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BUNN -- The man that deputies shot and killed last week was troubled, according to court documents and published reports.
The State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Samuel Joseph Tripp was killed following a confrontation with two deputies during the early morning hours of Dec. 21.
According to reports by CBS 17 and WRAL, a woman identified as Tripp's wife, Angela, said that prior to the incident, Tripp attempted to check himself into a crisis center, as he was suffering from chronic pain and other issues.

LOUISBURG -- Communities around Franklin County wrapped veterans graves in green as part of Wreaths Across America.
Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit foundation, began at Arlington National Cemetery in 1992, laying wreaths in cemeteries to recognize and remember veterans.
During the national observance on Dec. 16, communities in Louisburg, Youngsville and Franklinton held their first wreath-laying ceremonies here.

RALEIGH -- A high-performance rail project linking the Nation's Capital to the Florida panhandle -- zipping through Franklinton, Youngsville and Wake Forest -- got a boost with more than $1 billion in federal funds.
On Dec. 8, the Biden administration announced $1.09 billion in funds for the S-Line -- a rail project that, locally, is expected to cut 90 minutes off the rail commute from Raleigh to Richmond, Va.

FRANKLINTON -- Town commissioners agreed to support studying whether a toll road is the best way to fund improvements to U.S. 1.
In June, the State Department of Transportation removed two segments of U.S. 1 from proposed improvements outlined in its State Transportation Improvement Program, town staff noted.
Those two segments would have improved the highway up to the Franklin County line.

The Greatest: Carolyn Wilham

Whew! By now, hopefully, Santa Claus is safely back in his North Pole home, the reindeer have been well fed and are resting -- and parents, especially those with small tykes at home, are slowly, slowly beginning to recover.
We hope you and your family had a merry and safe Christmas season this year -- and that all the kids got enough stuff to keep 'em quiet for a few hours, at least!
As usual, Christmas seemed to appear out of nowhere this year -- and as usual I wasn't exactly ready, although perhaps, I was more ready than most years or, maybe, that's just wishful thinking.

I know what you're thinking: You looked at the picture at the bottom of this page and experienced deja vu.
Yes, the picture of the old courthouse bell, looking like it's about to be wheeled out to an old folks home, did appear in a recent edition of The Franklin Times.
But, it's purpose here is festive, not so much shameful ... but, I'll let the reader be the ultimate judge.
If you've been here before, you might recall that I've used this space -- at this time of year -- to share my insights as to how our county, towns or communities can bring in the new year.

Dear editor: When my Franklin Times for Nov. 16 arrived, I was shocked to read that a Chinese-based hemp company was setting up shop in Franklin County.
Of all things Franklin Co. needs, I don't think a business connected to China fits the bill.
When the next issue arrived, I was even more astounded to see nothing from anyone regarding the issue.

Dear editor: Thank you Franklin Times for your honest reporting of what is going on in our schools today.
Ira Harris wrote a letter titled "What Happened to Civility?" And we do need to start teaching civility classes in school. And it can come in the form of Christianity.

LOUISBURG, NC--Donnie Lee Horton, 63, of Louisburg, died Friday afternoon, December 22, 2023 at Wake Med.

Hollister, NC--Funeral services for Norman Edward "Bruh" Hedgepeth, age 83, who died on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, were held on Saturday, December 23, at 2 p.m. from the White Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Hollister with Pastor Alonzo West officiating. Burial followed in the Old White Rock Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC--Robert "Larry" Southerland, Sr., 72, of Louisburg passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, December 24, 2023. He was born on February 12, 1951 in Franklin County, NC to the late James Sabat Southerland and Ethel Pendergrass Southerland.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Willie Mae Richardson, age 76, who died on Thursday, December 21, 2023, were held Sunday, December 24, at 1 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Al Cooper officiating. Burial followed in the Mt. Bethel Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School continues to produce elite-level boys basketball players, but the transfer bugaboo has kept the Warriors from ascending in the team standings in the Northern Carolina and Big East Conferences over the past several campaigns.
But LHS has moved to the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference this year -- and the Warriors are looking to make an unpward jump in that league.

LOUISBURG -- Von Quick has been quite a patient man during his three seasons as the head coach of the Louisburg High School girls basketball program.
Quick literally had to build the Lady Warriors from the ground up after the COVID-19 hiatus depleted Louisburg's overall roster number.
LHS has taken its lumps the past two campaigns, but Quick kept the faith -- and it's paying off this season for the Lady Warriors.

BUNN -- Wrestling has taken over at Bunn High School -- and not just with the wildly successful boys program.
BHS has reached the state finals on the Class 2-A level for the boys in each of the past two campaigns -- and that has drawn extensive interest at the school.
Until this season, Bunn has boasted some girls competing on their own in tournaments, but the Ladycats now have a full-fledged team that has been dominant in 2023-24.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats have announced all nine souvenir giveaway items for the upcoming 2024 season at Five County Stadium.
The new souvenir giveaway schedule, spread across nine Souvenir Saturday dates, is highlighted by five jerseys, a duffel bag and wearable items including a hoodie, button-up shirt and a hat.

Bunn High School senior guard Domantea Cooke heads to the bucket for the Wildcats during last Thursday night's road matchup against backyard rival Louisburg.

Louisburg High School junior guard Omari Jackson scores on a breakaway layup for the Lady Warriors during last Thursday's non-conference triumph against the visiting Bunn Ladycats.

A HOLE LOTTA FISHING FUN. Above, Zack Church and his son, William, took advantage of the Christmas holiday and a pond full of stocked fish at the V.E. Owens Fishing Hole at Owens Park on Christmas day. Local anglers got lucky as the state took two opportunities to stock the north central Franklin County pound with trout the past two weeks.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County's Care and Share Center Inc. received $2,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger.
Feeding the Hungry grants support the Franklin County Department of Social Services Care and Share Center's efforts to purchase nutritional food for distribution in the community.

The Franklin County Firefighters Association donated toys to the Franklin County Department of Social Services to help families celebrate Christmas. DSS Director Andrew Payne, center, is joined by DSS's Christmas donation coordinator Susan Weathers, Jamie Whitley and John Winstead, and FFA President Russell Miller, Brian Champion with the NC Forest Service and FFA Vice President Bobby Peters.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County went with an experienced hand in naming its newest Emergency Medical Services Director.
Matt Masters has nearly three decades of experience, County Public Information Officer James Hicks said.
Masters will begin serving on January 2.
"I am excited to join Franklin County as the EMS Director and use my more than 29 years of EMS experience to navigate our team into the future," Masters said in a county press release.

American Legion Post 52 Commander Chris Smith offers an address to those who turned out for the Wreaths Across America event in Franklinton.

Girl Scout Troop 508 member Elaina Carrillo lays a wreath at Oakwood Cemetery as part of the Wreaths Across America event in Louisburg.

Above, Sgt. Maj. Rick Long was the master of ceremonies during the Wreaths Across America event in Youngsville.