By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
LOUISBURG -- Grant Madison typified the phrase ‘senior leader’ during his final campaign as a member of the Louisburg High School football squad.
Madison switched positions on offense and saw his playing time decrease on defense, as LHS head coach Chris Lee sought to two-platoon his roster more.
It took Rachel Cowley just three minutes to fill out her bracket for the annual The Franklin Times NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Pool.
But needing Duke to win the championship, the closing few moments of Monday’s final game must have seemed to last a lifetime for Cowley.
Or did they?
LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg College baseball squad stepped out of league action and came away with a pair of mid-week victories against area foes.
Tuesday, the Hurricanes hit the road for Wentworth and came away with a 7-1 victory against the Eagles in a nine-inning contest.
RALEIGH -- The National Hockey League and the Carolina Hurricanes have announced that the Hurricanes and the city of Raleigh will host the 2011 NHL All-Star Celebration.
The 58th NHL All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Jan. 30, at the RBC Center, and the Honda NHL SuperSkills competition will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- Sean Henry homered and drove in three runs to lead the Carolina Mudcats past Birmingham in the Class AA Southern League baseball season opener on Thursday night.
Henry swatted a two-run shot over the left field wall in the second inning off of Barons starter Matt Long (L, 0-1), then singled home another run in the sixth inning to give the Mudcats (1-0) a 4-0 advantage.
High School Baseball
TUESDAY
Roanoke Rapids at Louisburg 7 p.m.
Franklinton at Warren County 6 p.m.
Louisburg College shortstop Marjorie Pettitt (left) tags out a Pitt CC runner at second base during Wednesday’s Region X twinbill at Sheilah R. Cotten Field.
Pitt Community College leadoff master Melissa Avent fouls off a pitch during Wednesday evening’s Region X softball doubleheader against the Louisburg College Lady Hurricanes.
Bailey Nelms recently caught her first big fish of the season -- a three-pound bass. Bailey, who is four years old, brought in the haul at a private pond with the help of her uncle, Rex Foster. Bailey is the daughter of Kelly and Allen Nelms.
Local multi-sport legend Wayne Champion threw out the first ball before Monday night’s title game of the Verizon Wireless of Louisburg Invitational Baseball Tournament, which was held at picturesque Frazier Field on the campus of Louisburg College.
Members of the Bunn Garden Club recently gathered at the Pilot Fire Department to cook their famous stew. The stew is cooked twice a year and is such a local favorite, it is all sold before stew day. Pictured (left to right) are Rae Strickland, Pat Chadwick, Harlowe Carter, Lynn Johnson, Peggy Brantley, Linda Fairweather, Barbara Tetterton, Judy Staley, Belinda Turnage, Hazel Whitley. Not pictured, Darlene McKenny.
SSG Lawrence C. Jones will be retiring July 30 after completing nearly 21 years of service in the U.S. Army. He recently returned from a tour in Baghdad, Iraq, and is currently stationed at Ft. Carson, Colo. SSG Jones is a 1981 graduate of Bunn High School and joined the U.S. Army in November 1989. He is the son of James E. Bullock and Juanita Bullock of Bunn. After retiring, he will make his home in Nash County.
Amina Joy Thorne and Steven Gregory Morning were married on April 3, 2010 at the Hilton at Myrtle Beach, S.C. The officiating minister for the outside ceremony was Vonda Dowe. The bride is the daughter of Jimmy Lee Thorne of Bunn and the late Brenda Thorne. The groom is the son of Wanda Taybron of Apex. Cierra Thorne was maid of honor and Bonita Perry and Juana Alaffita were matrons of honor. Serving as best man was Tobans Brantley of Clayton.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Franklin County’s Democratic Party is expected to throw its support behind a candidate for Lucy Allen’s soon-to-be vacated House of Representatives seat on Wednesday night.
Party Chairman Jerry Carlyle has called for a straw poll to take place in the Hamilton Hobgood Courthouse Annex, giving potential candidates a chance to state their case for party backing.
Little Sophia Bielert of Bunn was in the process of figuring out just what exactly was in all those plastic eggs she gathered up at the Bunn Volunteer Fire Department’s Easter Egg Hunt Saturday morning. She was one of dozens of youngsters who managed to gather up about 5,000 of the candy-filled plastic eggs Saturday morning. Sophia, who is just 2 and a half, is shown here with her dad, John of Bunn.
A Louisburg woman was killed Monday evening following a single-vehicle wreck.
According to a report by Trooper T.W. Allen, Samantha Jones was driving a 2003 Kia sport utility vehicle east on Duke Memorial Road when she came out of curve and lost control of the vehicle at about 6 p.m.
The SUV ran off the road to the right, came back onto the roadway, then ran off the road to the left, rolling over.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Franklin County investigators are consulting with the district attorneys office about an assault that resulted in a death.
Investigators were first notified about the attack by Franklin Regional Medical Center staff, who treated Alfredo Ortega, 53, for head injuries on Thursday night.
Ortega died from his injuries at WakeMed on Monday.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Franklin County sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate a home invasion attempt that led to a shooting ... of the suspect.
Investigators allege that Donnie Hayes Jr. of Durham attempted to break into the Youngsville-area home of Michael Kearney on Thursday night.
According to Sheriff Pat Green, Hayes knocked on the door of a house at 429 John Mitchell Road at about 10:15 p.m. on Thursday.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
An economy-building organization is putting $24 million toward an effort to better connect Franklin County and the state.
Last week, the Golden LEAF Foundation announced its decision, hoping to leverage that money to pull down federal funding and private donations to provide broadband fiber service to 69 counties, including Franklin.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
A family is suing a Louisburg nursing home, alleging the company was negligent for a woman’s death.
On March 16, Kathy Hughes filed a complaint on behalf of Myrl Barnes alleging that Britthaven Inc. was responsible for the events surrounding Barnes’ Dec. 20, 2008 death.
Hughes is the administrator of Barnes’ estate.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Franklin County commissioners agreed to push back revaluation another year, hoping that the housing market will have time to stabilize in another 12 months.
Law requires each county to re-assess property values every eight years, however, the county has done its revaluation every six years.
Louisburg resident Riggan Faulkner
If you were in the field behind the Bunn Volunteer Fire Department Saturday morning a little before 10 a.m., you might have been wondering if the Easter Bunny’s goody bag had exploded. Actually, the Easter Bunny — with more than a little help from fire department volunteers — filled and distributed about 5,000 plastic eggs just in time for the kids to begin their big hunt. So, how long did the hunt last? Not nearly as long as you might have expected.
The Vance-Granville Community Band took its audience on a journey that was not only musical but also geographical and historical at its Spring Concert on March 7. The program, billed as “Music from English Pageantry to the American Civil War,” was held in the Civic Center on the college’s main campus in Vance County.
