Recent Articles

FRANKLINTON -- A Kittrell man was killed when he caused a head-on crash, investigators said.
Authorities allege Trequavious Montrell Brown, 29, was driving north on Walter Grissom Road when he crossed the center line just after midnight on March 8.
The 2013 Honda he was driving crashed head-on into a sport utility vehicle near the intersection of General Green Road.
Brown died as a result of his injuries, said Sgt. J.K. Legan.

Joseph B. Cutchins Jr. retired last month as First Baptist Church's minister of music. Cutchins held that post for 43 years.
Cutchins said goodbye to that post, performing two songs during the Feb. 22 worship service at the church in Franklinton, where he received a standing ovation.
Cutchins said it was time to pass the mantle to a younger generation.

LOUISBURG -- The town's insurance carrier agreed to pay a $20,000 settlement, ending a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former firefighter. That settlement was approved by the Louisburg Town Council on Monday night after being discussed in a closed door session.
Raleigh attorney Taylor Rosbrook filed a complaint in Franklin County Civil Superior Court last June, alleging the town and its administrator, Sean Medlin, were guilty of wrongfully terminating Jeremy Henthorn in retaliation for his complaints against the department, opposition to workplace misconduct and his continued association with former chief, Randy Lanham.

The Franklin County Board of Education honored 15 students Monday night for the character traits of "acceptance and tolerance" that were the focus of county schools during February.
Students honored were:

BUNN -- Town commissioners agreed to rezone a residential lot to commercial use, and added satellite parking as an allowance in that zoning district.
The March 2 decision, commissioners said, would be good for business and parking.
Rustic Roots would see the initial benefit.
Property owners Donnie and Michael Poe, along with Russ Vollmer with Rustic Roots, petitioned the town to rezone a .1333-acre lot from Medium-Density Residential (R-2) to Highway Commercial (C-3).

LOUISBURG -- Police arrested a Louisburg man on charges that he broke into a home, robbed three people and kidnapped and assaulted a former girlfriend.
Jose Luis Medina Villarreal, 34, was arrested March 1 and charged with first degree kidnapping, breaking and entering, robbery, damage to property, simple assault, assault on a female and intimidation.
Villarreal was placed in the Franklin County jail without bond.

Finally! A break in the winter weather, some much loved sunshine -- and a time change that gives us all a little more time in the evenings.
Spring is officially about eight days away but things are looking brighter for all of us who are sick of ice, snow and bitter cold temperatures, to say nothing of the harsh winter winds.
And yes, the warmer weather, spring showers and the sunshine mean that there is going to be a lot of yard work that needs to be done before the grass explodes -- but even yard work is better than frostbite.

If you saw last week's edition of The Franklin Times, then you know that first responders and the emergency responding community took part in an effort to break a world record -- training the most number of people in hands-only CPR in a single day.
While the attempt generated publicity, it was not a publicity stunt.
It was a life-saving one.
I had the opportunity to speak with leaders of Youngsville's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) about their efforts.

Dear editor: Kristi Noem still thinks if you protest an ICE operation you are a domestic terrorist. She declined to back away from that position when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
She understands that you only follow one principle when you are a Trump official, after absolute loyalty to Trump, of course -- and that is always repeat the lie, never back away from the lie.

Dear editor: Robert Strickland's recent letter (03-05-2026) invokes verses from Jeremiah, Leviticus and the Good Samaritan Parable to excoriate Christians supporting current immigration law and policies as if they have abandoned Jesus Himself.
In the movie "The Princess Bride" the character Inigo Montoya delivers the line: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Dear editor;
Don't trust your own lying eyes.
You didn't really see what you say you saw.
You will be told what to see, hear, think, say and do.

LOUISBURG -- Prosecutors have identified the ring leader in a driveby shooting that killed a 69-year-old woman last year.
The cases against the four suspects in the April 2025 shooting remain pending.
Authorities arrested Donavan Boyd, Anarie Brown and Ny'zir Karian Miller-Stevenson, of Warrenton, and Jaquan Lynch, of Durham days after they allege they were responsible for shooting and killing Bernice Pender Massenburg, who was inside her Bert Winston Road home at the time.

