FRONT PAGE
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
After reviewing an appraisal that pointed out issues with Franklinton’s aging water system, Franklin County is backing off plans to purchase the utility.
According to the appraisal, the town’s system has a safe yield of 350,000 gallons per day, which means it could lawfully and practically serve the town’s existing customers or the county as a wholesale customer, but not both.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Franklin County commissioners decided to hold off on a request to change the approval process for emergency communications towers.
They hope the extra time will let staff resolve a community conflict without adopting a text amendment that shuts people out of the process.
ALL WET. Brandon Daniels, foreground, and Amy Berry, pink shirt, wash a sport utility vehicle during Habitual Custom’s fund raising car wash in recognition of Military Police Spc. Lucas Elliott.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
FRANKLINTON — The community generated nearly $1,000 and community groups pledged to donate more toward a program for wounded warriors in recognition of a Youngsville soldier who died in battle.
Habitual Customs Car and Truck Club held a car wash on Saturday in honor of Military Police Spc. Lucas Elliott, who was killed in Iraq on July 15.
By:
GARY CUNARD, Times Publisher
In a rare, standing-room-only meeting Monday night, the Louisburg Town Council waded through a long agenda of items — but got “stung” over a bee-keeping ordinance it passed in May.
Well before the 7:30 p.m. meeting kicked off, the normally empty council chambers was filled with people, many of whom were wearing bright yellow T-shirts that identified them as members of the Franklin County Beekeepers Association.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
County commissioners took one of the first steps toward revaluation.
On Monday night, the board accepted a schedule of values for review and directed staff to make the information available to residents via several platforms.
The schedule of values sets the standards and rules that will be used to derive the assessed value of all real property in the county.
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
YOUNGSVILLE — Town commissioners hired Bill Tatum as their interim town administrator because of his expertise in finance.
Less than a month on the job, the Creedmoor accountant apparently earned his paycheck.
Tatum presented the board late last week with his first financial statement, revealing that if factors remain as predicted, by the end of the fiscal year, the town’s cash flow will be in the negative.
A man who “has been an eyewitness to the times when all the streets in Louisburg were dirt, horses were tied to hitching posts in downtown, there was one grocery store, the hospital was located on Kenmore Avenue and an acre of land cost $6” was honored by the Louisburg Town Council Monday night.
Franklinton High School student Shannon Barclay
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
By:
Jay Lamm, Times Editorial Cartoonist
Tomorrow (Thursday) is a big, big day in Franklin County.
School officials, politicians, the curious and those interested in the future of this county’s young people will gather at the new Franklinton High School to watch a ribbon snipped and a new era in educational opportunities begin in Franklin County.
GOOD MORNING: While I wouldn’t be hauling out my long-johns just yet folks, it appears that we may be in for more moderate temperatures, with daytime highs averaging in the upper 80’s to low 90’s or so for the next several days.
For me, that’s a big improvement over the 100 degree plus daytime highs just over a week or so ago. Let’s hope so at any rate.
If I ran into my 16-year-old self, he would think I was living the dream.
As a teen working in a pizza joint, my nights were filled with making pies, washing dishes, answering phones and standing for hours on end.
What did I get in return?
I got access to a kitchen, where I could come up with all sorts of new pizza concoctions.
Which scandal leaves a more damaging stain on the reputation of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office?
RALEIGH – If you want to understand why the fiscal politics of Raleigh and Washington got so heated this summer, you have two choices.
One is to delve deeply into the details of each Democratic and Republican proposal to balance government budgets.
Dear Editor:
Just recently our town without any consultation from any experts passed a law banning beekeeping from almost every homeowner in Louisburg. For those of us that love beekeeping: This law infringes on our life, liberty and our pursuit of Happiness as stated by our forefathers in the declarations.
OBITUARIES
RALEIGH - Norman Smith Blevins, 83, died Saturday evening, Aug. 13, 2011 at his home. Graveside funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Blackwell Chapel United Methodist Church cemetery in Meadowview, Va.
FRANKLINTON —Kathleen Wright Peoples, 85, died Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 at Wake Medical Center. Funeral services were conducted at 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, at Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Franklinton Chapel, with the Rev. David Averette and Danny Leonard officiating. Burial followed in Fairview Cemetery.
KITTRELL - Funeral services for Gerald “Chevy” Hedgepeth, 42, who died Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, at Mitchell Baptist Church, with Dr. Daniel Lilly officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
HENDERSON - Funeral services for Henry “Roosevelt” Williams Jr., 83, who died Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, in the Richardson Funeral Home chapel in Louisburg, with Rev. Langley officiating. Burial will follow in the Mitchell Church cemetery.
ZEBULON - Grace Harrison Wrape, 87, died Sunday, Aug. 14, at her home. Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Hephzibah Baptist Church, 1794 Wendell Blvd., Wendell, with the Rev. Bill Sanderson and the Rev. Aaron Wallace officiating. Burial will follow in Montlawn Memorial Park, 2911 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh.
ZEBULON - Thomas Burl Carlyle, 68, died Monday, Aug. 15, 2011. Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Spring Hope Pentecostal Holiness Church. Visitation is from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service. Burial, Gethsemane.
