Recent Articles

BUNN -- Thanks in part to a round at the same course two days earlier, scores were a bit more favorable when the Big East Conference convened for its latest boys golf match last Wednesday at The River GC in Franklin County.
Big East links stars generally struggled at The River last Monday, but fared a bit better 48 hours later as Roanoke Rapids' Doug Merritt and Nash Central's Spencer Edwards both put together spectacular rounds.

BUNN -- Bunn picked the perfect way to head into Spring Break -- or at least the remainder of it.
After falling last Friday on the road at Vance Charter School, the clubs met Tuesday to cap off the non-conference series at the BHS Baseball Field.
It was a spirited occasion as the Wildcats hosted their annual Franklin County Miracle League Day before tangling with VCS.

The Bunn High School baseball team hosted its annual Miracle League of Franklin County Day -- and a tremendous time was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.

LOUISBURG -- Bobby Glenn Weathers, Jr., 41, of Louisburg passed away Saturday, April 16, 2022. He was born March 19, 1981 in Wake County.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC -- Phyllis "Nana" Bowers Jessup, 75, of Elizabethtown died at her home Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

Nashville, NC -- Funeral services for Doris Braswell Arrington, age 92, who died on Thursday, April 14, 2022, will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, April 22, from the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Nashville with Pastor Jack Reese, Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Oakland Cemetery.

Franklinton, NC -- Gail Strother Matt, age 73, died on April 2, 2022 with her family by her side. She was the daughter of the late Robert Edmond Strother and Edna Newton Strother.

KNOXVILLE, TN-- Keith Mcknight Jr., age 49, of Knoxville, TN, formerly of Franklinton, NC passed away Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

Louisburg, NC-- Funeral services for Henry Melvin Gibson, age 89, who died on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, April 16, from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Timothy Walker officiating. Burial will follow in the Cedar Street Cemetery.

BUNN -- The River Golf Course provides one of the most difficult challenges to area high school linksters -- and Monday's Big East Conference 18-hole boys event proved to be no different.
Only two golfers were able to shoot in the 70s as The River in Franklin County was once again difficult to solve -- even for the league's most seasoned players.

LOUISBURG -- A huge new multi-use development -- probably the largest of its type ever proposed in Franklin County's history -- was to be brought before the Louisburg Planning Board Thursday night after this edition of The Franklin Times went to press.
If the project is approved and built as the plans now indicate, it would represent an investment of about $112 million in Louisburg, increasing the town's property tax valuation by roughly 30 percent or about $506,000 in additional property taxes per year.

LOUISBURG -- The sheriff's office has scheduled a memorial for a canine killed in the line of duty.
K-9 Major was shot and killed this past weekend in Granville County while trying to help authorities apprehend an armed robber in the Antioch Community of Granville County.
"It's been a traumatic incident in the agency and the department," said Franklin County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Terry Wright.

Claydon and Brielle Cody grab some colorful Easter eggs from a station set up at the Youngsville Easter Egg Hunt last Saturday at Luddy Park. Volunteer Alysa McLaughlin helps the youngsters. Town Parks and Recreation staff, volunteers and others set up egg hunt stations around the park, given children the chance to find goodies and get prizes during the annual spring event. See more Easter photos on Page 16.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County commissioners will be asked to fund the county school system to the tune of $24,360,124 for the 2022-23 school fiscal year which begins on July 1. That's an increase of about $1,638,252 over the funding provided for the current school year -- and represents a major increase in support that will "flow through" the county schools directly to charter schools.

As part of Franklin County's "State of the District" to our Board of Commissioners, we highlighted the reasons that Franklin County Schools is the best choice for families in our community.
This week's column will dig into some of the aspects of our district and what we offer the students of Franklin County Schools.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Franklin County Republicans focused on preserving the Constitution, curbing inflation, ensuring election integrity, and protecting parents' rights during the Franklin County Republican Party's annual convention, held Saturday, March 26. During the convention, Franklin County residents heard from multiple 2022 candidates before electing district and state convention delegates.

Wayden and Rosemarie Hunt

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners are considering changes to the way it approves subdivisions.
Residents and interested parties will have an opportunity offer feedback about the change soon.
One of the primary changes would impact major subdivisions, making the development agreement a staff-level decision, rather than putting it before the planning board for recommendation and commissioners for approval -- both processes allowed for public input.

LOUISBURG -- Some airport advisory board members don't want to wait another month to discuss a closure of the runway.
During the board's January and February meeting, Airport Director Bo Carson informed and updated advisory board members about plans to shut down the runway for more than a month while construction crews rehab the nearly 30-year-old runway.

Several personnel items were handled by the Franklin County Board of Education Monday night, including:
• Naming Katie Renze-Beer principal of Edward Best Elementary School She most recently served as assistant principal at Edward Best Elementary School since 2016.

FRANKLINTON -- Town officials are close to tabbing its next town manager.
During a town retreat in January, staff and officials began putting in place the process by which they would replace Town Manager Gregory Bethea.
The board hired Bethea as its interim manager in September 2018, before making him the permanent manager in the spring of 2019.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies made two drug arrests over the weekend.
First, Dep. T. Lucas arrested Nicole Lea Smith, 32, of Wake Forest, in the 1100 block of Pocomoke Road on April 9.
She was charged with possession with intent to manufacture sell and deliver drugs, maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

RALEIGH -- A craving for pie took Diana Chabrier of Franklinton on a Saturday night dessert run to a grocery store where she got instead a sweet $100,000 prize.
"They didn't have my pie so I got a ticket instead," laughed Chabrier. "I can't say the name of the pie, or it will sell out."
Chabrier bought her $30 200X The Cash ticket from the Food Lion on U.S. 1 in Franklinton. She checked the ticket early Sunday morning with her husband and daughter.

As everyone has noticed by now, spring is in the air.
Well, actually, that's just pollen, but it is a reliable indicator that winter has faded and Mother Nature is beginning another growing season.
And if the pollen hasn't convinced you, the resurgence of the pesky fire ants, the sudden spurt of wild onions and the appearance of every noxious weed known to North Carolina certainly should.