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FRANKLINTON -- Putting out a fire requires more than water.
It takes emergency communications to take and dispatch the call.
It takes automatic and mutual aid departments to provide backup.
It takes a trained and dedicated staff to roll trucks, maintain and utilize equipment to knock down a blaze or respond to a wreck, rendering life-changing and live-saving aid.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Planning board members have recommended that Youngsville, essentially, cover the cost of a roundabout -- part of Rolling Meadows' portion of the Youngsville bypass.
The development agreement will next go before the Youngsville Board of Commissioners for approval.
As part of its permitting through the town, BRD Land and Investment agreed to build a third of a bypass as part of the 1,056-unit Rolling Meadows -- a mix of residential and commercial development.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg leaders sent staff back to consult with stakeholders before making a decision about a downtown social district.
The goal, officials said during a June 10 session, is to generate business for folks by creating a mechanism that's not currently in place.
"We had incidents where people wanted to buy alcohol from [an establishment] and they couldn't bring it into another place, defeating the whole purpose [of trying to generate economic development]," said Council member Dr. Phillip Stover.

LOUISBURG -- A woman charged with killing two Louisburg women in a three-vehicle crash, including a head-on collision, is being sued by the surviving dump truck driver.
Authorities charged Wake Forest resident Jennifer Baker Pearce with a multitude of crimes, including second degree murder, for her role in a November 29, 2023 crash that instantly killed Emily Hodges and led to Pamela Hayes' death more than a week later.

Joe Wood, Louisburg Senior Center member, celebrates turning 90!

This week, maybe because of the heat, I had a flashback to several years ago, back when we had a large Strawberry Festival in Louisburg, complete with a best-dessert using strawberries contest.
Somehow my old newspaper buddy Asher Johnson let himself be talked into becoming one of the judges -- although perhaps he didn't think that through.
The day of the contest, there were entries galore and the judges eagerly lined up to taste and judge each one -- Asher included.

Look, anyone who knows me knows this: I'll take vibrant, lazy summer days with late sunsets over cold, depressing, dreary, drizzly winter nine times out of 10.
But, certainly, it's not lost on me that this summer has been intense, with humidity pushing 100 percent most days.
I mean, it's gotten to the point that WRAL has issued so many Weather Alert Days because of heat, they might as well only note the days when weather alerts ARE NOT issued.

KJ Muldoon was only a few days old when his parents received devastating news: their son was born with a rare genetic disorder affecting his liver. KJ was immediately put on dialysis and waitlisted for a liver transplant.
His family could only hope that he would avoid neurological damage while waiting.
KJ's story could easily have ended there, but what happened next was a remarkable feat of science.

Bobby Sylvester Strickland, 89, was called home to be with Jesus on Thursday, July 24, 2025, with his devoted wife, Dollie, by his side in their home.

KITTRELL, NC -- Irma Ayscue Hoyle, 93, of Sims Bridge Road, died Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehab.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Police arrested a Youngsville-area man on choking charges.
According to a magistrate's warrant and court documents, Curtis Jerome Cooke Jr. is alleged to have assaulted a woman by choking her, leaving hand prints and scratch marks around her neck.
He's also alleged to have punched her and burnt her with a cigar.

WARRENTON -- The Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc celebrated its 80th anniversary, recognizing local women with significant community service -- including one from Franklin County.
Armenta Eaton and four other women received the Community Service Merit Award for their contributions to communities in Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties in North Carolina, and Clarksville, Va.

Solid Waste Operations Supervisor Mike Epps, second from right, performs a ribbon cutting earlier this month, marking the ceremonial opening of the new Youngsville convenience center site at 2275 Long Mill Road. With Epps are, from left, County Manager Ryan Preble, and Commissioners Stuart May and Logan Davis. The new 4.72 acre site replaces a Park Avenue site that had become too small for the volume of waste generated in growing southwest Franklin County.