Recent Articles

BUNN -- Six months after taking the job, Police Chief Justin Hastings presented commissioners with his strategic plan for the next two years.
During the Aug. 4 meeting of the Bunn Board of Commissioners, Hastings presented the document which outlines the department's core values, its commitment to community policing, its pledge to uphold ethics, its budgeting plans, staffing goals, operations, and equipment plans.

LOUISBURG -- Horses were the main attraction. But, mules stole the show during the Cooperative Extension's 29th annual Franklin County Regional Horse Farm Tour.
The Aug. 1 event featured stops at an equine hospital, a farm stay and a racehorse breeding farm.
But, the stocky hybrids of horses and donkeys -- and their handlers -- were a new addition to the horse farm tour.

LOUISBURG -- The second phase of Franklin County's Triangle North Franklin Business Park is open for business -- giving interested business and industry a bonafide landing spot in Franklin County.
"... We are the fastest growing county in the Research Triangle Region, we're the second fastest growing county in the whole state, with projections to be that for the next several years, we're also getting more and more interest of companies moving to Franklin County, of all sizes," Franklin County Economic Development Director Barbara Fiedor said following the July 31 ribbon cutting that ceremonially opened the road and utility lines that make Phase 2 of the development possible.

The Louisburg Economic Development Committee decided to take a more relaxed and decidedly less form approach during its Monday evening meeting, the first since June.
The EDC, or at least the four members who attended the meeting, decided that they would take a more "conversational" approach to the issues they deem important -- and will operate without a chair or an agenda in future meeting.

RALEIGH -- The State Department of Transportation is soliciting feedback about a construction plan that will detour passenger and truck traffic by about seven and and 20 miles, respectively.
As part of its 10-year Transportation Improvement Plan, the state plans to replace a bridge along N.C. 561 that goes over Sandy Creek -- between Leonard Road and Raymond Tharrington Road, near Sandy Creek Baptist Church.

Maeve Mercer, 7 months

HENDERSON -- Authorities arrested two Henderson men they allege tried to kill a trooper.
Trooper Cody Allen, who covers Franklin County as part of his duties, has returned to service, authorities noted.
Willie Anthony Allen, 42 and his father, Willie Mac Allen Jr., initially a witness to the traffic stop, were charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting serious injury and resisting a public officer.

Woke up one morning last week and discovered that it was August -- and kids are either heading back to school or getting ready to do just that.
Not sure how we got here so quickly, but apparently the calendar doesn't lie.
Amazingly, we're now already almost 25 percent of the way through August and we'll be talking fall almost before we know it!
But if you've got school-age kids and have been planning to do "something" with them this summer, better get crackin' because they'll be waiting on one of those big yellow buses any day -- if they aren't already!

Early last month, I decided to work from home, so when I covered a ribbon cutting for Franklin County's new convenience center just down the road from my residence, I decided to head there in open-toed slides.
I can assure you, anyone in Franklin County who's had to take their trash to the landfill or a convenience center has probably never made that fashion choice -- unless they like living dangerously.

Dear editor: The detention facility in Florida known as Alligator Alcatraz opened on July 3 of this year. The function of this facility is to temporarily hold undocumented immigrants (illegal aliens) prior to deportation.
There have been several groups of our Washinton elites that have been kind enough to visit the facility and point out the apparent shortcomings in this center.

BUNN -- Commissioners agreed to transfer money from a water fund loan to its general fund.
The $150,000 will help the town cover general fund expenditures -- including additional police department expenses -- until property tax revenues start rolling into the town's coffers.
The action came following a closed session to discuss personnel on Monday.

LOUISBURG, NC --Funeral services for Shirley-Jean Delois "Lois" Newell, age 74, who died on Saturday, August 2, 2025, will be held on Saturday, August 9, at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Anthony Alston, Sr., officiating. Burial will follow in the Jones Chapel Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC --Funeral services for Bennie Bland Perry, age 75, who died on Saturday, August 2, 2025, will be held on Saturday, August 9, at 11 a.m. from the Allen Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg with Rev. David Perry officiating.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Jon Robert Bailey, 78, of Louisburg, died Tuesday morning, July 29, 2025, in his home surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren.

Mae Florence Finch, age 88, was born in Franklin County, NC on May 9, 1937 and passed away peacefully in Wake County, NC on July 29, 2025.

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!

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.

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.

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.