Recent Articles

BIG DAY. Reverend John Williams, of the Wood, NC community, celebrated his 80th birthday at Henderson Country Club, in Henderson, NC, Saturday, March 12, 2022, with many family, friends and church members. Rev. Williams serves as pastor of Lettuce Hall Baptist Church, Spring Hope, NC. He has been married to First Lady Lucy Williams for 55 years and they have two adult sons, John A. Williams and Danny Ray Williams, as well as four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

FRANKLINTON -- For veteran coach Clennie Wilkins, Franklinton's annual T Sanders Invitational Track and Field Meet has always been about family -- a fitting way to maintain the legacy and memory of FHS former great skipper Trent Sanders.
The family ties took on an enhanced meaning this spring as four of Wilkins' fellow schools in the Big East Conference also participated.

Franklinton's Will Young clears this height in the Boys High Jump during last Saturday's T Sanders Invitational Track and Field Meet at the FHS Football Field.

Bunn's Keagan Osika sails to a successful high jump clear during last Saturday's T Sanders Invitational Track and Field Meet at Franklinton High School. Osika, a senior, recently set the BHS school record in the girls high jump -- surpassing the long-time mark that was previously held by the legendary Nakisha Stewart.

WAKE FOREST -- With the off-season departure of Wilson County schools Fike and Hunt, the boys golf throne in the Big East Conference is suddenly up for grabs -- and competition has been fierce and evenly matched to date this spring.
The league now features eight schools instead of the previous six, and long-time powerhouse Wilson Fike has moved on to another conference.

Franklinton High School's Balin Chiari watches a shot during Monday's Big East Conference golf match.

FRANKLINTON -- Overpowering pitching, a veteran presence, tablesetting speedsters at the top of the lineup and big-time bats up and down the order.
Those have key intangibles of Southern Nash's recent dominance of the Big East Conference softball scene.
But some of those hallmarks are no longer in place for the Ladybirds -- at least this season.

FRANKLINTON -- Undefeated and on a roll -- that's the story to date of the Southern Nash High School 2022 varsity baseball season.
The Firebirds expected to contend for one of the top spots in the Big East Conference heading into the campaign -- and they had done that and more through 10 games.

FRANKLINON -- It took extra innings, but Northern Nash was able to rally past homestanding Franklinton for a 5-3 victory Monday in Big East Conference baseball action.
With the clutch win, NN finished off the season sweep of the Red Rams. The Knights also used a comeback decision to defeat Franklinton last week in Red Oak.

LOUISBURG -- Maria Parham is expanding its medical offerings locally and is seeing an uptick in patient volumes, its brass told commissioners this month.
But, Maria Parham Franklin's new Executive Director of Operations Emilee Johnson also noted that COVID-19 and its complications had taken a toll on emergency room visits, the number of outpatient diagnostics performed and behavioral health admissions.

Joseph B. Cutchins Jr., CFSP, a funeral director with Cutchins Family Mortuary & Cremations in Franklinton, has recently qualified for recertification of the designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP), by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice.
A number of professions grant special recognition to members upon completion of specified academic and professional programs and "CFSP" is funeral service's national individual recognition.

Legitimately, roadside litter is crap.
It's been crap for a long time.
But, every now and then, we're truly reminded of just how crappy it is.

WARRENTON, NC -- Funeral services for Pamela "Naye Naye" Jones, age 45, who died on Thursday, March 24, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3, 2022 from the Jones Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Hosie Starr officiating. Burial will follow in the Jones Chapel Church Cemetery.

KITTRELL, NC -- Funeral services for Pattie Person Taylor, age 77, who died on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 3, 2022 from the Serupta Missionary Baptist Church in Warrenton with Pastor Quincy Wilkins, Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Haywood Church Cemetery.

Carole Ann Cronk Vetter, 77, of Louisburg, N.C. passed away Sunday, March 27, 2022. A native of Dutchess Co., New York, she was the daughter of the late Clinton Everett Cronk and Caroline White Cronk. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husbands, Charles Vetter and Ronald Cronk; daugter, Maryann Casucci and grandson, Landon Bruce and brother, Harry Cronk.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- Funeral services for James E. Perry, age 82, who died on Friday, March 18, 2022, will be held at 12 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, 2022 from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Danny Upchurch officiating. Burial will follow in the Kinches Chapel Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Rodney Solomon, age 55, who died on Friday, March 25, 2022, will be held at 12 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2022 from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Apostle Michael Branch officiating.

Fannie Mae Allen, (68) of Franklinton, NC died on March 18, 2022. She was born May 17, 1953 to the late William Perry Sr., and Jenny V. Perry.

BUNN -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies continue to investigate a fight that sent a 15-year-old girl to the hospital.
According to a report by school resource officer Lt. K. Horton, two 15-year-old girls engaged in a fight in front of the school near the carpool/bus area at about 12:25 p.m. on Thursday, during early release.

For a time last week, I was beginning to wonder if I had stumbled into a parallel universe because things just didn't add up.
Actually that hasn't cleared up yet -- so perhaps you can help make sense of the events.
As everyone who cares knows by now, the Louisburg Town Council put enough pressure on its town administrator, Jonathan Franklin, to force him out.

LOUISBURG -- Meeting before a nearly full house of spectators, the Louisburg Town Council stuck to its decision to change the pay schedule for town employees and doubled-down on questions about the embattled Depot Hill project, demanding that work there remain stopped until some questions can be answered to their satisfaction.

A brisk Saturday morning saw a long line of folks gathering up free trees as part of an annual give-away. Here, Gwenna Hilton, 9, who was volunteering at the event, urges here mother, Cassie Hilton, to take trees and plant them. In the background, one of Gwenna's friends, Kyleigh Bobbitt, 9, is also giving her best "sales pitch" to those seeking trees.

LOUISBURG -- A new alliance of two veteran Louisburg Town Council members, a newly elected council member and one who was just appointed, has raised some interesting situations in the last few weeks.
The two veterans, Tom Clancy and Mark Russell apparently have forged an alliance with newly elected Silke Stein and newly appointed Bobby Dickerson first to put pressure on Town Administrator Jonathan Franklin, then change the pay schedule of town employees and shut down, at least temporarily, the Depot Hill project.

Retired Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood received the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award last Friday afternoon in the Franklin County courtroom he presided over for more than 38 years. Presenting him the award on behalf of the North Carolina State Bar was local attorney Charles Davis, himself a recipient of the award in 2017. Judge Allen Cobb said Hobgood has a "sterling judicial reputation" and was known for putting service above self. "Bob always stepped up if called upon," Cobb told a courtroom filled with lawyers and judges from around the region who came to witness the presentation.