Recent Articles

BUNN -- Allen White knows a thing or two about playing tennis as he is one of the area's most accomplished senior players.
White is trying to bring some of that knowledge and skill into his role as the Bunn High School tennis coach.
White worked wonders in the spring with the BHS boys, and he is currently serving as head coach of the girls squad.
White is pretty much building from scratch after several accomplished performers, including Hollins College player Jho Salmeron, have moved on.

FRANKLINTON -- Host Franklinton secured a 6-3 team victory over Louisburg on Monday in non-conference girls tennis action.
Louisburg was a winner in three of the top four singles seeds, but the Lady Rams were able to surge by claiming triumphs in each of the three doubles matches.
Results from the event were as follows:

(L to R) Powerhouse frontliners Alexis McPhail from Bunn and Whitney Bolton from Louisburg try to gain the ball at the net during Monday evening's volleyball contest.

Bunn coach Henry Jones offers some advice to Alex Denton during Monday evening's home volleyball contest against rival Louisburg High School at the Bunn Dome.

Bunn High School's Sage Moore returns a shot during her singles match as part of the Ladycats' recent tennis meeting against North Carolina School of Science and Math.

Katie Tucker and Ryan Murray were married on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016 during a 4 p.m. ceremony at Peachtree Baptist Church, Spring Hope. The officiating minister was the Rev. John R. Woodard of Durham.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Tucker of Spring Hope.
Parents of the groom are Mr. and Mrs. Doug Murray of Louisburg.

RALEIGH -- More than 70 Triangle and Sandhills-area students, including a Franklin County resident, were awarded $1,000 scholarships from Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Carolina (RMHC of NC) and local McDonald's owner/operators for outstanding academic achievement and community involvement.
Louisburg's Jasmine Green was among 73 students from across the state that received college scholarships from RMHC of NC and local McDonald's franchisees.
All scholarship recipients were recognized at an awards reception on at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill.

The Franklin County Arts Council's Photo Guild is planing its fourth-annual photography show -- and the public is invited to a reception for participating photographers!
The show is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at the FCAC's Back Gallery at 22 S. Main Street in Franklinton.
The FCAC Photography Guild is a group of area photographers, both hobbyists and professional, that meet once a month to exchange ideas, knowledge, and inspiration related to the creative and technical world of photography.

Even though we're living in a "post factual age," when truth seems irrelevant and where the Internet deluges all of us with wild stories and our beloved post office is delivering junk mail with unsubstantiated claims and incorrect information, let's take a stab at setting part of the record straight.
All of us have watched as our governor, Pat McCrory, and his administration have crowed about one of their most celebrated accomplishments, getting average teacher pay above $50,000 a year in North Carolina.

Normally, we're not much into betting, but if John Skvarla III, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, had put his prediction in the form of a bet, we might be suggesting that everyone dig out a few pennies and cover the bet -- against him!
Skvarla was the featured speaker at the normally non-partisan Committee of 100's annual meeting last week, but he did something no other speaker in recent memory has done.

This past weekend, I got to sit in on a dialogue that I wish didn't have to take place.
At the same time, it's a conversation that needs to take place all over Franklin County -- and the country.
Unfortunately, we've all seen too many headlines where officers are involved in questionable shootings and the victims have been black men.
Even more upsetting is that in many of those cases, either no charges are filed or a justice system that is often depicted as unfair acquits officers of any wrongdoing.

I wanted to present the juxtaposition of two recent events in Congress and how two of our local members of Congress voted. I find it revealing!
For the first time, Congress overrode an Obama veto. (They normally simply obstruct anything from happening in the first place.)
The override was on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. To be fair, most Democrats joined the Republicans in the override effort.
The bottom line was that they feared a 30-second commercial painting them as taking the side of terrorists over the surviving families.

So, what do you think is important, is it money, friends, that job you have, the next promotion, or maybe an election?
What is it all worth? How do you know? Simple things like a stone will bring you to it. Not long ago I went for a walk. I stood in front of a stone with my brother.
Closing my eyes, the present was to the past a visitor. I could hear children running about, nine of them. There was the smell of sulfur from a coal cooking stove in the kitchen; boiling water for a pot of oatmeal on the front glowing red stove plate. An old tea kettle was whistling away.

Dear editor:
Louisburg United Methodist Church is a great church doing great things locally and globally. After all the funds had been collected, the new Carillon was installed by the Chime Master Company in August.
Chime Master is the number one company in the country installing electronic church bells.

HENDERSON -- A group of students from Vance-Granville Community College, including a Franklinton student, received scholarships through the Golden LEAF Scholarship program for the North Carolina Community College System.
The scholarship program, designed to help North Carolinians attend the state's community colleges, is funded through a $750,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The Cherry Hill Concert Series welcomes pianist Raffi Besalyan whose concert will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16.
A native of Armenia, Besalyan began his music studies at the Tchaikovsky Special Music School for Gifted Children. He received his bachelor's, master's, and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. In addition, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music with legendary American pianist Byron Janis and with Sara Davis Buechner.

Bible Drill programs are designed to raise a generation of Christ's followers to encourage them to hide God's Word deep in their heart (Psalm 119:105) and express it effectively. This program is designed to help children increase their knowledge, memorization, and application of scripture.
Rock Spring Baptist Church of Louisburg began a Children's Bible Drill program in 2013 (Pastor, Melton Tyson). There are three levels of participation: church, association and state levels.

LOUISBURG--Funeral services for Jerry Eaton, 59, who died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, will be held Friday, Oct. 7, at Nelson Chapel Baptist Church, with the Rev. Micah Mason officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

YOUNGSVILLE--James P. Carroll, 62, died Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 at WakeMed. Funeral services were held Saturday morning, Oct. 1, at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, with the Rev. Wes Bailey officiating.

LOUISBURG - William Atkin "Casey" Jones, Jr., 76, of Louisburg, died Sunday afternoon.

LOUISBURG - Ruby Ella Ezzell Sutton, 78, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Funeral services were held at Rock Spring Baptist Church, Louisburg (where she was a member) on Monday, Oct. 3, with the Rev. Melton Tyson officiating. Burial was in Cumberland Memorial Gardens with her husband.

PROVIDENCE, RI-- Funeral services for Larry Donnell Crudup, 63, of Providence, R.I., formerly of Bunn, who died Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. at Zion Spring Disciples of Christ Church in Bunn, with the Rev. Jimmy Stallings officiating. Burial will follow in the Zion Spring cemetery.

FRANKLINTON--Funeral services for Esther Wilson Merritt, 60, who died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. at Popes Chapel United Church of Christ in Franklinton, with the Rev. Leroy Dukes officiating.