Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested two Wake Forest residents on drug charges following a traffic stop.
Officers stopped a car the morning of Feb. 13 at U.S. 1 and N.C. 98 and found what appeared to be cocaine in plain view.
A search of the vehicle revealed more cocaine.
Officers charged the driver, Thomas R Lowery, 24, with possession of cocaine, heroin, LSD, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He got a bond of $53,000.

RALEIGH -- A former state Highway Patrol cadet's worker's compensation case entered its third week as she testified that the agency's training tactics and neglect left her permanently disabled.
Attorneys for Jennifer Martin, now a Franklin County sheriff's deputy, filed the complaint in the fall of 2011.
The complaint alleges that Troopers Gregory Gentieu and Susan Moreau sought to criticize and humiliate Martin to the point that she would leave the 29-week training program described as a paramilitary boot camp that weeds out weakness and discourages cadets from reporting injuries.

If you ever wanted to learn how to raise your own chickens, now is your chance.
All children, ages 5-18, are invited to attend the 4-County 4-H Poultry Show Interest Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. at the Vance County Cooperative Extension Office (305 Young Street, Henderson) to discuss plans for the 2016 4-County 4-H Poultry Show and Sale. A free dinner will be served, so RSVP with your county Extension Office.

LOUISBURG -- The case against a former law enforcement officer charged with stealing from the sheriff's office was postponed.
Wake County authorities arrested Dwayne Collins in January, alleging that he terrorized a woman by faking a home break-in and sending her sexually related text messages.
During the investigation, Wake and Franklin county authorities searched Collins' Franklin County home and found items they allege were stolen from the sheriff's office.

LOUISBURG -- A Franklnton man was sentenced last month, essentially, to the time he's already served in jail for taking a car and leading police on a high-speed chase.
Jonathan B. Faulkner, 33, was charged with fleeing to elude arrest, reckless driving, unauthorized use of a vehicle, failure to heed lights and siren, motor vehicle theft and resisting a public official the evening of Sept. 23 after leading Franklinton police on a chase.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies are investigating allegations of an assault involving gunfire.
According to authorities, a group of individuals on all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes returned to the Royal Elementary School playground after one of them believed he lost his wallet there the evening of Jan. 31.
When they returned, they got into an argument with a group of guys who were playing basketball in the gym.

LOUISBURG -- At least three potential reasons for Louisburg residents and businesses to celebrate were unveiled last week, but they still aren't quite official.
At a preliminary budget and planning session Thursday night, Mayor Karl Pernell outlined the three factors that may be good news this year.
The first is that a new fire rating -- which is to drop Louisburg to a relatively rare Class 3 next month -- should lower fire insurance costs for both homeowners and businesses in town.

A check for $5,000 was presented to the newly formed Franklin County Education Foundation recently. The pledge from Union Bank and Trust Company was presented at the board's third meeting, held on the CenturyLink campus in Youngsville. Shown here are (from the left) Melissa Wolfe, Franklin County Education Foundation board member and Union Bank representative; Larry Liles, Franklin County Education Foundation chairman and area operations manager for CenturyLink; Dr. Pascal Mubenga, Franklin County Schools superintendent and ex-officio Franklin County Education Foundation board member, and Renee Shaw, Union Bank representative.

A local business has received a prestigious award from one of its main suppliers. Louisburg Tractor recently received the Kubota Premier Elite Dealer Award of Excellence. At the presentation were (left to right) John Sloan, Kubota district sales manager; Jason Wilkes, Louisburg Tractor sales manager; Bobby Cummings, Kubota regional sales manager; and Robert Egan, Louisburg Tractor parts and service manager.

Second Quarter
Headmaster List:
7th grade: Sarah Allen, Zachary Biggs, Kaitlin Combs, Kaitlyn Jones
8th grade: Austyn Abbott, Myles Ball, Lauren Moseley, Lorena Negron, Natalie Stone, Brian Teiser, Caroline Williams

The spring 2016 concert season at Cherry Hill has been designated "A Celebration of the Piano."
The initial concert in the series will be Sunday, Feb. 21 when Dr Vincent van Gelder will perform Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, de Falla and Prokofiev on the Steinway grand.
The concert will begin at 3 p.m. in the historic Cherry Hill plantation home in Inez.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Crunch time proved to be clutch time for Cedar Creek in its quest for a third Middle Athletic Conference Boys Basketball Tournament in the past four years.
Thanks to a late rally, the top-seeded Jaguars continued their recent success -- and defended their title -- with a 40-34 decision over second-seeded Eaton-Johnson in front of an overflow crowd at the CCMS Gymnasium.

