Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County authorities lodged additional child sex charges against a Nash County man.
With aid from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Franklin County investigators issued a warrant for the arrest of Valeriano Silverio Perez on July 15, charging him with seven counts of felony first degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one felony count of disseminating obscenities to a minor.

Louisburg spiker Taylor Leonard

RALEIGH, NC -- Funeral services for Michael "Big Mike" Mann, age 57, who died on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 15, 2021 from the New Greater Life Ministries in Franklinton with Bishop Richard Petaway officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Delight UCC Church Cemetery.

HOLLISTER, NC -- Funeral services for Corine Richardson, age 86, who died on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 14, 2021 from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg with Rev. Linda Tayborn officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church Cemetery.

HENDERSON, NC--Florence "Sis" Phelps, 71, of Henderson, died at home Saturday, August 7, 2021. She was born in Vance County on November 24, 1949, a daughter of the late Fred and Tiny (Harris) Satterwhite. Along with her parents, she was also predeceased by her sister, Deloris Kay Satterwhite.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Annie "Patty" (Perry) Nowell, 81, of Franklinton, passed away in Raleigh on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.

Wilhelmina R. Hawkins, the daughter of the late Julia Cooley Robinson was born on November 8, 1926, in Louisburg, North Carolina. She departed this life and entered eternal rest on July 31, 2021.

OXFORD, NC--Douglas Wayne Pleasants, 77, of Oxford, died August 4, 2021 in Durham, NC. He was born April 15, 1944, in Franklin County, NC, son of the late Annie Kate Godfrey and Coy Macon Pleasants, Sr. Along with his parents, he was predeceased by siblings: Joyce Maxine Pleasants, Linda Faye Pleasants, Bobbie Jean Cash, and Shirley Ann Mayton, Fleming Macon (Buddy) Pleasants and Coy Macon Pleasants, Jr.

BRONX, NY--Bernard Robert Tamel Harris (BJ) , age 46, died July 16, 2021 in Bronx, NY. Harris grew up in Louisburg, NC.

Blake Tyree Coley, age 60, of Franklinton died Thursday, August 5, 2021. Blake was born on January 3, 1961 in Franklin County, NC to the late Tyree W. and Ella Mae Coley.

Frances Hunt Leonard, 83, of Wake Forest, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday morning, August 7, 2021. She was born in Franklin County, the daughter of Lahoma and Willie Lee Hunt and was a member of Wake Union Baptist Church. She was a typesetter and proofreader at The Wake Weekly for many years.

LOUISBURG, NC--Funeral services for Annie Bell Johnson Harris, age 73, who died on Sunday, August 8, 2021, will be held on Thursday, August 12, at 12 p.m. from the Gospel Unlimited Holiness Church in Castalia with Elder James Harris, Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Eagle Rock Cemetery.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Tammy Sue Whittaker died August 4, 2021. Tammy was born in Roanoke, VA on February 19, 1969 to the late Roger Carroll and Linda Whittaker Conley.

LOUISBURG, NC--Graveside services for Milton Earl "Junie" Wardrick, Jr., age 45, who died on Thursday, August 5, 2021, will be held on Tuesday, August 10, at 11 a.m. from the Wardrick Family Cemetery in Louisburg with Rev. Terrence Wiggins officiating.

YOUNGSVILLE, NC - Jerry Wayne Fuller, 50, of Youngsville, died Wednesday afternoon, August 4, 2021.

LOUISBURG, NC--Roland Hilton "Shorty" Webb, Jr., 61, of Louisburg, died Friday morning, August 6, 2021 at his home.

SPRING HOPE, NC - Eloise Rice Powell, 85, of Spring Hope, died Saturday evening, August 7, 2021.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Michael Loomis, 57, of Youngsville, NC passed away suddenly July 30, 2021.

NASHVILLE -- Funeral services for Pattie Richardson Arrington, age 98, who died on Tuesday, August 3, will be held on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 2 p.m. from the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Nashville, with Rev. Charlie Battle officiating.

RALEIGH -- Joseph Leon Allen, 74, passed away Monday, August 2.

LOUISBURG -- Low vaccination rates, a Delta Variant that's causing a spike in COVID cases for youngsters and lax adherence to face covering recommendations could equal another COVID-19 surge in Franklin County.
As a result, county Health Director Scott LaVigne is recommending a renewed push to wear face coverings indoors -- for vaccinated and unvaccinated folks.
And, his department will try to target vaccination holdouts who might yet still be swayed, he told commissioners during an update at their board meeting Monday.

LOUISBURG -- Following a closed session Monday, Franklin County commissioners agreed to pick up the tab on a higher-than-expected bid for a utility project in the heart of Youngsville.
During a July 15 Youngsville Board of Commissioners' meeting, town officials agreed to contract with Wake Forest-based State Contracting Inc. for its Main Street Improvement Project.

STEAM camps will continue this Thursday and Friday at Riverbend Park in Louisburg. Next week, on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11, the camps will be held at the Broad Community Center in Bunn. Above, Alexis and Diego Carlos paint rocks as their mother, Karina Sias gets a picture.

LOUISBURG -- High construction bids for a new 911 center prompted county commissioners to reject all bids and send designers back to the drawing board.
A fluctuating, post-COVID-19 bidding environment, architects said, pushed the construction bids more than $1 million over budget.
According to David Schrader with SCHRADERGROUP, the architect and engineering firm hired to design the building and oversee construction, fuel, steel and copper prices have all gone up 44 percent to 61 percent since December.

JUSTICE -- One of Franklin County's premier outdoor, farm-related events is no more.
Organizers of the Justice Community Antique Tractor, Car and Engine show announced this week that the event has been discontinued.
The event ran for 19 consecutive years until it was canceled last year because of the COVID pandemic.