Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- The cause of a fire that destroyed a Louisburg business is officially closed as undetermined.
Fire crews from Bunn, Louisburg and Justice responded during the early morning hours of Feb. 26 to the blaze at 211 S. Bickett Boulevard, finding the front and back of Clifton Auto Sales fully engulfed in flames.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Getting off to a good start in league play is paramount to long-term success during the softball campaign -- and that fact was on the collective minds of both Franklinton and host Nash Central during Thursday on the NCHS campus.
The winner of the showdown was destined to gain some early-season momentum, and that club would prove to be the homestanding Lady Bulldogs.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Rudolph Collins, age 67, who died on Sunday, March 10, 2024, will be held on Saturday, March 16, at 3 p.m. from the Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Dean Jones officiating.

Franklinton, NC-- Wanda Hicks, 74, of Franklinton, died Friday, March 8, 2024 in Louisburg, NC. Wanda was born on July 8, 1949 in North Carolina to the late Aubrey Watson and Ollie Fox Buckner.

MACON, NC -- Funeral services for Baby Girl Carmen Esme Grace Evans, age 15 months, who died on Saturday, March 2, 2024 were held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 10, from the Mt. Hebron United Holy Church in Louisburg with Elder Ron Clifton officiating. Burial followed in the Walnut Grove Church Cemetery.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- Funeral services for Jimmy Nathaniel Mangrum, age 76, who died on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, will be held at 12 p.m. Saturday, March 16, from the Greater Ransom Way of the Cross Church in Henderson with Pastor, Bishop Michael R. Alston, Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Church Cemetery.

RALEIGH, NC -- Funeral services for Shirley Mae Williams, 86, formerly of Louisburg, who died on March 6, were held 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 12 at Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

Wilton, NC--Lucille Carolyn Mitchell Gooch, 90, of Wilton passed away Sunday, March 10, 2024, at her home surrounded by her children.

MOREHEAD CITY, NC--Willie Lee Lumpkin, III, 73, of Morehead City, North Carolina, passed away unexpectedly from cardiac arrest on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Duke University Hospital in Durham.

LOUISBURG -- County officials will host a public hearing about the prospect of spending $1.2 million to buy 89 acres for economic development.
The specific purpose is not yet clear.
Following a closed session on Monday, the board agreed to host the public hearing on March 15.
They are proposing to buy the parcel owned by Charles Hill Yarborough III.

LOUISBURG -- In November, a handful of pickleball enthusiasts made their presence and desires apparent -- Franklin County needed more courts for the game.
When they came back in February, county commissioners and staff committed to a resolution, sooner, rather than later.
On Monday night, the board voted to pull $175,000 from its general fund to build a multi use, pickleball/tennis court at Owens Park.
They also agreed to open Royal Elementary School for use, as well as gauge the interest of folks playing the game at Laurel Mill Elementary School.

LOUISBURG -- Tuesday's primary set the stage for fall county commission and school board races.
Wesley Wheless secured the Democrat party nomination for the County Commission District 7 At Large seat with 3,689 votes, besting Troy Shaw, 1,454 votes, for the slot.
Wheless will face Republican Stuart May in the fall as May did not have a challenge for the Republican party nomination on Tuesday.

FRANKLINTON -- Dozens of residents and interested parties packed town hall to learn more about a trail project that will connect Franklinton to central Franklin County ... and, perhaps, beyond.
Franklin County, in partnership with Franklinton, received a $3 million grant two years ago to build a three-mile trail along a rail bed from the Train Depot in downtown Franklinton to Novozymes, at Perry's Chapel Road.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested a trio on charges of misdemeanor assault and false imprisonment.
Their identities appear to match a pastor and parishioners at a Louisburg church -- Highest Praise Ministries.
According to arrest warrants, Kenneth Neil Jones, 64, of Beasley Road, Rachel Christian Jones, 41, of Dyking Road, and Imre Briscoe Balazsi, 46, of Williamson Street, were each charged with misdemeanor assault of an individual with disabilities and false imprisonment.

It's March -- which means we survived the holiday season plus both January and February and the road ahead for the next few months should take us through some beautiful springtime weather.
And don't forget the time change this week. Spring your clocks ahead an hour Saturday night or Sunday morning and enjoy a little extra daylight in the evenings, even if you do lose an hour of sleep with the time change.

Another election day has come and gone, essentially, without a hitch.
And, there's good news and there's bad news.
The good news is that the number or registered voters, the number of people who are apparently interested in democracy, are rising.
As of the March 5 primary election, there were 52,127 registered voters in Franklin County.

Dear editor: Readers of The Franklin Times driving beautiful Carolina country roads and leaving the noise of Raleigh behind might never think about NATO protecting them. But it's true.
I had the honor of serving as a Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division during the Global War on Terrorism. The 82nd has the unique mission of serving as the nation's Global Response Force.

Dear editor: If Louisburg was in one of the metro counties Golden Leaf Drive would have had a traffic signal long ago.
Golden Leaf Drive has three restaurants a warehouse and a bank close to Golden Leaf at the U.S. 401 intersection.
I don't think rural counties get enough transportation dollars for public safety!

HENDERSON -- Vance-Granville Community College is launching a new court reporting program this spring.
When classes began this month, it will become the only community college in North Carolina offering this fast-paced program.
The court reporting profession plays a critical role in ensuring that legal proceedings are accurately documented for future reference.
Using specialized dictation equipment, court reporters produce real-time transcriptions of courtroom proceedings.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County property owners will receive their Tax Revaluation Change of Value notices this month
Starting on March 6, the Change of Value notices for property assessed as of January 1, 2024 will begin going out via mail.
The notice is not a bill. The Change of Value notice provides Franklin County property owners with the taxable assessed value of their property as part of the 2024 Tax Revaluation process.

MANCHESTER, NH -- Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is congratulateing the following students on being named to the Fall 2023 President's List. The fall terms run from September to December.
Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President's List.

FRANKLINTON -- A deep run in the Class 3-A State Basketball Playoffs was certainly in the plans this season for the Franklinton Lady Rams -- and for good reason, considering Coach Bryan Perry's club returned so much talent, leadership and experience from last year's club.
Franklinton has accomplished that lofty goal, and how the Lady Rams have turned the trick has made the voyage that much sweeter.