Recent Articles

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees "The Drifters" will bring their soulful sounds to the Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11. The Drifters, one of Rock & Roll's founding vocal groups, are again touring the U.S. After The Drifters began in the early 1950s, the singers had 20 years of uninterrupted hits, making them the second-most successful recording group of all time, according to Billboard Magazine. Through an historic journey involving five legendary lead singers, including Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King, the group's ongoing story has covered the spectrum of Rock & Roll.

A gardener's biggest challenge when planting trees and shrubs in this part of North Carolina is the soil. Most often plants suffer from improper soil preparation and planting techniques. A properly planted tree or shrub will be more tolerant of adverse conditions and require less management than one planted improperly. Very often I see trees and shrubs planted in compacted soil with a hole just big enough for the plant's root-ball to fit in. This sets the plant up for failure immediately.

Jamie Thayer of Louisburg placed second in the annual North Carolina Ag Carolina/Farm Credit 2016 Photo Contest.
A Franklin County golden hour sunset was the backdrop for a wheat harvest in the photo.
"For the past couple of years, I have been fortunate enough to have had the wonderful opportunity to document and capture various agriculture and harvest seasons for Wester Farms," Thayer said. "It is such an honor to have had this image of Wester Farms selected."

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School has swept through the Class 1-A State Volleyball Playoffs to date, winning four matches in the minimum number of 12 sets.
But while the Lady Warriors have been rolling on the court, Louisburg did experience a setback Tuesday when Coach Erica Wammock found out that Thursday's state semifinal showdown against Williamston Riverside would be on the road.
Pictured (Above): Louisburg High School's Summer Phillps (right) elevates for a kill over a trio of Tarboro defenders during last Wednesday evening's first-round action of the Class 1-A State Volleyball Playoffs.

HENDERSON -- For the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards, the 2016 women's volleyball season will long be remembered as historic.
VGCC compiled a winning record (14-8) in the regular season, reached .500 in conference play (6-6), and won a match in the postseason -- all for the first time in the history of the program.
In fact, those were all goals that Coach Christopher Young, a Youngsville resident, had set for the Vanguards at the beginning of the year.

Brittney Williams of Louisburg graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T) recently. She earned a degree in Child Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Family Relations: Cognate area of Early Education, also graduating with over a 3.0 GPA. While attending A&T, she was a part of professional educator organizations, a mentoring organization and she volunteered for three years within the Guilford County school system. She is the daughter of Carolyn Williams of Louisburg, and the granddaughter of Irene Williams and the late Eugene Williams Sr. of Louisburg.

WAKE FOREST - Carson Roger Lindsey, 18, died Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 from injuries sustained in a head-on collision in Louisburg. A celebration of Carson's life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the Gymnasium of Wake Forest High School.

WARRENTON - Jennie Virginia Brown Baskett, 94, died Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 at Maria Parham Medical Center. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Jones Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

LOUISBURG - Donald "Donnie" Tharrington Edwards, Jr., 47, of Louisburg passed away on November 1, 2016 at his home. Born in Vance County on February 28, 1969 to Donald and Diane Etheridge Edwards. A 1988 graduate of Louisburg High School, Donnie worked at Edwards Grocery prior to retirement. He also loved woodworking as a hobby.

LOUISBURG - Jason Wayne Morgan, 33, of Louisburg, died Saturday morning at his home.

FRANKLINTON - Funeral services for Christian Allen Rogers, 18, who died Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, will be held Saturday, Nov. 5, at Rocky Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg, with Pastor Rory Sneed officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

LOUISBURG-Funeral services for Carl Ruffin, 37, who died Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, were held Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Mitchner's Grove Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Melvin Jackson officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

CASTALIA - Richard "Stewart" Collins, 61, passed away Wednesday, October 26, 2016. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 3, at White Level Baptist Church.

AURELIAN SPRINGS -- Things were close for one half, but Louisburg took charge and went on to secure a key Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference football victory Friday at Northwest Halifax.
The Warrriors led by just eight points at the break but were dominant the rest of the way en route to delivering a 49-12 road triumph over Northwest.
Louisburg is now 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the TRAC.

BUNN -- One play was all it took for Bunn to establish control of its Northern Carolina Conference home football showdown Friday against backyard rival Franklinton.
BHS' D.J. Jones, who enjoyed another big night in the backfield, returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and the Wildcats would go on to defeat the Red Rams by a 42-14 margin -- and wrap up no worse than a share of the NCC crown.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Gov. Pat McCrory announced Wednesday that K-Flex USA plans to nearly double in size by adding 100 new jobs and investing $45 million in an expansion of its manufacturing operations.
The project will take place over the next four years.
"This announcement by K-FLEX builds on North Carolina's legacy of leading the Southeast with the most manufacturing jobs," McCrory said during a facility presentation, which included remarks, a ground breaking and tour of the insulation manufacturing facility.

LOUISBURG - Funeral services for Ivory Ellis Hodge, 92, who died Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, will be held Sunday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. at the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will be at the Western Star Cemetery in Baltimore, Md., at a later date.

TAYLORS, SC - Ron Phelps, 76, Servant of the Lord and husband of Alicia Kelly Phelps, joined his Heavenly Father, October 25, 2016, following a battle with leukemia.

LOUISBURG - Byron Randall "Randy" Shreve, 50, of Louisburg passed away Tuesday, October 25, 2016. He was born on November 26, 1965 to the late Eugene and Kathleen Neal Shreve.

Sabre Networks recently held their ribbon cutting for their new location at 112-D Wheaton Ave., Youngsville. The ribbon cutting was co-sponsored by the Greater Franklin County and Wake Forest Chambers of Commerce. The IT company also celebrated their 20th anniversary serving the Franklin and Wake county areas. Sabre Networks offers complete computer network maintenance and IT management support for businesses. They specialize in data security, preventative IT services and network monitoring.

LOUISBURG -- If negotiations are successful, Franklin County could have new medical care by the summer.
During the board's Oct. 24 meeting, Franklin County commissioners agreed to negotiate with Duke Lifepoint to operate a new medical care facility.
The decision comes a year after Novant Health closed its Louisburg hospital, citing financial losses and a lack of usage.
Duke Lifepoint representatives said it could be six to nine months, if negotiations are successful, before they'd be ready to see patients.

LOUISBURG -- A house fire on Monday morning apparently claimed the life of a Lake Royale man.
Bunn and about half a dozen fire crews responded to a home in the 100 block of Choctaw Drive at about 8 a.m. to find a two-story house fully engulfed. Judy Strickland was able to escape the house with two grandchildren, said Lake Royale Police, who were first on scene, but officers were not able to get through the fire and smoke to get to Ronald J. Strickland, who was on the second floor.

Hours before the Glenn Miller Orchestra was to perform last Friday evening at Louisburg College, its pianist was called away to deal with an emergency. The call went out --- and Louisburg musician and teacher Brian "Doc" Miller rose to the rescue. He rushed back from Greensboro and, with little time to rehearse, joined the orchestra in a borrowed coat and tie to match the other musicians for the evening's performance. The event provided him with the "experience of a lifetime," he said later. In the photo (left), some of his friends crowded around for autographs, including Zelma Williams.

LOUISBURG -- A Franklin County man pled guilty to attempted first degree murder, knocking six or seven years off what could have been an almost 20-year prison term.
No amount of time in jail would be enough, though, said family members of a woman whose life will never be the same after suffering what Judge G. Wayne Abernathy called torture at the hands of Timothy T. Medlin.