Recent Articles

Franklin County native Wendell Tabb recently received the 2016 Sister Cities/Mayor's Award for "Promoting International Understanding."
He was nominated for the award based on his involvement with international education that has benefitted students at Hillside High School in Durham. The award was presented Oct. 21 during Sister Cities annual meeting held on the campus of North Carolina Central University.

LOUISBURG -- A state delay has pushed back the time when election results will become final, but two races could still be in the balance after the results become official on Tuesday.
County elections officials were planning to count provisional ballots on Thursday and perform the canvass on Friday, making the Nov. 8 election official.
However, the State Board of Elections notified election boards that information necessary to perform a provisional count won't come forth until later, so the county has rescheduled its provisional count until 9 a.m. Monday and the canvass at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22.

LOUISBURG -- School was not in session last Friday, but State Sen. Chad Barefoot presented a history lesson inside the Louisburg High School auditorium.
On Veterans Day, he shared the story of The Battle of Inchon -- an "ambitious amphibious" assault on a Korean island in 1950 that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations, leading to the recapture of Seoul.
It wasn't just a history lesson for Barefoot, though.

Friends of Louisburg College dedicated the Ray Hodges Fine Arts Complex on Nov. 11, paying tribute to a community leader who loved the college and the arts.
The facility, adjacent to the Jones Performing Arts Center on campus, includes a 2,100-square-foot visual arts studio, renovated teaching spaces, improved technology and a music wing.
Emily Hodges and Allison Hodges Westmoreland, daughters of Ray and Arlene Hodges, officially opened the complex in memory of their parents.

LOUISBURG -- There wasn't much pressing business on the Franklin County Board of Education's agenda this week -- although it did set up two important meetings -- so the board spent much of its Monday night session honoring others.
The board also agreed to meet at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, at the central office to discuss how the already approved bond issue will be used for various school improvements.

YOUNGSVILLE -- A town resident called out the mayor for remarks made during the board's October meeting.
"I took offense ... to one of the comments the mayor said [during the Oct. 13 meeting]," Carolyn Palmer told the board during the public comment portion of the Nov. 10 meeting. "It really hit me hard when I heard him say 'the mess that's going on in Charlotte.'"
During that Oct. 13 meeting, Mayor Fonzie Flowers informed town commissioners and residents that members of the Youngsville Fire Department were part of a mobilization effort in the Queen City to quell riots spurred by the police shooting of a resident there, referring to the resulting, violent riots as "nonsense."

Louisburg spiker Sarah Foster

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Louisburg man on sexual exploitation charges stemming from an incident in Halifax County.
Nakia T. Richardson, 35, of Cyprus Springs Road, was charged with 33 counts of felony third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of felony extortion and two misdemeanor counts of displaying material harmful to a minor.
Local deputies arrested Richardson on Nov. 12 -- two days after Halifax County county authorities took out the warrants.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town staff informed commissioners that they were able to whittle down cost overruns on the new town hall renovation.
In September, the board agreed to contract with G&G Builders to renovate the former Total Fire Systems building on U.S. 1-A for use as a new town hall and police department.
During the board's Nov. 10 meeting, Police Chief Darin Kirts told the board that the project experienced a cost overrun.

Mariah Massey, center, as Dorothy, and other members of the Franklinton Area Community Theatre gave Frankenfest on Main visitors a taste of the group's "The Wizard of Oz" performance, which begins a three-day run on Friday, Nov. 18, at the Franklinton High School Auditorium. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 and then a matinee showing on Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com or at the door.

FRANKLINTON -- The county office wasn't the only group recognizing Veterans Day last week.
To avoid conflict, the American Legion Post 52 held its ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Post Commander George Tracy took the time to highlight veterans from a number of points in history who represent the bravery and sacrifices of soldiers.

LOUISBURG -- Police arrested a Winston-Salem man on an assault charge and uncovered a warrant for arrest on larceny charges.
According to a report, Louisburg police responded to a call alleging that a man had assaulted and threatened an employee at KFC on Bickett Boulevard the morning of Nov. 10.
Officers found the man they allege was responsible, Jermaile C. Boyd, at the intersection of Johnson and Main streets a short while later.

Allison Kaye Fobes and James Furman Wright Jr. were married on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 during a 4 p.m. ceremony at Duke Memorial Baptist Church. The officiating minister was Tony Gupton
The bride is the daughter of Rodney and Lisa Fobes of Castalia.
The groom's parents are Lisa Neville of Louisburg and the late James Wright Sr. of Henderson.

North Carolina Symphony principal cellist Bonnie Thron, clarinetist Fred Jacobowitz, and pianist Anatoly Larkin will perform at Cherry Hill on Sunday, Nov 20 at 3 p.m.
The trio will play music of Massenet, Brahms, Shostakovich, and two 20th century composers, McKinley and Rota.
Thron has played previous concerts at Cherry Hill with several trios, as has Jacobowitz. Dr. Larkin is making his first appearance at the Warren County venue.

Well, friends, as my grand pappy might have said, "We just bought us a pig in a poke."
Now, we get to find out whether it's a prize porker that lives up to the sales pitch -- or a 'possum -- or maybe even a dead rat.
Whether you're celebrating or in mourning, Election Day 2016 has passed and as the saying goes, "elections have consequences."
Over the next four years, we'll see how this choice plays out, both in our country and on the world stage.

Just when we thought Election 2016 was beginning to fade into history, a new "rumor," which appears to be much more than a rumor, has surfaced in Raleigh.
Make no mistake, this has the potential to affect our state in a huge way -- and is a clear attempt to thwart the will of the voters who just cast their ballots.
Election observers were surprised when election results indicated that Mike Morgan had been elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Morgan's win over incumbent Bob Edmunds changed the court to a 4-to-3 Democratic majority from a 4-to-3 Republican one.

It used to be that yard signs let you know where your neighbor's political allegiances lay.
It's still a visual cue and anyone who drives through a community during campaign season can definitely attest to the proliferation of campaign signs.
But that's just a visual cue of how people lean.
The proof is in the pudding and now, technology lets us see, in black and white -- actually, in red and blue -- just how our community votes.

I reviewed Franklin County's unofficial vote totals from the 2016 election trying to reconcile various race results and gain insight into voters' motivation.
It appears to be contradictory and confusing.
At the top of the ticket, Franklin went for the President-elect. I can understand the throw all the bums out attitude, which this time around, was verbalized in the expression, "Drain the swamp."

Dear editor:
Walking away from Allen's De Hart's Memorial Service Saturday, I was reminded of this short poem by Carl Sandburg.

Two area firefighters are poised to graduate from the State Highway Patrol's cadet program.
Chris Lanham, with the Louisburg Fire Department, and Josh Southerland, with the White Level Fire Department, are slated to take part in graduation ceremonies this Friday in Raleigh.
The two will be part of the 140th Cadet Academy graduating class, which began its 15-week training in August.

At Terrell Lane Middle School, students recently explored their thoughts and feelings through poetry, thanks to visiting artist Phillip Shabazz.
Shabazz challenged middle school students to create thought-provoking prose that invites the class to share their experiences in new and exciting ways - challenging the boundaries often associated with poetry.

LOUISBURG -- Building Louisburg College's football program into a powerhouse on and off the field has been the chief goal of Trevor Highfield during his eight seasons on campus.
Highfield spent the first six of those years as an assistant before taking over as the head coach before the 2015 campaign.
Highfield's goal has been achieved both on ad off the field as the Hurricanes continue to pile up the victories while watching players excel in the classroom and in the community.