Recent Articles

Youngsville, NC -- Desarae Lewis Eason, 45, of Youngsville passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family and friends on August 28, 2026 at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, NC.

Franklin Countians who happened to be outdoors last Friday evening were treated to a spectacular sunset that was captured in this photo. Now that September has rolled around, there are already hits of fall in the air and this sunset spectacular may be part of that pending change of seasons. But although September has arrived, the temperatures are feeling a lot more like July -- and rainfall has been somewhere between scarce and non-existent over much of Franklin County in recent days although the weather prognosticators are suggesting that some scattered showers may arrive this weekend.

LOUISBURG -- A comprehensive vehicle inspection will determine what charges stick to a driver who was behind the wheel of School Bus 328 when it ran off the road and went airborne -- sending the driver and 14 Terrell Lane Middle School students the hospital.
Their injuries sustained on Tuesday morning were not life-threatening.
The driver, Danielle Arnetta Harris, told authorities that either electrical or mechanical issues contributed to the wreck.

LOUISBURG -- There are tons of trophies.
At his physical peak, Rusty Pace was just as sturdy as the shelves that have supported those accolades for decades.
Earlier this summer, the NC Strength Sports Hall of Fame inducted the Franklin County man into its ranks.
And, while Pace never lifted a single weight for an award, he took honors and held records for decades. So, the Hall of Fame is seems like the fitting cap to his career.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Witnesses at a protest reported that someone on a motorcycle tried to hit a demonstrator.
Police said they have no suspect information and no leads at this time, though.
According to police scanner traffic just after noon on Aug. 29, a male protester called 911 to report that someone on a Harley Davidson motorcycle nearly hit a woman in a wheelchair.

Carvel Cheves spectating at the Franklin County Fun 4-H Livestock Show

BUNN -- Town leaders were asked to be a voice for their community, as a faith-based organization continues its efforts to galvanize resources in underserved pockets of Franklin County.
The Interfaith Council launched The Oasis Project months ago as a way to take available social and healthcare resources, coordinate with their leadership, and take them to so-called service deserts -- services may exist, but transportation, distance, limited hours, cost, lack of Internet access or other mitigating factors hamper people's ability to seek those services out.

A confession: While I've always tried to warn people that researching their way through old copies of newspapers is both fun and fascinating, it can be a very time-consuming process.
In other words, beware because hours can slip away.
But to be honest, I don't often follow my own advice, especially when we're talking about old copies of this newspaper which has been a major part of my life for more than 35 years.

I promise you, I was thinking about this last week -- before a bus driver and Terrell Lane Middle School students were sent to the hospital on Tuesday morning, and before a Wake County school bus crashed into a restaurant in Fuquay-Varina.
Fortunately, no students were on board. But, three people, including the driver, sustained injuries in that crash.
It all takes me back to my days at Lakewood Elementary School in Durham.
I spent kindergarten at Lakewood, when everyone older in my neighborhood went to Fayetteville Street elementary.

To the editor, in response to "Dare we be optimistic about keeping our kids at home," published in the Aug. 20 edition:
Franklin County's future depends on giving young people a reason to stay--real training, real careers, a place they're proud to call home instead of somewhere they leave and only come back to visit. That's a goal Vance-Granville Community College takes as seriously as anyone writing about it, and it's why a few points in last week's column, from a publication that's covered this region's economic development closely for a long time, are worth getting right.

The Guptons celebrated their first Reunion in years on Aug. 9, 2026, attended by around 110 Guptons, thanks to the hospitality of Wood Baptist Church, abundant food and fellowship.
The celebration recognized the first Gupton in America, William Gupton Sr., the result of ancestral research by Sam Gupton (son of Bobby Ray Gupton) and others.
From the gathered research, two of William Gupton Sr.'s grandsons, James Abner Gupton Sr. (1734-1804) and Stephen Gupton Jr (1742-1816) moved to North Carolina (Bute County, now Franklin County) sometime between 1764 and 1775.

FRANKLINTON -- Police arrested one person, and could levy more charges, following a "throwing of hands" of about 30 people at a downtown spot.
Police charged Tyler Austin Williams with assault and battery, with witnesses alleging he "sucker punched" a man and battered him with a chair during a fight inside Owls Roost the evening of Aug. 29.
According to a police report, officers responded to a report of a fight involving 25 to 30 people at the Main Street restaurant and bar at about 10:30 p.m.
A 911 caller advised dispatchers that "everyone was throwing hands."

Mrs. Virginia Georgia Lee Manley celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, August 22 at the Louisburg Operations Center.
Her family, friends, South Main Street Church family were in attendance.
Laureen Jones was the Mistress of Ceremony, keeping the program lively.
Mrs. Manley's beloved pastor, Dr. David K. Rosby rendered the Opening Prayer.

The Brotherhood Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. conducted its Fans for the Elderly campaign recently when the extreme heat was a crisis that posed a severe risk to local residents, especially the elderly. With donations and gifts from the community, 39 fans were made available for distribution. The Gamma Kappa Sigma Alumni Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is chartered in Henderson. This chapter's goal is to serve the under-served counties in this area including Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Warren and Vance. Franklin County DSS, Halifax County DSS and Vance County Senior Center have each received fans to give away.

LOUISBURG -- A Wake Forest man was sentenced to less than four years in jail for an unprovoked attack that left a three-week postpartum mother physically and mentally battered.
Both she and Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Fitzgerald acknowledged that it wasn't enough of a sentence for what Anthony Howard Hall did the evening of Feb. 13 at the Youngsville Food Lion.

It's been nearly three decades since a traveling stranger walked out of the local jail, asked for directions to the nearest highway, lost his way and drowned in a pond off an isolated rural road.
On Sept. 28, 1998, deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office arrested the stranger for causing a disturbance. He had been "running amok in somebody's tobacco field" near Centerfield, according to archived news reports.

CASTALIA, NC -- Ryan Dawson Bradberry, 25, died unexpectedly on August 28, 2026. He was born in Nash County on July 13, 2001, to Dale and Lisa Swanson Bradberry.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- Albert Raymond "Ray" Fetherman, 93, of Franklinton, NC, passed away Aug. 26, 2026, at WakeMed North Hospital in Raleigh, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Marion Branch, age 92, who died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, were held on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 11 a.m. from the Concord Baptist Church in Kittrell, NC.

NASHVILLE, NC -- Funeral services for Sandra Whitaker Edwards, age 64, who died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, were held on Monday, August 31, 2026 at 1 p.m. from the Pittman Grove Baptist Church in Battleboro, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Patience Marie Griffin, age 82, who died on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 at 2 p.m. from the St. Stephen Baptist Church in Warrenton, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Lois "Mae" Gill, age 98, who died on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, will be held on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 at 2 p.m. from the Allen Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg, NC.

BUNN, NC -- Delana Ashley Marshall, 20, of Bunn, passed away suddenly at her home on August 27, 2026.