Recent Articles

There's a reason stories have headlines: They should give you pause and a reason to read what comes below.
So, when I saw this headline in the USA Today: "At least two pharmaceutical companies promise affordable COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic," I knew I had to pay attention.
But, because I'm a natural cynic -- which is, unfortunately, kind of a job requirement -- the headline both excited me and deflated me at the same time.

Dear editor:
As the events of the last several months have unfolded, the silent majority in our nation has increased in numbers. The mobs have attacked anyone with a red MAGA hat and now they are attacking anyone with a red hat of any description. This effort has not reduced the people that make up the silent majority. So much for tolerance by these mobs.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Officials scheduled a public hearing next month, giving residents another chance to sound off on a proposal to expand the town's noise ordinance.
The issue of amplified sounds from businesses infringing on nearby residences has been a debated issue since the fall of 2017 as nightspot operators book musical acts that nearby neighbors say destroy their peace of mind.

In the years before he became an internationally recognized country music superstar, Kenny Rogers was the leader of a popular singing group known as The First Edition.
In 1971, Rogers and the band came to town and performed at the old Louisburg College Auditorium. Made up mostly of former members of the New Christy Minstrels, The First Edition's style ranged from psychedelic rock and R&B to folk and country music.

What comes to mind when you think of summertime?
For Eastern North Carolina, it could be sweltering heat, the cut-it-with-a-knife humidity, or those lovely gnats that we all adore so well.
However, there are a few things that are as quintessential to this season as abundant sunshine and lemonade, and that is zinnias.
Zinnias exude summer happiness much the same way that looking upon a field of sunflowers can bring.

The Franklin County Board of Education last week handled a variety of personnel issues. Among those, the board:

The Kid's Corner in Louisburg held its graduation in June at the center. Daycare director is Joni Peoples and the owner is Amy Merritt. Shown in front row (left to right) are Alexander "Tripp" Cheek, Anna Faulkner, Hunter Kassnove and Princeton "Gage" Perry. The back row (left to right) includes Brayden Webster, assistant teacher Barbara Coons, Paxton Lester, Josie Anderson, Lincoln Wood and lead teacher Tina Holden.

Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and the Franklin County Arts Council, Vance County Arts Council, Halifax County Arts Council, and Warren County Arts Council.
Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by the Franklin County Arts Council in Warren, Vance, Halifax, Northampton, Granville, and Franklin counties.

LOUISBURG -- Alex Edwards was an impact player from the moment she first stepped on to the softball field for Louisburg High School as a freshman.
Her presence, along with that of fellow ninth-grader Ragan Holloman, could not have been more welcomed -- or have come at a better time.
Back then, in 2018, Louisburg had a lineup worthy of state title contest -- but there were a few holes that needed to be filled.

L to R) Louisburg High School softball stars Ragan Holloman and Alex Edwards have both committed to continue their respective careers on the collegiate level.

LOUISBURG -- A new field ready to be unveiled to the anxious public. A returning veteran quarterback to go with 14 other experience-rich seniors.
And an incoming freshman class that has been hailed as potentially the best ninth-grade group the school has produced since the Jeremy Arrington Era 20 years ago.
Certainly, there is much to be upbeat about within the Louisburg High School gridiron program.

FRANKLINTON -- After saying goodbye to one of the school's all-time best senior classes -- along with its long-time coach -- the Franklinton Lady Rams seemed on the cusp of a potential rebuilding campaign on the volleyball court last fall.
So much for that -- Coach Tom Harris' inaugural campaign at FHS proved to be a profitable one as the Lady Rams went 20-5 and shared the Big East Conference regular season championship.

CHARLOTTE -- After thorough analysis, the Board of Directors for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), in conjunction with its Athletic Directors Association (ADA), has voted that NCAA sport competition sponsored by the conference will not occur during the fall of 2020 due to ongoing safety concerns associated with COVID-19.

NASHVILLE -- The Nash Community College Foundation will host its Fourth Annual Student Scholarship Sporting Clays Tournament on August 7 at Rose Hill Farms Sporting Clays and Hunting Preserve in Nashville.
Check-in and warm-up will begin at 1 p.m.

RALEIGH -- The National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes have announced that FOX Sports Carolinas will broadcast every game of the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup Qualifying Round series against the New York Rangers.
Additionally, FOX Sports Carolinas will televise Carolina's exhibition game against the Washington Capitals on July 29 at 4 p.m.

Now a junior, McKenzie Hill was exceptional last season as a sophomore for the always-successful Franklinton High School volleyball squad.

FRANKLINTON -- Police Chief and Assistant Town Manager John Green announced his retirement, punctuating a meeting where residents expressed concerns about safety and frustrations with a lack of governmental response.
Inside a socially-distant, but packed town meeting space on Tuesday, Green told commissioners, Town Manager Gregory Bethea and a host of residents that he was retiring, effective Sept. 1.

Louisburg football legend Donte Strickland

Author RJ McCarthy's newest novel, released recently by Scuffletown Press, is a departure from his crime fiction stories into literary fiction.
One of the Boys is set in a rural Southern town. Case Parnell's coming-of-age is framed by the wisdom of Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird). Case anticipates a world based on fairness.

BUNN--Frederick Lewis Kincaid, 63, died Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

CREEDMOOR--Edward Werz "Eddie," 64, of Creedmoor, died Wednesday, July 15, 2020 after a brief battle with cancer. A Celebration of Eddie's Life will be held at a later time.

WARRENTON--Funeral services for Archie Copeland, 79, who died Sunday, July 19, 2020, will be held Sunday, July 26, at 11 a.m.in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, with the Rev. Robert Hedgepeth officiating. Burial will follow in the Pine Chapel Memorial Garden cemetery.

LOUISBURG--Funeral services for Lizzie Alston Lee, 76, who died Sunday, July 19, 2020, will be held Saturday, July 25, at 1 p.m. in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Hickory Grove Church cemetery.