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LOUISBURG -- A man accused of killing his two roommates is slated to appear in court on Monday.
Following an hour-long standoff, Franklinton police arrested Christian David Webster during the early morning hours of April 5, alleging he shot and killed Matthew Johnson, 34, and William Hulme, 26 -- all of 24 Pine Street.
Investigators have yet to reveal a motive in the slaying, but officers arrested Webster on March 31, charging him with discharging a firearm within town limits.

VIEW OF THE ECLIPSE. These photos were taken Monday in Louisburg by photographer William "Bill" Reaves. He used a digital single lens reflex camera with a Neutral Density Filter. The ND filters reduce the amount of light coming into the camera allowing the photographer to control the shutter speed and aperture for special occasions such as an eclipse, he explained. The above photo is a three photo collage of the eclipse from start to finish going from left to right.

ZEBULON, NC--Hilliard J. Gay Jr., 82, of Zebulon, died at his home April 8, 2024.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Burnell "Burn" Hilliard, age 70, who died on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, will be held on Saturday, April 13, at 3 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Minister, Edwin Dean Jones officiating.

Youngville, NC -- Donita Maria Christina Scurti, age 67, of Youngsville, died November 26, 2023. Cremation was handled by Lancaster Funeral and Cremation Services, Louisburg.

FRANKLINTON, NC--William "Glenn" Davis, 53, of Franklinton, NC, passed away on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. He was born in Wake County, NC on December 19, 1970.

LOUISBURG, NC--Jerry Wayne Champion, age 75, resident of Lake Royale, NC, passed away on March 31, 2024 at UNC Nash Regional Hospital in Rocky Mount, NC. Born on January 9, 1949, at Watts Hospital in Durham, NC, Jerry was the only son and eldest child of Mildred and Henry Champion.

LOUISBURG --Funeral services for Wanda M. Hunt, 62, who died on Tuesday, April 2, will be held on Monday, April 8, at 11 a.m. from the Perry's Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Randolph Alston officiating.

LOUISBURG --Funeral services for Matthew James Hardy, 65, who died on Wednesday, April 3, will be held on Sunday, April 7, at 11 a.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners took several actions to bolster animal services.
Monday night's decisions to fill out its advisory board, task management with extending adoption hours, re-emphasize spay and neuter efforts, rush the hiring of a community outreach liaison and volunteer coordinator, and banning inhumane heart stick euthanasia came after months of pleas from animal welfare advocates.
Animal Services management has said that it uses intracardiac injections -- commonly called heart stick euthanasia -- to put animals down when necessary.

RALEIGH -- An officer-involved shooting that left a Bunn man dead now rests with the district attorney's office.
State Bureau of Investigation Public Information Director Anjanette Grube confirmed that the Dec. 21 shooting is now under the review of the district attorney's office, which is ultimately responsible for determining whether criminal charges are appropriate.
District Attorney Mike Waters noted that his office generally takes a month or two to issue a determination in the matter.

EGG-STATIC. Hundreds of kids made short work of several thousand plastic Easter eggs that were the subject of the Bunn CERT Lions Easter festivities last Saturday. Above, Nora Lewis gets a closer look at the handful of eggs that Logan Williams snatched up during the event set up beside the Walmart parking lot on Retail Way.

BUNN -- The United Way of Franklin County is putting the ball in the courts of Bunn, Franklinton and Louisburg -- literally.
Andrea Bell Wright, executive director of the civic organization has approached management and leaders in Bunn, Franklinton and Louisburg with an offer of $35,000 to put toward building a basketball court and companion [Science Technology Engineering & Math] recreational space in each town.

CASTALIA -- The Northeast Franklin Revitalization Committee has long held agritourism as one of the area's best economic draws.
On Monday night, one of the biggest contributors to the industry shared his success story.
About a decade ago, Jason Brown and his family started First Fruits Farm, a heady endeavor for someone who didn't study agriculture and never ran a farm.
However, the former professional football player took to Youtube for tips and then a farming neighbor -- Len Wester -- who took him under his wings.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County cleared up the legal hurdles necessary to close on land, warehouse and office space deal.
In September 2022, county commissioners agreed to buy five acres and the accompanying office and warehouse space at 424 T. Kemp Road, with plans to, among other things, renovate the property to house facilities maintenance staff and equipment.
In May 2023, though, Franklin County filed a lawsuit alleging that property owners -- 424 T. Kemp Road LLC -- among other things, breached the contract by not properly closing on the property and conveying the title to Franklin County.

And suddenly it's April, although feeling chilly enough that it could still be March.
But the trees and some flowering plants aren't fooled -- and the pollen epidemic has begun in spades.
If the only effects you've been noticing are the yellow tinge on your cars or sidewalks, consider yourself lucky! Lot of folks are dealing with the sniffles, burning eyes and sneezing fits -- and it's only just begun because the rest of this month and May will likely see a steady increase in pollen.

In the last editions, I've taken the liberty of using this column as an opportunity to give you teases and reviews of news that was just too big to fit into the paper.
Well, a little bit of that is true again, this week.
But, rather than making you wait an entire week with bated breath, I figure I'll give you a rundown, sort of a synopsis, like those old TV Guides.
For anyone under 50, you're going to have to Google that reference.

Dear editor: This modern-day Republican Party is alienating so many of its voters who long valued conservative views while lifting the extreme and hate-filled people into power.
I worry about our future in North Carolina as a woman, a mother, a business owner, and a decent human being.

Dear editor: I started reading a book titled "White Rural Rage, the threat to American Democracy."
I must admit, the book is extremely hard to follow and to actually understand where the two authors obtained all this information. I do not think there is rage in rural America, and it certainly is not just white people.

Above, kids get ready to hunt some eggs at the Bunn CERT Lions event on Saturday.

Above, Tristan Carwell dashed through the field, hunting eggs like a superhero.

Sheila Strickland signs folks up for free vision screenings.

Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. show. Franklinton Area Community Theatre will present the show Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. The show is based on the Emmy award-winning Saturday morning educational cartoon series. Performances will be held: Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m.; and Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m. Performances will be held at the Franklinton High School auditorium, 910 Cedar Creek Road, Franklinton. Tickets are available online at factnc.org or at the door. The Franklinton Area Community Theatre is a non-profit theatre for kids ranging from 5 to 18 years old.

The Neave Trio will perform at Cherry Hill on Sunday, April 7 with a concert beginning at 3 p.m. Admission will be taken at the door.
The trio, consisting of violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura, is making its second appearance at the Warren County historical site.
Since forming in 2010, Neave has earned praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances.