 3.7 and 3.99 qualify for the Dean's List with Distinction, and it takes a 4.0 to qualify for Dean's Scholar.
The following Franklin County students have made the list:

RALEIGH -- A senior at Bunn High School, Lance Williams, has been awarded the prestigious North Carolina State University Park Scholarship, one of the most prestigious merit scholarship programs in the nation.
Williams has been a Franklin County 4-H'er for 12 years. He began attending 4-H Sizzling Summer Sessions when he was only 6-years-old and then attended Franklin County 4-H County Council when he started sixth grade.

Above, more than 70 volunteers who took part in the cleanup met back at the Burnt Barrel for drinks, lunch and fun after spending much of the morning picking up litter in and around the roadsides of the southwestern Franklin County community.

LOUISBURG -- Farmer Julius Griffin didn't bring home the title of Small Farmer of the Year, but he didn't go back to his Louisburg plot of land empty handed.
"Being a finalist has inspired me to be even more creative," said Griffin, who operates Jewels of Health Farm, using 180 acres along N.C. 39 to convert organic offerings into cold-pressed juices and wellness shots and other products.

LOUISBURG -- Locals who have filled Franklin County's healthcare gaps for years trumpeted Gov. Roy Cooper's signature on a Medicaid expansion law last week.
"It is a victory, it's a major victory," said Beverly Kegley, with the Franklin County Interfaith Council and a leader within the Franklin County Partners in Health clinic.
"It's sort of sad that we're number 40," she said, noting that North Carolina was not one of the early states to sign on to Medicaid expansion.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested a Jones County man they allege led them on a chase that resulted in a four-car crash.
None of the injuries proved to be life-threatening.
According to authorities, officers located a vehicle the morning of April 4 that was reported stolen in Durham the day before.

CHARLESTON -- Louisburg's Joseph Emde joined a crew of rising seniors named to the Summerall Guards -- one of the nation's elite military drill groups.
In March, Emde joined 60 rising-senior cadets who held their first performance during the changing of the guard ceremony, an event that is part of The Citadel's annual Corps Day/Recognition Day weekend ceremonies.

Louisburg - Franklin County Republicans focused on state and county budget priorities, election integrity, increasing government accountability, and preserving the U.S. Constitution during the Franklin County Republican Party's annual convention, Saturday, March 18.
During the convention, Franklin County residents also heard from multiple 2024 candidates before electing officers and state convention delegates.