YOUNGSVILLE - Annie Ruth Underwood McLean, 77, died Monday, Aug. 15, 2011. Funeral services will be held at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17, in the chapel of Bright Funeral Home in Wake Forest. Burial will follow in Briercreek Memorial Gardens in Raleigh.
LOUISBURG – Jocelyn Paige Lee, 4, of Louisburg, passed away on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011.
YOUNGSVILLE- Christy Bowe, born February 12, 1950, beloved daughter, mother, sister and grandmother, departed this life on August 10, 2011.
LOUISBURG - Funeral services for Xavier Trevor Lewis, age 20, who died on Sunday, August 14, 2011, will be held Thursday, August 18, 2011, at 3:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Church in Louisburg, NC, with the pastor, the Rev. Madison Hankal, officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery.
LOUISBURG - Crowell Perry Strickland, age 87, died on August 13, 2011. A native of Franklin County, Mr. Strickland was the son of Bennett Perry and Geneva Breedlove Strickland and was one of sixteen siblings. His home place, located near Bunn, NC, was built by his father of lumber harvested from the family farm.
HILLSBOROUGH- Dorothy Mae Bell Lanier “Dottie,” 63, passed away on August 15, 2011 with her husband Quincy by her side at their home in Hillsborough. The daughter of the late Ed D. Bell Jr. and Dorothy Lee Pearce Bell, Dottie was born on November 3, 1947, and was a native of Franklin County.
SPORTS
OUT IN THE FLAT. Louisburg High School wide receiver Jordan Lucas (right) heads upfield after catching a pass against Southern Nash as part of last Friday night’s action at the Wilson Fike Football Jamboree.
By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
LOUISBURG -- When Chris Lee analyzes the Southern Vance Runnin’ Raiders, he sees a football club similar in chronology to the one he coaches at Louisburg High School.
“Southern Vance has a ton of people back -- about seven or eight starters on both sides of the ball,’’ Lee said. “They’ve got decent-sized linemen and a lot of skill kids. They’ve got a good football team.’’
TWO AGAINST ONE. Bunn’s Tainasha Vines (right) attempts a kill over Nash Central’s (l to r) Brittani Strickland and Precious Griffin during Monday’s season-opening, non-conferrence volleyball showdown, which was held at the Bunn Dome.
By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
BUNN -- A lesson learned translated into a victory earned Monday for the Bunn Ladycats against Nash Central in the regular season volleyball opener for both teams.
But it wasn’t easy for BHS as veteran head coach Henry Jones decided to sit out two starters for the first game after they were late for the match.
For Indianapolis Colts football fans, there wasn’t much to cheer about when the club opened its preseason schedule last weekend with a 33-12 road loss against the St. Louis Rams.
One of the highlights was the performance of Bunn’s Kerry Neal, who is trying to make the squad as an undrafted free agent.
By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
LOUISBURG -- Erica Wammock is stressing defense this season as the Louisburg Lady Warriors get ready for the start of their 2011 volleyball campaign.
While Louisburg boasts some quality hitters, they don’t have a high-powered blaster in the mold of past greats -- including Sharika Evans, last season’s Northern Carolina Conference Player of the Year.
CHALLENGER. Second-year head coach Emily Regan has challenged her Franklinton Lady Rams with some difficult preseason volleyball workouts.
By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
FRANKLINTON -- When Emily Regan accepted the Franklinton High School volleyball coaching position late last July, she was confident in her abilities to get the Lady Rams’ program headed in the right direction.
Regan, however, had no idea about the roads the journey would take.
Literally.
CHARLOTTE -- A new season of Time Warner Cable’s Game of the Week kicks off Friday with more games and the best high school football matchups from across the state.
Along with great competitions in Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Newport, Time Warner Cable is also featuring the best in North Carolina private school rivalries.
By:
GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
FRANKLIN COUNTY -- It’s Football Time in Franklin County as each of the county’s three high schools will hit the gridiron this Friday -- including two at their respective home fields.
And the other team in action won’t be too far away, as Louisburg will hit the road for Henderson for a meeting with the Southern Vance Runnin’ Raiders.
LOUISBURG -- Terrell Lane Middle School has finalized its schedule for the 2011 football season.
The Tornadoes will open Sept. 7 on the road in Creedmoor against Hawley.
Home games will be played at Patterson Field on the campus of Louisburg High School, beginning with a Sept. 14 meeting with Butner-Stem.
ZEBULON -- Carolina’s Pedro Villarreal tossed his first complete game of his 50-start career, shackling the Montgomery Biscuits with a four-hitter as the Mudcats evened their series with the Biscuits thanks to a 6-2 victory at Five County Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a Class AA Southern League diamond event.
Two Franklin County residents will be part of the Big East Conference football coaching brethren this fall. The skippers recently convened for the league’s annual Media Day in Wilson. Youngsville resident Dickie Schock (Rocky Mount) is at far left, while Bunn graduate Kevin Crudup (Nash Central) is second from right. Crudup still lives in Franklin County.
