Recent Articles

Rocky Mount, NC -- Funeral services for Gloria D. Richardson, age 65, who died on Saturday, October 24, 2026, will be held on Tuesday, November 3, at 1 p.m. from the Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister with Rev. Kenneth B. Richardson, Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church Cemetery.

Keith Abbott Perry, 76, passed away on October 18, 2026, after a courageous and lengthy battle with cancer.

Bunn, NC -- William Carey Rau, Sr., 89, of Bunn, NC, passed from this life to a new one in heaven with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on October 16, 2026.

Rocky Mount, NC -- Funeral services for Gloria D. Richardson, age 65, who died on Saturday, October 24, 2026, will be held on Tuesday, November 3, at 1 p.m. from the Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister with Rev. Kenneth B. Richardson, Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church Cemetery.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Spencer "Pooloo" Perry, age 52, who died on Friday, October 23, 2026, will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. from the Louisburg High School Auditorium. Burial will follow in the Union Grove Church Cemetery.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for Janice Perry, age 85, who died on Saturday, October 23, 2026, will be held on Monday, November 2, at 2 p.m. from the Concord Baptist Church in Kittrell, NC. Burial will follow in the Concord Baptist Church cemetery.

Hampton, VA -- Funeral services for Althea Cyrus, age 77, who died on October 19, 2026, will be held on Friday, October 30, at 12 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Thomas Richardson officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church Cemetery.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Eula Strickland Hill, age 90, who died on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. from the Cedar Rock Missionary Baptist Church, Castalia, NC.

Castalia, NC -- Funeral services for Reece Richardson, age 93, who died on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, will be held on Saturday, October 31, at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, NC, with Rev. Randolph Alston presiding. Burial will follow in the Perry's Missionary Baptist Church cemetery.

Shirley, NY -- Funeral services for Susie Ann Bell, age 68, who died on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, were held Saturday, October 24, at 11 a.m. from the New Hope Freedom & Deliverance Cathedral of Louisburg, NC.

Nashville, NC -- Funeral services for Delois Richardson Jones, age 101, who died on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, will be held on Saturday, October 31, at 12 p.m. from the Philadelphia Baptist Church in Nashville, NC.

THE MIDLIFE CRISIS BAND provided entertainment during Louisburg College's Homecoming. Band members included (front row from the left) Lee Clyburn, guitar and backing vocals; Doug Walter, lead vocals; Frank Gordon, lead guitar and Dan Moody, bass guitar. In the back row are Stephen Hollingsworth (left) on keybord and Richard Campbell, drums and backing vocals. Activities during homecoming weekend included games, a pep rally, meals, a concert and a bonfire.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A Franklin County native was killed in a weekend wreck that caused her to be ejected from her vehicle and hit by another.
No charges had been filed in the Oct. 17 crash.
According to a report by Trooper F.S. Williamson, Jessica Romine was traveling south on Pearces Road near John Winstead Road when she ran off the roadway to the left and struck a tree just after 9 p.m.

LOUISBURG -- A Franklin County man charged in a double killing was slated to appear in court today.
A Franklinton woman that investigators allege helped Demetrius Brodie evade capture until his Oct. 15 arrest has a court date next month.
According to court documents and a social media post attributed to Sheriff Kevin White, authorities allege that during the early morning hours of Oct. 10, Brodie killed Stephone Lavare Perry, 38, and Keith Leonard Sneed, 43 -- "Two lives needlessly ended far too soon," the past stated.

EPSOM -- Franklin County used a group effort to bring library services to a long neglected area.
Staff and commissioners cut the ribbon on the Epsom Park Satellite Library Lockers, bringing a 24/7 pickup and drop-off site for folks who want to get books and other resources from the county's library, without having to leave northern Franklin County. The park is at 1265 Eaves Road.
"We have [library] branches in each of our towns. But the north, northeast part of our county has gone without services for quite some time," Library Director Michelle Hildreth said during the Oct. 14 ribbon cutting.

Mitch and Donna Godfrey celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the Louisburg Senior Center

LOUISBURG -- The case against two of the four suspects in a drive-by killing was continued until next month.
Authorities arrested Donavan Boyd, Anarie Brown, and Ny'zir Karian Miller-Stevenson, of Warrenton, and Jaquan Lynch, of Durham days after they allege they were responsible for shooting and killing Bernice Pender Massenburg, who was inside her Bert Winston Road home during the April 1, 2025 incident.
During an Oct. 2 hearing, Assistant District Attorney Jamie Lamancusa informed the court that she planned to meet with Pender Massenburg's family in the next two weeks before presenting Brown's defense attorney with a plea offer -- which is routine.

LOUISBURG -- Firefighters doused an equipment fire at a lumber company before it caused significant damage.
Louisburg firefighters were dispatched to Toney Lumber Company near the intersection of Bickett Boulevard and Bunn Road at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
They arrived to find smoke coming from a manufacturing building and witnessed one of the saw machines on fire.
Fire crews from Bunn and Youngsville -- along with sprinklers that activated -- helped Louisburg firefighters douse the blaze.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners held off on committing to a public-private parking agreement, wanting a broader picture of the partnership's value.
And, the board was cautious about setting a precedent.
Brian Whitley, who used to operate the Victorian and now owns nearby Homeslice Tavern, also owns the adjoining parking lot -- which is used by visitors to surrounding businesses and events.

Sometimes, a cloud is not a cloud -- and we'd best be careful about rushing to judgment that may be colored by politicians looking for an issue they can demonize.
Okay, that said, let's start over and try to get a handle on things.
It has become fashionable to simply say, "it's on the cloud" as if those white puffy things in a Carolina blue sky are capable of storing information, data or photos,
That's not what a "cloud" is in this context.
A "cloud" where stuff is stored is a data center, not a white puffy thing in the sky.

Franklin County has experienced terrible tragedy the past week.
Three people were killed. And, three people have been jailed, either charged with their murder or helping the perpetrator in some way.
In the days since, our communities have tried to heal.
But, it's a long road ... and, unfortunately, healing isn't always the final destination.
Sometimes, losses such as these never heal.

Dear editor: Over the years I've been pondering what economic development should actually materialize as in rural communities like Franklin County.
Rural communities need real opportunities for working folks, protections for our farm lands, strong public services, and real investments that make our community better for everyone. With the rise of data center developers preying upon rural communities with small tax bases, I'm worried local leaders will place immediate tax revenue over long term consequences.

ALUMNI HONORED. Louisburg College President Richard Campbell, center, presented awards to alumni Kathryn Brannock, Class of 2017, and Larraine Abbott, Class of 1984, during the college's homecoming weekend events. Photo by Lindell Kay, special to The Times