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Ashton Swank & Katharina Paxton

Communities in Youngsville and Franklinton celebrate Halloween with events last Friday and Saturday. Above, Amber Barker and Katie Preddy were in the spirit during trick or treating, hosted Friday by Youngsville's downtown merchants.

Eliza and Nina Cirino expressed their artistic skills at an art wall set up for Frankenfest on Main in downtown Franklinton on Saturday.

LOUISBURG has rarely smelled as delicious as it did Saturday morning as 22 pigs, each weighing about 120 pounds, came off cookers manned by those who love barbecue pork. These four were packing containers of the pork for sale. They are, from the left, David Ford, Carlotta Ford, Maryann Montano and Megan Arnold. Capturing second place in the event were the Pocosin Boys, Billy Perry and Mark Copeland and in third was Mr. Curly's Que Crew with Andy Harrison.

In a development that is more frightening than anything involving Halloween or the election, we've learned that Louisburg and Franklin County could be on the verge of losing public access to a beloved landmark.
And we may be losing it without even a last-ditch effort to save it!
For more than 30 years the restored historic Person Place home has stood on North Main Street in Louisburg as a monument to this community and this county's diverse and historic past.

Dear editor: Hurricane Helene formed in the Gulf of Mexico and came ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida. It then came into Georgia, upstate South Carolina and then to Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
I traveled to South Georgia and saw the wind damage, especially in the Valdosta area. The damage was extensive but was far less than the wind and flooding damage in Western North Carolina. This was the storm of our lifetime for the western part of North Carolina.

Dear editor:
Elections should really be about personal and collective values, even though they are not written on the ballot.
The Nov. 5 election provides an opportunity to sort out value choices and to decide which road of life you prefer.
Those values include:

SHOW NEXT WEEK. Dealing Stan, a Triangle-based band dedicated to performing the music of Steely Dan, will be performing 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8 at the JPAC. They will sing all your favorite hits such as "Reelin' in the Years," "Peg," "FM," "Deacon Blues," "Do it Again" and many others. Tickets are available on-line at www.jpacarts.com, or by calling the Louisburg College Box Office at (919) 497-3300. The box office is located in the Holt Lobby of the JPAC.

I don't need to look in the mirror and see gray hairs on my head and face to know I've been at The Franklin Times long enough to consider myself institutional history.
I think about that often as I'm crafting stories that I remember covering from the very beginning.
As a young news scribe, it used to be that I would holler around the newsroom to see if anyone else had a particular insight on a story or issue I was covering.
Now, I'm the guy that's supposed to know it all.

LOUISBURG, NC--Louis Henry Roundtree, 86, of Louisburg, formerly of Vanceboro, died on Monday, October 21, 2024, at Maria Parham Health, Henderson, NC.

Franklinton, NC-- Funeral services for Napoleon Walker, age 89, who died on Thursday, October 24, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Thursday, October 31 from the Gospel Unlimited Church of Christ Disciples in Castalia with Elder Shelton Wilkins officiating. Burial will follow in the Gospel Unlimited Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC--Lucinda Rose Mize Ayscue, 81, passed away on October 23, 2024 at her home. Lucinda was born on April 9, 1943 in Granville County to the late Lenward Tyree Mize and Louvelle Stem Mize. In addition to her parents, Lucinda was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Thomas Ayscue, Jr.; and her brothers, Lenward T. Mize Jr. and Dr. Lou Stem Mize.

LOUISBURG, NC--Denise Marie King Barsom, 51, of Louisburg, NC, peacefully passed away on October 6, 2024, at her home. Denise was born on September 5, 1973 in Raleigh, NC, to the late Burnice Edward King and Gloria Jean Ward King.

RALEIGH, NC--Carson Douglas Culbreth, 80, of Raleigh went to meet his Lord and Savior in his home on Sunday, October 20, 2024. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2022, the disease remained in remission until April of this year and then progressed rapidly.

LOUISBURG -- North Carolina voters got off to the races, setting a first-day record for voting.
And, while it wasn't clear whether Franklin County set a record, more than 4,000 ballots were cast in Franklin County on the first day of early voting.
In 2020, 3,114 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting in Franklin County.
Overall, during the presidential election in 2020, more than 25,680 Franklin County voters cast a ballot during early voting.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners are considering providing employees with another pay increase.
They tasked management with looking at current pay levels and fiscal impacts before moving forward with any adjustment.
"... This county is bleeding employees, losing them left and right to other counties," said Commissioner Mark Speed, who, during the "other business" portion of Monday's meeting, proposed the increase, suggesting that the county's performance pay policy that governs employee salary increases isn't sufficient.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton used a recent gathering of interested parties along a developing rail corridor to advocate for a stop in town.
This summer, state officials and federal transportation staff broke ground on a rail line, connecting Richmond Va., to Raleigh -- and further south into Florida.
The 162-mile passenger route has been in development for about 20 years and, as it stands, stops are planned for Norlina, Henderson and Wake Forest before getting to Raleigh.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County staff, emergency radio system engineers and consultants said they're still working through plans to address an anticipated coverage shortcoming.
On Monday night, Emergency Communications Director Christy Shearin, Ken Steere, director of programs for Williams Communications, the company hired to upgrade the system, and Norm Folger, with TUSA Consulting, the engineering firm hired to oversee Williams' work, all updated commissioners on the project.

LOUISBURG -- A Youngsville businessman's property rights fight with Franklin County continues.
The saga goes back to October 2021, Craig Rooth said, when he contacted Franklin County planning staff about wanting to open up the back 10 acres of his N.C. 96 trucking business property for expansion.
Rooth said staff told him the property was "grandfathered" and figured he was okay to proceed with plans.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Police are seeking the public's help to apprehend a shoplifter who stole items from a local convenience store.
According to a press release, a black man wearing a blue hat, black t-shirt and blue shorts entered the Sheetz on U.S. 1 at about 11:15 a.m. on Sept. 18.
The man is alleged to have taken about $50 in drinks and other merchandise, bypassing the register and self checkout.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Personal and logistical issues forced town leaders to alter their meeting plans, hosting a special called meeting on Monday.
The board was set to meet on Oct. 10 for its regularly scheduled meeting, however, logistics threw a wrench into plans.
A number of board members were providing hurricane relief assistance to folks in western North Carolina.
And, Spectrum equipment failed about a block away from town hall, preventing anyone from participating remotely.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners were slated to go into closed session on Monday, suspectedly, to talk about the county manager's employment status.
However, with the absence of Commissioner Michael Schriver, the board didn't have the majority votes needed to go behind closed doors.
No action was taken.

Last Saturday the Centerville and Gold Sand Fire departments -- and their friends -- held a special barbecue pork and chicken plate dinner to help raise money to aid storm victims in the western part of the state. Since so many homes were destroyed by rushing water, many folks are forced to life temporarily in tents -- and it's getting chilly in the mountains this time of the year.

Just as fall truly fell here in Franklin County, you might have noticed that ghosts, goblins, witches and all manner of strange creatures are beginning to make their appearances.
Recently I saw what appeared to be a witch flying above a local yard although she may have been just a craftily created witch-like creature made of light flowing fabric that looked almost lifelike if you happen to believe in witches.