Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- Emergency crews gave the all clear Wednesday morning, about two hours after a gas leak behind the courthouse forced a three-block evacuation in the heart of downtown.
According to authorities, a construction crew working on the judicial complex hit a gas line behind the courthouse annex on Church Street at about 9:30 a.m.
First responders evacuated both courthouses, Louisburg Town Hall and buildings for two or three blocks in the surrounding area, said Franklin County Spokesperson James Hicks.

RALEIGH -- More than a dozen Franklin County 4-H'ers attended the NC 4-H Congress this summer, spending a week on NC State's campus.
They participated in presentations, leadership workshops, teaching workshops, community service projects, campus tours, officer inductions, a silent disco and banquet/dance.
Kendal Thornburg and Sophia Bobbitt served as officers for 2025-2026 Northeast District and Meredith Potter served as the state 4-H Vice President for 2025-2026.

On June, 14 youth participated in the Northeast District 4-H District Activity Day, making presentations and demonstrating their public speaking skills. They were competing for the chance to attend NC 4-H State Presentations. Franklin County 4-H brought home seven Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals.

LOUISBURG -- Over the summer, young people with Franklin County 4-H visited the Louisburg Fire-Police-Rescue Museum.
Visitors got the opportunity to step back in time to visit "Maude" the first fire engine for Louisburg in 1921.
Riders got to ring her bell and explore the museum with all the artifacts.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for Barbara T. Jones, age 94, who died on Friday, September 4, 2026, will be held on Saturday, September 12, at 11 a.m. from the First United Church of Christ in Franklinton, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC --Funeral services for James E. Edgerton, age 82, who died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, will be held on Thursday, September 10, at 2 p.m. from the Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Castalia, NC, with Rev. Dean Jones presiding. Burial will follow in the Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Pamela Ann Rudd Danzer, 81, of Louisburg passed away on September 2, 2026 at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, NC. Pamela was born on February 9, 1945 to the late Arnold and Mildred Adair Rudd.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Donna Mae Carnrike Bartlett, 80, of Louisburg, passed away on August 31, 2026 at Franklin Oaks in Louisburg, NC. Donna was born on January 22, 1946 to the late James and Gladys Bagnall Carnrike in New Berlin NY.

Anne Perry Floyd, a devoted mother, pioneering nurse, and the cherished elder of her family, passed away peacefully at her home in Seattle, Washington, on September 4, 2026. She was 91 years old.

Johnny went to heaven unexpectedly August 15, 2026 while working in his yard. He was born to Jack and Lucille Shannahan July 9,1949 in Bunn, NC. He lived there for all his younger years. He later moved to Raleigh, NC and worked for 10 years at the NC DOT. After meeting and marrying his wife Linda, he moved to Durham and shared his life there with her and their two children, Thomas (Tommy) and Jennifer.

Youngsville, NC -- Desarae Lewis Eason, 45, of Youngsville passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family and friends on August 28, 2026 at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, NC.

Franklin Countians who happened to be outdoors last Friday evening were treated to a spectacular sunset that was captured in this photo. Now that September has rolled around, there are already hits of fall in the air and this sunset spectacular may be part of that pending change of seasons. But although September has arrived, the temperatures are feeling a lot more like July -- and rainfall has been somewhere between scarce and non-existent over much of Franklin County in recent days although the weather prognosticators are suggesting that some scattered showers may arrive this weekend.

LOUISBURG -- A comprehensive vehicle inspection will determine what charges stick to a driver who was behind the wheel of School Bus 328 when it ran off the road and went airborne -- sending the driver and 14 Terrell Lane Middle School students the hospital.
Their injuries sustained on Tuesday morning were not life-threatening.
The driver, Danielle Arnetta Harris, told authorities that either electrical or mechanical issues contributed to the wreck.

