Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- A network of volunteers will host cooling stations and make cold drinks available on the hottest days this summer.
Beverly Kegley, with the Franklin County Interfaith Council, said the group's goal is to set up places where people can go inside for air conditioning to escape the heat, as well as have cold water available for those who need it.
They first opened them up last week and intend to have them available July 4 and July 5.

LOUISBURG -- A superior court judge issued an order for arrest for a man who did not appear in court this week to face charges he killed a toddler.
Authorities allege James Waymon Williams was operating a skid steer machine the afternoon of April 1, 2022, when he ran over one-year-old Miles Ray Vick in the yard at 960 Collins Mill Road, in the Castalia part of Franklin County.

ZEBULON -- The homestanding Carolina Mudcats built an early 5-0 advantage and held on late to beat the Lynchburg Hillcats 5-3 last Saturday at Five County Stadium.
Carolina (46-27 overall, 5-3 second half) opened the scoring in the third inning thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Cooper Pratt and Daniel Guilarte to build the early 2-0 lead in the Minor League baseball showdown.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- There has been a slight site switch -- albeit just a few hundred yards away -- for the upcoming North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star Basketball Games on July 15.
The annual event, which will have a distinct Big East Conference flavor, has been moved from the Greensboro Coliseum to the Novant Health Field House -- on the other side of the massive parking lot from the fabled coliseum.

WILMINGTON -- Number 77 on the roster, Number One in the hearts of softball fans from Southern Nash all the way to Louisburg College.
That's the story of former SNHS and LC pitching star Carrigan Ewers, who capped off her senior year at UNC-Wilmington in style -- to say the least.
Taking the mound as a starter on Senior Day back in May, Ewers delivered a complete-game performance, striking out four and allowing just three runs, to help the Seahawks deliver a 4-3 victory over Monmouth.

RALEIGH -- Franklin County's finance director has been appointed to regional Credit Union advisory board.
On the Local Government Federal Credit Union's Northern Triangle Advisory Council, Jamie Holtzman, be an integral part of LGFCU's volunteer-driven initiative to educate people on the benefits of Credit Union membership and relay feedback to the Board of Directors regarding available/potentially available products and services, delivery of service, and member needs.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Clarence Merle Thorne, age 76, who died on Monday, July 1, 2024, will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2024 at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Thorne Family Cemetery.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for William Silver, age 74 who died on Friday, June 28, 2024, will be held 1 p.m., Wednesday, July 3, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC--Richard Thomas Layton passed peacefully after battling a series of health-related issues on June 30, 2024. He was born on March 23, 1942 to Mary Helen and Jack Thomas (J. T., also known as Bubba) Layton in Franklin County.

Wake Forest, NC--Barbara Williams Davis, 86 of Wake Forest passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Friday, June 28, 2024 at the Transitions LifeCare Home in Raleigh, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC--Jennifer Leigh Burnette, age 54, of Louisburg went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 27, 2024. She was born on July 24, 1969 to Graham and Betty Burnette. She was preceded in death by her mama.

LOUISBURG, NC--Jean Cash Preddy, 88 of Louisburg passed away on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at her residence.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg town council finalized its 2024-25 fiscal year budget during a 20-minute special Tuesday evening meeting although no one spoke during a public hearing on the budget held just prior to the council's discussion. The budget is unchanged from a draft version presented several weeks ago although council members did ponder some possible changes which ultimately were not included.
The town's general fund is balanced at $16,304,532 with about $4.8 million of that in the general fund.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Fire crews were able to knock down a weekend fire and nurse a family pet back to health.
No injuries were reported in the Saturday morning fire as heat indices hovered around the triple digits.
According to authorities, Youngsville fire crews responded to a home in the 100 block of E. Fleming Road to find it engulfed in flames.
The resident was outside cutting grass when the fire began, but a dog was inside, said Youngsville Fire Chief Brian Christmas.

FISHING FUN. Above, father and daughter Alex and Kolbie Alford show off the fish they plucked from the pond during the annual Take A Kid Fishing event hosted by the Northern Sportsman, Chris Edwards.

LOUISBURG -- Sheriff Kevin White said efforts to mitigate the opioid epidemic have gotten off to a successful start.
In the spring of 2018, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners joined a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, alleging that they were responsible for an opioid epidemic that was killing tens of thousands of people in North Carolina.
When the $26 billion nationwide lawsuit was settled, in 2023, Franklin County received $3.2 million -- over 18 years -- to combat the problem.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The Youngsville Police department put its highest of policies up to scrutiny.
Earlier this month, a Public Safety Risk Management consultant with the N.C. League of Municipalities informed town officials that the department more than passed muster.
The Youngsville Police Department is the first in Franklin County to attain such distinction.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Law enforcement was a heavy topic during the most recent meeting of the town's board of commissioners.
Besides being recognized by the N.C. League of Municipalities for their policies, procedures and actions, the department recognized a new office, witnessed the promotion of two more and feted a department stalwart who earned leadership certification.
First, Mayor Fonzie Flowers swore in Andrew Tietz as the department's newest officer.

Levi Odom, NC Junior Disc Golf Champion, MJ 15 division

WASHINGTON, DC -- Two Franklin County women visited the White House last week, taking part in a landmark judicial victory for people with disabilities.
In June 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We may have mostly missed the much-ballyhooed cicada invasion this year, at least in the Mapleville area, but the sudden heat wave, not so much!
After an absolutely beautiful spring with lots of pretty days and low humidity, summer dropped in like a ton of bricks in the last few days.
Now, I like hot weather about as much as anyone, but it would have been nice of Mother Nature to have given us a little slower conversion from spring into summer instead of just setting the sun to "broil" and leaving it there.

Going back to the spring, at least, developers and builders have criticized Franklin County's water allocation process, calling it ambiguous and detrimental to development.
Offering a solution, they suggested that the county appoint a stakeholder group of commissioners, municipal representatives and members of the Franklin County Home Builders Association who would work to resolve the problem.

Dear editor: This link is to Mill Brook United Methodist Church in Raleigh's Church Bulletin MUMC, https://faithconnector.s3.amazonaws.com/3791/downloads/012524.pdf
In their church's bulletin's Racial Healing Corner on Page 11 is a review of my book "Brown - Skinned Boy."
My book is about my classmate and my experiences during school desegregation in Franklin County during 1966 and 1967.