Archives

LOUISBURG -- A proposed 147-home development project received approval from the Louisburg Planning Commission last Thursday and, assuming other permits are obtained in a timely manner, the project could be under construction as early as summer, 2020. All of the homes will be single family.
The project is being planned for the 62.2 acre former Green Hill Country Club on the south side of Louisburg along NC 39 South. Average lot size will be about a quarter of an acre and there are nearly 18 acres reserved for open spaces.

In the photo above, London Claire Collins, 3, is all smiles about the chance to sit on Santa's lap but her sister, Emerson Caroline Collins, just 10 months old, was a bit more reserved -- at least until next year after she's had a bit more time to figure all this stuff out! Now that the Christmas Season is officially here, there will be a wide variety of activities over the next month or so, ranging from parades to Christmas tree lightings, to craft events and, of course, repeated visits from Santa Claus himself.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County management revealed, via email, that the county's emergency services director has resigned.
Jeff Lewis tendered his resignation with intent to retire, effective on Nov. 20.
The email was sent out on Nov. 22.

LOUISBURG -- Last week was National Rural Hospital Week -- an effort by the National Rural Health Association to promote efforts to bring healthcare to often unserved and underserved areas.
Maria Parham's efforts to bring an emergency room, primary care and support services back to Franklin County were spotlighted on the national nonprofit organization's website.

Mary Rose Joyner & Sheila Allers

Happy Turkey Day.
It's hard to believe but it's Thanksgiving week, 2019, and that means that there is only a month or so left in this entire year.
How it goes by so quickly is beyond me, but my mother always used to say that the older you get, the faster time flies. At the time, I thought she was a bit nuts, but now I realize she was exactly right.

It's not often that I get column envy, or story envy, but the News & Observer published a story by Lucy Papachristou that I wish I had written -- or at least had the idea to write.
Regardless, it speaks to a running theme I've had in this very column the past few weeks -- voter apathy/election turnout.
Anyone familiar with The Franklin Times might recall that once the election tabulations became official on Nov. 15, our voter turnout was made official, also.

Dear editor: Private Healthcare, Single Payer, Medicare for All, Socialized Medicine, Affordable Care Act, these are all terms that are continually being used to describe current and future healthcare. President Trump recently said the Republicans are going to be the party of healthcare; the Democrats won big in the mid-terms running on healthcare.

BUNN -- Caroline White was a day-one star for the Bunn High School softball program as a freshman -- and nothing has changed over the past four years.
Now a senior, White has been a prolific hurler for the Ladycats and has kept the program in the upper portion of the always-competitive Northern Carolina Conference.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Both Louisburg and host Franklinton flashed their mat potential during last Saturday's action at the Franklinton High School Wrestling Season Kickoff.
The event featured an individual weight class format and was held at Cedar Creek Middle School's Gymnasium.

FRANKLINTON -- Over the past three years, the Franklinton Red Rams have developed the well-deserved reputation of being able to stand toe-to-toe with any opponent in the Big East Conference.
That was a concern for some observers when FHS made the move up to the Class 3-A Big East back in 2017 -- but the Red Rams have passed all tests to date.

KERNERSVILLE -- Junior Vargas has enjoyed a star-studded distance runner career at Louisburg High School -- and one of his most memorable moments came earlier this month.
That's when Vargas, a senior veteran, capped off the cross country portion of his LHS tenure by competing in the Class 1-A Boys State Championships at Kernersville (just east of Winston-Salem).

BUNN -- Northern Nash will look to defend its championship at the annual Bunn Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament.
The prestigious tourney will be held from Dec. 26-28 at the Bunn Dome on the campus of Bunn High School in Franklin County.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Franklinton will once again look to test itself against some of the top swim programs in the Big East Conference -- a quest that began last Thursday at the first league meet of the season at the Harrison Family YMCA.
The FHS girls took ninth place overall at the 11-team event with 30 points, while the FHS boys earned the same position with 40 tallies.

FRANKLINTON -- It was destined to be a rebuilding season for the Franklinton High School girls tennis team -- and that was a fact Coach Dale Byrns was fully aware of even before the campaign started back in August.
After losing five of their top six rotation players from 2018 due to graduation, Franklinton was forced to field a totally different lineup this fall in the unforgiving, competitive Big East Conference.

Bunn High School senior softball star Caroline White has been effective on the mound and at the plate during her prolific softball career.

The Marlins took part in the Town of Louisburg Recreation Department's 2019 Fall Baseball League nad had a strong campaign.

Charles and Joan Murray of the Justice Community recently celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary. The Murrays were married Nov. 19, 1959 at Duke Memorial Baptist Church.

