Recent Articles

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners urged staff to look more keenly at Youngsville Elementary school's gym floor before committing to necessary repairs.
That discussion took place during the board's Aug. 13 meeting.
In January, Youngsville commissioners and the Board of Education approved an agreement that would give the town access to Youngsville Elementary School's gym and ballfields.

Above, Scott Strickland and Jerry Jones manned the grill during National Night Out festivities in Louisburg on Aug. 4.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners adjusted their spending plan to keep the police department's vehicle fleet on track.
Town Manager Will Doerfer admitted that he forgot to account for the annual expense the board has agreed to include in its budget to get two new police vehicles -- a fleet management practice that began with the 2022-23 budget.
"This is just something that was missed," Doerfer said. "It's critical to keep the vehicle fleet fresh.

Mason H at Bunn's National Night Out

In this month's article we are going to look at how to grow figs in the home garden. The fig is native to the Mediterranean Basin. Members of the fig family include the Osage orange, hedge apple and the mulberry. Figs are grown throughout the Piedmont and Eastern NC.
Some challenges for growing figs in NC are our cold winters and soil nematodes, but if you have reasonably well drained and fertile soils you will have success growing figs.

Here's to trying to be positive and optimistic.
Trust me, for a long-time reporter who was trained to be skeptical and has become cynical by experience with the political and judicial process, being positive and optimistic is no simple task.
But I've been trying -- especially after a couple of local events have become public in the last several days.

Time surely does fly.
If only there was some kind of sonic device to mark the passage of time.
Oh, wait, there is. It's called a bell. If you live in a town small enough, you will hear it ring out to mark significant hours during the day, such as noon and, quite frankly, dinner time.

Dear editor: This year marks 61 years since Medicare and Medicaid became law.
These programs established a fundamental principle: public policy dismantles barriers and ensures that wealth does not determine access to care.
School-based Medicaid delivers care directly to students during the school day, helping families overcome unequal access to providers, transportation, paid time off, reliable insurance, and other resources shaped by generations of racial and economic injustice.

LOUISBURG -- A wrongful death lawsuit filed against Franklinton, its police department, Maria Parham Health, Duke Lifepoint and about two dozen physicians has been transferred to Franklin County.
Administrators of the estates of William Hulme and Matthew Johnson originally filed suit in Granville County Superior Court in March, alleging the actions of plaintiffs cleared the way for Christian David Webster to kill Hulme and Johnson inside their Franklinton home in April 2024.
The case was transferred to Franklin County Civil Superior Court on Aug. 10.

LOUISBURG -- County commissioners committed to an agreement that streamlines a 609-acre, mixed use development that could nearly triple the size of Franklinton in 15 years.
"We're real excited about this project," Franklinton Town Manager Zach Steffey told county commissioners during a public hearing on the matter during Monday's special called meeting.

LOUISBURG -- Deliberating for less than a lunch break, a jury found a Youngsville man guilty of killing his roommate in the fall of 2021.
On Monday afternoon, Superior Court Judge Shamieka Rhinehart sentenced Michael David Barnes to life in prison without the possibility of parole -- his punishment for killing James McLeod.
"The jury's verdict holds the defendant accountable for the deliberate taking of the life of James McLeod," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

RANKLINTON, NC -- Hugh "Brian" Ray Jr., 43, died unexpectedly Saturday, August 15, 2026. Brian was born on June 14, 1983 to Hugh Brian Ray Sr. and Cathy Foster Ray.

ZEBULON, NC -- Daniel Raymond "Dan" Cone, 72, of the Pilot Community, died Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for Shamee E. Dozier, age 33, who died on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, were held on Sunday, August 16, at 2 p.m. from the Allen Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Franklinton, NC, with Rev. Marcus Dunston-Johnson presiding. Burial followed in the Fairview cemetery.

Lena Mae Tabor Place, 86, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026 after an extended illness. She was born on September 23, 1939 to Earl and Clara Ruth Tabor. Lena was the beloved wife of the late William Milton Place and a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her family was the center of her life, and she cherished the time she spent with each of them.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Jeffrey Le Roy Hildreth, 77, passed away on August 12, 2026 in his home.

Dennis Braxton Barbour, age 77, succumbed to complications from Agent Orange exposure on August 16, 2026. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and proud United States Marine whose life was centered around hard work, family, and the people he loved.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- Funeral services for Shamee E. Dozer, 33, who died on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, will be held on Sunday, August 16, at 2 p.m. from the Allen Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Franklinton, with the Rev. Marcus Dunston-Johnson presiding.

Franklin County Schools has announced the appointments of Jennifer D. Innis, as director of Leadership Development and Employee Relations and Lorena Dauphinee as assistant principal of Bunn Middle School.
The Franklin County Board of Education approved both leadership appointments and both were effective Aug. 4.
Dauphinee brings a strong background in elementary education, instructional leadership, and student support to her new role.

LOUISBURG -- Faced with growing development pressures, the Louisburg Town Council revised its utility connection fees to more accurately reflect the actual cost of providing new services during a busy business meeting Monday night.
During that meeting, the town also created a more formal Economic Development Commission, hired a consultant to look at better pedestrian connections to Joyner Park and hired an engineering firm to redesign Bunn Road between South Main Street and Bickett Boulevard.

Police, sheriff's deputies, the first responder community and folks around Franklin County observed National Night Out last week, an opportunity for those in the community to meet and get to know those on the front lines. Above, Kherington Bryant applies her face-painting skills to Blakely Sharp during National Night Out events at Bunn Town Hall, Bunn's park and basketball and pickleball courts on Aug. 4

LOUISBURG -- A proposal designed to streamline what is being called the local "Bioeconomy Pipeline" to create jobs for Franklin County young people received the unanimous endorsement of the Franklin County Board of Education Monday night. The focus on the "pipeline" originated from Louisburg Mayor Christopher Neal and David Pyoas, the town's economic developer, who explained the concept to the school board.
Accompanied by Mayor Neal, Pyoas told the board that one of the goals is to help local young people tap into the estimated 42,000 jobs in the life sciences area that are within 35 miles of Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- Prosecutors allege greed led a Youngsville man to kill his roommate.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Michael David Barnes in November 2021, about two weeks after investigators allege he shot and killed James McCleod.
Authorities arrived at 137 Elsie Marie Drive the morning of Oct. 28 to find the 40-year-old McLeod at the bottom of the front porch steps, near death.
He died a day later from his injuries, including a gunshot wound to the back of the head, prosecutors said.