Louisburg High School’s Chris Green (right) tackles Southern Nash’s Terron Huffman during action last Friday night at the Wilson Fike Football Jamboree. The Warriors will begin their 2011 regular season this Friday on the road versus Southern Vance.
Freshman Tainasha Vines (left) delivers the first kill of her career as a volleyball player at Bunn High School. Look for many more blasts over the next four campaigns.
LIFESTYLES
By:
Rachel Monteverdi, Franklin County Cooperative Extension Agent
Do you remember your 2011 New Year’s resolutions? It feels like just yesterday we were reflecting on the many things we wanted to do in 2011.
Ideally, we decided upon at least one thing we could do that would make a positive difference in our lives and made a commitment to make it happen.
MARRIAGE. Allyn Riggan and Stuart Hedges were married on June 18, 2011 at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, Fla. The bride is the daughter of Bill and Vickie Riggan of Louisburg. The groom is the son of Tony and Mary Deb Hedges of Evergreen, Colo. The couple resides in Jacksonville, Fla.
ENGAGEMENT. Ernest and Delores Robinson of Henderson announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristina Dawn Robinson, to Brian Keith Bawcum of Newport. The groom-elect is the son of Robert and Sharon Bawcum of Henderson. The wedding is planned for 4 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2011 at South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church in Henderson.
Travis and Andrea Truelove Conn of Youngsville are proud to announce the birth of their son, Marshall Roland Conn, born May 31, 2011 at 8:32 p.m. at Rex Women’s Center in Raleigh. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 22 inches long.
Maternal grandparents are Kenneth and Jane Truelove of Raleigh.
Kari and Isaias Martinez of Youngsville proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Kendall Ann Martinez, born at WakeMed in Raleigh on Aug. 10, 2011. She weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.
Maternal grandparents are Dr. James and Pam Malandro of Hollywood, Fla.
Paternal grandparents are Dr. Isaias and Ligia Martinez of Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Specialist John Clay of Bunn graduated from Basic Training August 4, 2011 at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. Clay will attend Advanced Individual Training to become a Supply Specialist, then on to Airborne school. Clay is a 2002 graduate of Bunn High school and is the son of John and Charlene Clay of Bunn and husband of Rebecca Goss Clay of Greensboro.
SCHOOLS/EDUCATION
Heading back to school can be an exciting time for children in Franklin County. After a long summer break, most kids are ready to get back to the routine of a classroom, as well as the friends they left behind last spring.
However, Andrea Williams, social worker at Franklin Regional Medical Center, recognizes this can be an anxious and stressful time for some kids.
Franklin County Early College High School held an orientation session for new students and their parents on Aug. 4 at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus.
The group of 51 new students is the third freshman class in the history of the school, which opened in January 2010.
Kacie Marie Johnsen of Louisburg has recently become recognized as a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
COMMUNITY NEWS
By:
CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
YOUNGSVILLE — Commissioners said they want more information before making a decision to manage their water and sewer system.
Matt Cyrus presented the board with a preliminary plan for assuming that responsibility themselves.
The change, he said, would save the town money, provide it with autonomy and allow the town to invest taxpayer money directly back into town.
The Louisburg Minor League All-Stars who won second place in the Dixie Youth District Tournament at Oxford this summer were honored at the Louisburg town council meeting Monday night. The team also made an appearance in the Dixie Youth State Tournament in Southport.
The Louisburg town council saluted the Louisburg Coach-Pitch Softball All-Stars Monday night for their second place finish in the Tar Heel District Tournament in Louisburg. The team also made an appearance in the state tournament in Morganton.
A month after arresting three men for attempted theft, sheriff’s deputies are looking for more suspects who stole more than $42,000 in equipment from a Louisburg area company.
James Bumpass, proprietor of Louisburg Tractor & Truck Company, reported on Aug. 10 that someone stole seven tractors.
District #20, Order of the Eastern Star held its annual Miss OES Contest on Saturday, July 30, at the Louisburg Senior Center.
Victor Alston, Worshipful Master of Oak Grove Lodge #393 in Louisburg, served as the master of ceremonies.
WINSTON-SALEM — For the last 20 years, Lowes Foods has joined together with the United Way and focused on fundraising within the communities in which Lowes Foods serves. This year, with the help of the communities, customers, and employees, Lowes Foods launched their 2011 United Way Campaign. The campaign will run from Aug. 8 through Sept. 3, and the theme for the campaign will be “Locally United.”
CHECK UP. Chris Sweatt checks a slot car before placing it back on the track during a race of the Mid South USRA Division II slot car series. The group held its first race in Franklinton at Frugal’s Speedway.
FRANKLINTON — In NASCAR, the first race of the season is the Daytona 500 — the most popular race on the circuit.
Downtown Franklinton is never going to be mistaken for the location of the venerable race, but the location has become a destination for the Mid South USRA Division II slot car racing series.
BUSINESS
The Triangle North Executive Airport of Louisburg, in conjunction with LHZ Pilot’s Association, will welcome the public to High Flight 2011, an open house at the Triangle North Executive Airport, formerly the Franklin County Airport, on Saturday Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On display will be a variety of aircraft, presenting the public an opportunity to see them up close and learn from the pilots that fly them.