BUNN -- Bunn's annual quest for a deep postseason run began with a tune-up Tuesday against Durham School of Arts in the opening round of the Northern Carolina Conference Girls Basketball Tournament.
Top-seeded Bunn, which went undefeated in the NCC's regular season, opened tourney action versus DSA and had no trouble with the eighth-seeded Lady Bulldogs, winning by a 65-26 margin at the Bunn Dome.

FRANKLINTON -- Tyler Dixon couldn't have found a more appropriate college to attend than the Alderson Broaddus Battlers.
Indeed, Dixon was a true battler along the offensive and defensive fronts during his two-year starting stint at Franklinton High School.
Dixon, who was the Northern Carolina Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year this past season, signed a letter-of-intent last Thursday to continue his career along the country roads of West Virginia at Alderson-Broaddus.

FRANKLINTON -- Close games are an expectation come the postseason, and Franklinton got a bit of early preparation for that anticipated challenge during last Saturday's Senior Night showdown against rival South Granville.
Franklinton had won at overtime at SG earlier in the season -- a victory that helped propel the Red Rams to the regular season crown in the Northern Carolina Conference.

LOUISBURG -- Thanks to a final-game victory over Weldon, the Louisburg Warriors moved into second place in the Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference boys basketball standings -- and obtained a more favorable position for the upcoming Class 1-A State Playoffs.
Beating Weldon has been a chore for many a TRAC team through the years, but the Warriors got the job done last Thursday in the regular season finale for both clubs.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Cedar Creek literally came within an inch of being able to wrap up a perfect girls basketball season last Wednesday.
Trailing by one point in the championship game of the Middle Athletic Conference Tournament, the Lady Jaguars saw a pair of layup attempts bounce off the backboard and onto the rim in the closing seconds.
Somehow, each shot bounced off the rim, and the Lady Jaguars were defeated by Northern Granville by a 24-23 total at the CCMS Gymnasium.

LaQuasia Clifton was outstanding in the paint last Wednesday for Cedar Creek Middle.

Franklinton's Darion Green soars between two South Granville defenders during last Saturday's home basketball contests.

FRANKLINTON -- One of Franklinton's most important girls basketball victories of the season came when the Lady Rams traveled to South Granville and earned a last-minute triumph.
With fifth place at stake in the Northern Carolina Conference standings, the Lady Rams couldn't replicate that feat last Saturday at home in the regular season finale for both squads.

Cedar Creek's KyJuan Jones (with ball) came through down the stretch last Wednesday.

Bunn's Bernadette 'Butterball' Cooke was exceptional for the Ladycats during their first-round victory over Durham Arts in the Northern Carolina Conference Tourney.

RED OAK -- Perhaps more than any other sport, cross country develops a camaraderie and kinship between teammates that is difficult to explain.
"These kids go through everything together,'' said Northern Nash coach Jeff Dodrill. "They do the same workouts, so you know what the person beside you is doing. If one person pays the price, the others will, too.''
It's a bond that strengthens over time, as evidenced by Northern Nash's recent connection to the fledgling cross country program at Louisburg College.

Perhaps I've missed something, but when did it become patriotic to not do your job?
Simply make up some "justification" and then every individual can do what they want to do with no regard for the public they are sworn to serve, their oath of office or the Constitution.
We have seen this with a county clerk in Kentucky, some magistrates in North Carolina and now, apparently, we are about to see it with a large segment of the United States Senate.

For well over a decade you have been told about untreated sewage waste water being released in local river tributaries. Not a gallon or even 10 gallons; over time, tens of thousands of gallons.
As a matter of routine when we experience heavy rain, pumping stations that are to channel sewage waste water become overwhelmed. The result is it then overflows to river tributaries, then to the water supply.