Recent Articles

RALEIGH, NC- Margaret McLeod Bunn Moss passed away peacefully of natural causes at age 94 on January 21, 2021 at her residence at The Rosewood Health Center (The Cypress) in Raleigh, NC. She was born in Washington, DC to Jackson Howard Bunn, Sr. and Grace McLeod Bunn but primarily grew up in her father's idyllic hometown of Zebulon, with frequent visits to her mother's hometown of Elizabethtown.

LOUISBURG, NC- Funeral services for Calvin "Caveman" Wilson, age 61, who died on Thursday, January 21, 2021, will be Friday, January 29 at 1 p.m. at the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

OXFORD, NC- Thomas Warren Preddy, 82, a resident of Granville County passed away Friday, January 22, 2021 at his home.

CASTALIA, NC-Corinne May Leonard, 91, of Castalia and the Red Bud community, passed away on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. She was born on September 21, 1929 in Nash County, the daughter of the late Opie and Ilene May. She was preceded in death by her brothers Opie Jr., Robert Eric, L.C., Mickey, Royce and Alvin May.

LOUISBURG - Clarence "Mike" Sledge, 63, passed away Thursday, January 21, 2021 at home surrounded by his loving family.

HOLLISTER, NC- Graveside services for Mittie Mae Richardson, age 100, who died on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, will be held on Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. from the Tillman-Lynch Cemetery in Hollister, NC with Rev. Robert Hedgepeth officiating.

FRANKLINTON, NC-John Edward Fuller, 85, of Franklinton passed away on Monday January 18, 2021 at Rex Hospital. He was born in Franklin County the son of the late Eunice Hayes Fuller and Grady Fuller.

LOUISBURG, NC-Funeral services for Martha Sutton, age 70, who died Wednesday, January 20, 2021, will be held Wednesday, January 27, at 1 p.m. at the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Haywood Church Cemetery.

FRANKLINTON, NC-Visitation for Catherine Williams, age 69, who died Tuesday, January 19, 2021, will be held on Sunday afternoon from 4 until 5 p.m. at the Richardson Funeral Home in Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County has a new assistant manager.
William Doerfer will begin serving in that post on Feb. 15, Franklin County management announced.
Doerfer most recently served the town manager of Liberty, a town in Randolph County.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County has ramped up its vaccination plan, inoculating more than 1,000 folks during its clinics.
And, the state is taking notice, said Franklin County Health Director Scott LaVigne.
"We're averaging 185 vaccines an hour and we had one hour where we recorded 220 vaccines in an hour," LaVigne told county commissioners during their Jan. 19 board meeting.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners agreed to pay more than $83,000 for the next step in securing a long-term water solution.
The county hired MBD Consulting Engineers in November 2019 to perform a water supply study, determining how the county could address its short- and long-term water concerns.

LOUISBURG -- Two companies with plans to bring broadband services to the county or expand their footprint told commissioners they're ready to move ahead.
First, the board agreed to pay Open Broadband $76,000 -- per a seven-year contract agreement -- to move forward with its next steps to deploy wireless broadband service to unserved and underserved pockets of Franklin County.

LOUISBURG -- County airport management reported improving fiscal conditions at Triangle North Executive Airport.
And, the advisory board committed itself to working with a long-time tenant in his effort to grow and expand his business.
According to a report by the State Department of Transportation's Division of Aviation, North Carolina's 72 public airports contributed $61 billion to the economy and supports more than 373,000 jobs.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners approved a 71-unit town home development that diversifies residential offerings in town, but not before getting an earful from nearby residents who oppose the plan.
The neighborhood will mark Phase 2 of the Wiggins Village subdivision on Hicks Road, right across from Youngsville Academy -- not far from the intersection of Cedar Creek and Hicks Road.

Franklin County legend Oliver 'June' Greene

We're happy to report this week that things are vastly improved on the COVID-19 vaccination front.
The vaccine rollout is improving -- although it's still a ways from the pace that will be needed to quickly protect an estimated 55,000 adults in Franklin County, not to mention the younger folks when they become eligible.
The average process for getting a shot is bout two hours, including time to make sure the recipient isn't going to have a reaction to the medication.

This isn't exactly an editor's note, but I certainly need to preface this column by noting the obvious: I am not a president and don't have such executive powers.
And, by inference, I'm not saying that any of our local governments are guilty of criminal acts, but in the spirit of the season, I will take it upon myself to issue pardons, if you will.

Dear editor:
The headline in the Jan. 7, 2021 edition of the Times read "Vaccine rollout 'hectic' as virus total soar." The headline together with other reports I heard from people complaining about the time they waited in line to get their COVID-19 vaccinations caused me and my wife concern about getting our vaccinations.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School's 2020-21 volleyball campaign will be remembered for its craziness on so many fronts.
But the Lady Warriors accomplished much more this season than anyone could have expected -- even always-optimist LHS head coach Erica Wammock.
Wammock really had no idea how LHS would fare with a young lineup that was destined to feature a slew of inexperienced performers -- and just two seniors.

BUNN -- Bunn High School has erupted to a quick start in girls basketball with a 3-1 record -- including three victories in Northern Carolina Conference action.
The Ladycats, coached by Matt Keith, added to their conference triumph total last Friday with a 59-47 road decision at Oxford Webb.
BHS led by just two points before going on a 19-9 spurt in the fourth quarter to close out the win.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- It was a shortened season, but still a good one for the prep volleyball squads at Louisburg and Bunn.
LHS ended up sharing the Northern Carolina Conference crown with South Granville before reaching the second round of the Class 1-A State Spike Playoffs with one of the youngest clubs in school history.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College will begin its 2021 softball season by taking part in the JUCO Kickoff Classic from Jan. 29-30 in Clearwater, Fla.
LC's first home event will be a doubleheader on February 5 versus Georgia Highlands College at Sheilah R. Cotten Field on the LC campus.
The Lady Hurricanes, coached by Eric Lee, will look to defend their Region X Tournament championship.