Recent Articles

NEW YEAR (ALMOST). Centerville's New Year's parade took place on Dec. 31, bringing the community together to ring in 2023. Above, Alayna and Emmrie Benton take a good look at the parade as it goes by, complete with fire trucks, cars and, of course, farm equipment.

Lisa Neville, JC Wright, Lylah Wright and Allison Wright

BUNN -- With the wave of her magic wand, Southern Nash's Jermia Walker turned a tight game into a blowout Tuesday night for the Ladybirds.
Southern, undefeated in Big East Conference action, led by 12 points at intermission, but Walker's amazing third quarter broke things open as the Ladybirds cruised the rest of the way en route to earning a 59-34 decision over homestanding Bunn in a key league showdown at the historic Bunn Dome.

BUNN -- Aside from the host Wildcats, no team has been more a fixture at the Bunn Holiday Invitational Boys Basketball Tournament than the Northern Nash Fighting Knights -- and for good reason.
Northern Nash has won the event in the past and almost always puts together a high-profile showing, and veteran NNHS head coach Henry Drake has often credited his club's work at the tournament with success later on in the campaign.

BUNN -- Bunn High School kept the girls trophy at home by winning the annual Bunn Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament last week.
BHS swept through the four-team girls bracket in impressive fashion to claim the championship.
In the opening round, the Ladycats of Coach Jovon Blacknall opened tourney action with a tough 40-36 decision over former conference opponent Vance County at the Bunn Dome.

BUNN -- Conventional wisdom foretold a potential blowout when Southern Nash traveled to Bunn on Tuesday evening for a Big East Conference boys basketball showdown between the long-time backyard rivals.
But things didn't quite turn out that way as the Wildcats, despite entering the outing with just one victory on the season, gave the powerhouse Firebirds all they could handle before Southern Nash was able to extend somewhat in the second half of action to secure a tougher-than-expected 73-64 decision at the Bunn Dome.

Louisburg, NC--Wesley "Orin" Edwards, 61, of Louisburg passed away on December 31, 2022. Orin was born on October 25, 1961 to the late John Boyd and Nancy Bowden Edwards.

BUTNER, NC--Patricia Bass Bunn, 75, of Butner, died Wednesday, December 28, 2022. She was born to the late Willie Hillard Bass and Ella Janette Jones Bass on March 11, 1947, in Nash County, NC.

Olive Branch, MS--Funeral services for Margaret Ann Lewis, of Olive Branch, MS (formerly of Louisburg, NC), age 73, who died on Sunday, January 1, 2023, will be held 3 p.m., Saturday, January 7, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Harvey Hartsfield officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Delight United Church of Christ Cemetery.

Wake Forest, NC--Funeral services for Fred Truman Arrington, age 69, who died on Sunday, January 1, 2023, will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, January 7, 2023 from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Hilliard Family Cemetery.

Wake Forest, NC--Funeral services for Audrey Lee Jackson, age 55, who died on Thursday, December 29, 2022, will be held 1 p.m., Thursday, January 5, 2022 from the Westminister Evangelistic Church #2 in Louisburg with Bishop Louis Witherspoon officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

YOUNGSVILLE, NC - James Stuart Baker, 70, of Youngsville, died Saturday morning, December 24, 2022.

Franklinton, NC-- Funeral services for Jessie "Milton" Perry, age 75, who died on Monday, December 26, 2022, will be held 1 p.m., Sunday, January 1, from the Manasseh Chapel Baptist Church in Franklinton with Rev. David Rosby officiating. Burial will follow in the Manasseh Chapel Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG -- Town staff shared a proposed fix to Bickett Boulevard traffic -- but not the one they wanted.
Police Chief Jason Abbott has recommended a traffic signal be placed at the corner of Bickett Boulevard and Golden Leaf Drive -- already a hot spot, but expected to become even more of a nightmare when a new, popular eatery opens at that intersection.

The town of Youngsville erected this sign along Main Street, reminding folks of the progress being made and the timeline for the Main Street Improvement Project. The town discussed and consultants agreed that it would be helpful for residents and motorists to know what downtown improvements are currently underway, their purpose, as well as their proposed completion dates. For more information about the Main Street project, folks can visit: townofyoungsville.org/MSIP.

LOUISBURG -- Members of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission's hatchery were out last week, stocking a Franklin County pond with trout.
It has become a nearly annual event.
Last year, though, Wildlife was not able to supply fish because their hatchery was damaged by the storm.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are looking for suspects in a series of vehicle break-ins reported in the Youngsville area.
The incidents were all reported during the early morning hours of Dec. 27 in the Glen Oaks subdivision off of Mays Crossroads Road.
The five incidents were reported to police within a block of each other on Glen Oaks Drive and on Oak Leaf Trail.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County school staffers are exploring a change to the school bus drop-off policy.
First, though, they want input from affected parents and bus drivers.
During the board's Nov. 21 meeting, a bus driver asked the board to revisit its policy that allows students as young as kindergarten age to get off the bus without a parent or guardian being present.

LOUISBURG -- Bringing more than 15 years of library management experience, Michelle Hildreth has been selected as Franklin County's Library Director.
She will begin serving on January 9.
"A dynamic library adds value to the community it serves and enhances the lives of its community members," Hildreth said.

I've been covering the goings on in Franklin County since September of 2002.
But, here it is, in my 20th-plus year that, for the first time, I'll be covering the Centerville New Year's Parade. [Actually, it's on New Year's Eve].
To be fair, I didn't even know that Centerville had a New Year's parade until I had already been here 13 years.

Dear editor,
I imagine all counties school systems lose a number students to private and charter schools. But the large number of families moving into Franklin and other Counties should make up for the lost of students without cutting the school budget!

ROCKY MOUNT -- The Big East Conference swim season is off to a fast start -- literally -- as top performers try to improve their times ahead of later action, both in the league and beyond.
Balance has been a keyword in the Big East girls standings to date as Nash Central, Southern Nash and Rocky Mount are all fielding competitive squads.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Elijah Jamison has made an immediate impact as a potential-rich freshman for the University of Milwaukee men's basketball program.
Jamison, the former Louisburg High School standout guard, has played in all 12 games for the Panthers, who are off to a nice start at 8-4 overall. Jamison has started four of those outings and is averaging 8.1 points per contest, which is good enough for fifth on the team.