SUMMER FUN. The ZB Collie Foundation and the Ben Franklin Society combined to provide three Terrell Lane Middle School students with a summer camp scholarship. A $1,500 scholarship was given to students, bottom row, from left, Andrew Smith, Myles Tamblin and Tomeric Perry. Pictured with them are, top row, from left, Bob Radcliffe with the Ben Franklin Society, Paige Sayles with the ZB Collie Foundation, School Coordinator Latoya Smith and Terrell Lane Middle School teacher Anthony Smith.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Chris Burrell of Youngsville was named to the University of Alabama's fall 2025 Presidents List,
A total of 15,388 students enrolled during the fall semester 2025 were named to the dean's list with an academic record of 3.5 (or above), or the president's list with an academic record of 4.0 (all A's).
The students come from across the university's more than 70 undergraduate programs and 12 colleges and schools.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Annie Ruth Alston, age 89, who died on Monday, March 2, 2026 were held on Sunday, March 8, at 1 p.m. from the Cedar Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Castalia, NC with Rev. Sylvester White officiating. Burial will follow in the Cedar Rock Church cemetery.

Nashville, NC -- Funeral services for Vincent L. Silver, age 70, who died on Thursday, March 5, 2026, were held Wednesday, March 11, at 1 p.m. from the Shiloh Baptist Church in Warrenton, NC. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Grove Church cemetery.

Kittrell, NC -- Funeral services for Trequavious Montrell Brown "Tre," age 29, who died on Sunday, March 8, 2026, will be held Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m. from the Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Kittrell, NC. Burial will follow in the Concord Missionary Baptist Church cemetery. Rev. Anthony Vickers, officiating.

RALEIGH -- The State Attorney General's Office is suing a Franklinton photography company for three quarters of a million dollars after receiving 166 complaints from allegedly defrauded clients.
Holly Christina Scott Ayscue, Christopher Owen Ayscue and their Holly Christina Photography business have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
"This photographer left engaged couples and newlyweds stranded without a wedding photographer, without refunds, and without memories from one of the most important days of their lives," Attorney General Jeff Jackson said in a press release issued last week.

LOUISBURG -- A half a dozen suspects arrested on child sex abuse charges are slated to next appear in court today.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies and agents with the State Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants last week, arresting Cody Dale Blasiman, James Edward Onofrio, Jairo Rangel Flores, Salvador Joseph Galaviz II, William Erik Manning, and Daniel Joe Mabe.
According to available arrest reports, the suspects are from Youngsville, Franklinton and Louisburg.

LOUISBURG -- Races for the school board were set and a long-time incumbent solidified his party's nomination for a county commission seat during Tuesday night's primary.
Election results become official next week.
Incumbent School Board members in District 1, District 5 and at-large District 7 all made the top two slots to move on to the general election in November, but newcomers Scott Graham (1,066), Jonathan Vanderford (827) and Jennifer Paylor (4,024) all took top-vote honors...

LOUISBURG -- One person was killed in a wreck that shut down U.S. 401, and another person was injured in a separate wreck that cut power to 450 Duke Energy customers, while shutting down N.C. 39.
Both accidents happened within an hour of each other on Monday.
According to the State Highway Patrol, Fermin Rodriguez, 61, of Apex, was traveling south on U.S. 401 near Bennett Perry Road when he attempted to pass a vehicle at about 3 p.m.

LOUISBURG -- More than 100 Franklin County residents took a hands-on approach to lifesaving.
About four years ago, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, in partnership with EMS agencies and other first responding communities across the state, began a trial called RACE CARS, RAndomized Cluster Evaluation of Cardiac ARrest Systems.
Essentially, partners focused on three intervention goals:

Introduction
This is the third and final installment of a three-part series pertaining to Dr. Peter S. Foster, a beloved country doctor whose antebellum home, Oak Grove, located near Ingleside, has been lovingly maintained by the family since its construction. The current owners are Bill and the late Aileen Harris, who were generous in sharing their knowledge of the Foster family and their homeplace.