THUMBS UP. Cub Scout members and Soap Box Derby racers, from left, Brady Reynolds and Ayden Matthews prepare to race down Johnson Street.

PRETTY IN PINK. After scouts raced down Johnson Street in the Soap Box Derby, family and friends were allowed to race, including little Harley Edwards.

Thanksgiving Day is full of family get-togethers, giving thanks, lots of food and some turkey deep frying horror stories.
From homes burning down to turkeys skyrocketing into the air, safely preparing and frying a turkey doesn't have to be dangerous.
To avoid becoming one of these Thanksgiving Day horror stories, and to make sure you fry that centerpiece safely to avoid foodborne illness, USDA offers advice on properly preparing and frying your turkey safely.

HOLLY JOLLY. Rick and Nancy Davis (left and right foreground) are joined by Natalie Famiglietti, Jennifer Clement and Scott Thompson.

HOLLY JOLLY. Boys & Girls Club Interim Chief Executive Officer Thomas Falgout grabs a plate.

RALEIGH -- The State Highway Patrol will be on the roadways this holiday season looking to stop dangerous driving before potentially life changing collisions take place.
The SHP joins roadway users across North Carolina in hopes of a safe and happy time for giving thanks with family and friends.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), over 49 million people will travel by automobile across our nation.

District #20 Order of the Eastern Star recently announced that Tamiya Scott is the recipient of the scholarship for their district.
She is the daughter of Tarsher Scott and was part of the first senior class to graduate from Henderson Collegiate High School.
She is currently a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is studying to be a pediatrician.

Kerr Vance Academy in Henderson recently announced its honor roll and headmaster list for the first quarter.

These are the personnel changes approved recently by the Franklin County Board of Education. The board:

The Franklin County Board of Education was awarded Level I Master Board Status by the North Carolina School Boards' Association during its annual conference recently in Greensboro. The Master Board Program offers skills training for school board governance teams. Courses emphasize board development and growth in key leadership areas, such as team and trust building, conflict resolution, goal setting, communication, managing change, ethics, problem solving, decision making and evaluation.

The North Carolina School Boards Association honored Franklin County's Commissioners during its annual conference in Greensboro by naming them as the County Commissioners of the Year for 2019 in recognition of their service to the local community through support of public elementary and secondary education. County commissioners won the same award in 2017 for their commitment to education.

Union Bank honored Early College High School students with a breakfast recently. For a third year in a row, Early College High scored an "A" in the rankings.

HENDERSON -- Vance-Granville Community College honored 349 students receiving scholarships, as well as the donors and partnering organizations who established them.
In the fourth annual event of its kind, students were given the opportunity to meet and have dinner with community leaders and supporters of the college's Endowment Fund.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Franklin County residents will have a number of chances to witness hollies and jollies this Christmas season.
Alert
The Alert Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m. -- marking its third decade.
Line-up will start at 1 p.m. There are no entry fees.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County, and for that matter, the entire state, has a new eye in the sky.
The NC Wing of Civil Air Patrol recently received two Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras for their planes.
One is based in Asheville and will serve the western part of the state.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg-area man accused of shooting a man five times surrendered to authorities.
Marquis Copeland, 35, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and firing a handgun into an occupied vehicle.
According to authorities, investigators allege Copeland and Antione Steed got into an argument at a Franklinton home on Cedar Hill Drive just before 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 17.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners had two conversations about safety: One involved motorists and one involved first responders.
First, Commissioner Mark Speed reminded the board about concerns that were brought to them regarding the county's emergency radio system.
Then, Planning Director Scott Hammerbacher updated the board on the State Department of Transportation's plans to make Bickett Boulevard safer.

LOUISBURG -- Sheriff's deputies arrested a Louisburg-area man on drug charges.
According to authorities, deputies executed a search warrant on Nov. 15 at a home in the 100 block of High Rock Drive and seized LSD, methamphetamines, cash and psychedelic drugs.

Louisburg Electric Department's Matthew Tedder joined a team of workers hanging holiday signs and lit snowflakes around the town of Louisburg last week.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners expect to give residents a wider berth when it comes to commenting on its proposed zoning changes.
In the spring of 2018, town leaders tasked N•FOCUS Senior Planner Richard Flowe with developing a Comprehensive Land Use & Master Plan, which incorporates every facet of how the town will develop into the future, from infrastructure planning to zoning regulations and priorities in between.

It was a distinct honor, said Trustee Bobbie Richardson, to be joined recently at Gillfield Missionary Baptist Church by the young men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity from the University of St. Augustine College in Raleigh. These young men are natives of Bahaman, an island that was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian earlier this year.