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Louisburg, NC--Mrs. Helen Hedgepeth Wilson 93, of Louisburg, passed away on Monday, March 6, 2023. She was born to the late Judson R. Hedgepeth and Gussie Strickland Hedgepeth on September 7, 1929, in Vance County, NC.

PITTSBORO -- Franklinton encountered its tallest task of all -- literally -- of its storybook season during Tuesday's Elite Eight matchup with a touted Northwood squad in the Class 3-A Boys Basketball State Playoffs.
By any account, Franklinton's Parrish Rushing, at 6-foot-4, is considered a tower of power in the strong Big East Conference.

LOUISBURG -- The charges against two suspects charged in a teen's death were changed this week -- one to a higher count of murder and the other to a lesser charge.
Authorities allege 18-year-old Gavin Miller and 19-year-old Dillon Piper are responsible for the Jan. 29 death of Hamilton Woods Jr.
The duo was arrested a short time after the slaying and charged with second degree murder -- which carries a maximum punishment of life without parole.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Some estimates suggest Youngsville's population could balloon to as much 22,000 people by the year 2050.
An in-the-works Comprehensive Land Use and Transportation Plan will play a significant role in what the town looks like for those folks.
On Feb. 25, representatives with 3TP Ventures, town-hired consultants tasked with developing the long-range plan, used mapping and other exercises to, again, solicit community input for the guiding document.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Winslow Custom Homes, which has a number of major developments either underway or in the planning stages in Franklin County, has been acquired by Grand Oak Builders, LLC.
Grand Oak Builders is one of the nation's fastest-growing home builders and is expanding into the Raleigh market.
The transaction was executed in October.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Education agreed to use a grant to bolster safety at three of its schools.
Franklin County schools received a $342,626 State Department of Public Instruction Safe Schools grant and during the board's Feb. 13 meeting, awarded a $335,914 bid to Franklinton-based Integrated Information Systems to improve already-in-place access points at Franklinton Elementary, Louisburg Magnet High and Bunn Elementary.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies continue to look for a Louisburg man accused of trying to kill his wife.
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 Monday.
Officers had to force entry into the home and found a critically injured woman inside.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Education has committed itself to examining a policy that has pitted it against a youth sports league.
During the board's Feb. 13 meeting, representatives with Bunn Youth Sports asked officials to change a policy that prevents the program from using the Bunn High School wrestling room or its equipment for its youth program.

Franklinton High School Boys Hoops Team

FRANKLINTON -- Town commissioners amended an ordinance governing the temporary use of recreational vehicles and another that regulates food trucks in town.
The actions, management said, helps clean up two growing issues.
In January, the town adopted an ordinance that regulates the use of recreational vehicles and campers, a response to business owner concerns about the rising number of people residing in those vehicles, particularly in the busy commercial areas, said Town Manager Zach Steffey.

LOUISBURG -- Police arrested a Louisburg man involved in a stabbing.
Lewilliams L. Bowden, 37, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
According to investigators, Bowden and another man got into a physical altercation in the parking lot of the In & Out Store at the corner of Main Street and Bunn Road at about 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Some say experience is the best teacher -- and perhaps that's true.
It's certainly true for news reporters who quickly catch on, by frustrating experience, that they are going to spend countless hours of their lives, hours they will never get back, sitting through seemingly endless meetings that go nowhere, accomplish nothing.

I remember when I decided it was time to leave Lynchburg, Va., and move closer to home -- Durham -- I had two interviews:
There was an opening for an education reporter at The Herald Sun in Durham and there was an opening for a reporter position here at The Franklin Times in Louisburg.
I interviewed at both places.

Arbor Day in North Carolina will be March 17 this year. Take time to celebrate by planting a tree. Trees are a wonderful addition to any landscape not only by providing an aesthetic complement but by increasing the quality of life and improving overall health. Since trees are such a large visible addition to the landscape, care must be taken to ensure proper growth and development.

WINGATE -- Franklin County has seen an uptick in basketball players competing at the collegiate level in recent years.
Ghage Kenan spent his senior season at Bunn, and he's currently playing for Division II Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Quandre Bullock played at Franklinton for a few seasons before transferring to Word of God, and he's currently playing Division I basketball for Louisiana Tech.

BUNN -- Bunn High School's historic wrestling season added another monumental footnote during the recent Class 2-A State Individual Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum.
On the dual team front, BHS had already secured its second straight 2-A runner-up finish one week ago, so the next goal was to possibly have a state finalist in the individual portion of the postseason.

BUNN -- Star-studded excellence is once again expected this season in the Big East Conference boys scene -- and that was on display Monday when the league opened its 2023 schedule with a nine-hole practice match at The River Golf Course in Franklin County.
Several key standouts are returning in the Big East this spring, and three of them shot in the 30s during the event.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats have introduced the all-new "Mudcats Mug Club" ticket package featuring three collectible mugs, game tickets and drink vouchers to each Thursday night home game at Five County Stadium.
The Mudcats Mug Club ticket plan is available to fans ages 21 and over.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is looking for Anthony "AJ" Coley Jr.
AJ 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.

Franklin County Arts Council's Tar River Writers have announced the judges for the Carolina Prizes for writing and the cover art contest for County Lines: A Literary Journal.
Wendy H. Jones will judge the prose submissions. Jones is an award-winning, international best-selling author who writes adult crime fiction, adult humorous mysteries, young adult mysteries, children's picture books, and non-fiction books for writers.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Willie Ray Morgan, 59, of Louisburg, died Sunday afternoon, February 26, 2023.

Louisburg, NC--Mary John Smith, 89, died on February 24, 2023. She was born on March 18, 1933 to the late John Randolph and Mary Belle Inscoe of Hickory Rock. She is also preceded in death by her husband, Wilton, and daughter Mary Lu.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Shirley "T-Bird" Thomas, age 71, who died on Monday, February 27, 2023, will be 3 p.m., Saturday, March 4, from the Ambassadors For Christ Ministries with Pastor Jamaal Brodie officiating. Burial will follow in the Cemetery on the Hill.