Recent Articles

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats, the Class-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, have announced that single-game tickets for the 2023 season are on sale now at www.carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287 and by visiting the Five County Stadium front office in Zebulon.
Single-game ticket availability opens up all of Carolina's 2023 home games for purchase including each of the previously announced 10 souvenir giveaway events, the 11 Friday Night Fireworks nights, Opening Night on April 11, and the Mudcats for America Fireworks Extravaganza on Independence Day.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Here are last Saturday's results for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's State Basketball Championship Games:

Lenny Laflamme during a quiz bowl at Franklinton Senior Center

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Sarah Louise Gilliard, age 78, who died on Sunday, March 12, 2023, will be held 1 p.m., Sunday, March 19, from the Ambassadors for Christ Ministries in Louisburg with Pastor Jamaal Brodie officiating.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Mary Perry Strickland, age 77, who died on Friday, March 10, 2023, will be held 10 a.m., Saturday, March 18, from the Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Timothy Walker officiating. Burial will follow in the Walnut Grove Church Cemetery.

Henderson, NC--Memorial services for Leon Lamonte Davis, age 36, who died on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, will be 1 p.m., Friday, March 17, at from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

CASTALIA, NC - Francine Collins Rich, 69, of Castalia, died Tuesday morning, March 14, 2023.

Wake Forest, NC--Roy Frazier, 87, of Wake Forest died Monday afternoon, March 13, 2023.

CASTALIA, NC-- Shelba Jean House Smith, 86, of Castalia, died Sunday evening, March 12, 2023, at WakeMed.

Zebulon, NC--Patricia Jones Raybon passed away peacefully on March 11, 2023. Known as Pat, Trish, mom, grandma, granny, and dear friend, she lived a life to be proud of. She enjoyed a 23 year career in accounting with Westinghouse and was an avid traveler, traveling throughout the US and to Europe.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg officials were presented with more than $22.6 million in capital needs, the bulk of which would go for fire and police operations.
The Louisburg Town Council met March 3 for a strategic session, plenty of it dealing with a proposed classification and compensation plan.
However, Town Manager Sean Medlin also presented the board with departmental needs, including outlining more than $22 million in capital needs.

LOUISBURG -- A handful of commissioners vehemently opposed relocating its veterans services office.
County management said it would re-evaluate the prospect.
Both pronouncements came Monday after veterans flooded the Franklin County Board of Commissioners meeting space, demanding that the county keep the Veterans Services office in its current location.

BUNN -- Town officials swore in their newest commissioner, approved an ordinance that let's them better deal with junked vehicles and heard about law enforcement efforts to crack down on juvenile wrongdoing.
Prior to Monday night, long-time resident Audrey Hartsfield served on the town's zoning board, but she was upgraded to a seat on the town's board of commissioners, serving out the unexpired term of Mack Jones -- who died in December.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners are preparing to present the General Assembly with changes to its charter that, among other things, would balance election cycles by granting a one-time, two-year extension of the mayor's term, allow the town to place special assessments on property owners for transportation improvements and use recreation-in-lieu fees on central projects -- not solely within the general area of where they are collected.

Franklin County legend Brian Taylor

LOUISBURG -- A man accused of trying to kill his wife remains at large.
According to Sheriff Kevin White, deputies responded to a domestic dispute reported at a home on Bridgewater Drive at about 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 27.
Officers had to force entry into the home and found a critically injured woman inside.

LOUISBURG -- Authorities continue to look for a missing Franklin County man.
Anthony "AJ" Coley Jr. has been missing from the 2700 block of Person Road in the Alert community since 2 p.m. on Feb. 22.
He was last seen wearing a blueish-grey t-shirt, grey pants, white sneakers with red trim and a high-visibility green coat with reflective striping.

For all of us anxiously awaiting spring, there was a solid hint that it's just around the corner.
A news story making the rounds in South Carolina last week was urging residents there to hurry and get their hummingbird feeders out.
The reason? The mild winter and unseasonably warm weather is enticing the birds to migrate a little earlier this year.

Quite frankly, most of the waking, working part of my day is listening to the police scanner.
And, as I've done this for most of the 25 years of my professional life, I must also admit that most of the chatter serves as background noise -- hardly gaining my attention.
But, there are some things in a rural community that always capture my attention.

Dear editor: According to the Washington Post (I read both the Post and the New York Times daily, our own frequent letter contributor's experience notwithstanding) a North Carolina teacher in New Hanover county was recently disciplined for teaching about Columbus, using content she had taught her sophomore honors class in world history for 14 years.

Dear editor: I recently attended the Louisburg Town Council meeting on Monday night, Feb. 20. It is truly amazing what one can learn at these public meetings.
One of the actions taken at this meeting was addressing Resolution #9 "designating Depot Hill as a Future Town Hall and Event Space. The resolution was passed by the council with unanimous consent.

BUNN -- After conducting a nine-hole practice match two days earlier, the Big East Conference's boys golfers reconvened at The River GC last Wednesday for the league's initial 18-hole showdown of the 2023 campaign.
The results were right where the 2022 season left off as defending Big East champion Roanoke Rapids showed that it is once again the favorite to take home the conference's top boys golf team prize.