LOUISBURG -- There are tons of trophies.
At his physical peak, Rusty Pace was just as sturdy as the shelves that have supported those accolades for decades.
Earlier this summer, the NC Strength Sports Hall of Fame inducted the Franklin County man into its ranks.
And, while Pace never lifted a single weight for an award, he took honors and held records for decades. So, the Hall of Fame is seems like the fitting cap to his career.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Witnesses at a protest reported that someone on a motorcycle tried to hit a demonstrator.
Police said they have no suspect information and no leads at this time, though.
According to police scanner traffic just after noon on Aug. 29, a male protester called 911 to report that someone on a Harley Davidson motorcycle nearly hit a woman in a wheelchair.

Carvel Cheves spectating at the Franklin County Fun 4-H Livestock Show

BUNN -- Town leaders were asked to be a voice for their community, as a faith-based organization continues its efforts to galvanize resources in underserved pockets of Franklin County.
The Interfaith Council launched The Oasis Project months ago as a way to take available social and healthcare resources, coordinate with their leadership, and take them to so-called service deserts -- services may exist, but transportation, distance, limited hours, cost, lack of Internet access or other mitigating factors hamper people's ability to seek those services out.

A confession: While I've always tried to warn people that researching their way through old copies of newspapers is both fun and fascinating, it can be a very time-consuming process.
In other words, beware because hours can slip away.
But to be honest, I don't often follow my own advice, especially when we're talking about old copies of this newspaper which has been a major part of my life for more than 35 years.

I promise you, I was thinking about this last week -- before a bus driver and Terrell Lane Middle School students were sent to the hospital on Tuesday morning, and before a Wake County school bus crashed into a restaurant in Fuquay-Varina.
Fortunately, no students were on board. But, three people, including the driver, sustained injuries in that crash.
It all takes me back to my days at Lakewood Elementary School in Durham.
I spent kindergarten at Lakewood, when everyone older in my neighborhood went to Fayetteville Street elementary.

To the editor, in response to "Dare we be optimistic about keeping our kids at home," published in the Aug. 20 edition:
Franklin County's future depends on giving young people a reason to stay--real training, real careers, a place they're proud to call home instead of somewhere they leave and only come back to visit. That's a goal Vance-Granville Community College takes as seriously as anyone writing about it, and it's why a few points in last week's column, from a publication that's covered this region's economic development closely for a long time, are worth getting right.

The Guptons celebrated their first Reunion in years on Aug. 9, 2026, attended by around 110 Guptons, thanks to the hospitality of Wood Baptist Church, abundant food and fellowship.
The celebration recognized the first Gupton in America, William Gupton Sr., the result of ancestral research by Sam Gupton (son of Bobby Ray Gupton) and others.
From the gathered research, two of William Gupton Sr.'s grandsons, James Abner Gupton Sr. (1734-1804) and Stephen Gupton Jr (1742-1816) moved to North Carolina (Bute County, now Franklin County) sometime between 1764 and 1775.

FRANKLINTON -- Police arrested one person, and could levy more charges, following a "throwing of hands" of about 30 people at a downtown spot.
Police charged Tyler Austin Williams with assault and battery, with witnesses alleging he "sucker punched" a man and battered him with a chair during a fight inside Owls Roost the evening of Aug. 29.
According to a police report, officers responded to a report of a fight involving 25 to 30 people at the Main Street restaurant and bar at about 10:30 p.m.
A 911 caller advised dispatchers that "everyone was throwing hands."

Mrs. Virginia Georgia Lee Manley celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, August 22 at the Louisburg Operations Center.
Her family, friends, South Main Street Church family were in attendance.
Laureen Jones was the Mistress of Ceremony, keeping the program lively.
Mrs. Manley's beloved pastor, Dr. David K. Rosby rendered the Opening Prayer.

The Brotherhood Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. conducted its Fans for the Elderly campaign recently when the extreme heat was a crisis that posed a severe risk to local residents, especially the elderly. With donations and gifts from the community, 39 fans were made available for distribution. The Gamma Kappa Sigma Alumni Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is chartered in Henderson. This chapter's goal is to serve the under-served counties in this area including Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Warren and Vance. Franklin County DSS, Halifax County DSS and Vance County Senior Center have each received fans to give away.